The 'Weirder' Side Of News!

[BIAD]

Sometimes, words are just not enough!

'Sign of the apocalypse' as hundreds of sheep 'walk in a circle for 10 whole days'

A video showing hundreds of sheep marching in a circle has been hailed as a
'sign of the apocalypse - as the huge herd stomped together for ten days straight
without a break.



'A huge flock of sheep have reportedly been seen marching in a circle for ten straight days and
some are calling it a 'sign of the apocalypse '. The huge herd have allegedly been walking in a
clockwise direction en masse and without guidance, creating a perfect circle in the middle
where not a single sheep has stepped.

The unusual video was filmed in the city of Baotou in Mongolia on November 4, and now some
have claimed the odd occurrence could be of the occult - or maybe even a sign of the end of the
world.

After the video was shared on Twitter, many viewers were left confused and began commenting
as they tried to understand what was happening in the clip. witter user Billy shared the video,
where he claimed: "A flock of Sheep in Inner Mongolia have been walking in a circle for over
10 days straight and no one knows why."

He then posted another tweet, which asked: "Sign Of The Apocalypse?".
It has been reported that the owner of the sheep, a Ms Miao, had no idea why her flock had started
marching in a circle. She shared CCTV footage of the sheep which was later posted on Twitter and
attracted thousands of comments.



One viewer said: "Repent oh ye sinners for the hour of judgement is at hand."
And another wrote: "Be prepared for the return of Christ as your days are numbered. Do not ignore
the signs - science is not real."...'

The Mirror:

[Sol]

Funny how people react to stuff like that. No one knows why the flock does that but...


"It must be the end of times..."

"Jesus is coming back..."

"It's the apocalypse..."


Good Lord...

Doomers, much?  How about a more rational comment:

A fourth user added: "Actually, this is normal. Basically, when one sheep gets infected, the whole flock get worried and start to panic. This causes the flock of sheep to follow the one who has been infected."

But the comment I like the most is this one:

"I'd be more concerned if they were walking in a triangle."

Me too !!  

.

[Ninurta]

There was an incident a couple of years ago, in Britain I think, where a flock of sheep was walking a circle like this in broad daylight. Some passers-by noticed it and stopped to film it for a while, finding it curious. I've no idea what causes it, but it is not unique, and if it were any sign of an impending apocalypse, then surely the incident recorded a couple of years ago would have brought on the apocalypse and thereby precluded this sheep-circle!

I noticed a curious thing about the illumination in the center of the circle - it is sharply delineated at the edges, from light to darker, as if the illuminator were a spotlight... but even curiouser, the center of the "spot", the brightest illumination, is closer to the lower course of sheep than it is to the center of the illuminated circle. In other words, the illumination is not, strictly speaking, obeying the physical laws of light. I sense a potential for shenanigans there.

Also, I have surveillance cameras with infrared illuminators here for surveillance at night, and NONE of the illuminators throws a "spot" of light like that. They are all, every single one, of a more diffused nature in their illumination.

I guess they must just do things differently in Mongolian sheep-folds.... but doctored or not, it's not a unique occurrence, yet the apocalypse has not arrived despite it's happening here and there.

.

[GeauxHomeLittleD]

Probably not the Apocalypse, but animals have been known to exhibit strange behavior leading up to natural occurrences such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, violent storms, etc. More than likely however is that it's just sheep being sheep- that's why we call folks that just blindly follow the crowd with out thought as to why "sheeple". 

[EndtheMadnessNow]

They do that to ward off from being abducted & mutilated by the aliens. Earth's magnetic anomalies that the sheep sense? IDK. I welcome the Apocalypse, it's the Armageddon I fear.

The reason for this behavior in farm animals is due to a bacterial disease called Listeriosis, which is known to make animals 'circle,' similar to Ms. Miao's animals. Listeriosis is linked to exposure to spoiled silage (fodder), which causes disorientation and inflammation on one side of the brain, hence the circling.

In extreme cases, Listeriosis can also lead to paralysis on the affected side.
The portal will be open soon

Listeriosis can cause severe illness, including severe sepsis, meningitis, or encephalitis, sometimes resulting in lifelong harm and even death. Those at risk of severe illness are the elderly, fetuses, newborns and those who are immunocompromised. In pregnant women it may cause stillbirth or spontaneous abortion, and preterm birth is common. Listeriosis may cause mild, self-limiting gastroenteritis and fever in anyone.

