He spent two decades in a unit the Pentagon won’t admit exists. The job? Deciding which threats are real. Read this before you decide whether to believe him... because the answer isn’t what you think.
The early patterns in rhetoric and the comments by Rubio early on when talking to press people seem to match the rationale he offered when he quit. Hated to hear of the loss of his wife. My brother met that fate in Iraq, but Rummy wasn’t allowing family at Dover at that time. Tough on my mom.
Pamela...before anything else... I'm so sorry about your brother.
And that your mom couldn't even be there at Dover to receive him…that detail sits heavy with me. Families lost something real under that policy...and I'm only sorry it changed too late for yours.
You're right about the rest, too...the early rhetoric...and Rubio's press comments do line up with the reasons Kent gave on his way out. You caught the PATTERN.
We had the same issues in the Submarine Force. The senior people in the Pentagon and maybe the fleet type commanders were given the picture of the forest. This us in the trenches, on the boats had only two missions, execute your orders and don't get detected. We were a tree looking at the gaps in the other trees. We knew the forest was there, we just couldn't see it.
Steven...that might be the most PRECISE description of the whole thing I've read...and it comes from someone who LIVED it.
Thank you…for the words...and the SERVICE behind them.
"A tree looking at the gaps in the other trees" is going to stay with me. Because that's the piece in a single sentence: down on the boat...the darkness is survival...you don't need every sailor holding the war plan...and "don't get detected" keeps you ALIVE.
The trouble is when that same darkness...gets pointed at the threat itself…when the forest becomes whatever a few unseen people SAY it is...and no one's positioned to tell whether they're seeing a forest...or sketching one.
You knew the forest was really there. The question now...is whether the people claiming to see it...are looking at the real thing.
Grateful you brought the view from such relevant experience, Steven.
Good point. I don't know how a person knows who to trust anymore. For me, it's the independent journalists. They seem to be the only ones doing their homework.
A side note, it is interesting how political candidates can say what they want to do without have all of the information needed to make a decisions as to whether or not their promise is even doable. I have yet to see a candidate once elected tell his constituents that after being in office for a while and having all the facts, that I can't fulfill the promise in made in my campaign. I am eagerly waiting for the first office holder to make this admission.
Trusting is the role of individual trees. Knowing which forest habitat you are meant to thrive in, recognizing what does and doesn’t fit, treating anomalies accordingly. No fear. No glamour. Accepting outsiders that are simply out of place. … not get too frustrated with predictive text 🤨🦉
We had government employees who are experts on Iran who were fired, let go two weeks before bombing by USA took place in Iran. Now we have unqualified and ignorant government representatives probably enriching themselves as they "negotiate" a peace deal with Iran. The only thing I can think about the duality of Kent's actions is did he come to a line he couldn't cross? Only he knows. I do know that the American people are going to feel the repercussions from this war for decades. Troops on the ground would be disastrous. Obviously, I am a layperson, but my life instructors are Viet-Nam, Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan. My heart aches because of so many unneccesary deaths.
Interesting article! It is a lot to mull over and as you point out there is no clear answer. I can speculate that Iran was a bridge to far but the answer will remain a great unknown. Sad that the threat assessment on Venezuela allowed such misery and suffering. A real tipping point on due process.
Sitting with "no clean answer" is harder than being handed one...and "a great unknown" is the honest place to land on Iran. Bridge too far is a fair guess...but it stays a guess.
What strikes me most...is where you put your weight. You let Iran stay a mystery…then moved to Venezuela. EXACTLY right...because that one isn't unknown.
The analysts said the evidence wasn't there, they were told to rewrite it, they HELD… and people got swept up anyway...without the process that's supposed to stand between a government...and a person.
A mystery you can shrug at. A documented due-process failure...with faces attached, you can't. That's your tipping point...precisely.
No clear answer makes the most sense. It’s what we assume and want. If it’s not there it’s not there. Thanks for this. Venezuela on the other hand felt manipulated. Too quick action. Irreversible. Vague reasons. Smoke and mirrors.
I understand the secrecy of such a unit because your identity is known that makes what you do a higher risk. The whole goal is to be able to assimilate thru dress, language and actions to get intel from the enemy. Fro what I had read earlier even thogh drumpf was told Iran was a bad idea he just went ahead and did what he"felt" was needed like he has magical powers to see the future. I had heard or read Vance was vocal about not doing it. Now we are stuck with a forever war and the possible collapse of the world economy with the loss of oil. I think Kent saw his line in the sand and decided he could not continue with this criminal clown car regime. I just read Drumpf had another "annual" physical and he say he asked for another cognitive test and "Aced it"...right....There is definitely something not righter.. almost like where is Mitch?
