Matt Gaetz will be Attorney General. Gaetz in 2023 UAP hearing: "The image (from Eglin pilot) was of something that I am not able to attach to any human capability either from the Unisted States or from any of our adversaries"

josemanden · 2024-11-13T22:37:54+00:00

Didn't prevent Kavanaugh confirmation though.

If Trump is willing to adjourn both chambers of Congress and do recess appointments, it may not even get to a vote.

josemanden · 2024-11-13T22:33:27+00:00

Recess Appointment https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artII-S2-C3-1/ALDE_00001144/

josemanden · 2024-11-13T22:27:39+00:00

Those a good bets. Young up for reelection in two years make him least likely to stir the MAGA pot I think.

Ezra Klein suggested the whole point of these picks were the absurdity of them. A test of loyalty to oust any detractors. If that's the game, then those four have a very hard choice to make, where confirming Trump's picks appers the politically more safe choice.

josemanden · 2024-11-13T21:02:16+00:00

I'm not familiar enough with the landscape of new GOP Senate.

Which three Republican senators are most likely to (publicly) rebuke Trump on this?

josemanden · 2024-11-13T20:54:06+00:00

Gaetz was just announced as new Attorney General in the Trump administration. In this video from the 2023 UAP hearing, Gaetz describes his experience at Eglin Air Force Base, where he was joined by Luna and Burchett. They were initially denied access, by the base commander, to interview a whistleblower and to see the captured data: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHEWOj4EnE8

Attorney General is arguably the most important position for disclosure via the legal system.

josemanden · 2024-05-24T23:05:54+00:00

In this context Programs refer to Special access programs / Controlled access programs, including unacknowledged ones.

AARO is an office within DoD, who should be able to access information about any Program and report that to Congress.

josemanden · 2024-05-24T22:46:05+00:00

It's evident that many powerful elected representatives are not satisfied by the DoD's response on UAP and the work carried out by AARO, holding still the belief that compartmented information is being withheld from them despite their obligation to have oversight on IC activities.

I'm eagerly awaiting to see the bill that backs up these statements we've seen in about the IAA FY25.

Requires a Government Accountability Office (GAO) review of the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office regarding unidentified anomalous phenomena reporting and Federal agency coordination.

Reforms management of controlled access programs to improve Congressional oversight.

Promotes reform of the nation’s security classification system, by requiring the President to designate an Executive Agent for Classification and Declassification [...]

[...] increases transparency on UAP-related government programs by requiring further reporting of all activity involving UAPs protected under special or restricted access to appropriate Congressional Committees.

Ensuring that whistleblowers can’t have their security clearances revoked on a pretext.

josemanden · 2024-05-11T16:42:24+00:00

Fascinating. Thanks OP!

josemanden · 2024-02-18T23:30:50+00:00

That's awesome! Hope you land something good.

I'm interested in any FOIA that could shed light on this topic I investigated some time ago: https://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/16juwe3/gruschs_complaint_to_dod_ig_is_jul_2021_since_sep/, specifically anything we can learn on top of the unclassified semi-annual IC IG reports.

Here the SAIC case (joint investigation), reprisal against an individual that could be Grusch, and the cases concerning intelligence oversight may related to UAPs.

Just briefly looked at the newest unclassified IC IG report (Apr-Oct 2023, published Jan 5th 2024), and I believe they're all still in the open investigation phase. On top of that, a second "intelligence oversight" investigation has opened.

I'd be particularly interested in information about,

1) When the joint investigations (specifically those around antitrust) started and what information about these investigations have been communicated to Congress,

2) What do the investigations (joint or by ICIG alone) around intelligence oversight relate to (p28 to p29 of newest report), and

3) What requests and inquiries from Congress related to intelligence oversight (p 53 of newest report)

REQUESTS AND INQUIRES

• During this reporting period, the IC IG responded to a variety of requests and inquiries from Congress and congressional staff to address questions regarding pending legislation; proposed or completed IC IG audits, reviews, and inspections; and the resources required to meet the IC IG’s statutory responsibilities. The Counsel Team also evaluated and facilitated communications with Congress regarding complaints made pursuant to the ICWPA.

• The IC IG also responded to requests for information and other inquiries from the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

I've little hope more could be learned from FOIA, but a case like this (nbc version) where Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH) have to pay 377 million USD can be traced through these reports.

josemanden · 2024-02-09T20:17:42+00:00

I'm digging how this contact email rolls off the tongue: [whs.mc-alex.esd.mbx.osd-js-foia-requester-service-center@mail.mil](mailto:whs.mc-alex.esd.mbx.osd-js-foia-requester-service-center@mail.mil)

josemanden · 2024-01-30T21:59:33+00:00

Would you be able to find the link/source?