On November 9, 2022 the CDC announced that Listeria in deli meats and cheeses had been linked to at least 16 cases of listeriosis, including 13 hospitalizations and 1 death. Cases were known from Maryland, New York, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey and California.
Wiki

That circular symbolism...do you remember scenes from the movie "Arrival"?



Imposing linear time upon a species would be a great way to suppress their consciousness.


Sheeple Supreme intelligence

[BIAD]

That circular symbolism...do you remember scenes from the movie "Arrival"?

I think the aliens in that movie were time-travelling comedians having a joke at mankind's expense!

'Man' is represented as having a comb-over, 'Weapon' is displayed as a military recruit's hair halfway
through the shaving process.

'Humanity' has top-knot, similar to an emoji representing an unsure person and 'Earth' is shown as
a head-tilted bearded individual missing the wink of a know-it-all.

But the image of 'Time'... that caught me out for a moment until I realised what the giant aliens
of the movie were telling us. Time is the sage-speaking cheek-hairy Gibbs from the Pirates of The
Caribbean series, a man of mileage who has words for the young to take heed of.
(I think)

[Selbiene Raveren]

But the image of 'Time'... that caught me out for a moment until I realised what the giant aliens
of the movie were telling us. Time is the sage-speaking cheek-hairy Gibbs from the Pirates of The
Caribbean series, a man of mileage who has words for the young to take heed of.
(I think)

This is a sound conclusion.

I heartily agree!

[BIAD]

No more the 'ooohs' and 'aaahs' when a verdict is given, the jury needs to be entertained with
much more these days.

HUNG JURY ‘Noisy’ porn heard playing through solicitor’s computer in court, forcing judge to stop hearing

'A judge stopped a court hearing when “noisy” porn was heard playing through a solicitor’s computer.
Recorder Jeremy Richardson, KC, halted the drugs-into-jail smuggling hearing for a week when attempts
to mute the X-rated racket failed.


Jeremy -or Elon's older brother, doesn't suffer fools.

The sounds came through video platform CVP, used by solicitors for some of the 13 defendants appearing
remotely for the plea and directions hearing. Other accused were in Sheffield crown court with their briefs.
One barrister said: “There had been porn noises coming through on the CVP...'

Nice one, 'Briefs'!!

'...“Everybody in court heard it. It was loud and it was obvious.” The barrister said Recorder Richardson
asked a solicitor to mute their microphone but the sex noises continued. The lawyer said his computer
had been hacked. He added: “It’s so strange how easily you can be hacked these days.”...'

Yeah... that must be it.

'...Defendants in the case, which was adjourned for a week, are accused of smuggling drugs and mobile
phones into jail. More defendants have attended court remotely since the Covid pandemic, with judges
having the final say...'

The Sun:

[727Sky]

There was an incident a couple of years ago, in Britain I think, where a flock of sheep was walking a circle like this in broad daylight. Some passers-by noticed it and stopped to film it for a while, finding it curious. I've no idea what causes it, but it is not unique, and if it were any sign of an impending apocalypse, then surely the incident recorded a couple of years ago would have brought on the apocalypse and thereby precluded this sheep-circle!

I noticed a curious thing about the illumination in the center of the circle - it is sharply delineated at the edges, from light to darker, as if the illuminator were a spotlight... but even curiouser, the center of the "spot", the brightest illumination, is closer to the lower course of sheep than it is to the center of the illuminated circle. In other words, the illumination is not, strictly speaking, obeying the physical laws of light. I sense a potential for shenanigans there.

Also, I have surveillance cameras with infrared illuminators here for surveillance at night, and NONE of the illuminators throws a "spot" of light like that. They are all, every single one, of a more diffused nature in their illumination.

I guess they must just do things differently in Mongolian sheep-folds.... but doctored or not, it's not a unique occurrence, yet the apocalypse has not arrived despite it's happening here and there.

.

No matter how many centuries pass ignorance and superstition seem to be a universal trait among certain sentient beings ?

[BIAD]

This isn't news, but considering the never-ending MSM in the UK blaring out daily that
many in the country will have to decide whether to spend money on... "Heat-Or-Eat",
this video tends to buck the trend.

Maybe it's just a glimpse into the world of Normaldom!!

