ArcaMax

Theft and cunning sabotage are ancient weapons. Alone or in tandem, they damage an adversary. The Trojan horse was a cunning stratagem to circumvent Troy's massive walls, but once circumvented, Troy collapsed.

In the 21st century, cunning saboteurs add mob violence, street terror and digital propaganda to theft -- massive, billion-dollar theft.

The result? Chaos. OK. What's happening in Minnesota is not genuine chaos. But given media magnification, the perceived chaos has begun to shake a U.S. national audience.

We witness a real national security threat. Here's why: Chaos in America is the effect America's enemies seek by any means, including theft, distributing deadly drugs, undermining federal laws and attempting to assassinate presidential candidates.

I add the last point because the Butler, Pennsylvania, attempt on candidate Donald Trump's life has yet to be fully explained. The motives and connections of that weird-eyed would-be Florida assassin remain opaque.

Why do America's enemies stir internal chaos and divisiveness? Because the USA is too powerful for corrupt China and its toadies to confront unless America's morale, institutional vitality and super productive economy are sapped and weakened by disguised attacks and Big Lies.

America's economy is measured in trillions, but billions matter, especially when billions of dollars are stolen from government programs designed to educate the young and feed the starving.

Two weeks ago, John Solomon's Just the News website reported in 2024 and 2025 the Transportation Security Administration had found some $700 million in luggage passing through the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Ethnic Somali "couriers" moved most of the cash. Do the math. The couriers hauled around a million bucks a day. In greenbacks.

Hearsay? No. TSA has confirmed it. Allegedly, the major discoveries met U.S. Customs rules, meaning the cash transfers were legally declared. Technically.

A subsequent report from Solomon and Just the News added this: "The Somali couriers are believed to be part of a much larger system in which legal and illegal immigrants are moving tens of billions of dollars a year out of the United States via flights or remittance payment vendors."

Billions of dollars.

Savvy citizens are aware that federal prosecutors have convicted dozens of individuals in Minnesota who were involved in a food supplement scam. They stole over $200 million in federal funds (likely more). Federal prosecutors are also investigating massive fraud in Minnesota child care and early learning centers.

Total fraud estimates run from $9 billion to $18 billion.

The learning center scams focus on Minnesota's Somali communities.

From a subsequent Just the News update: "The Somali couriers are believed to be part of a much larger system in which legal and illegal immigrants are moving tens of billions of dollars a year out of the United States via flights or remittance payment vendors ... Missouri State Treasurer Vivek Malek told Just the News more than $200 billion leaves the United States annually through remittances, with Mexico alone receiving over $52 billion and billions more heading to China, the Middle East and African nations."

$200 billion is roughly a quarter of the U.S. military budget. Mexico remittances could well be legitimate, but on behalf of U.S. taxpayers, it's fair to ask if the IRS got its cut. But do we know? As for China's billions -- do we know who received it?

Theft of such magnitude amounts to economic sabotage. Failure to investigate and prosecute those responsible leads to the destruction of faith in U.S. governing institutions.

And that's another victory for America's enemies.

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To find out more about Austin Bay and read features by other Creators writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.

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