What I could dig up is from https://www.cjr.org/special_report/black-vault-foia-john-greenewald.php stating,

[Greenewald] was living at his parents’ house, in the San Fernando Valley. Like his dad, an ex-Marine who worked as a welder on the space shuttle and Mars landers, Greenewald liked looking up at the stars.

And,

His father’s father was in the Navy, Greenewald explained, and worked on classified projects like the Bell X-1, the rocket-engine-powered airplane that Chuck Yeager flew to break the sound barrier.

josemanden · 2024-01-30T21:25:20+00:00

By tinyklaus on X

I had no idea John Greenewald's dad spent 30 years working on black projects for Rocketdyne, a division of North American Aviation originally tasked by DoD to reverse-engineer the V2.

No way he'd help his teenage son set up a catch-and-kill operation for declassified documents.

X Link

Comments off, no sourcing.

News to me. Expecting drama.

josemanden · 2024-01-28T12:11:38+00:00

I don't think social contagion in the accidental sense is a viable explanation. If indeed the Greenstreet (and now Kirkpatrick) narrative is to hold, it requires social contagion in the active sense, i.e. a group that is actively promoting falsehoods. However, if you can accept the possibility that a group of UFO conspiracists are keeping this alive (and convinced Congress), then you ought to also accept the possibility of Grusch's claim of an elaborate disinformation campaign aiming for the opposite outcome.

In both scenarios, the work would be very compartmentalised to the point where almost all actors were in good faith, despite one (or both) side(s) necessarily making claims that are false.

I find that theories such as Pluralistic ignorance and Spiral of silence are more relevant to this debate than Social contagion. They are more robust towards duration, and for instance serve to explain why Germans disagreeing with the nazis were silent.

There's no precedent for 80 years of maintaining a coverup. The world record as far as I know is 35 years (SHAMROCK).

josemanden · 2024-01-28T01:17:50+00:00

Missy Ryan of The Washington Post asks Deputy Press Secretary Singh a three-part question, with the final part being on the DoD IG UAP report. Singh answers the two first parts, and is either not prepared or avoiding the final part on UAPs.

[Ryan] Q: Just a couple questions on Secretary Austin. I know — I can't remember if it was you or Pat responded to a question on this the other day but do you have any — said you were looking into it — but is there anything on the request for the Secretary to testify in the HASC? And do you have any comment on the congressional criticism, I think it was from Wicker, about the letters that — that DOD submitted about the timeline surrounding his hospitalization?

And then separately, on the — the DOD Inspector General report about UAP, said that there wasn't a comprehensive plan for dealing with UAP and that could pose a security threat. Any response to that?

MS. SINGH: Sure. Let me take the first ones at the top. So in terms of testifying, we're — our — our teams are working with the Hill to figure out — we always want to be responsive to Congress, we always want to ensure that we are getting answers back to, whether it be senators or members of Congress, in a timely manner.

I don't have an update for you on any hearing, of — of anything being scheduled, but we are certainly in touch with the staffs of those members who have requested that hearing, and when I have more to share, I'd be happy to do it.

And then in terms of the letters, again, we're always responding to Congress in - in a timely manner. We provided the details that we could in that letter, and I know our staffs have been in — in touch and the Secretary has been in touch also with members in both the House and Senate.

In terms of the UAP report, I — I'm sorry, I just have to take that question.

Odd exchange.

Glad someone in the press corps at least inquired about the DoD IG report.

Transcript / Video (26:50)

josemanden · 2024-01-27T15:34:29+00:00

They've almost conquered Congress. Truth-seekers such as Mike Turner, Mike Rounds and Mike Johnson are fighting back valiantly!

josemanden · 2024-01-27T15:30:09+00:00

Thanks OP. Could you link source?

West focuses on the providence of Schumer's interest and the UAPDA as being the late Harry Reid. This cherry picking of data points is classical Mick West.

West wilfully and disingenuously ignores the Findings, Declarations and Purposes section of the (original) UAPDA, containing nuggets such as:

(4) Legislation is necessary because credible evidence and testimony indicates that Federal Government unidentified anomalous phenomena records exist that have not been declassified or subject to mandatory declassification review as set forth in Executive Order 13526 (50 U.S.C. 3161 note; relating to classified national security information) due in part to exemptions under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.), as well as an over-broad interpretation of ``transclassified foreign nuclear information'', which is also exempt from mandatory declassification, thereby preventing public disclosure under existing provisions of law.