[CJinTX]

Old video but similar phenomenon.

https://www.iflscience.com/zombie-ants-e...hone-30487

[BIAD]

Old video but similar phenomenon.

https://www.iflscience.com/zombie-ants-e...hone-30487

Weeeeird!!

[BIAD]

It seems 'Florida Man' has been usurped once again.

Florida woman sues Kraft mac and cheese over preparation time



'A Florida woman has sued the makers of Velveeta Shells and Cheese, claiming the dish takes too long to make.
The Kraft Company markets its microwaveable cups as "ready in 3.5 minutes" but Amanda Ramirez says it takes longer.

The $5m (£4.2m) lawsuit claims the time advertised does not include preparation time - opening the lid and sauce pouch,
before adding water and stirring. Kraft Heinz Foods Company described the lawsuit as "frivolous".

"We are aware of this frivolous lawsuit and will strongly defend against the allegations in the complaint," a company
spokesperson told the BBC. In the lawsuit, which was filed in a Florida court last month, Ms Ramirez's lawyers claim
she paid more than she would have had she known the truth.

The lawsuit also asks the company to "cease its deceptive advertising" and "be made to engage in a corrective advertising
campaign". It is not the first time a US customer has sued a company over false advertising. Earlier this year, a New York
man filed a lawsuit against McDonald's alleging their adverts made their burgers look much bigger than they actually were.
The lawsuit said the burgers in the marketing were at least 15% larger than they were in real life.
Rival Burger King was hit with a similar lawsuit in Florida in March...'

[BIAD]

On the western headland of Wales, there's a man with a problem. It's not just about all the
day-to-day disciplines that go into laying down carpet for large businesses, this man has
an entirely different dilemma that is somehow, connected to poor his driving skills.

Carpet fitter with 'awkward problem' mounted pavement in Pembroke

'An industrial carpet fitter described by his solicitor as having ‘two holes for his anus instead of one’ found
himself before the courts this week charged with driving without due care and attention.

“This is a hard-working man albeit with a very awkward physical problem,” solicitor Michael Kelleher told
Haverfordwest magistrates this week. “It’s very difficult to think of a way of describing his problem, other
than he has two holes for his anus instead of one.”

On July 1, 2022, three men were standing outside Castle Inn on Main Street, Pembroke when they saw a
white Peugeot van driving towards them. The van was being driven by Christopher Henderson-Grey, 37.
“The van drove towards them and mounted the kerb,” said Crown Prosecutor Nia James.
“Fortunately it missed them, but it was travelling too quickly and they could have been seriously hurt.”


The Castle Inn... a quaint establishment with two exits.

Ms James added that other witnesses also expressed their concern at the manner of his driving.
“This was aggressive driving,” she said. But Ms James’s claim was disputed by Michael Kelleher.

“His job brought him to the area, he was staying overnight but he didn’t know his way around,” he said.
“He’d driven down the road the wrong way, was flagged and corrected himself. He put his brakes on,
looked down to his satnav and found that his right hand had placed the vehicle slightly to the left.
As soon as he realised what had happened, he corrected it.

"This certainly wasn’t aggressive driving but a momentary lapse of concentration.”...'

The Western Telegraph:

And the relevance of having 'two back-doors'? Was Mr Henderson-Grey's solicitor saying his client
is a bigger asshole than most?

[EndtheMadnessNow]

Chicken Run

Scientists at the recently opened SETI Post-Detection Hub at the University of St Andrews in Scotland have a daunting task ahead of them: figure out what the hell to do if we were ever to make contact with an intelligent extraterrestrial civilization.

If aliens got in touch tomorrow, they warn, humanity would be woefully ill-prepared — something they say needs to change as soon as possible.

"Look at the mess we made when COVID hit," John Elliott, a computational linguist at the University of St Andrews and coordinator of the Post-Detection Hub, told The Guardian. "We’d be like headless chickens."

"We cannot afford to be ill-prepared, scientifically, socially, and politically rudderless," he added, "for an event that could happen at any time and which we cannot afford to mismanage."

Link Up

Elliott and co are looking beyond our efforts of scanning the skies for extraterrestrial signals and asking the question of what comes next.

At the Post-Detection Hub, he'll be tasked with coordinating an international and unified response to any potential alien contact, something that will require an immense amount of paperwork and bureaucracy.

