The short, wasted life of Michael Gloss

How did he really die? I have questions.

By now you’ve probably heard that the son of a high-ranking CIA official died fighting for Russians in Ukraine last year.

The irony is horrible. While many people made fun of his obituary when it went viral - so much so that it has since been removed - I can’t help but think that the following passage reveals how much his parents wanted to believe that their son was trying to do good in the world before he was killed:

As a native of Ukraine, the above passage infuriates me. As a mother, I understand the delusion. Sometimes, delusion is all we can hold on to.

Looking at the early childhood pictures, which I will not include here, was equally painful. I know what it’s like to raise a sweet kid. I know what it’s like when that sweet kid starts to grow up - and screw up, because mistakes are a part of growing too.

I just can’t imagine the horror of losing a son to the profound evil that is modern Russian ideology; I can’t imagine raising an invading murderer. I can only hope I never know how that feels.

Feelings aside, I noted that the obituary photo includes a picture of Gloss in what appears to be Russian-occupied Crimea:

The rocky coastline and juniper trees are instantly recognizable (note the cape in the upper right hand corner of the picture). I always stress that geolocation is not a guessing game, but this detailed piece in iStories suggests that Gloss did have travel plans to Crimea.

Sketchy Russian outlets also insist that he did visit the occupied peninsula (I’m not linking to them here, in case you’re not on a VPN).

Now, when I research someone, I tend to immerse myself in their digital footprint and public records.

The iStories piece I link above already does a fantastic job of outlining Gloss’ online activities; as the authors note, this guy dove headfirst into Russian propaganda, kitschy Soviet nostalgia, and the so-called “multipolar world” (a typical trick of the Russians is insisting that they simply want more balance among the world’s great powers, and “multipolar world” is their catchphrase):

We must also note the strong negative bend of Gloss’ thoughts at this time. This is important:

Russian propaganda steeps people in negativity and paranoia. The goal is to create psychological instability. When you’re unstable, you’re more likely to do something stupid (such as joining the Russian armed forces, or, say, learning to hate your fellow Americans).

I have gotten into the habit of telling both the far left and far right Russia enjoyers that their views CAN get them killed, or at least seriously screw up their lives and cut them off from the ones they love.

They don’t appreciate that and call me a “whore” in return, usually (sometimes, it’s “fat whore,” sometimes it’s “old whore,” they’re not super creative for the most part).

However, if you have people in your life who are going that route, if you see them sharing obvious Russian propaganda (“multipolar world” and “BRICS” are major signs), please do talk to them about Michael Gloss. His wasn’t a noble sacrifice - and we will get to why in more detail.

I must note here that the public records side of my research turned out to be disturbingly easy:

I was able to map out the public records of Michael and his entire extended family network very quickly. Addresses, previous addresses, assets, traffic infractions, and much more - they’re all on data aggregators.

Again, Michael’s mom is a high-ranking CIA official. I didn’t have to go on the dark web for any of this. Their gorgeous Virginia home is not even redacted from Google street view.

Now, I understand that there is no legal requirement for CIA employees to redact their houses or anything of the sort, I’m just wondering if anyone is paying attention to just how easy it is to map out an entire family’s network with just a few clicks.

Privacy has been dead for a long time, none of us have it anymore, is what I always tell people. I tell them to relax. Nothing matters. Our data, DNA included, is bought and sold in bulk. But I don’t have a sensitive job and a kid making contact with Russian officials either. I don’t think everyone should be relaxed about this, to be honest!

Two years ago, James Griffin and I argued that LinkedIn networking is becoming a problem for the CIA. It’s right there on the surface, and you don’t need a data aggregator for it - maybe just a premium subscription. I don’t sense any urgency about this anywhere, and it bothers me.

Michael Gloss died a year ago. He died fighting for Russia. Russians have a treasure trove on the Gloss family - and not just them. Anyone connected to them, and again, this information is very easy to find, can be targeted by Russian actors.

I know the current administration thinks it can make nice with Moscow; I also know Russia like the back of my hand, and this “making nice” song and dance never works out in the long run. It’s ridiculous and stupid to think otherwise, and you can draw your own conclusions as to what kind of digital cleanup operation is required in the wake of Gloss’ death.

