I am so grateful for your work, and I think the journalism you offer is vital. I plan to show this video to my middle school history students as we talk about sourcing information from the web, and to ask ourselves what purpose the author of this image, article, or video had in mind when it was created. This week we are discussing America's initial foreign policy of isolationism, and how are geographic location made this a simple model to follow. I am going to stress the importance of America's investment in a naval force to project power of the coming decades, and why it is vital that America continue to project our open seas policy for the coming decades. Videos like this are one of the examples I will give when I talk about how a nation's foreign policy can be overt like the deployment of fleets, or covert like the deployment of bots. As always, thank you. My guess is that there are a wide variety of individuals and political view points who subscribe and follow you, and the impact of your work is especially vital in this inflection point in both American and world history. Peace be with you.
I have to say I love the work you do! Man.. you are literally an evangelical disinformation killer! Keep up the good work it's meaningful and critically important to the country as a whole!!
Excellent video! I wholeheartedly agree with the "if you don't know what you're talking about, don't say it" point of view. I have a degree in Nuclear Engineering and cannot tell you how often I see false information spread on social media.
Keep up the great work! I hope the move goes smoothly.
Ryan, you're our go-to on even analysis but in this case the opening summary of what's been happening at the border is at odds in some ways with what I've been able to find.
I can't find any reluctance by Biden when it comes to work dealing with the border. I can find 500+ immigration actions starting day 1, actions like fighting a protracted battle up through the supreme court to reverse Title 42 and its removal of legal penalties for entering the country illegally which increased recidivism 500% and skyrocketed the "encounters" statistics (the majority of border apprehensions since it began have been with repeat crossers). The Biden admin creating the "asylum ban" requiring asylum seekers to have applied in every country they traveled through, which is a pretty extreme measure that to my knowledge is receiving huge legal challenges from the ACLU among others, and more returns and removals been performed since Title 42 ended last May (450,000+ through EOY) than any other period in at least the last few administrations. Presently there's the $14B they're requesting for the border (designed to help prop up Ukraine support as well, sadly) which by reports is being blocked over electoral politics, while CPB reports state that resources are the only limiting factor on their enforcement.
I could be very wrong on this as my least researched aspect of this, but it seemed that the Texas injunction was less about simply blocking the border, and more about the specific use of devices which interfered with CBP performing border enforcement, and have maimed and killed people, and whether states have that right.
We can certainly disagree on the effects and impacts, a lot of lefties sure hate it, but it's hard for me to label it reluctance.
It's really hard to get clear information as all discussion and most news reporting I've seen on on the topic switches interchangeably between CBP/DHS/ICE/"law enforcement" within the same article, same with deportations/expulsions/removals/"enforcement actions", creating a mountain of ambiguity and leaving false impressions on the sum of enforcement when selectively reporting certain agencies' actions while not mentioning the others, and draws a false equivalence between border encounters and how many individuals have attempted to enter the US unauthorized.
In my opinion, the evidence seems to show Biden to be much more active and with more strict and comprehensive border actions than other modern presidents.
The real situation is extremely complicated. It seems pretty certain that there are still more individuals showing up than most of the 2010s, likely more than 2019 even, and there's a lot more nuance because the makeup of people arriving at the border has also changed radically from "mostly Mexico, for work" to a broad range of nationalities and people who have been making successful legal asylum claims that we're sort of stuck doing something about currently by law (1951 Geneva Convention, 1980 Refugee Act)?
If someone has evidence that corrects this that would be appreciated. I generally do my best to be objective and clearly label my opinions but I also don't pretend to not have some bias towards institutions and from spending most of my life in border regions of border states, and you all already have a lot more credibility than most internet strangers simply for being here. Thanks all.
Also, an online video could have taken place in any location at any time. The description given by the poster shouldn't be taken at face value without corroboration.
Bliss is a MOB site for multiple ArNG mech units, and Cavazos is a major ArNG training site for those same units. Those Brads probably don't even belong to 3/287, but are railheading in from another state.
Quite tangential to the main subject, but to me, these CIVs look really vulnerable sticking out like that and an obvious target to shoot at, even with small arms, to blind the vehicle commander... there must be something I don't understand?
I've heard a rumor that Pres. Biden was threatening to activate the Texas National Guard because of what's been happening at the border. It may be Russian propaganda once again. I know the president could activate the guard for title 10 duties but have never heard of any one state's National Guard being activated all at once. With the exception of the DC National Guard. Would be an interesting video to see.