"We need strategies and scenarios in place to understand what we need to do and how to do it," he told the Guardian.

Unlike many of his peers, Elliott isn't afraid to have humanity respond to the calls of an alien civilization. That question alone is an active debate that has experts divided, with many arguing that giving up our location could end in disaster.

"It’s such an opportunity to link up, if there’s another intelligence out there, which all the indications are that there must be," Elliott told The Guardian.

"If we have the opportunity, I don’t think we should miss it," he added.

Futurism

[A51Watcher2]

That story reminded me of LED Sheep pong -

[BIAD]

One of our Warlocks is missing.

Julian Sands missing –Hunt for A Room with a View star who vanished on hike five days ago
in ‘worst storms imaginable’

'Rescue teams are expected to resume the search for missing Warlock actor Julian Sands after he vanished on a hike
five days ago. Keen mountaineer Sands, 65, went missing while climbing Mount Baldy near LA in California on Friday.



The Brit actor is known for his roles in hit movies such as A Room With A View -where he starred alongside Helena
Bonham Carter -and Leaving Las Vegas. On Wednesday it emerged that his family had reported him missing when
he didn't return home from his hike. The San Gabriel Mountains where the dad-of-three was hiking were hit by
heavy snow and ice over the weekend.

Rescue teams have sent up helicopters and drones to scour the mountainous area just 40 miles from LA -where the
star has lived since 2020. But the desperate search for Sands has been hampered by severe weather and a high risk
of avalanches since Saturday. Cops described the conditions as "extremely dangerous".

Julian's old friend and movie producer Cassian Elwes, 63 -who described the pair as "very close" pals of 40 years -called
the situation "incredibly sad". He told The Sun: "It’s shocking and it’s not because he’s a great adventurer. "He likes going
out and risking everything - maybe not risking everything, but he’s an adventurer. "He’s climbed all kinds of mountains.
He is that guy, the guy that goes out and does stuff, the things all of us sit at home and dream about, he has done it all.

"That’s why we all love him. He had gone around the world climbing mountains and is an experienced climber.
"It’s incredibly sad. Mount Baldy was apparently having the worst storms imaginable over the weekend.
"We’re all in shock, it’s just mind boggling." Cassian said Julian was meant to be doing a day-long hike on Friday, and his
family phoned emergency services when he didn't return home. “He went out on Friday and his family reported it when
he didn’t come back," he said.

“One of our mutual friends called me on Friday and told me that they had found the car and they hadn’t heard from him.
The car was still in the parking lot. “As far as I know he had gone hiking on his own. “They can’t even get up there to
search apparently because the weather conditions are so bad up there. “Even though it’s sunny in Los Angeles right now
they had four feet of snow on Sunday apparently."

Cassian added: "We’re all saying our prayers, all his friends are rallying around each other. “We’re praying that there’s a
positive outcome, even knowing that it’s a very bad situation." Cassian described Julian as "one of the greatest human
beings ever". He added: "He’s fun, charming, smart and funny. You need funny people in your life. “He’s the kind of
person you might not see for a little bit but when you see each you’re straight back to where you were last time.

He had gone around the world climbing mountains and he is an experienced climber The San Bernardino County Sheriff's
Department said "severe weather on the mountain has been difficult" and air resources are limited. They said: "On Friday
at about 7.30pm, a hiker identified as 65-year-old Julian Sands of North Hollywood, was reported missing in the Baldy
Bowl area of Mt. Baldy.

"Search and rescue crews responded and began a search. "Due to trail conditions and the risk of avalanche, the ground
crews were pulled off the mountain on Saturday evening. "However, we continue to search by helicopter and drones when
weather permits. "We will schedule another ground search when the weather improves, and it is safe for our ground crews."

Julian was born in England, but had been living in the North Hollywood area. He has two daughters with the journalist
Evgenia Citkowitz, who he married in 1990. He has a son with his first wife Sarah Sands - the former editor of the Sunday
Telegraph and the Evening Standard.

American actress and dancer Melanie Kinnaman called for "prayers for his safe return". She said: "Our friend Julian Sands
has been missing from a hiking trip in the mountains of Southern California for nearly one week. "There is an active search
for him in the Mt Baldy area. Please send prayers for his safe return." Rescue teams are also searching for another hiker,
California resident Bob Gregory.