The CIA has publicly stated that this is a private family tragedy and not a national security matter. I hope different conversations are being held off the record.

This, however, brings me to my next point:

Russians had the son of a CIA official on their turf. They could have done so much with that. Instead, they sent him to die.

One of my favorite memes explains how I feel about that:

Are they going to be this stupid with the next brainwashed American they get in their possession? Time will tell.

Here I must note something crucial about Gloss’ death; as his father, Larry Gloss, told journalists, the family has been led to believe that their son died heroically, as per the death certificate issued:

Let us read between the lines: the Russians are absolutely working the Gloss family. “Your son died a hero” is classic manipulation. Again, the CIA can refer to this as a private family tragedy all it wants. While certainly a tragedy, you have to be incredibly stupid (perhaps as stupid as the Russians can be themselves) to believe this isn’t a national security matter.

But wait, there’s more!

In the same year that Michael Gloss allegedly died while “running to aid a wounded comrade,” American Russell “Texas” Bentley was murdered by his own Russian comrades in Ukraine.

The Guardian does not include the details of Bentley’s death above, but we can surmise it was pretty gruesome. It’s been suggested Bentley was raped before he died. His Russian wife had sounded the alarm when he was abducted by Russians. There’s no reason to disbelieve her story; all it did was paint a target on her back too.

I don’t know how Michael Gloss actually died in the meantime. What I do know, is that Russian officials lie. Manipulating the Gloss family with tales of “heroism” is an obvious move; I just want to point out that there is a significant chance that Michael Gloss was killed by one of his own. It happens quite a bit in Russian ranks.

As I often point out, most Americans don’t think about Russians at all, while the average Russian has seething hatred for everything America stands for. You can bang on about how “Russia’s not my enemy” all day; you might as well be telling a rabid raccoon that it’s not your enemy. Trust me, the raccoon won’t care.

And as I also often point out, the one sane feature of mainstream Russian society is lack of respect or trust for a traitor. Russians see all pro-Russians Americans as traitors to their own - useful people to have around, but not ones to be trusted.

So you can imagine what Michael Gloss’ position was actually like and how safe or “safe” he was while serving in the Russian military. Perhaps those closest to him saw him as a friend while they fought together. I very much doubt his COs felt that way. A traitor is always a traitor, the logic goes. If he betrayed his own country and family, God knows what he’ll be willing to do to you:

“But Michael was a hippy peacenik who believed in the hero’s journey.” THEY DON’T CARE.

Hero’s journey? The Russian military was an unprofessional horde outside of a few elite units here and there years before Russia initially invaded Crimea 2014; what do you think its internal workings are like now? After years of insane losses and recruiting convicted rapists and murderers en masse?

Michael Gloss died for an illusion, but as to who was actually the agent of his death is highly debatable at this time.

I wish I could end this piece on an uplifting note, but there is nothing positive I can say. The Glorious Normie Restoration will not be established without some brutal realism on our part, and the fact is, this situation is a godawful mess.

People like Michael are a godawful mess. They want so badly to do good - I do believe that this kid was sincere, if stupid - that they embrace pure evil, if only because that evil doesn’t look like their parents and speaks with an exotic foreign accent.

I don’t wish to minimize the grief that has descended on the Gloss family. It’s very easy to trash people online; it’s hard to think holistically about preventing other young dumbasses from falling prey to Russian ideology.

I believe that an important first step is this: appeal to emotions. It’s not that facts don’t care about feelings, it’s that feelings truly do not care about facts (and yes, we have data to prove this - consider behavioral economics if you don’t believe me). If you know someone who’s dangerously close to going the Michael Gloss route, talk to them about their feelings.

Don’t devalue how a brainwashed and upset person feels. Sit with them in those emotions. Show them you care before you show them a potential way out that doesn’t involve murder and horror.

Sometimes, a life can be saved simply because someone cared in the right moment. Sometimes, it doesn’t work that way. May it work for us, though.

As usual, thank you for reading, and please make sure to subscribe if you haven’t done so for some mysterious reason ❤️