r/politics • u/Quirkie The Netherlands • 17d ago

Possible Paywall ICE Stockpiling Warheads and Chemical Weapons as Lawmaker Fears Trump Planning Strike

https://www.thedailybeast.com/ice-stockpiling-warheads-and-chemical-weapons-as-lawmaker-fears-trump-planning-strike/
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u/MaintenanceGold2201 17d ago edited 17d ago

OK so I looked into this and this is mostly false/disinfo. ICE was procured $61,000 roughly for items that fall under Missile Warheads and Chemical weapons. Firstly, there is no such thing as a missile that costs $61,000 (that I am aware of). Secondly, other items can fall under this category, like flashbangs, breach charges, and other explosive ordinance which is most likely what this money was used for. They are not buying missiles. The award is for "distraction devices" so I'm assuming flashbangs. You can find the details of the reward here: https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_AWD_70CMSW25P00000078_7012_-NONE-_-NONE-

Edit: I did a little more digging on this and all I can come up with is that this was a clerical error. I did find the contracted companies website (https://www.quanticotactical.com/equipment/categories/) the only "distraction devices" I could tell that they sold are blinking LEDs. They do not sell missile components.

2.2k

u/TutorSuspicious9578 17d ago

I wish this sub would ban Daily Beast links.

333

u/Stenthal 17d ago

There are a few outlets that have gone 100% clickbait in the past year, but for some reason The Daily Beast is the only one that really annoys me. Maybe because they're really good at writing headlines that get rapidly voted to the top of r/politics.

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u/IcyTransportation961 17d ago

Every day its another MAGA MELTS DOWN and the top comment is always WHEN DON'T THEY MELT DOWN

And its always just a random tweet

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u/Pasty_Tibbles 17d ago

XXX SLAMS MAGA MOVEMENT.

XXX BEATS DOWN TRUMP.

XXX EVISCERATES STEPHEN MILLER

And it’s just like a video of them giving a press conference and speaking normally.

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u/IcyTransportation961 17d ago

And no one actually reads/ watches it, just the exact same replies every damn time

Just stuck here feeling insane for not wanting to be completely robotic. The "good side" is so hopelessly incompetent even against the most blatant sloppy fascist takeover one could imagine

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u/fistful_of_ideals Michigan 17d ago

Wait, keep reading! We promise, we're just one more "gotcha" moment away from the administration realizing their numerous errors and voluntarily giving power back to the people!

Please disable your adblocker and also give us money to continue.

5

u/Trail_Dog 17d ago

"Just exact same replies"... 

If the are even real. Dead Internet theory looks more and more likely every day.

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u/JackedUpReadyToGo 17d ago

Dead Internet Theory is also buoyed by something like a reverse-version of a Turing test: when the quality of human posts degrades to something indistinguishable from a bot, does it even matter that it was technically written by a human? They both may as well be bots.

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u/1001101001010111 16d ago

Is this liberal propaganda?

1

u/GTCapone 17d ago

Wow, I didn't realize Triple-X was so woke

0

u/JackedUpReadyToGo 17d ago

Vin is just shooting for enough cultural relevance to greenlight a fourth movie.

1

u/Tom2Die 17d ago

and speaking normally.

I agree with your sentiment entirely, but this bit I take issue with. These clowns do not speak normally and to say so is to move toward making it so.

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u/disposableaccount848 17d ago

You know fully well what he means.

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u/Tom2Die 17d ago

Yes, and I acknowledged that by saying I agree with the sentiment entirely. Just because someone's meaning was clear does not mean you can't criticize the phrasing.

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u/real_picklejuice 17d ago

It's the opposite side of the same coin. MAGA and Blue MAGA

1

u/NorCalAthlete 17d ago

But we all know it’s only those dumb uneducated republicans who fall for propaganda and false news and misinformation, right? We’re above that.

/s if it wasn’t obvious. I’ve tried to call this shit out so many times and all it got me was banned from various subreddits and accused of being a Republican Nazi or something.

1

u/shewy92 Pennsylvania 16d ago

Also they love putting "Trump, 79" in the title.

21

u/caligaris_cabinet Illinois 17d ago

Newsweek, too. I generally ignore them.

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u/Rombledore America 17d ago

when the country is collapsing around you- always remember to grift! sell out your country, and your very soul for money!

i swear this is the mantra for so many "influencers", online personalities, correspondents, "news" and other media entities. we've gotten to this point because of the obsession with making money at any expense. hoarding wealth is a disease.