I’ve long known there are people, forces, ‘things’ in the government that people Do. Not. Talk. About…..
I’ve known a couple of pretty badass guys that served - one was a Vietnam Army Ranger, the other served post-Vietnam and was assigned to a counterterrorism unit in another branch. Both experienced some pretty harrowing things they mostly talk(ed) around but the inferences are there and I read between the lines. The counterterrorism fellow recounted there were several times, after his unit had completed a mission, that a ‘spook’ would appear out of thin air where they were….. and he looked like an average Joe you would NOT pick out of a lineup or a crowd. The ‘spook’ also vanished as quickly as he’d shown up. So yes… I do not doubt for a minute there are units, groups, people that do not ‘exist’….
Re: Joe Kent…. I’ve lived long enough and seen enough to know that Two. Seemingly. Opposite. Things CAN exist At. The. Same. Time. In. The. Same. Person. Does it make me uncomfortable? Yes. Absolutely yes. Let’s face it….. uncomplicated people without a wide range of experiences do not generally end up in the positions he’s held. He fascinates me from the perspective of wondering just what makes him tick, what drives him, what his experiences have been (a la ferreting out what drove Todd Blanche from straight arrow to now). I sincerely hope he is an honorable man and is very serious about calling balls and strikes accurately and in the zone because it sounds like he has a lot of lives in his hands.
I think we’d be crazy to not at least entertain the idea these ‘non-existent’ groups and ppl are operating domestically. Again, I hope they are honorable and can put their responsibilities above any personal grievances, biases, pressures exerted on them, etc that might be active in their lives, mind, psyches and all the things.
Jack, I love that you’ve written this. Ambiguity always intrigues me. I suspect history will eventually reveal who Joe Kent is under it all…… then again, maybe not. Interestingly, this isn’t the stuff that keeps me awake in the wee hours. Nothing I can do about it. That said, I love a good brain teaser. Thank you for this!!
The early patterns in rhetoric and the comments by Rubio early on when talking to press people seem to match the rationale he offered when he quit. Hated to hear of the loss of his wife. My brother met that fate in Iraq, but Rummy wasn’t allowing family at Dover at that time. Tough on my mom.
Pamela...before anything else... I'm so sorry about your brother.
And that your mom couldn't even be there at Dover to receive him…that detail sits heavy with me. Families lost something real under that policy...and I'm only sorry it changed too late for yours.
You're right about the rest, too...the early rhetoric...and Rubio's press comments do line up with the reasons Kent gave on his way out. You caught the PATTERN.
Thank you for trusting me with this, Pamela.
-Jack
Sorry for your family's loss and the pan your mom went thru. No one would have to be deprived like that.
We had the same issues in the Submarine Force. The senior people in the Pentagon and maybe the fleet type commanders were given the picture of the forest. This us in the trenches, on the boats had only two missions, execute your orders and don't get detected. We were a tree looking at the gaps in the other trees. We knew the forest was there, we just couldn't see it.
Steven...that might be the most PRECISE description of the whole thing I've read...and it comes from someone who LIVED it.
Thank you…for the words...and the SERVICE behind them.
"A tree looking at the gaps in the other trees" is going to stay with me. Because that's the piece in a single sentence: down on the boat...the darkness is survival...you don't need every sailor holding the war plan...and "don't get detected" keeps you ALIVE.
The trouble is when that same darkness...gets pointed at the threat itself…when the forest becomes whatever a few unseen people SAY it is...and no one's positioned to tell whether they're seeing a forest...or sketching one.
You knew the forest was really there. The question now...is whether the people claiming to see it...are looking at the real thing.
Grateful you brought the view from such relevant experience, Steven.
-Jack
Good point. I don't know how a person knows who to trust anymore. For me, it's the independent journalists. They seem to be the only ones doing their homework.
A side note, it is interesting how political candidates can say what they want to do without have all of the information needed to make a decisions as to whether or not their promise is even doable. I have yet to see a candidate once elected tell his constituents that after being in office for a while and having all the facts, that I can't fulfill the promise in made in my campaign. I am eagerly waiting for the first office holder to make this admission.
