Top Military Officers Unload on Trump

[Schlank]

Amid Pentagon upheaval, military officers face a fraught few months

A major shake-up of the Pentagon’s civilian leadership has thrust top military officers into a fraught position amid mounting concerns that the White House could use a chaotic transition period to push through potentially destabilizing decisions or attempt to block the handover to a Biden administration.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nati...23009e-2444-11eb-8599-406466ad1b8e_story.html

The last thing you want in national security is gaps and short-term changes that bounce back and forth,” said Anthony Zinni, a retired Marine Corps general who oversaw U.S. Central Command. “You’re really jacking around the military if that happens.”

Retired Adm. James Stavridis, who served as supreme allied commander of NATO from 2009 to 2013, expressed confidence that Milley and the military leadership would “resolutely” stay out of politics and said they were standing by to work with President-elect Joe Biden’s transition teams to facilitate the turnover as soon as the Trump administration allows government agencies to do so.

“That it has not begun already is dangerous to our national security,” he said.

 

[bondageanddiscipline]

And it just gets worse and worse. Stories like this would be comical if they weren't so damn tragic.

Donald Trump threatens to defund the U.S. military because Twitter keeps pointing out that his lies, are lies

On Thursday evening, Donald Trump once again promised to veto a must-pass defense spending bill over one critical national defense issue: Twitter keeps putting warnings on his lies. The National Defense Authorization Act is required to authorize spending across the military, and failing to pass it immediately could actually have serious consequences—the exact kind of failure to support both troops in the field and defense at home that Republicans usually claim when arguing for increases to the Defense Department budget.

Despite the vital nature of the bill, Trump has repeatedly promised that he will veto the bill unless it kills Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. That’s the section that allows any site which displays public comments to operate knowing that they won’t immediately be held liable for every lie, threat, and call to violence that someone slips onto their pages. To date, Twitter and other social media sites have not refused to accept Trump’s lies, threats, and calls to violence, but they have tagged them with warnings.

But calling a lie a lie is a bridge too far for a man whose primary mode of communication is lying.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/20...ter-keeps-pointing-out-that-his-lies-are-lies

 

[Secretive_Victoria]

The Republican Party used to be the party of honorable U.S. military veterans like Teddy Roosevelt, Ike Eisenhower and Barry Goldwater.

Now it's a party that has sold it's sold to a draft dodger who mocked the courage and sacrifices of America's soldiers, who betrayed our Kurdish allies in Syria, who fired a Navy Captain for attempting to save the lives of his crew and who did nothing as Putin paid bounties to those who killed American soldiers in the Middle East.

 

[LLCox]

The one good thing to come out of this trump attempted coup is that the military will never be any help to a leader that believes he/she is more important than the country.

 

[boyish_and_obedient]

Never Forget when Chief Eddie Gallagher slaughtered women and children, posed with his kills and was convicted of war crimes, Trump pardoned him.

And when Navy Captain Brett Crozier raised the alarm about Covid-19 infections aboard his ship, in an attempt to save the lives of his men, Trump removed him from command.

Never Forget, if you're a war criminal who kills innocent civilians, Trump will have your back. If you're an officer who tries to save the lives of American sailors, Trump will screw you over.

Trump loves war criminals.

Last Tuesday, Trump pardoned four war criminals who had been convicted of murdering 17 unarmed civilians.

Four Blackwater mercenaries who murdered 17 Iraqi civilians, including an 8-year old and an 11-year old child, in an unprovoked attack on a crowd of unarmed people, were given pardons by Donald Trump, because war criminals are Trump's kind of people. They exhibit the sort of cold-hearted, reckless, impulsive, sadistic behavior that Trump seems to admire so much.

 

[Leather_Lesbian]

With Trump, every road leads to serving Vladimir Putin.

The board Trumpettes support him in that effort.

Will Trump flee to Russia when his sabotaging of America is done?

I strongly suspect that he will.

 

[KeithD]

Will Trump flee to Russia when his sabotaging of America is done?

