Kevin Johnson

Thoughts from a retired Special Operations Officer. Though I am not an aircraft surgeon, nor a Coniurationis Fautor, I have some thoughts that may be on interest, presented in three points, a conclusion, and a hypothesis, regarding the US rescue operation in Iran, with consideration to the photos of the aircraft used. I have flown on the C-130H and the MC-130J in training and in combat, to include static line airborne operations, Military Freefall (HALO) operations, and combat infiltration and exfiltration in austere environs, such as the Kobani Landing Zone (KLZ) in Northeast Syria during Operation Inherent Resolve. Point one: it is important to note that the aircraft used in this operation were NOT the standard C-130 Hercules model, which have 4-blade, steel propellers (see picture #2). The fixed-wing aircraft used were the MC-130J, Commando II, operated by the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command for clandestine operations. The MC-130J uses six-bladed Dowty R391 composite propellers (see picture #1). These blades are constructed from composite materials, specifically featuring a carbon fiber structure rather than the metal (aluminum) used on older C-130 models. Point two: carbon fiber does not melt in the traditional sense, as it does not turn into a liquid. However, the resin matrix holding the fibers does melt and become viscous. Point three: Steel/aluminum blades snap and break. MC-130J R391 blades shatter and can melt. The images we see from the destroyed aircraft (picture #6) show 6 blades. Therefore, these are the MC-130J Dowty blades (they can melt). And as you can see in picture 4 and 5, when not melted, but rather broken, they shred and snap. They do not bend. As you can see from the steel/aluminum variant on the C-130H model, the blades snap and break and bend, they do not shatter or melt. Conclusion: To declare that the aircraft "definitely" were shot down based on the "bent" propellers is false. Could the aircraft have been shot down? Yes. Could the aircraft have been shot down AND the blades melted in the extreme heat of the fire from the BIP (blown in place)? Yes. Both can be true. But it can also be true that the aircraft was not shot down, nor crash landed, and the propellers do indicate burning and melting, not a crash. Hypothesis: The rescue operation expanded to become the desired Delta Force, JSOC, SOF, ST-6 high-risk operation to ALSO seize the uranium in Iran; hence the need for so many operators, support, aircraft, etc. This WAS intended to be that operation. It failed. So what happened to the aircraft. I do not believe that they were "stuck". I have seen MC-130Js plow through dirt, mud, snow, gravel, etc. I doubt they were stuck. It is more likely that the aircraft took hits upon entry and also likely took hits and damage while on the ground at the hasty FARP at the old airfield in Isfahan, "conveniently" close to where the suspected uranium may have been stored. Lesson: A ground war into Iran will be very costly and will be a tactical, operational, and strategic failure (Clausewitz).

We have all been screaming this for 3 years NOW!!!

"Israel wants to live in peace with its neighbours" is the biggest lie of all time. This is the West Bank. No Hamas, no war, yet attacked like this daily by "settlers" backed by the IDF. A savagely violent Jewish supremacy armed by the EU/UK/US

Jewish troops will be looking for Muslims hidden in the attics of Christians. Let that sink in.

The purpose of a system is what it does: Israel is targeting the negotiators to ensure we can’t end the war & to ensure that the Iranian leaders who come next will be more extreme, thereby ensuring that the war goes on. The 1st step to end the war must be restraining Israel.

@Rory_Johnston Iran's tolls can be conveniently paid in USDT on Justin Sun's Tron blockchain. The SEC settled Sun's fraud case in March for just $10M after Sun "invested" $75M in Trump's World Liberty Financial. fxstreet.com/cryptocurrenci…

We didn’t really learn anything more from Trump’s Iran War address, but those things he reaffirmed are likely going to continue driving crude prices higher: - plans to achieve military targets in 2-3 weeks, which likely means further escalation - believes US is winning, achieving all its goals, energy price pain a temporary necessary cost - plans to leave the task of reopening the Strait to Europe/Asia, and no one knows what that will look like More escalation, more risk of upstream facility counterattacks, Hormuz likely closed for another month at least and who knows after that. Hard to believe that, best case, we’re only like halfway through this.

@BurggrabenH Good thing the SEC settled Justin Sun's fraud case in March for just $10M after Sun "invested" $75M in Trump's World Liberty Financial. Iran's tolls can now be conveniently paid in USDT on Sun's Tron blockchain. fxstreet.com/cryptocurrenci…

Remember the 20 Pakistani vessel deal that the Minister and Trump boasted about? Ok, earlier this week, Iran agreed to allow 20 "Pakistani" vessels to transit through the strait, but Pakistan only had 6 ships or thereabouts. So Islamabad began reaching out the world’s biggest commodity traders like Vitol & Trafigura to see if they had vessels that could transit Hormuz while temporarily sailing under a Pakistani flag. Message 1: the Pakistani wanted to play big league without any vessels. Little crooks. Anyway, if a vessel makes the smell test cut, the discussions over the toll begin. Iranians apparently have a ranking system of 1-5 for nations, with ships from countries that are seen as "friendly" more likely to get better terms. Putin style. I'm sure Trump loves that new world order. Except, that he isn't on the friendly list. How much? For oil tankers, the STARTING price in the negotiations is $1 per barrel of oil, paid in yuan or stablecoins. That's $2m for VLCC, $1m for a Suezmax etc. Once the toll is paid, the IRGC issues a permit code and route instructions. Ships are expected to raise the flag of the nation that negotiated the passage agreements, and in some instances, to change their official registration to that country. As it approaches the Strait of Hormuz, the ship broadcasts its passcode over its very high frequency radio, and is met by a patrol boat that escorts it through the passage, close to the coast between a group of islands that was dubbed “the Iranian tollbooth” by the Lloyds List guys. Meanwhile, the Iranian parliament is working on a draft bill that would impose a fee on vessels seeking safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, according to the semi-official Fars news agency. Fars, citing an unnamed lawmaker, said the plan would be finalized next week, and would legally recognize Iran’s oversight of Hormuz. Message 2: The new maritime order is taking shape. Does anybody have the details of that 1-5 ranking system list? Asking for a friend

