Once again Jack you lay it out with no sugar coating. I just feel like too many people are not paying enough attention and are going to have a rude awakening when the shit hits the fan. And the shit will hit the fan because too many people thought that this POS in the White House was the answer! He could care less about any of us!
Thanks Jack, we need these understandings for our future..........especially when you bring in this expert analysis to explain these points.................i won’t pretend I didn’t see it... #holding on Jack and monitoring your wisdom daily.
The most dangerous time for a soldier is immediately after WINNING a battle. It's when relief and FATIGUE set in, and awareness of their surroundings tends to plummet.
This is a very clear analysis. We must be sure to vote to have a fighting chance! That is our strength! I agree we won’t just bounce back to our prior status. We are going to have to prove ourselves first.
You NAILED Kagan's point: trust lost doesn't come back with a speech; it gets EARNED back...one...action...at... a...time. And...VOTING is where that starts.
This is so worrying…. there are so many theories on t and his actions. This one is very good and makes complete sense.
T has been weakening us in every single way since he descended the escalator. He’s, for all intents and purposes, pretty well decimated our soft power. Internally, we are suffering from a myriad of issues including rising prices on everything, food insecurity for many and on and on. The latest on the student loans really gets a rise out of me.
I read an article (on substack) yesterday that really stopped me cold. I didn’t pass it on because there were no real receipts. I thought I bookmarked it and now cannot, for the life of me, find it…. grrrr. It talked about Putin and his leverage over t. The article basically stated that P has kompromat on T to get him to do what he wants. Supposedly the file contains videos, interviews, witnesses and the like of many of T’s misadventures (likely some of which are contained in the Epstein files if you follow)….. The article, combined with reports of how the US delegation was sheet white coming out of the Alaska mtg, has me curious on just how much it might be accurate.
In any event, Kagan’s work is scary enough…. without adding more…
Thank you for this, Jack! Staying accurately informed is getting harder by the day. Appreciate you and your work!
And...good on you for not passing along that article WITHOUT receipts. That's EXACTLY the discipline we need more of right now. Solid sources take more time...and it's worth it. I want readers to know that when I write an article, I'm not just making stuff up to get more likes.
The kompromat theory has circulated for years. Do I suspect it's true? Yes. I do. I've seen enough pieces of the puzzle since 2016 that I think there are more reasons to believe it than not.
What I find striking about Kagan's argument...is that it doesn't need a SECRET file. Ego... and money...explain PLENTY on their own...and...that's scary enough.
Thanks Jack, this is an important assessment! I recall watching him in his first term, the first two he visited were Putin and Kim, my first thought was “He’s taking lessons”, my friends disagreed, and thought he’s being oh so nice to break the ice!
He didn’t come to visit Canada or Mexico, that was very obvious to me he thought we were not important!
Nancy...thanks so much...and...thanks for being a paid subscriber. Without people like you, what I do...doesn't happen.
Your instinct lines up with Kagan's point: STOP reading him from the traditional playbook. And...as a Canadian...you've seen FIRSTHAND...what it feels like when a close ally gets treated...as an afterthought.
I wasn’t aware that people thought anything could wait for two years. Even Europe isn’t waiting for that. Every country can see that we have fallen, and yes they are making other plans. How can that be bad? We have been given a good road map as to where the holes in our legal system and democracy are, we have a responsibility to show the world that we can not only come back from this mistake but that we are going to ensure that they don’t have to worry every four years. Trust takes time, we blew it up, and maybe we can depend on some of those counties that are getting their act together while we flail. Not waiting two years….
Note the date: September 28, 2026. Jack Hopkins warns his readers about a single sentence: "Just wait two years."
Note who says it. Diplomats in Brussels, princes in the Gulf, planners in Tokyo. Their profession is outlasting administrations, and for eighty years that was a sound craft, because the structure under the administration held. Jack is correct that the structure is what has come into doubt.
Note the Saudi request. The crown prince telephoned Trump twice in one day and asked for strikes on the Houthis, who had blockaded the kingdom and were advancing toward the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Trump said no both times and offered intelligence instead. Note what Riyadh had bought over the decades: billions in American weapons and a friendship with the president's own family. Note the sequel: Riyadh asked France, Britain, Pakistan, and Egypt for air defense. Historians look for entries like this one, an ordinary request and an ordinary refusal, with every ally reading the result.
