Trending
Mike Purcell's Avatar

Mike Purcell

@purcellm1a1

Teaching Russia & International Security/NATO/Eurasia at the ElliottSchoolGW - Retired Marine Corps Officer (Armor & Eurasian Foreign Area Officer)

519
Followers
1,333
Following
24
Posts
13.11.2024
Joined
Posts Following

Latest posts by Mike Purcell @purcellm1a1

Three rules in FBI firearm training:

1. Always point your weapon downrange
2. Do not point your weapon at anything you do not intend to shoot
3. Don’t put your finger on the trigger unless you intend to shoot

Guns are not for threatening compliance for unarmed people doing things you don’t like

03.02.2026 16:50 👍 16586 🔁 6086 💬 714 📌 286

like I guarantee you. I'm better read than that dude, I interrogate my own assumptions more often than that dude, my lectures would be waaaay better & better-attended than that dude's. Brown, Notre Dame, Brandeis, where you at, I bet I work cheaper too

29.01.2026 22:15 👍 476 🔁 15 💬 21 📌 4
Post image

Putin pioneered this. No opposition is legitimate. Regular, decent, “ordinary” people cannot possibly be against us because only we represent “the real people.”

Tell-tale sign of authoritarianism.

25.01.2026 14:43 👍 6858 🔁 1860 💬 385 📌 307
Video thumbnail

A video of Alex Pretti reading out the final salute of an unnamed veteran he cared for until the end of his life in the ICU, posted to Facebook by his son.

25.01.2026 01:18 👍 47133 🔁 18177 💬 1013 📌 1851
Blaze Foley - Clay Pigeons, rare Live
Blaze Foley - Clay Pigeons, rare Live YouTube video by Dave HJ

Ladies and gentlemen, the greatest American songwriter that no one remembers, Blaze Foley.

Give him two minutes and he might change your life.

23.01.2026 23:54 👍 1933 🔁 363 💬 24 📌 0
Preview
Scientists Find Extinct Rhino DNA in Mummified Wolf Puppy's Stomach Scientists have sequenced the genome of the long-extinct woolly rhinoceros from remains found in the stomach of a naturally mummified Pleistocene wolf pup

Scientists have sequenced the genome of the long-extinct woolly rhinoceros from remains found in the stomach of a naturally mummified Pleistocene wolf pup

14.01.2026 17:43 👍 486 🔁 100 💬 21 📌 18

Deserved!

18.12.2025 23:34 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Preview
Celebrating Veterans Day: Native Americans Serve in the Military at the Highest Rate of Any Group On this Veterans Day, communities across Indian Country are honoring the thousands of Native American and Alaska Native men and women who have served—and continue to serve—in the U.S. Armed Forces at ...

Native Americans Serve in the Military at the Highest Rate of Any Group.
nativenewsonline.net/currents/cel...

12.11.2025 03:34 👍 35 🔁 16 💬 0 📌 0

Once had a well meaning US official leading a delegation thank their opposite member (a regional leader in Russia known to be corrupt) for his “crime” rather than his “speech” (words that rhyme in Russian…Преступление & выступление)

19.08.2025 16:23 👍 7 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Constructive interview 👍

17.08.2025 02:41 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Fantastic article on a film that will always be relevant

09.08.2025 22:35 👍 5 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Preview
Exclusive: US Air Force denies early retirement for group of transgender service members The U.S. Air Force is denying early retirement to all transgender service members with between 15 and 18 years of military service, opting instead to force them out with no retirement benefits, according to a memo seen by Reuters.

What the Air Force just did is wrong. It’s cowardly. And it breaks faith with every person who’s ever worn the uniform.

They told a transgender airmen with 15–18 years of service they could retire early — then yanked it away.

www.reuters.com/legal/govern...

07.08.2025 22:10 👍 52 🔁 28 💬 3 📌 3

Thank you, I enjoy your annotated excerpt posts 👍 ….this one pushed me over the edge to finally subscribe to LRB

15.07.2025 15:57 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
Preview
Norfolk Reelects its Reform Prosecutor, Capping Years of Heated Debate Fresh off his victory, Ramin Fatehi and allies are now hoping Virginia Democrats can build on reforms by winning control of state government this fall.

“These folks put pressure on me... to send a message," says the Norfolk prosecutor of other local officials. “I said to them, ... I’m not going to triple and quadruple sentences beyond what they deserve to try and send some sort of message." boltsmag.org/norfolk...

