John T. Reed’s news blog

I was surprised to see snow on the top of Mount Diablo this morning when I came out of my breakfast restaurant. I live on Mount Diablo, but I cannot see the top from my home. That happens two or three times a winter here.When I was in high school in NJ, I saw a photo taken in LA. It had palm trees in the foreground and snow-capped mountains in the background. I did not understand how the two could co-exist in the same region. I grew up and went to college grad school and the Army on the East...

I think Trump should sue the media when they lie about him or have Justice file legal action in the case of criminal leaks. I know all about the difficulty because of having to prove actual malice and all that.  So what? Do it anyway. It will force them to file an answer and give Trump and/or the Justice Department subpoena power. He/Justice will demand the identity of the unidentified slanderous or criminal. The reporters will make a big show of refusing even though the Constitution that guarantees freedom of the press says nothing about shielding sources. There are some...

I think Trump should sue the media when they lie about him or have Justice file legal action in the case of criminal leaks. I know all about the difficulty because of having to prove actual malice and all that. So what? Do it anyway. It will force them to file an answer and give Trump and/or the Justice Department subpoena power. He/Justice will demand the identity of the unidentified slanderous or criminal. The reporters will make a big show of refusing even though the Constitution that guarantees freedom of the press says nothing about shielding sources. There are some...

Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster is the new NSA.He wrote a book called Dereliction of Duty about failure of U.S to complain strenuously enough against the Commander in Chief and civilian Defense Department cabinet secretaries when they order bad tactics or strategies. I wrote an article about that (The November 1965 Momentary Show of Moral Courage-by the Joint Chiefs in a Meeting With President Johnson) based on another article by retired Marine General Cooper. I also wrote my own similar but broader article titled The Morality of Obeying Stupid Orders. I used the search box on each of my Web pages...

Our local San Francisco Chronicle is so biased we cancelled it. But they keep sending it, as if it’s now a controlled circulation periodical that is given away and relies totally on ads.I was surprised today by the front page. In place of the usual articles with words like “chaos” and “unhinged,” there are “D.C. derail upgrade for Caltrain” and “Thrown off balance by the Trump storm.”The first is not about D.C., it’s about Elaine Chao, the new Transportation Secretary and wife of Mitch McConnell. (My wife knew her at Harvard Business where Elaine was in the class behind her,...