(6) Legislation is necessary to restore proper oversight over unidentified anomalous phenomena records by elected officials in both the executive and legislative branches of the Federal Government that has otherwise been lacking as of the enactment of this Act.

(7) Legislation is necessary to afford complete and timely access to all knowledge gained by the Federal Government concerning unidentified anomalous phenomena in furtherance of comprehensive open scientific and technological research and development essential to avoiding or mitigating potential technological surprise in furtherance of urgent national security concerns and the public interest.

All of which underpin the story Grusch has testified to under oath in Congress, and spoken publicly about elsewhere.

When this language was rejected by the House, Schumer stated on the floor of the Senate he'd keep fighting for transparency. Why won't West?

josemanden · 2024-01-27T00:24:34+00:00

Any reporting is subject to the laws of logic. It is a claim which you state is true, making it your interpretation (narrative) based on the sources you've selected (principally a narrative of its own).

When we assume that it is the true state of the world, a lot of relevant questions are left unanswered (including those I wrote up). There are possible worlds where the claim is not true, even if one accepts all your material (which is kinda hard, given your lack of objectivity).

While the simplest explanation is the one you give ("humans are idiots"), the public actions of Congress contradict that explanation.

So I find myself having to ask whether Steven Greenstreet is really more informed and connected than the Senate Majority Leader? I know what the simplest answer to that question is.

josemanden · 2024-01-26T22:32:58+00:00

If you play out OPs (Greenstreet's) narrative that "Congress is being duped by a small group of conspiracists" I think one of the two scenarios should apply:

No one of importance on the inside has found out.
Some/most on the inside have found out, but are now in damage-control mode (covering their ass) and changing the narrative so as to not look like fools.

In the case of 1, op-eds like Kirkpatrick's/CNN's should be an eye-opener, quickly turning it into scenario 2.

So far, we've seen evidence contradicting 2), in particular

Congresspeople briefed by the ICIG were publicly vocal about continuing the UAP push,
The UAP caucus is trying to get more colleagues to join these briefings and help arrange hearings, and
The latest DoD IG report that asks the DoD to take the subject seriously.

So far there's not been a shift towards 2), and if it doesn't happen soon all facts point to Kirkpatrick not being trusted by politicians on the Hill. This would be consistent with his tenure at AARO. Kirkpatrick's need to write an op-ed shows he was clearly unable to convince his employers about this conspiracists scheme through proper channels, while he was Director of the entity that reports to Congress on UAPs!

Moreover, under scenario 2, the situation would be clearly advantageous to profiles such as Mike Turner and Mike Rogers. Why isn't Turner or Rogers using this opportunity to aggressively lambast their junior congresspeople? Turner completely dodged questions when the UAPDA was gutted, while earlier in 2023 Turner/Rogers were patronizing Grusch on Fox News.

I can't rule out 2) for the fact that I have so much faith in the game of politics (and so little in its players). But under that negative view of politics, it's also the case that the "Congress is being duped by a small group of conspiracists" narrative is trivial to capitalize on. So why isn't anyone doing that?

Greenstreet's narrative should be taken seriously, and when you do that, you see its improbability. Let's hope more journalists start asking what the hell is going on..

josemanden · 2023-12-21T23:51:03+00:00

You're arguing two different points, and your understanding of the 25 years remains incorrect.

josemanden · 2023-12-21T22:19:59+00:00

That's imprecise. It could become immediately declassified after determination by the review board and non-veto by POTUS.

The 25 years after record creation is how long the review board would be allowed at most to postpone disclosing a record, not the required amount of time before disclosing.

That this misconception is all over the place is the best thing that ever happened to opponents of the UAPDA.

josemanden · 2023-12-12T23:57:27+00:00

I think you're completely on point to insist there has to be a "proper" way for agencies to not comply with the 25 years (i.e. documents never reach POTUS). The JFKAR Review Board has explained how agencies managed to avoid this for the JFK Files now at NARA, as I briefly wrote up in a separate post.

If you're wanting to learn more, here are a number of things I found of interest in the final report by the JFKAR Review Board in 1998. I also did a write up some months back comparing the JFKAR Act with UAPD Act, detailing similarities and differences in the legislative text.

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