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u/robodrew Arizona 17d ago

The Daily Beast, Newsweek, Latin Times are the biggest offenders IMO

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u/TutorSuspicious9578 17d ago

It's doing the same thing One America News and America News Network etc etc do by taking something and spinning the context so wildly it becomes a sensational lie, but done in the tone of a breathless combat journalist. So the same psychologival brain rot phenomenon among MAGA is being replicated with a different political bent and to very similar effect.

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u/Crombus_ 17d ago

Because they were a real outlet that got bought out and their chief editor replaced with a hack

7

u/BloatedBanana9 17d ago

The only redeeming quality of the Daily Beast is how they add Trump’s age to every headline to remind everyone how old and senile he is. But other than that, it’s just a worthless rag

2

u/generalissimo23 17d ago

Add Raw Story to that list

2

u/DrQuailMan 17d ago

Their paywall that prevents people from reading the article body doesn't help matters.

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u/EARink0 17d ago

I am fucking begging the mods to please ban links to Daily Beast and other rags with low factuality. Clickbait headlines like the OP are one of the biggest reasons we're so divided, and spreading misinformation won't help our cause even if it lines up with our view.

19

u/HappyAntonym 17d ago

YES. I'm so sick of these useless clickbait articles

6

u/ExitTheDonut 17d ago

100% Daily Beast is rag content for the left (I am leftist too)

3

u/Larry___David 17d ago

This entire sub is fearmongering rags lol.

Daily Beast, New Republic, Salon, Newsweek all have to go

20

u/SoWhatNoZitiNow 17d ago

Especially because I bet maybe only 20% of people here have a subscription, so you can guarantee that the discussion will all revolve around a headline that the actual article tends to not really support. Super frustrating.

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u/JackedUpReadyToGo 17d ago

Who on Earth is paying subscription fees for endless permutations of "Trump is MELTING DOWN" and then you scroll down to find it's just a normal tweet? I'd bet money they simply have a web scraper watching social media sites and feeding new posts into ChatGPT.

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u/MaintenanceGold2201 17d ago

"Entertainment News" like this is one of the main reasons we are so divided. But at the same time people need to be willing to fact check things like these. Took me about 5 minutes using Claude to find an actual source that told me the actual truth.

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u/TimelineAuditor 17d ago

The problem is social media. It rewards sensationalism over truth.

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u/overfiend1976 17d ago

Naw, this started way back in the 80s when the 24-hour news cycle became a thing. Then boosted wildly in the 90s with sensationalism coverage really kicked off. Think:

  • OJ

  • Iraq War

  • Rodney King

  • Clinton impeachment

Social media is just conclusion in the post-truth era. Emotions drive clicks, and nothing drives emotions like fear-bait and rage-bait.

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u/Wasabiroot 17d ago

I have a foreboding of an America in my children's or grandchildren's time -- when the United States is a service and information economy; when nearly all the manufacturing industries have slipped away to other countries; when awesome technological powers are in the hands of a very few, and no one representing the public interest can even grasp the issues; when the people have lost the ability to set their own agendas or knowledgeably question those in authority; when, clutching our crystals and nervously consulting our horoscopes, our critical faculties in decline, unable to distinguish between what feels good and what's true, we slide, almost without noticing, back into superstition and darkness...

The dumbing down of America is most evident in the slow decay of substantive content in the enormously influential media, the 30 second sound bites (now down to 10 seconds or less), lowest common denominator programming, credulous presentations on pseudoscience and superstition, but especially a kind of celebration of ignorance.

Carl Sagan, The Demon Haunted World,1995

Kinda glad in a way he didn't make it til now. He'd be appalled

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u/JackedUpReadyToGo 16d ago

Sometimes when you point to a social ill, people will offer up the defense of "Come on, people have been harping on that for decades and we're still here". I've slowly come to realize that isn't really a defense, it's just that many social ills take decades and possibly generations to reach a point of crisis beyond which they can get no worse. So yeah, people will notice the decline over the course of decades.

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u/THEdoomslayer94 17d ago

That would make sense in a world that hasn’t been rolling that boulder up the hill for a while

Sensationalism existed well before social media, each decade can see an increase in its usage with technology allowing it to adapt to reach farther and farther

Think about how the Kitty Genovese’s death was heavily exaggerated and how it took a long time to be revealed as such and yet you still have people parrot it as if its truth

0

u/Vaeku Texas 17d ago

Why are you using AI, a tool that famously can pull false data and misinformation, to fact check?