The day before Bidens confirmation by Congress, I was passed on I-495 by two trucks each transporting a Stryker Dragoon. I could have easily taken a picture and said they were headed to the Capitol to enforce Marshall Law, or dissolve Congress at Trumps request, but that would have been ridiculous, reckless and unethical. They were likely headed to any one of the various military bases around Northern VA. Also the Konsbergs were missing their barrels. People are out of control
Well, I would Hate to think that Americans would truly believe that the State of Texas would have the authority to amass armored columns along and international border without any reaction from the President or Congress. And I would certainly think that Mexico would raise some concerns. Bushmaster and TOWs are not something routinely deployed to stop mules and their starving clients.
Evening Ryan, I noticed a handful of suspicious accounts (ie profiles headed up with long meaningless strings of letters and characters that are just a month old, just the one posted comment claiming to be a sacked Boeing safety manager/line employee/whistleblower) on some videos on YouTube about the Boeing 737 Max's safety record. More bots and sophistry do you think? Engagement would suggest they're effective if so.
Now, just find the rainy day of that eastbound train shipment and you can nail this issue shut. You are doing great work. Don't hesitate to share the load. Keep it up. Alan
Ryan: When in doubt, crowdsource your geolocation attempts. Because this involved a video of a railroad grade crossing in Texas, I went to the local expert. Here is his excellent response on the evening of 1.28.2024:
After searching the Federal Railroad Administration railroad crossing database for entries matching "College," I was able to locate the crossing within five minutes. North College Street in Killeen, Texas. Here is a Google Street View image matching the video filming location. The cross street is 761st Tank Battalion Avenue. 201 N College St, Killeen, TX 76541 is the address of the video location.
This train pictured in the video is traveling eastbound on the BNSF Railway Lampasas Subdivision. BNSF Railway has no direct connection to the Mexican border. It almost certainly originated at the US Army's Fort Hood (recently renamed Fort Cavazos) mere miles from that crossing.
Regarding who is transporting this artillery, I can say with almost 100% certainty it's the US Army. I was able to identify the "DODX" reporting mark on one of the railcars, which indicates that it is owned by the US Department of Defense. Rail transportation of artillery needs to be arranged with the railroad well in advance and requires pretty specific loading infrastructure that the Texas National Guard simply doesn't possess.
Do let me know if you have any more railroad-related questions!
I am so grateful for your work, and I think the journalism you offer is vital. I plan to show this video to my middle school history students as we talk about sourcing information from the web, and to ask ourselves what purpose the author of this image, article, or video had in mind when it was created. This week we are discussing America's initial foreign policy of isolationism, and how are geographic location made this a simple model to follow. I am going to stress the importance of America's investment in a naval force to project power of the coming decades, and why it is vital that America continue to project our open seas policy for the coming decades. Videos like this are one of the examples I will give when I talk about how a nation's foreign policy can be overt like the deployment of fleets, or covert like the deployment of bots. As always, thank you. My guess is that there are a wide variety of individuals and political view points who subscribe and follow you, and the impact of your work is especially vital in this inflection point in both American and world history. Peace be with you.
I have to say I love the work you do! Man.. you are literally an evangelical disinformation killer! Keep up the good work it's meaningful and critically important to the country as a whole!!
Excellent video! I wholeheartedly agree with the "if you don't know what you're talking about, don't say it" point of view. I have a degree in Nuclear Engineering and cannot tell you how often I see false information spread on social media.
Keep up the great work! I hope the move goes smoothly.
Ryan, you're our go-to on even analysis but in this case the opening summary of what's been happening at the border is at odds in some ways with what I've been able to find.
I can't find any reluctance by Biden when it comes to work dealing with the border. I can find 500+ immigration actions starting day 1, actions like fighting a protracted battle up through the supreme court to reverse Title 42 and its removal of legal penalties for entering the country illegally which increased recidivism 500% and skyrocketed the "encounters" statistics (the majority of border apprehensions since it began have been with repeat crossers). The Biden admin creating the "asylum ban" requiring asylum seekers to have applied in every country they traveled through, which is a pretty extreme measure that to my knowledge is receiving huge legal challenges from the ACLU among others, and more returns and removals been performed since Title 42 ended last May (450,000+ through EOY) than any other period in at least the last few administrations. Presently there's the $14B they're requesting for the border (designed to help prop up Ukraine support as well, sadly) which by reports is being blocked over electoral politics, while CPB reports state that resources are the only limiting factor on their enforcement.
I could be very wrong on this as my least researched aspect of this, but it seemed that the Texas injunction was less about simply blocking the border, and more about the specific use of devices which interfered with CBP performing border enforcement, and have maimed and killed people, and whether states have that right.
We can certainly disagree on the effects and impacts, a lot of lefties sure hate it, but it's hard for me to label it reluctance.
