The Establishment Strikes Back

Hop aboard! In this episode, the crew dissects the recently released report of the National Defense Strategy Commission. Melanie, Chris, and Bryan weigh in on the report’s strengths and weaknesses. Also, Chris and Melanie reveal themselves to be Scrooges by expressing disdain for Hallmark Christmas dramas.   Links Eric Edelman and Gary Roughead, Providing for the Common Defense: The Assessment and Recommendations of the National Defense Strategy Commission (United States Institute of Peace, 2018). CNBC, “Deadly California Wildfire Now 100% Contained After Scorching 154,000 Acres,” Nov. 25, 2018 Joseph Archer, "Beijing to Assign ‘Personal Trustworthiness Points’ For All Citizens by 2021," Telegraph, Nov. 20, 2018 Greg Jaffe, “John Collins, Army Colonel Who Launched Influential Online Warlord Loop, Dies at 97,” Washington Post, Nov. 23, 2018 “Pentagon Fails Audit and Nobody in Washington is Surprised,” Taxpayers for Common Sense, Nov. 16, 2018 Lara Seligman, “How the Generals are Routing the Policy Wonks at the Pentagon,” Foreign Policy, Nov. 15, 2018 “Anti Vaccine Community Behind North Carolina Chickenpox Outbreak,” BBC, Nov. 19, 2018 Morgan Gstalter, “Disney Screenwriter Says Term ‘Anti-Vax’ is Equivalent to ‘N-Word,’” The Hill, Nov. 24, 2018 Dennis Romboy, “Trump Backs Criminal Justice Reform Legislation that Sen. Mike Lee Helped Write,” Desert News, Nov.15, 2018 Jack Crowe, “Mike Lee Accuses Tom Cotton of Spreading 'Fake News' on Criminal Justice Reform Bill,” National Review, Nov. 19, 2018