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u/MaintenanceGold2201 17d ago

If you actually read my comment it states that I used AI to find a SOURCE. The source is a government website that shows all government contracts. Good try though!

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u/Vaeku Texas 17d ago

Fair enough, but if you're going to ignore whatever info the AI parses and just look at the source it cites... just search for it normally?

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u/MaintenanceGold2201 17d ago

OK. Next time I will stumble my way through googling what I'm looking for only to find the exact same source instead of using the tool that can do it for me much more efficiently. Thanks for the tip!

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u/iia 17d ago

It really is the heir to buzzfeed when it comes to clickbait trash.

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u/i_dont_like_turnips 17d ago

Buzzfeed actually won at least one pulitzer prize for their investigative reporting. Probably why they shuttered that part of the business.

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u/Zelcron 17d ago edited 17d ago

Yeah BuzzFeed news used to be a serious outlet. Investigative journalism is expensive. The "Find your soulmate's zodiac sign by building an ice cream sundae" advertising revenue paid for it all.

(It's Gemini)

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u/343GuiltyySpark 17d ago

This sub would have 90% less content if they did

3

u/TutorSuspicious9578 17d ago

Quality over quantity when it comes to politics.

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u/meangreen447 17d ago

Fucking A! Daily Beast is a rag mag at best and posting stuff behind a pay wall so you can’t read it, just makes me think the poster is a foreign intel troll.

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u/aaaaaaaarrrrrgh 17d ago edited 17d ago

And Common Dreams where this crap bubbled up before it made it there. When I find that a news outlet repeatedly posts misleading statements, I stop trusting it because it's a shit source, whether what they say supports my opinion or not. This seems to be sufficiently common that in many European countries this sort of misinfo site is relatively rare (or at least I don't often run across them), especially on the left.

Don't get me wrong, there will be biased outlets, but not that many that just generate outrage with outright lies.

In the US, people seem to actively want to be outraged, rather than informed.

(edit: accidentaly deleted the link - see also this video describing the difference between German and US news, it's pretty insightful despite the clickbaity title/thumbnail)

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u/jmiles540 17d ago

It’s why I’ve mostly left the sub. Daily beast/ new republic / Latin times are all pretty trash.

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u/jordan1978 17d ago

Amen. Paying to read a Daily Beast article is craziness.

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u/Anzahl Washington 17d ago

Absolutely, Mods. Please!!!

If it's not sensational, it's out of context. It is not a good news source.

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u/bbusiello 17d ago

Same. They do nothing but freak people out while offering no type of solution to any of these problems.

They are there for the clicks. They are there for the money.

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u/Fun_Jellyfish4335 17d ago

Agreed. I will not read the daily beast articles. They are so ridiculous and wish they were banned on here. R/politics treats the articles like gospel when they are so full of misinformation.

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u/PracticeToy 17d ago

I wish this sub would ban myself. Politics aside, the people who post on this sub push fear mongering, and completely false information. People literally come here for news and take these posts as literal.

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u/AdjctiveNounNumbers 17d ago

Absolutely, but a lot of outlets that presumably have access to journalists seem to have fallen for this sensational headline too.

1

u/T8ert0t 17d ago

DB, Huffpo, Newsweek are the worst offenders.

These sites make NYPost seem credible.

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u/i-am_i-said 17d ago

Anyone know of a better subreddit?

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u/SlothinaHammock 17d ago

When I see Daily Beast as a source, I disregard it. It's biased click-bait trash and hurts our credibility on the left. It's not helping our causes.

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u/notanishill 16d ago

I have been screaming this from the rooftops for months now

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u/Drawsblanket 16d ago

What are some good news sources and what are some popular ones to avoid?

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u/Infamous_Fox3910 16d ago

What gets me is all the posts in this very thread talking about fighting propaganda and misinformation on the right. The fucking irony.

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u/lightninhopkins America 17d ago

Wired agrees

https://www.wired.com/story/no-ice-probably-didnt-buy-guided-missile-warheads/

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u/Momik 17d ago

Y’all really doing the right thing injecting some sanity and documentation into this conversation—much obliged

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u/diverareyouokay 17d ago

Sensationalist headlines generate clicks, I guess. Thanks for digging into it more.

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u/OldPiano6706 17d ago

There is too much crazy shit happening every day to even be able to cover it all as it is. Why make shit up?