And two hikers have died in recent weeks in the Mount Baldy area of California's San Gabriel mountains.
Mum-of-four Crystal Paula Gonzalez is understood to have slipped and plunged 700ft down the Baldy Bowl.
Jarret Choi, 43, from LA, was also hiking the Ice House Canyon trail when he fell near the Ice House Saddle ridge line.
His body was found two days later.

Police warned: "Please know the current conditions on Mt Baldy are adverse and extremely dangerous.
"Due to the high winds, the snow has turned to ice making hiking extremely dangerous."...'

The Sun:

[NightskyeB4Dawn]

Chicken Run

Scientists at the recently opened SETI Post-Detection Hub at the University of St Andrews in Scotland have a daunting task ahead of them: figure out what the hell to do if we were ever to make contact with an intelligent extraterrestrial civilization.

If aliens got in touch tomorrow, they warn, humanity would be woefully ill-prepared — something they say needs to change as soon as possible.

"Look at the mess we made when COVID hit," John Elliott, a computational linguist at the University of St Andrews and coordinator of the Post-Detection Hub, told The Guardian. "We’d be like headless chickens."

"We cannot afford to be ill-prepared, scientifically, socially, and politically rudderless," he added, "for an event that could happen at any time and which we cannot afford to mismanage."

Link Up

Elliott and co are looking beyond our efforts of scanning the skies for extraterrestrial signals and asking the question of what comes next.

At the Post-Detection Hub, he'll be tasked with coordinating an international and unified response to any potential alien contact, something that will require an immense amount of paperwork and bureaucracy.

"We need strategies and scenarios in place to understand what we need to do and how to do it," he told the Guardian.

Unlike many of his peers, Elliott isn't afraid to have humanity respond to the calls of an alien civilization. That question alone is an active debate that has experts divided, with many arguing that giving up our location could end in disaster.

"It’s such an opportunity to link up, if there’s another intelligence out there, which all the indications are that there must be," Elliott told The Guardian.

"If we have the opportunity, I don’t think we should miss it," he added.

Futurism

Not sure on this one.

I think so many of us have lived with a strong belief that we are not alone, that it will be more of an I told you so moment.

What comes after is another story.

"A Childhood's End" comes to mind. Along with a lot of other sci-fi venues. And under those circumstances we made be a little over prepared, mentally.

[BIAD]

Here's one I'm keeping an eye on. With the distances involved, it's a strange story.
The BBC are always reluctant to deep-dive into incidents like this one, but they do offer the bare bones.

Retired Met police officers charged with child sex offences

'Two retired Metropolitan Police officers have been charged with child sex offences, as part of an
investigation into a serving Met chief inspector who was found dead.

The Met said the charges follow an investigation into Richard Watkinson. His death is being treated as
unexplained but not suspicious.


Chief Inspector Richard Watkinson, 49. Charged with thousands of indecent images of children,
three counts of making indecent photos of a child discovered in a secret room in his house.
He was also charged with voyeurism and two counts of misconduct in public office.

Jack Addis, 63, from Perthshire, and Jeremy Laxton, 62, from Lincolnshire, will appear at Westminster
Magistrates' Court on 9 February. Ch Insp Watkinson, 49 was a serving chief inspector for neighbourhood
policing in the West Area Command Unit. He had been suspended from duty following his arrest

He was found dead in Buckinghamshire on 12 January, the same day the Met says he was due to be charged
with conspiracy to distribute or show indecent images of children, three counts of making indecent photos of a
child, voyeurism and two counts of misconduct in public office. An inquest into Ch Insp Watkinson's death has
opened and adjourned.

Cmdr Jon Savell from the Met's professional standards team said: "Ch Insp Watkinson was facing extremely
serious and concerning charges, as the result of a painstaking and thorough police investigation. "Before this
matter came to light, we had no previous information about these allegations or to indicate the officer posed
any risk to the public. "He had not faced any other criminal or conduct matters during his Met career."...'

BBC:


The top circle indicates the Perthshire area.
The centre circle indicates where Lincolnshire is.
The bottom circle indicates the area of Buckinghamshire.

[EndtheMadnessNow]

Here's one I'm keeping an eye on. With the distances involved, it's a strange story.
The BBC are always reluctant to deep-dive into incidents like this one, but they do offer the bare bones.

Retired Met police officers charged with child sex offences

'Two retired Metropolitan Police officers have been charged with child sex offences, as part of an
investigation into a serving Met chief inspector who was found dead.