It's really hard to get clear information as all discussion and most news reporting I've seen on on the topic switches interchangeably between CBP/DHS/ICE/"law enforcement" within the same article, same with deportations/expulsions/removals/"enforcement actions", creating a mountain of ambiguity and leaving false impressions on the sum of enforcement when selectively reporting certain agencies' actions while not mentioning the others, and draws a false equivalence between border encounters and how many individuals have attempted to enter the US unauthorized.
In my opinion, the evidence seems to show Biden to be much more active and with more strict and comprehensive border actions than other modern presidents.
The real situation is extremely complicated. It seems pretty certain that there are still more individuals showing up than most of the 2010s, likely more than 2019 even, and there's a lot more nuance because the makeup of people arriving at the border has also changed radically from "mostly Mexico, for work" to a broad range of nationalities and people who have been making successful legal asylum claims that we're sort of stuck doing something about currently by law (1951 Geneva Convention, 1980 Refugee Act)?
If someone has evidence that corrects this that would be appreciated. I generally do my best to be objective and clearly label my opinions but I also don't pretend to not have some bias towards institutions and from spending most of my life in border regions of border states, and you all already have a lot more credibility than most internet strangers simply for being here. Thanks all.
I’m a Texan - It’s all the Trumpies and MAGA trolls desperately trying to create faux news for their easily manipulated/ignorant supporters
Also, an online video could have taken place in any location at any time. The description given by the poster shouldn't be taken at face value without corroboration.
Bliss is a MOB site for multiple ArNG mech units, and Cavazos is a major ArNG training site for those same units. Those Brads probably don't even belong to 3/287, but are railheading in from another state.
Quite tangential to the main subject, but to me, these CIVs look really vulnerable sticking out like that and an obvious target to shoot at, even with small arms, to blind the vehicle commander... there must be something I don't understand?
I've heard a rumor that Pres. Biden was threatening to activate the Texas National Guard because of what's been happening at the border. It may be Russian propaganda once again. I know the president could activate the guard for title 10 duties but have never heard of any one state's National Guard being activated all at once. With the exception of the DC National Guard. Would be an interesting video to see.
The day before Bidens confirmation by Congress, I was passed on I-495 by two trucks each transporting a Stryker Dragoon. I could have easily taken a picture and said they were headed to the Capitol to enforce Marshall Law, or dissolve Congress at Trumps request, but that would have been ridiculous, reckless and unethical. They were likely headed to any one of the various military bases around Northern VA. Also the Konsbergs were missing their barrels. People are out of control
Well, I would Hate to think that Americans would truly believe that the State of Texas would have the authority to amass armored columns along and international border without any reaction from the President or Congress. And I would certainly think that Mexico would raise some concerns. Bushmaster and TOWs are not something routinely deployed to stop mules and their starving clients.
Great reporting Ryan! I like your analysis & critical thinking. The 278th was my old unit many years ago. (We had M60A3's back then).
Evening Ryan, I noticed a handful of suspicious accounts (ie profiles headed up with long meaningless strings of letters and characters that are just a month old, just the one posted comment claiming to be a sacked Boeing safety manager/line employee/whistleblower) on some videos on YouTube about the Boeing 737 Max's safety record. More bots and sophistry do you think? Engagement would suggest they're effective if so.
Here is the Google Street View of that railroad grade crossing:
https://www.google.com/maps/@31.1204378,-97.732828,3a,75y,180h,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sVpVltAokdCAFqfKA3jpnGw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu
Now, just find the rainy day of that eastbound train shipment and you can nail this issue shut. You are doing great work. Don't hesitate to share the load. Keep it up. Alan
Ryan: When in doubt, crowdsource your geolocation attempts. Because this involved a video of a railroad grade crossing in Texas, I went to the local expert. Here is his excellent response on the evening of 1.28.2024:
After searching the Federal Railroad Administration railroad crossing database for entries matching "College," I was able to locate the crossing within five minutes. North College Street in Killeen, Texas. Here is a Google Street View image matching the video filming location. The cross street is 761st Tank Battalion Avenue. 201 N College St, Killeen, TX 76541 is the address of the video location.
This train pictured in the video is traveling eastbound on the BNSF Railway Lampasas Subdivision. BNSF Railway has no direct connection to the Mexican border. It almost certainly originated at the US Army's Fort Hood (recently renamed Fort Cavazos) mere miles from that crossing.
Regarding who is transporting this artillery, I can say with almost 100% certainty it's the US Army. I was able to identify the "DODX" reporting mark on one of the railcars, which indicates that it is owned by the US Department of Defense. Rail transportation of artillery needs to be arranged with the railroad well in advance and requires pretty specific loading infrastructure that the Texas National Guard simply doesn't possess.
Do let me know if you have any more railroad-related questions!
Best regards,
Porter P. (The Central Texas Railfan)
chuttlelyyt@gmail.com
Ryan, sorry about your move. Thank you. Good luck