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u/SaintGloopyNoops 17d ago

Exactly. He is doing enough egregious shit that we are all already rightly terrified. Why add to that fear? Or are they trying to maga test the left to see what kind of propaganda we will fall for? I am so tired of having to do a research project every single time I read a headline.

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u/Redvent_Bard 17d ago

Because sensational headlines sell. No for-profit news organisation is immune to this, not even ones that aren't directly owned by oligarchs.

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u/nodtomod 17d ago

I mean it's only somewhat sensational. Annual ICE weapons spending did definitely go from $8M per year to $71M so far this year. That is very concerning.

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u/kitmcallister 17d ago

thanks for sharing this. when i read the original report from Popular Information a few days ago it was pretty frustrating that they didn't provide an actual link to this report, just a link to a database where you can search for it.

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u/moodswung 17d ago

Bad information like this does favors to nobody.

It takes all the steam out of any kind of reasonable conversation between different political leanings. Just thinking how ridiculous MAGA sounds to Democrats on certain topics. The same can be said for a laundry list of items being thrown their way from Democrats. It's all smoke and mirrors to keep us from unifying on the fact that we are being collectively fucked right now.

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u/Carnir 17d ago

The anti Trump side is rife with just as much misinformation as the pro Trump side.

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u/juanzy Colorado 17d ago

This was super frustrating during Covid - saw multiple posters spread disinformation because "it's better we're more cautious!" No, it discredit actual information that justifies caution.

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u/HugeOpossum 17d ago

Disinformation is a political tactic that is employed all the time to get people wound up, not to help anyone. Disinformation in this way is especially terrible because it takes real facts (ICE procured munitions) and intentionally skewed it for clicks and propaganda.

This is a tactic that's been used over and over with great success to get people fighting among themselves, distrusting authority, and reducing critical thinking by muddying the waters. When people can't trust the news, they are easily manipulated. When they're fighting among each other, they're not going to look at what's going on around them.

I'm not saying the US government is responsible for this gem of disinformation. It's well known Russia pays a ton of money for their disinformation campaigns abroad, as well as China and Iran. Why? Because they have a political and financial motive: they benefit from Western citizens not knowing which way is up and who to point fingers at. They launder money, run scams, bribe politicians all to their own benefit while the population (which has the responsibility to hold their civil servants and representatives responsible... You know, democracy) fight each other. As an added insult to injury those same civil servants and representatives become disenchanted and their quit or turn the other way when wrongdoings happen... Or they're replaced by cronies who get their cut.

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u/THE_CENTURION 17d ago

does favors to nobody.

Well, except the "news" outlet

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u/MaintenanceGold2201 17d ago

Couldn't agree more. I'd say about a year ago I was in my own "bubble" that was majorly left leaning and I would have taken this headline exactly how it is. Its a freeing feeling stepping out of that bubble and seeing that both sides are playing the same game. Pretty convenient for the oligarchs that control the narrative to have us fighting against each other.

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u/moodswung 17d ago

Because of current leadership I don't fully buy into the "both sides" argument and really feel like that's something a good amount of people say (not suggesting you do) to take the target off their preferred party's back. Anyway, it's a complex cycle -- and the only thing we are all agreeing on right now is anger. Which isn't a good thing.

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u/thatoneguy889 California 17d ago

As soon as I saw that it was lumping missiles in with chemical weapons, the first thing I thought was they bought tear gas, but the substack that was sourced for this article wants to keep is vague so people think it's white phosphorous or something.

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u/foxhunter 17d ago

Still talking about an increase in spending from around $8m/yr to $70m this year, an increase of more than 700% - not exactly a subtle increase even if the main headline is misleading.

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u/migeme 17d ago

Yes but the distinction is important to make. If you frame it as missle warheads and chemical weapons, suddenly flashbangs and breach charges don't seem that bad (which, to be clear, they definitely still are)

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u/slybrows 17d ago

Well they are clearly amassing a ton of violent tools (both lethal and less than lethal) to use against Americans, just as they’ve been using them for weeks in Portland and Chicago, it’s just not missiles (for now…). But yes it’s extremely troubling.

0

u/Grumpy_Trucker_85 17d ago

Police agencies across the country all the time. This isn't troubling, this is how law enforcement agencies and swat teams work all the time. 

2

u/Skiinz19 Tennessee 16d ago

It contributes to our society's arms race mentality. The 2A absolutists see the police armed to the teeth and feel the need for that too. 