30.06.2025 17:30 👍 66 🔁 18 💬 0 📌 0
Preview
Stephen Miller Is an Immigration Hypocrite. I Know Because I’m His Uncle. If my nephew’s ideas on immigration had been in force a century ago, our family would have been wiped out.

🚨This is 💯 worth your time

“I have watched with dismay and increasing horror as my nephew, an educated man who is well aware of his heritage, has become the architect of immigration policies that repudiate the very foundation of our family’s life in this country”

www.politico.com/magazine/sto...

22.06.2025 19:57 👍 273 🔁 114 💬 8 📌 7

WTF is wrong with him? That’s shameful sloppy talk for a military officer let alone a General with significant command time in combat.

19.06.2025 20:23 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Video thumbnail

It would be better for NATO and Poland if #Ukraine were in the Alliance, Polish Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said.

Speaking at the Central and Eastern European Security Forum, he said Poland doesn't help Ukraine "solely out of romantic enthusiasm" and ⤵️

16.06.2025 17:12 👍 917 🔁 226 💬 24 📌 10

Disgraceful

03.06.2025 21:46 👍 485 🔁 50 💬 33 📌 3
A photo of Viola Ford Fletcher with her hands clasped

A photo of Viola Ford Fletcher with her hands clasped

Today is the 111th birthday of Viola Ford Fletcher, the oldest living survivor of the 1921 Tulsa race massacre

10.05.2025 15:20 👍 27341 🔁 6256 💬 551 📌 322
Video thumbnail

Today marks the 150th day of protests in Tbilisi. Demonstrators have gathered near Didube Metro Station and are marching towards the Prosecutor’s Office. They are demanding new elections and freedom for those detained during months of protests.

26.04.2025 11:11 👍 31 🔁 8 💬 0 📌 0

Ugh, World class dumb…these are smart enterprises that are mutually beneficent…and super “efficient”!

25.04.2025 13:43 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Post image

❗️Zelensky reposted a 2018 statement by former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo:

“The U.S. reaffirms its policy of non-recognition of the Kremlin’s claims of sovereignty over territory seized by force.”

A timeless reminder: Might doesn’t make right.

23.04.2025 19:49 👍 1817 🔁 524 💬 32 📌 21

This is world championships trolling you are seeing here

22.04.2025 06:07 👍 216 🔁 45 💬 7 📌 1
Video thumbnail

On the 36th anniversary of the 9 April 1989 massacre, Georgian Dream leaders used the occasion to attack foreign and domestic critics, comparing today’s protesters to Soviet troops.

➡️ Read more: oc-media.org/georgian-dre...

10.04.2025 08:22 👍 27 🔁 11 💬 1 📌 0
Preview
Playing both sides: Central Asia between Russia and the West Central Asia is adept at hedging between Moscow and the West. Much of its success lies in adhering to a single maxim: tell each side what it wants to hear.

Central Asia is adept at hedging between Moscow and the West. Much of its success lies in adhering to a single maxim: tell each side what it wants to hear.

01.04.2025 12:00 👍 15 🔁 4 💬 0 📌 0
Preview
Intercepted A platform for watching independent films.

watch.grasshopperfilm.com/films/interc...

01.04.2025 01:51 👍 5 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Post image

Stalin died in March 1953. After a period of stagnation, Soviet cinema underwent a “thaw.” Censorship eased, allowing a wave of bold, dynamic films to reach the screen. With spring in the air, we’ve selected seven films for a perfect Sunday watch—each available via: sovietmoviesonline.com

16.03.2025 19:09 👍 7 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 0

“we have to be able to commit war crimes to win wars” is the type of thing a 16-year-old dumbass says and — well, yeah, hegseth is basically a 16-year-old dumbass

13.03.2025 16:05 👍 38702 🔁 9308 💬 1254 📌 844

How can one best articulate the idea that the Russian state has agency and should be held responsible for its actions? The Mearsheimer inspired arguments come off like a physics discussion…body A hits body B = effect x…is Russia an inanimate object? I don’t believe Russians think this is so

23.02.2025 21:54 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

Just your daily remind that Putin could end the war in Ukraine by withdrawing his troops from Ukrainian territory. That would do it.

16.02.2025 22:49 👍 276 🔁 68 💬 2 📌 2