File 1936. Belgium, after years under French protection, declared itself neutral. Belgium had no quarrel with France. It had stopped believing. Jack writes in his postscript that angry allies stay and quiet ones make other plans, and 1936 is the proof of that sentence. Note the next date. In 1938 the Czechoslovak army, among the best in Europe, was handed over at a conference. Note who was in the room and who was not.
Note the Hawaii order of events, which Jack borrows from Kagan. The revolution came first and the annexation followed. A concession extracted under threat marks the end of one stage. I have read enough history to distrust any Greenland deal that opened with the word force and is now described as a win for the other side.
I find the most persuasive passage the one Jack will be tempted to skip: the claim that Trump is graded on a test he never agreed to take. A liberal worldview is required to see Moscow and Beijing as adversaries. Note what the red carpet for Xi was, and note what envoys carrying business proposals to Russia were, before Ukraine had been offered a single inch. Ego and money leave a paper trail, and it reads like a ledger.
Jack is correct on the two years as well. A president who loses ground at home keeps the one arena Congress can barely reach. I would add only that a bad sentence survives because it comforts. It lets everyone postpone the work of rebuilding, which is expensive, and which neither party has volunteered for.
Note what follows, because it will follow. Allies who watch a request go unanswered revise their plans, and plans do not revise back when the administration changes. Riyadh is already calling Paris, London, Islamabad, and Cairo. The next president inherits that doubt, and it will narrow what any American president can ask for. File the date, and note who decided.
Jack cites 1938, when Americans were sure they would never fight in Europe, and then France fell. Note that it took a collapse to change their minds.
Note who in your own life is still saying it. Note what they would have to see before they stopped.
Once again Jack you lay it out with no sugar coating. I just feel like too many people are not paying enough attention and are going to have a rude awakening when the shit hits the fan. And the shit will hit the fan because too many people thought that this POS in the White House was the answer! He could care less about any of us!
Peggy...thank you.
You said it: ATTENTION is the ENTIRE game.
Kagan's point is that Americans usually wake up only AFTER the disaster. The best we can do...is help people wake up BEFORE it.
Thanks for reading...and...for being IN the fight!
-Jack
Thanks Jack, we need these understandings for our future..........especially when you bring in this expert analysis to explain these points.................i won’t pretend I didn’t see it... #holding on Jack and monitoring your wisdom daily.
John, thank you.
The most dangerous time for a soldier is immediately after WINNING a battle. It's when relief and FATIGUE set in, and awareness of their surroundings tends to plummet.
We have an election to DOMINATE.
Then, the work BEGINS.
#KeepHoldingOn John.
-Jack
This is a very clear analysis. We must be sure to vote to have a fighting chance! That is our strength! I agree we won’t just bounce back to our prior status. We are going to have to prove ourselves first.
#HOLDFAST
Teri
Teri...thank you.
You NAILED Kagan's point: trust lost doesn't come back with a speech; it gets EARNED back...one...action...at... a...time. And...VOTING is where that starts.
Appreciate you reading and showing up...always.
#HOLDFAST
-Jack
This is so worrying…. there are so many theories on t and his actions. This one is very good and makes complete sense.
T has been weakening us in every single way since he descended the escalator. He’s, for all intents and purposes, pretty well decimated our soft power. Internally, we are suffering from a myriad of issues including rising prices on everything, food insecurity for many and on and on. The latest on the student loans really gets a rise out of me.
I read an article (on substack) yesterday that really stopped me cold. I didn’t pass it on because there were no real receipts. I thought I bookmarked it and now cannot, for the life of me, find it…. grrrr. It talked about Putin and his leverage over t. The article basically stated that P has kompromat on T to get him to do what he wants. Supposedly the file contains videos, interviews, witnesses and the like of many of T’s misadventures (likely some of which are contained in the Epstein files if you follow)….. The article, combined with reports of how the US delegation was sheet white coming out of the Alaska mtg, has me curious on just how much it might be accurate.
In any event, Kagan’s work is scary enough…. without adding more…
Thank you for this, Jack! Staying accurately informed is getting harder by the day. Appreciate you and your work!
Deb...thank you.
