My final post on New Year's Eve 2024 featured my grandson Noah's Penn State football team the Nittany Lions defeating the Boise State Broncos in the VRBO Fiesta Bowl (31-14). They advanced to the CFP Semifinals at the Orange Bowl in Florida on January 9, 2025 to face the winner of the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans where Notre Dame beat Georgia (23-10) - after a one day delay in the game due to the New Year's Truck Attack in New Orleans. Super Bowl LIX takes place in New Orleans on February 9, 2025, at the same stadium - Caesars Superdome.

I woke up Wednesday, New Year's Day, to discover all hell had broken lose in New Orleans after a white truck plowed into a crowd on Bourbon Street killing 14 and injury many others. The perpetrator was quickly identified as 42 year old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a US citizen, formerly in the military, living in Houston.

Shamsud-Din Jabbar was well-liked in high school, went to college and served in the military. As an adult, he left behind a trail of three failed marriages, three children, and failed businesses. Investigators said Jabbar made reference to his divorce in videos and said he planned to gather his family for a celebration before killing them but changed his mind and decided to join ISIS instead. Read more ...

Fireworks, gas tanks and camping fuel used in Tesla Cybertruck explosion outside Las Vegas Trump Hotel. The Cybertruck was rented in Colorado by Matthew Alan Livelsberger and arrived in Las Vegas on Wednesday morning, less than two hours before the detonation at 8:40 am local time. Parked in front of the hotel, the vehicle started to smoke, then exploded. Seven bystanders suffered minor injuries.

Matthew Livelsberger was an active-duty US Army Green Beret, Army Special Forces operations master sergeant, a senior enlisted rank. He was on active duty in Germany with the 10th Special Forces Group but was on leave at the time of the incident. Livelsberger shot himself in the head prior to the explosion. The symbolism of a Trump Hotel and an Elon Musk Tesla vehicle obviously meant something to him and perhaps about the future of America.

As it turns out both assailants, Shamsud-Din Jabbar and Matthew Alan Livelsberger, were special forces among others things they had in common, but so far do not link them to current events.

Extremist groups will often target military veterans to carry out their agendas. It can appear as brainwashing for those with PDST and other mental issues. Sometimes I 'see' it like someone or something triggers them and they commit heinous crimes. I'm sure you've seen this type of indoctrination in movies or TV shows.

I also believe both assailants acted alone after being self-radicalized. Something in their 'programming in the simulation' kicked in and they reacted.

This brings to mind Luigi Mangione, 27, the man indicted on murder charges in the deadly shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City last month on December 4. His motive was not just about contempt for the Health Care system but more about corporate greed.

Will violence continue as the Trump administration takes office? The 4th anniversary of the January 6th riots is a few days away. It reminds us of how Trump fuels violence to his advantage.