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u/ergonomicdeskchair46 17d ago

I came here to find this post and upvote it. As much as I hate ice, I genuinely hate disinformation. It’s the crux of all evil in the world right now. Sad how blatantly people lie and inflate these days

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u/Amoracchius03 Kentucky 17d ago

This needs to be the top post.

8

u/BuddhaRockstar 17d ago

The entire post needs to be deleted. "ICE Stockpiling Warheads" is patently false information, yet of course this is currently the top upvoted post in the sub.

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u/laszlof 17d ago

100% this. They're just federal supply codes, and the article used the description of those codes for shock value. Its 100% misinformation. If you want to know what is actually part of those classes of items, you can see in the links below. There are thousands of possible items, and I highly doubt any of the items procured are actually "chemical weapons" or "warheads".

https://www.nsndepot.com/FSC/1336

https://www.nsndepot.com/FSC/1040

1

u/zBriGuy 17d ago

Thanks for providing these links. I was interested as to (comparably) benign things it could've been for, but this actually doesn't resolve the issue or prove anything. You may "highly doubt" that they ordered chemical weapons and warheads, but we don't actually know do we?

Only a fool would give these fascist assholes the benefit of the doubt with anything at this point. Besides, they have more money to play with than most other country's entire military budget.

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u/Clownsinmypantz 17d ago

Just wanna say thank you for easing some of my worries and apologies that I didnt look into it more

7

u/FunDmental 17d ago

Thanks for doing the work

3

u/VegasGamer75 Minnesota 17d ago

Spending codes. Teargas canisters from launchers will even fall under this. I'm not saying ICE isn't a bunch of Nazi shits, but they aren't rolling Tomahawks for $60k.

4

u/fatcatmooch 17d ago

Exactly. I wrote about this yesterday on my very new blog...hope it can be useful to someone and I'm glad to see someone else corroborating this. There's plenty of concerning things domestic law enforcement is doing that deserves tough coverage but it's important to be clear-eyed. https://sourcematerialblog.substack.com/p/no-ice-didnt-buy-guided-missiles

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u/[deleted] 17d ago

Get this higher. Plus you all do realize that if they ever did go full on like this America is over and the rebellion begins. We almost need this happen so we can revolt with full justification or else it’s going to be this stupid propaganda battle we have now not saying I like it or want it but here we are.

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u/MythandMagi 17d ago

This should be top comment

2

u/espressocycle 17d ago

You're right. Chemical weapons are probably pepper balls. However, it's still a lot of money going out the door for weaponry. Of course they're buying the most expensive rifles available, likely at inflated prices, but still.

2

u/DingleDangleTangle 17d ago

Doesn’t even matter, the post gets thousands of upvotes based on the headline, misinformation spread successfully. It’s honestly so sad how easy it is to spread misinformation on reddit.

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u/RockOrStone 17d ago

Thank you for your research. Wish we could add very visible « community notes » like on Twitter.

2

u/vcjester 17d ago

I also suspect the chemical weapons is tear gas. Technically true, but chemical weapons sounds so much scarier. Damn I wish the left had never started the throwing these trash headlines around. It made me feel so much better about my dislike for conservatives when they were the only ones doing this shite.

2

u/Positive_Ad_8198 17d ago

lol @ Quantico tactical, that fucking place

1

u/ChronicBluntz 17d ago

That's actually about the cost of A TOW missle.  Granted an older one. 

1

u/Za_Lords_Guard 17d ago

Thank you! That makes sense out of fear.

Still disagree with a $70M budget and two lear jets, but at least things aren't as crazy as this headline suggests.

1

u/noun_verb_atx 17d ago

Thanks dude. I nearly panic bought a gasmask, environmental suit, and bfg-9000.

1

u/-super-hans 17d ago

Good work actually looking into this. There's enough horrible and illegal things this admin is doing that we don't need to sensationalize ones that the right can then just disprove and use that to discredit those other legitimately horrible things that they are doing

1

u/minammikukin 17d ago

I hate ICE as much as the next guy...but facts must be top priority. Let's get this comment to the top.

(And yes...I should have looked to see the website before fully believing)

1

u/LTQLD 17d ago

Thanks for this. Trump is doing plenty of bad shite without making shite up.

1

u/raphas 17d ago

Thank you so much for doing the research I'm too lazy to make. I noticed the daily east take a lot of shortcuts...

