You're not supposed to be pretending at all. You're supposed to be asking questions and documenting it every single day.

Law Enforcement Investigations are complex and take time and in today's digital environment, where every minutia of interpersonal behaviors and financial exchanges becomes documented data on our phones and computers it becomes exponentially more complex.

The question is why isn't the Bureau or Chief or Mayor or District Attorney or Attorney General doing anything about it? What's their investment in maintaining silence about this serious internal terrorist's threat to the Portland public?

Another question is why aren't more non-law enforcement professionals engaging on the subject? You are correct, there have been plenty of news stories circling the edges of what happened, but no one seems to want to ask public officials or each other the hard and scary questions.

There have been some background movements. Reporters and officials receive tips and emails about available documentation. There has also been some interesting turn over at the federal level with a new Oregon Attorney for the Feds and a New FBI Office director. There have also been personnel changes on the JTTF following known leaks.

I'm not aware of any reason you should believe they are choosing to pursue one advertised political alignment over another. Violent gangs are violent gangs, no matter who they say they vote for or have financial relationships with.

The truth is despite the years of warnings, a lot of people are still going to be caught with their pants down. A lot of seasoned and experience professionals will claim ignorance, some of those will later be caught on other things too.

Nadler has already called for a thorough investigation into the overlap of investigations and protest activity in Portland. (not Blumenauer btw).

Keep an eye on what happens with Fox News, Wiki Leaks and Project Veritas, we are entering a difficult time for journalism due to the practical erasure of any meaningful ethical standards. It's important to remember that engaging in "first amendment activity" is not a free pass to commit, collaborate on, participate in, or advocate for criminal behavior. It's possible for "journalists" to get parking and speeding tickets, even when they claim it was for a story. It's possible for "journalists" to be held accountable for participating in criminal behavior, even when they claim it was for a story. That's why holding fast to easily understood and interpreted high ethical standards even when it makes us uncomfortable or unpopular is so important.

And yes, some ethics organizations can behave unethically at times.

It'll be interesting to see who on Ted's staff can afford to lawyer up and when they do it.

any last words?

If there was any interest in keeping me around (let alone healthy) then it would have been made apparent by now.

Inaction has consequences. Corruption has consequences. Some points have to be clearly illustrated. Sometimes people need to learn the hard and painful way.

If there was even a minimal amount of decency and kindness, things might be ending differently. But that's not the world we share.

Go on pretending some things are worth living for despite obstacles, hardships, loss and grief. A suggested outcome of Ukraine War: Russia signs nuclear arms reduction treaty. Rebuilds ruined municipal utilities. No charge.