And...good on you for not passing along that article WITHOUT receipts. That's EXACTLY the discipline we need more of right now. Solid sources take more time...and it's worth it. I want readers to know that when I write an article, I'm not just making stuff up to get more likes.
The kompromat theory has circulated for years. Do I suspect it's true? Yes. I do. I've seen enough pieces of the puzzle since 2016 that I think there are more reasons to believe it than not.
What I find striking about Kagan's argument...is that it doesn't need a SECRET file. Ego... and money...explain PLENTY on their own...and...that's scary enough.
Appreciate you reading and staying sharp!
#HoldFast, Deb.
-Jack
Thanks Jack, this is an important assessment! I recall watching him in his first term, the first two he visited were Putin and Kim, my first thought was “He’s taking lessons”, my friends disagreed, and thought he’s being oh so nice to break the ice!
He didn’t come to visit Canada or Mexico, that was very obvious to me he thought we were not important!
Nancy...thanks so much...and...thanks for being a paid subscriber. Without people like you, what I do...doesn't happen.
Your instinct lines up with Kagan's point: STOP reading him from the traditional playbook. And...as a Canadian...you've seen FIRSTHAND...what it feels like when a close ally gets treated...as an afterthought.
That's EXACTLY the kind of thing allies remember.
Glad you're here, Nancy.
-Jack
I wasn’t aware that people thought anything could wait for two years. Even Europe isn’t waiting for that. Every country can see that we have fallen, and yes they are making other plans. How can that be bad? We have been given a good road map as to where the holes in our legal system and democracy are, we have a responsibility to show the world that we can not only come back from this mistake but that we are going to ensure that they don’t have to worry every four years. Trust takes time, we blew it up, and maybe we can depend on some of those counties that are getting their act together while we flail. Not waiting two years….
Note the date: September 28, 2026. Jack Hopkins warns his readers about a single sentence: "Just wait two years."
Note who says it. Diplomats in Brussels, princes in the Gulf, planners in Tokyo. Their profession is outlasting administrations, and for eighty years that was a sound craft, because the structure under the administration held. Jack is correct that the structure is what has come into doubt.
Note the Saudi request. The crown prince telephoned Trump twice in one day and asked for strikes on the Houthis, who had blockaded the kingdom and were advancing toward the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Trump said no both times and offered intelligence instead. Note what Riyadh had bought over the decades: billions in American weapons and a friendship with the president's own family. Note the sequel: Riyadh asked France, Britain, Pakistan, and Egypt for air defense. Historians look for entries like this one, an ordinary request and an ordinary refusal, with every ally reading the result.
File 1936. Belgium, after years under French protection, declared itself neutral. Belgium had no quarrel with France. It had stopped believing. Jack writes in his postscript that angry allies stay and quiet ones make other plans, and 1936 is the proof of that sentence. Note the next date. In 1938 the Czechoslovak army, among the best in Europe, was handed over at a conference. Note who was in the room and who was not.
Note the Hawaii order of events, which Jack borrows from Kagan. The revolution came first and the annexation followed. A concession extracted under threat marks the end of one stage. I have read enough history to distrust any Greenland deal that opened with the word force and is now described as a win for the other side.
I find the most persuasive passage the one Jack will be tempted to skip: the claim that Trump is graded on a test he never agreed to take. A liberal worldview is required to see Moscow and Beijing as adversaries. Note what the red carpet for Xi was, and note what envoys carrying business proposals to Russia were, before Ukraine had been offered a single inch. Ego and money leave a paper trail, and it reads like a ledger.
Jack is correct on the two years as well. A president who loses ground at home keeps the one arena Congress can barely reach. I would add only that a bad sentence survives because it comforts. It lets everyone postpone the work of rebuilding, which is expensive, and which neither party has volunteered for.
Note what follows, because it will follow. Allies who watch a request go unanswered revise their plans, and plans do not revise back when the administration changes. Riyadh is already calling Paris, London, Islamabad, and Cairo. The next president inherits that doubt, and it will narrow what any American president can ask for. File the date, and note who decided.
Jack cites 1938, when Americans were sure they would never fight in Europe, and then France fell. Note that it took a collapse to change their minds.
Note who in your own life is still saying it. Note what they would have to see before they stopped.
#HOLDFAST