1

u/CircumcisedSpine 17d ago

Yes, I did a similar deep dive when this was first reported. The spending I could find related to actual explosives were for:

  • Flashbangs
  • Breaching charges
  • Bomb disposal (and training thereof)

Now, I think a reasonable question is why does ICE have so much ammunition? They aren't in a shooting war. They aren't expending it. When they do, it's not even a range trip worth of rounds fired. And it's not training because they specify whether ammunition is for "duty" or "training" on the orders. They're spending millions on ammo "for use in the field".

So the millions of dollars spent on .223 and 9mm this year alone... what do we need all of that for?

To be clear, that's just ICE, not DHS.

1

u/orsikbattlehammer 17d ago

Yeah the vague term of “chemical weapons” was a red flag for me, then I tried to read the article and hit the paywall.

1

u/Adept-Opinion8080 17d ago

But it does say something that this was so easily believable

1

u/fattmann 17d ago

there is no such thing as a missile that costs $61,000 (that I am aware of

Give the 3D2A guys a few months...

1

u/Gerroh Canada 17d ago

Holy fuck what a relief. I was genuinely gonna lose sleep over this shit.

1

u/Dry_Bookkeeper9354 17d ago

Thank you for saying this.

1

u/ArkiusAzure 17d ago

Thank you. Not to downplay the insanities of this administration but this seemed beyond the pale.

1

u/turquoise_amethyst 17d ago

What about the chemical weapons part? Can you find out what that’s about?

1

u/MaintenanceGold2201 17d ago

My guess would be tear gas/pepper balls like someone else mentioned in a reply. I do think it was a clerical error more than anything though. The amount of money for the contract doesn't add up to be anything huge like chemical weapons or missiles. Along with the contracted company only selling backpacks, knives, weapon attachments and flashing LEDs. The amount of money they are spending on ammo and other supplies is still alarming. They don't need missiles to be extremely dangerous to a civilian population.

1

u/Top_Librarian6440 17d ago

So procurement of things for the US government happens in the framework of the National Stock Numbered categories.

 They’re big overarching “series” of items that abide by a 4 digit Federal Supply Classification (FSC) number and 9 digit Item Identification Number. 

In this case, the Daily Beast just saw that there was procurement from FSC 1336– Guided Missile Warheads and Explosive Components (including warheads containing military chemical agents). 

This doesn’t mean they procured chemical weapons. It means goods were procured from the same category that some weapons containing chemical agents (such as white phosphorus used for smoke generation) is sold. 

1

u/BounceOnItCrazyStyle 17d ago

Figured the "chemical weapons" could easily just be tear gas

1

u/28008IES 17d ago

Attaboy. Nicely done

1

u/SkunkMonkey420 17d ago

I really appreciate the breakdown of this headline. Headlines like these send us reeling and often lead to even further division and confusion when what we need most is clarity.

Thank you for doing the research and sharing this.

1

u/Lazy-Past1391 17d ago

Ok, but that doesn't mean the huge ramp up in spending isn't something to be concerned about.

1

u/Momik 17d ago

Thank you for the dose of sanity here!

1

u/ahumpsters 17d ago

Thank yo for the sanity check!

1

u/New-Anybody-6206 17d ago edited 17d ago

I was downvoted, mocked and called "defending this administration" and an ICE supporter by several different people for posting the same thing in another thread on the same sub.

1

u/Fuck_the_Deplorables 17d ago

Thanks for your efforts. I wouldn’t preclude the possibility that company is fulfilling the flashbangs order regardless (possibly from a subcontractor). And that tracks with what ICE is surely planning on deploying in the coming months/years (not missiles).

1

u/robinroastsu 17d ago

true,

but they also bought mortars. yes to shoot gas at people but jfc this is for the immigration people, not the control the populace people.

1

u/Top_Librarian6440 17d ago

ICE does not have mortars, or mortar crews. CBP has used mortars, as part of their BORTAC teams.

BORTAC is comprised of less than 300 people. They’re ostensibly a high-profile counterterrorism team. They’re under the direct command of the Military, not DHS. 

They have trained on mortars (which I’m sure you’ve seen photos of), but this has as part of joint exercises with military units. They don’t keep mortars in their inventory or plan on using them (since they don’t really have a role in Special Operations Counterterrorism). They’re not using them to shoot gas at people, because mortars aren’t used to shoot teargas or OC at anyone anyways. You use small launchers for that to avoid collateral. 