The Met said the charges follow an investigation into Richard Watkinson. His death is being treated as
unexplained but not suspicious.


Chief Inspector Richard Watkinson, 49. Charged with thousands of indecent images of children,
three counts of making indecent photos of a child discovered in a secret room in his house.
He was also charged with voyeurism and two counts of misconduct in public office.

Jack Addis, 63, from Perthshire, and Jeremy Laxton, 62, from Lincolnshire, will appear at Westminster
Magistrates' Court on 9 February. Ch Insp Watkinson, 49 was a serving chief inspector for neighbourhood
policing in the West Area Command Unit. He had been suspended from duty following his arrest

He was found dead in Buckinghamshire on 12 January, the same day the Met says he was due to be charged
with conspiracy to distribute or show indecent images of children, three counts of making indecent photos of a
child, voyeurism and two counts of misconduct in public office. An inquest into Ch Insp Watkinson's death has
opened and adjourned.

Cmdr Jon Savell from the Met's professional standards team said: "Ch Insp Watkinson was facing extremely
serious and concerning charges, as the result of a painstaking and thorough police investigation. "Before this
matter came to light, we had no previous information about these allegations or to indicate the officer posed
any risk to the public. "He had not faced any other criminal or conduct matters during his Met career."...'

BBC:

So odd that a country with the master spies of the intel world (IMO) and their agencies along with FIVE EYES has such evil going on for decades, centuries. Certainly makes ya wonder and I've heard that if any such child exploitation let alone child sacrifice starts leading back to the Royal family by direct or indirect (aristocrat) connections, then the case must be buried by any means necessary. That said, not much different across the pond.

Over here in the USSA... though not new, but weird that so many such cases & stories are popping up a lot...

Former Navy SEAL and CIA special agent James Dennis Smith Jr faced up to 40 years in prison for trafficking drugs from Central America to the US in his private plane. Instead, he was sentenced to a mere 18 months, got released early after just 9, and promptly disappeared.




Court Listener Docs (Most are locked & sealed on PACER)

How a celebrated Navy SEAL and CIA operative became a big-time drug smuggler in SC

James Dennis “J.D.” Smith was a decorated SEAL who led raids in enemy territory and a CIA operative cited by the agency.

But after years in government service, from about 2012 to 2017 when he was a civilian, he led a different life. He used his SEAL and CIA covert skills to avoid the law as he flew his twin-engine Cessna with cargoes of marijuana from California to South Carolina and other states. He transported thousands of pounds of the drug and was paid up to $350 per pound. 

After his 2017 arrest, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency seized hundreds of thousands of dollars from him. Agents found guns galore — 12 pistols, five shotguns and an AK-47 assault rifle. He and fellow traffickers stashed the weed — some of it labeled medical marijuana from California, law agents said — in storage units here and there.
Last week, Smith, 52, was sentenced in federal court for his secret life.

How did he go from celebrated SEAL to a big league drug smuggler?

The simple answer: love of danger and its adrenaline rush, says his lawyer, Greg Harris of Columbia.
“He had been molded and trained to expect chaos, catastrophe and adrenaline. When he came back from war, and the expectation was not fulfilled, he actively sought the rushes that he used to experience on a daily basis,” Harris wrote in a court brief.

“Eventually, he turned back to covert, high-risk activity. Only this time, instead of flying to austere CIA outposts in Afghanistan, he was flying marijuana across the country he previously risked his life to protect,” Harris wrote. “His conduct was by and large a means of facilitating the only lifestyle he knew: high-risk, dangerous, and clandestine.”
There’s an even more complex answer — an answer so compelling that it recently helped get a federal judge and federal prosecutors to recommend mercy and save Smith from a 10- or 20-year or more sentence for his marijuana crimes.



Court’s reasoning for sentence

Earlier this week in Columbia, as U.S. District Judge Mary Lewis prepared to sentence Smith, she looked across the federal courtroom and said, “This is not something that I have ever seen before.”

A minute later, Lewis gave Smith 18 months in federal prison — an unusually light sentence. He had already served 7 months in jail after his arrest four years ago in a Charlotte airport, so he will have about a year to serve in prison. Others being sentenced for similar crimes — conspiracy to deal in large quantities of marijuana and having a gun — might have served decades.

