X Rubicon: Author Statement
“Mercy and Truth collided; Righteousness and Peace engaged in a clash”
Included in this work is a letter from the ODNI requesting that this work appear to be fiction. With that in mind, the following shall suffice to meet that requirement:
It is impossible to load this account with lies to further an immoral agenda. THIS WORK IS FICTION in the sense of the lies, corruption, propaganda, and false agendas which made it possible. To suggest that the Truth must become a lie, or that Truth become subservient to a false and egregious cause is unacceptable and impossible. That said, THIS WORK IS NOT FICTION. Some people will believe nothing. Some will refuse to believe that which they know to be true. Some will readily believe that which they know to be untrue. Some will make excuses for lying and corruption. Rarely will a person believe anything without question – there’s ALWAYS motivation.
Many years ago a great man, Abraham Joshua Heschel, wrote a great book, A Passion For Truth. I am an atheist, yet this philosophic Jewish scholar touched my heart. He wrote about his life-long endeavor struggling to come to terms with Love and Mendacity existing simultaneously. He gave the mythic account of Truth being despised by its fellows, Mercy and Righteousness – and Truth was buried in the ground (by God – imagine that):
“Truth wants to emerge, but man does not want its appearance… They think they dance, yet they are paralyzed. Delusion holds them enraptured. They feel so comfortable in the clutches of their self-deception that when Satan himself embraces them, they think he is in love with them.”
This then, is what we are facing here. The Mendacity of the United States Government and its agent of destruction, the CIA, and its Citizenry – unchecked and unbalanced, thinking Satan is in love with them. The colonial powers in the world still run amok creating evil for profit.
Names have been changed to comply with the requirements. Some names have been changed to protect those who need protection. Some have been changed to that which fits the individual’s real or pretended character. Some names are so well known it doesn’t matter what the fuck we call them (just don’t call them late for feeding on the government teats), so we leave their names as they exist because they deserve it and because their words and deeds have already become part of a vast public record.
“The challenge we face is a test of our integrity. We are all on trial, we are all under judgment. The issue is not political or social expediency. The issue is whether we are morally strong, whether we are… worthy to answer… Shall we continue to be deaf, shall we continue to be sensitive only when our own needs and interests are involved?
“We have attained a high standard of living. We must seek to attain a high standard of thinking… There is nothing in the world that may be regarded as holy as eliminating anguish, as alleviating pain.”
The Insecurity Of Freedom – Abraham Joshua Heschel
About Sean & Rubicon and the book
My name is pronounced gree-OH-tah (give the “r” a little flip). X Rubicon is a Love or hate read, corresponding to the types of Americans and colonialists with which you are (or should be) familiar. Rubicon and I are combat veterans. We are not proud of our "service". No one should be proud of such things. X Rubicon is Rubicon’s first-hand military experience in CIA proxy wars. The depth of his pain and experience, that I have personally witnessed, moved me to convince him, along with his wife, to open up and detail the events which changed him through time. Ignorance of the American (and other colonial) people is at the heart of much of the cause and effect. I have great respect for Rubicon, all combat veterans (excepting psychopaths), and all who must face the evils of their life or past and actually commit themselves to examination and change. I despise zealots of religion, politics, money, ego, etc... My writing is ferocious in this regard, yet deeply caring for the person involved in dealing with the propaganda and lies which led to the committing of atrocities. I've known Rubicon since the lead-up to Operation Eagle Claw; I knew Rubicon in training; I knew Rubicon in action. I'm committed to changing America's love affair with the military (at any cost) and educating against fascism (of any stripe).
Regarding X Rubicon: The process for getting this experience to print was LONG and difficult. I met Rubicon for the first time in 1979, being one of the Army Rangers who participated in his training, then again in 1980. My Ranger team submitted a plan for the mission in Mexico that Rubicon was assigned; and I followed his path with great interest. I received word of his separation in January 1982, complete with details from contacts. I felt he was ill-used and abused; and his experience and separation haunted me for decades. In 2015 I finally tracked him down and reintroduced myself. We spent a good deal of time crying (we still do). He told me about his missions, and he told me about the surreptitious email to Salvadoran officials discussed in the book. He had been writing letters and requests to various military and government officials for info since that time (prior to 2007 he had sent more); none of these were even acknowledged. Then he decided to try something a little more dangerous; he started sending requests with details of classified information concerning the missions to military command officers on open channels, including a Colonel in Air Force Special Operations (this is also discussed in the book). This Colonel responded with a demand to keep quiet, and because of the information on open channels, he forwarded Rubicon's letter to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), and Rubicon awaited a response.