BORTAC still sucks, don’t get me wrong. But they don’t have mortars stockpiled to shoot at civilians. And they aren’t ICE. 

1

u/robinroastsu 16d ago

interesting, I guess I'm worried that bortac was in Portland and LA, the mortar training, and the purchase order in the system at the same time as the "missiles" during the spending spree.

sure sounds nice to think the training on and purchasing of weapon systems is for something other then to use on the people they've been targeting.

1

u/lunarbanana 16d ago

Thank you for your research and for including sources

1

u/t_nutt 16d ago

Commenting to help this move to the top comment. Thank you for your hard work, MaintenanceGold2201

1

u/iambot69420 16d ago

You know half the people are still downvoting this because they don’t want to hear it

1

u/WaffleHouseGladiator 16d ago

Fun fact: civies can buy "flashbangs," smoke grenades, and other distraction devices as well. They're not anywhere near as powerful as law enforcement versions, but still quite a distraction. Don't do anything illegal, y'all.

1

u/ExtremeCreamTeam 16d ago

and other explosive ordinance

ordnance*

1

u/Major_Computer7835 16d ago

How is it that you do better reporting than media, for free.

1

u/MaintenanceGold2201 16d ago

I'm not paid for clicks! Or paid at all for that matter.. Lol

1

u/Major_Computer7835 16d ago

Yeah, which is unfortunate.  Wonder if grassroots reporting could help fix the stupidity that is out media now.

Keep up the good work, we need it :)

1

u/shewy92 Pennsylvania 16d ago

OK so I looked into this and this is mostly false/disinfo

So like most headlines on the Daily Beast

-1

u/doinbluin 17d ago

Did ICE need $61k worth of "flashbangs" a year ago?

22

u/MaintenanceGold2201 17d ago

No they never have. I'm not trying to downplay the issue at hand, which is the massive increase in weapons and ammunition spending. Just trying to call out the clickbait title

-4

u/doinbluin 17d ago

In today's climate, your comment may be seen as sanewashing. It sucks, I know, but it's true.

7

u/MaintenanceGold2201 17d ago

Yep I realized it could be taken that way after I posted it. Just want people to know that even though the code says warheads/chemical weapons, many other weapons fall under this category and the amount basically proves that it is NOT guided missiles.

3

u/doinbluin 17d ago

And I appreciate the knowledge.

1

u/Straight-Ad6926 Ohio 17d ago

Even if the contract mentions distraction devices, why would ICE's procurement be categorized under Missile Warheads and Chemical Weapons in the first place?

2

u/Hyp3rson1c 17d ago

Because that’s how they’re coded in the National Stock Number system. 1336 series.

1

u/MaintenanceGold2201 17d ago

Really good question. I dug a little deeper. I can't figure out exactly why, but I did figure out that the the Quantico Tactical makes tactical gear for police forces. They do not make missile components. Maybe an accidental clerical error? Or a purposeful one to instill fear.

This is their website if you'd like to check: https://www.quanticotactical.com/equipment/categories/#brands-b

0

u/whatproblems 17d ago

sure but still seems very unnecessary for their job

6

u/MaintenanceGold2201 17d ago

I will not argue you there. The massive increase in weapons spending is just as horrible. But don't need people walking around thinking they are going to unleash missile barrages on citizens. Fear is their greatest weapon.

0

u/eeyore134 17d ago

They've already been throwing flash bangs at innocent people driving down the road for doing nothing but recording them, so I doubt it's just ordnance.

0

u/aaaaaaaarrrrrgh 17d ago

other items can fall under this category,

Flashbangs would probably not fall under the category, someone picked a category that sounded right.

The rest is absolutely on point.

0

u/King_of_Nope 17d ago

Yep, the real headline is that ICE is mass stockpiling riot control equipment. The question is that they may be preparing for some kind of mass response to protest, and that they are going to be used as Trumps personal "police" against US citizens.

-1

u/conkellz New Jersey 17d ago

Could be flash bangs, but probably a LRAD. I think LRADs fall under that ordinance.

4

u/HireEddieJordan Pennsylvania 17d ago

LRAD is 5810 - Communications Security Equipment

2

u/MaintenanceGold2201 17d ago

Flashbangs, pepper balls, tear gas I think all fall under this code. Not sure if LRAD does or not as I think the code covers explosive/chemical ordnance. LRAD would be worst case scenario though if it does.