Trusting is the role of individual trees. Knowing which forest habitat you are meant to thrive in, recognizing what does and doesn’t fit, treating anomalies accordingly. No fear. No glamour. Accepting outsiders that are simply out of place. … not get too frustrated with predictive text 🤨🦉
Good comment, Thanks
We had government employees who are experts on Iran who were fired, let go two weeks before bombing by USA took place in Iran. Now we have unqualified and ignorant government representatives probably enriching themselves as they "negotiate" a peace deal with Iran. The only thing I can think about the duality of Kent's actions is did he come to a line he couldn't cross? Only he knows. I do know that the American people are going to feel the repercussions from this war for decades. Troops on the ground would be disastrous. Obviously, I am a layperson, but my life instructors are Viet-Nam, Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan. My heart aches because of so many unneccesary deaths.
Interesting article! It is a lot to mull over and as you point out there is no clear answer. I can speculate that Iran was a bridge to far but the answer will remain a great unknown. Sad that the threat assessment on Venezuela allowed such misery and suffering. A real tipping point on due process.
Kristine...you read it just the way I hoped.
Sitting with "no clean answer" is harder than being handed one...and "a great unknown" is the honest place to land on Iran. Bridge too far is a fair guess...but it stays a guess.
What strikes me most...is where you put your weight. You let Iran stay a mystery…then moved to Venezuela. EXACTLY right...because that one isn't unknown.
The analysts said the evidence wasn't there, they were told to rewrite it, they HELD… and people got swept up anyway...without the process that's supposed to stand between a government...and a person.
A mystery you can shrug at. A documented due-process failure...with faces attached, you can't. That's your tipping point...precisely.
Grateful you're reading this closely!
-Jack
No clear answer makes the most sense. It’s what we assume and want. If it’s not there it’s not there. Thanks for this. Venezuela on the other hand felt manipulated. Too quick action. Irreversible. Vague reasons. Smoke and mirrors.
JFC.. the more informed I am the more I wonder when and where they are going to be next. Power Corrupts and Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely.
I understand the secrecy of such a unit because your identity is known that makes what you do a higher risk. The whole goal is to be able to assimilate thru dress, language and actions to get intel from the enemy. Fro what I had read earlier even thogh drumpf was told Iran was a bad idea he just went ahead and did what he"felt" was needed like he has magical powers to see the future. I had heard or read Vance was vocal about not doing it. Now we are stuck with a forever war and the possible collapse of the world economy with the loss of oil. I think Kent saw his line in the sand and decided he could not continue with this criminal clown car regime. I just read Drumpf had another "annual" physical and he say he asked for another cognitive test and "Aced it"...right....There is definitely something not righter.. almost like where is Mitch?
#HOLDFAST
Teri
I'm so sorry for the sadness that you carry with you because of the loss of your brother.
I’ve long known there are people, forces, ‘things’ in the government that people Do. Not. Talk. About…..
I’ve known a couple of pretty badass guys that served - one was a Vietnam Army Ranger, the other served post-Vietnam and was assigned to a counterterrorism unit in another branch. Both experienced some pretty harrowing things they mostly talk(ed) around but the inferences are there and I read between the lines. The counterterrorism fellow recounted there were several times, after his unit had completed a mission, that a ‘spook’ would appear out of thin air where they were….. and he looked like an average Joe you would NOT pick out of a lineup or a crowd. The ‘spook’ also vanished as quickly as he’d shown up. So yes… I do not doubt for a minute there are units, groups, people that do not ‘exist’….
Re: Joe Kent…. I’ve lived long enough and seen enough to know that Two. Seemingly. Opposite. Things CAN exist At. The. Same. Time. In. The. Same. Person. Does it make me uncomfortable? Yes. Absolutely yes. Let’s face it….. uncomplicated people without a wide range of experiences do not generally end up in the positions he’s held. He fascinates me from the perspective of wondering just what makes him tick, what drives him, what his experiences have been (a la ferreting out what drove Todd Blanche from straight arrow to now). I sincerely hope he is an honorable man and is very serious about calling balls and strikes accurately and in the zone because it sounds like he has a lot of lives in his hands.
I think we’d be crazy to not at least entertain the idea these ‘non-existent’ groups and ppl are operating domestically. Again, I hope they are honorable and can put their responsibilities above any personal grievances, biases, pressures exerted on them, etc that might be active in their lives, mind, psyches and all the things.
Jack, I love that you’ve written this. Ambiguity always intrigues me. I suspect history will eventually reveal who Joe Kent is under it all…… then again, maybe not. Interestingly, this isn’t the stuff that keeps me awake in the wee hours. Nothing I can do about it. That said, I love a good brain teaser. Thank you for this!!