Rubicon received the ODNI response in May 2021. I was blown away. To me, and Rubicon, it seemed the individual took some pity on Rubicon's plight. A forensic psychologist we shared this with concurred. That letter laid down certain parameters, primarily: 1) permission was granted to write about these missions; however, 2) all names had to be changed; and, "You may not use actual operational locations"; and, "The account should appear to be fictional". We had already committed to changing names. We discussed the strictures for awhile, and knowing they would expect to review a final transcript, we decided to be more literal with their words; and, after legal consultation, we published a preview book in May 2022 without giving them a review, as we're both getting older and question our lifespan; that review probably would have taken years and the process would have given us heart attacks. We decided "actual operational locations" meant town/village names and actual GPS coordinates (which we had) so we backed out to country level and directional regions (for the most part). We decided "appear" and “fictional” were unworkable, and this is dealt with in the author statement (above). We felt the strictures were too tight, and in order to support the work, we decided that since the ODNI letter was not marked for classification, and was sent via USPS R&C, and it was now Rubicon's property, we redacted a copy and placed it in the book as a chapter (4 pages). They got hold of the preview book after publication, threats were made back and forth, much anger was expressed, but it finally settled down and they accepted it as is, including the redacted ODNI letter, mostly because of our "service". They could have quashed it, but they didn't. However, two more letters arrived for each of us (marked confidential ;) stating much harsher reactions if we tried something like that again.
Prior to receipt of that first letter I had spent the better part of 3 years tracking down pilots, flight engineers, electronic warfare officers (EWOs), gunners, spotters, crew chiefs, mechanics, Rangers, SEALS, CIA analysts and agents (retired and active), US State Dept personnel (retired and active), DoDIA personnel (retired), DEA personnel (retired), and many others, including Colombians, Salvadorans, and Guatemalans; verifying facts, sentiments, and timelines. Because of the road blocks, even with all that, we both feel we wouldn't have been able to effectively publish without that ODNI letter; Rubicon, in his own right, is an excellent and forceful motivational writer (and he contributes to our Substack regularly – Crossing Rubicons - along with his wife).
Research stats tell us that detractors of this book fall into the following categories: 1) Zionists; 2) Non-Combat Pretenders (NCP non-combat military personnel, especially recruiters; and Biden, Trump, Harris lovers, most Democrats & Republicans, Rolfs (basically neo-nazis); 3) Virgins Talking About Sex (NCP and civilian war mongers and lovers of the military); 4) Psychopaths (NCP, veterans, and more Zionists again) & Sociopaths; 5) Sexual Prudes (which ironically includes conservative gays) and those who lie about or don’t understand the biological requirements of sex; 6) people who are functionally illiterate (‘Merica!). You'll see "reviews" by people who have not read the book (or they’re one of the above who’ve read an excerpt on social media (Our article “Dear Zionist” resulted in the friend of the instigating recipient writing a “review” without having read the book)); and those who have skimmed the book to find what they want to hate, usually related to one of the categories above.
Learn more about the author and Rubicon at Substack @griobhtha1. We offer a 40% discount for book clubs, student groups, humanitarian groups, We Are Not Your Soldiers groups, Veterans for Peace groups, & more: Inquire at O.Griobhtha+XRubicon at gmail.
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Rubicon spent just under three years as a military Scout. During that time he was awarded the “AF Cross, 2 Silver Stars, 4 Bronze Stars, Defense Superior Service Medal, AF Good Conduct Medal, and the CIA Distinguished Service Medal” (ODNI). When he refused to kill further, he was stripped of these awards and was abandoned with his PTSD by the military and thrown away.
Sean Griobhtha (gree-O-tah) is a combat veteran. His latest book is X Rubicon: Crossing Life, Sex, Love, & Killing in CIA Proxy Wars: An indictment of US Citizens: ignorantia non excusat, which details the life of Rubicon (“2.5 years Deception & Death; 40+ years locking away Emotions & Truth”). It’s important that you read the Foreward, Or, The Vanguard; written by a highly intelligent woman with a heart of empathetic gold; she’ll bring you in gently, which neither Rubicon nor I would ever do.
Mrs Rubicon has been tutoring dyslexics and non-dyslexics in reading and writing for over three decades. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Humanities, and a Master’s degree in Pastoral Care and Psychology. She completed Pastoral Care training at the University of Chicago Hospital; and she has worked with various court systems in turning children around. She has volunteered in school sponsored reading programs where we’ve again witnessed her skill in improving even the most recalcitrant students. She holds teaching certification in Orton-Gillingham tutoring from the Michigan Dyslexia Institute.
Presidents & Propagandists
Some folks are born made to wave the flag,Ooh, they're red, white and blue,And when the band plays "Hail To The Chief"Ooh, they point the cannon at you, Lord…Some folks are born silver spoon in hand,Lord, don't they help themselves, ohBut when the taxman comes to the door,
X Rubicon: Foreward, Or The Vanguard
by Julie: "Each and every life is pronounced and accented by suffering. Some suffering is so delirious and fraught with evil it is unfathomable."
Thank You Sean