At the hearing, Lewis said she considered various factors: Smith had no criminal record. He was pleading guilty, sparing taxpayers a trial’s cost. He had fully cooperated with DEA and law enforcement, providing evidence about South Carolina traffickers and major suppliers in California that led to their arrests and convictions. And he was a decorated veteran with a Bronze Star for valor, meaning, for an action in a combat situation.

Smith’s combat record included being a SEAL team leader in Iraq in dozens of nighttime raids in the early 2000s, where he killed and captured Iraqis, according to court records.

“He blew the doors off of houses and was the first to run inside; and (as a combat medic) he has saved the lives of both Americans and Iraqis who became casualties of war,” according to court records. He later roamed Afghanistan with CIA teams stalking the enemy.

Above all, there was testimony from Amy Meyers, a Florida psychologist who has treated Smith.

Meyers, who said she has counseled some 1,000 of America’s special operations combat veterans, told the judge what she’s learned in therapy sessions with these veterans about how their kind of close-up violent warfare devastates their personal lives.

The “ceaseless, high-tempo combat” and special forces’ soldiers’ “experiences at war arguably defy what humans are biologically and evolutionarily built for,” said Meyers. “We are not meant to watch our friends die, often all at once. We are not meant to kill, and we are not meant to risk our lives every day.... It is simply inhuman.”
Many Special Forces operators develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and Smith had “one of the most severe and debilitating presentations of PTSD I have seen,” Meyers said in a transcript of her remarks made available to The State.

Smith’s symptoms included severe depression, suicidal thoughts, panic attacks, paranoia, memory loss, impaired judgment, interpersonal difficulties, impaired impulse control and many other symptoms resulting from his PTSD, Meyers told the judge.

“His poor judgment and poor decision-making that led to flying that (marijuana) was a result of his PTSD,” she said.

Smith did not smuggle marijuana in his plane just for the adrenaline rush, she said. Combat had given him powerful feelings of being indestructible, indifference to his fate and guilt for having survived so much violence where his friends died.

Smith’s guilt includes being ashamed of the Bronze Star he won in a combat action where he killed a young boy. “Killing the boy was part of his duty to kill armed enemy. He did not describe it as heroic,” she said. “He casually told me he wishes he had died that day because it would have been more honorable .... He sees himself as a monster for fulfilling the exact duties that earned him the prestigious Bronze Star.”

“The Navy told him he was a war hero and he felt he was a villain. This is beyond guilty. It is moral injury and it profoundly exemplifies his shame — shame for who he believes he has become,” Meyers said.

With two failed marriages and estranged children due at least in part to his prolonged absences at war, Smith believed he was a failure on a personal level too, she said.

Using his plane to smuggle large loads of marijuana gave Smith a positive purpose in life, Meyers said, because he had learned that in some medical cases, it was helping relieve suffering of the sick and dying.

Marijuana smuggling also gave him a sense of retaliating against a country for which he had sacrificed everything and now had found himself without family or friends and “mentally ill and unemployable,” Meyers said.

Early life and drug arrest

In an Oklahoma high school, Smith — who was born in 1969 — was a good student and good athlete, competing on football team and wrestling, according to evidence in his case and court records.

Out of high school, he joined the Marines, then the Navy and became a SEAL serving for 16 years, including in combat situations in Iraq. He took specialized combat medic courses and was recognized for saving lives. As a CIA operative, he participated in strike missions in Afghanistan. After the CIA, he worked security for American billionaires such as the Koch brothers, according to a filing by Smith’s lawyer.

Around 2014, out of the service and out of the private security business he worked for — Smith fell into marijuana smuggling, transporting thousands of pounds much of it medical marijuana, around the country from California, in duffel bags.

It was in South Carolina in 2014 that the Richland County Sheriff’s Department first became aware of a marijuana trafficking operation involving two Columbia area brothers, Carl and Byron Rye, according to court records.

“In cases like this, when we realize it’s more than just Richland County, we have to make a decision — do we get the smaller fish, or do we get bigger fish? This case is an example of that. We went for the bigger fish,” said Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott. “These cases take a lot of work and they can stretch for years.”

Story continues: How a celebrated Navy SEAL and CIA operative became a big-time drug smuggler in SC



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Sounds like his expertise was needed elsewhere to fetch those "bigger fish." Sheep-dipped again for his next assignment.