Marco Rubio: “Just because you’re born on U.S. soil doesn’t make you a citizen. Your parents must be U.S. citizens.” Grok: “Marco Rubio was born in Miami in 1971. His parents became citizens in 1975. Rubio is a beneficiary of birthright citizenship.”

ICE guards are betting on which detainee will kill themselves next. The AP just exposed the savage conditions of a detention camp in El Paso. The Associated Press got inside Camp East Montana. What they found should be on the front page of every newspaper in this country until it closes. About 3,000 people packed in per day. Loud, unsanitary quarters crawling with insects. Food so scarce that detainees steal from each other just to eat. Disease spreading through filthy rooms, showers, and restrooms that go uncleaned. People losing weight. People unable to see a doctor. People losing their minds. Staff made nearly one 911 call per day in the camp's first five months. One call captures a man sobbing after being assaulted by another detainee. Another has a doctor describing a man banging his head against a wall while expressing suicidal thoughts. A nurse calls about a pregnant woman in severe pain with coronavirus. Detainees suffering seizures, some resulting in serious head trauma. Ages ranged from a 19-year-old who fell from a bunk to a 79-year-old who couldn't breathe. And then there's the detail that should haunt this administration for the rest of its existence. Owen Ramsingh, a former property manager from Columbia, Missouri, who spent weeks in the camp before being deported to the Netherlands, told the AP he overheard a security guard talking about a betting pool among the staff. They were wagering on which detainee would be next to die by suicide. The guard said he had put $500 in. The total pot rode on the outcome. Ramsingh said the talk was particularly devastating because he had contemplated suicide himself. Guards are gambling on the deaths of people in their custody. People who are hungry. People who are sick. People who are begging for help through 911 calls that come in every single day. And the staff turned it into a game. This is not some rogue facility. This is the system working exactly as this administration designed it. Overcrowded by policy. Underfed by neglect. Understaffed by choice. They built a place where human beings deteriorate and then the people paid to watch over them place bets on who breaks first. The AP has the data. The recordings. The interviews. The court filings. This is documented. This is real. This is happening right now in El Paso, Texas, in the United States of America. Share this. Do not let them bury it under another news cycle.

SAUER: We're in a new world where 8 billion people are one plane ride away from having a child who's a US citizen. JOHN ROBERTS: It's a new world. It's the same Constitution.

@DAlperovitch @GeopolDecanted Why no mention of Iran's submarines? telegraph.co.uk/world-news/202…

How to Reopen the Strait of Hormuz New @GeopolDecanted episode on how the US military can mitigate against the anti-ship cruise missile, drone, fast-attack boat and mine threat in the Persian Gulf. And the possible timeline for return to normalcy youtu.be/Sjz_zxKOMIk

Before the war: 1) Iran didn't control the Strait Of Hormuz, now it does 2) Iran oil was sanctioned, now it's not 3) Iran was not building a nuke, now it will 4) US bases in the Gulf were assets, now liabilities 5) Inflation was declining, now increasing Definitely winning!

Gift link: giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/ac…

"Hegseth’s broker at Morgan Stanley contacted BlackRock in February about making a multimillion-dollar investment in the asset manager’s Defense Industrials Active ETF ... shortly before the US launched military action against Tehran."

Here is from the IDF’s justification for why they killed the 3 journalists. (They don’t even bother to explain the other two.) “the terrorist Ali Shuaib worked to incite against the Defense Army forces and citizens of the State of Israel, using his platform as a means to disseminate propaganda materials for Hezbollah.” “And during Operation Roaring Lion as well, he continued his activity and reported on the locations of Defense Army forces operating in southern Lebanon.” Israel is openly admitting they killed him for reporting.

No country in the world has killed more journalists in the last few years than Israel. 253 as of 26th March and now two more.

While covering the latest Israeli settler attack in the West Bank, Israeli soldiers assaulted my photojournalist @cyrilthps and detained my team. But our 2-hour detention revealed a lot about the motives of these Israeli soldiers: acting in service of the settler movement. W/ @AbeerSalmanCNN

Hugely consequential decision allowing Morgan Stanley to transfer $85 billion of broker-dealer assets to its insured bank. Precedent setting and reminiscent of similar moves in 2007-08. This is the first time I can recall the Fed ever approving a regulatory action by 4-3 vote.

Why House Democrats are waiting until mid-April to force an Iran war powers vote trib.al/lfS7p7W

@USRepKeating @HouseForeign @SecRubio Are there no @HASCRepublicans willing to sign a bill or resolution opposing putting troops on the ground in Iran? That's sounding increasingly inevitable, but will obviously be a disastrous failure when we can't even keep troops on US bases in the region. x.com/RepNancyMace/s…

Today, I voted w/ Dems in @HouseForeign to subpoena @SecRubio, Steve Witkoff, & Jared Kushner to testify on Iran & Ukraine. Republicans voted no.   House R's must demand transparency, accountability, & public testimony from this administration. The American people deserve it.