I strongly suspect that he will.

If so, only temporarily. There's nothing in Russia to suit him, including that the #1 Dictator position is already filled.

 

[Jesus_Ateo]

And it just gets worse and worse. Stories like this would be comical if they weren't so damn tragic.

Donald Trump threatens to defund the U.S. military because Twitter keeps pointing out that his lies, are lies

On Thursday evening, Donald Trump once again promised to veto a must-pass defense spending bill over one critical national defense issue: Twitter keeps putting warnings on his lies. The National Defense Authorization Act is required to authorize spending across the military, and failing to pass it immediately could actually have serious consequences—the exact kind of failure to support both troops in the field and defense at home that Republicans usually claim when arguing for increases to the Defense Department budget.

Despite the vital nature of the bill, Trump has repeatedly promised that he will veto the bill unless it kills Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. That’s the section that allows any site which displays public comments to operate knowing that they won’t immediately be held liable for every lie, threat, and call to violence that someone slips onto their pages. To date, Twitter and other social media sites have not refused to accept Trump’s lies, threats, and calls to violence, but they have tagged them with warnings.

But calling a lie a lie is a bridge too far for a man whose primary mode of communication is lying.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/20...ter-keeps-pointing-out-that-his-lies-are-lies

So, Trump made good on his threats to veto a $741 billion defense spending bill, setting up what is expected to be the first successful veto override of his presidency during his last weeks in office.

Trump's Republican critics dismissed his latest protest as the antics of a leader flailing upon his exit.

“He just wants to break stuff on the way out,” George Conway, a lawyer and adviser to the anti-Trump Lincoln Project, wrote in a tweet shortly after the president issued his veto.

 

[Spandex_Girl]

Trump’s pardon of four American men convicted of killing Iraqi civilians while working as contractors in 2007 violated U.S. obligations under international law, U.N. human rights experts said on Wednesday.

Nicholas Slatten was convicted of first-degree murder, while Paul Slough, Evan Liberty and Dustin Heard were convicted of voluntary and attempted manslaughter, over the incident in which U.S. contractors opened fire in busy traffic in a Baghdad square and killed 14 unarmed Iraqi civilians.

The four contractors, who worked for the private security firm Blackwater owned by the brother of Trump’s education secretary, were included in a wave of pre-Christmas pardons announced by the White House.

The pardons were strongly criticised by many in the United States. General David Petraeus and Ryan Crocker, respectively commander of U.S. forces and U.S. ambassador in Iraq at the time of the incident, called Trump’s pardons “hugely damaging, an action that tells the world that Americans abroad can commit the most heinous crimes with impunity”.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...s-violates-international-law-un-idUSKBN294108

 

[Dribble]

Trump’s pardon of four American men convicted of killing Iraqi civilians while working as contractors in 2007 violated U.S. obligations under international law, U.N. human rights experts said on Wednesday.

Nicholas Slatten was convicted of first-degree murder, while Paul Slough, Evan Liberty and Dustin Heard were convicted of voluntary and attempted manslaughter, over the incident in which U.S. contractors opened fire in busy traffic in a Baghdad square and killed 14 unarmed Iraqi civilians.

The four contractors, who worked for the private security firm Blackwater owned by the brother of Trump’s education secretary, were included in a wave of pre-Christmas pardons announced by the White House.

The pardons were strongly criticised by many in the United States. General David Petraeus and Ryan Crocker, respectively commander of U.S. forces and U.S. ambassador in Iraq at the time of the incident, called Trump’s pardons “hugely damaging, an action that tells the world that Americans abroad can commit the most heinous crimes with impunity”.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...s-violates-international-law-un-idUSKBN294108

Good. First step to forcing the Fascist traitor to fly privately anytime he goes overseas. Hurt him the only way he understands...money and lack of convenience

 

[nowisthetime]

Makes me proud they go in on the out of shape Draft Dodger. He is a disgrace.

 

[Secretive_Victoria]

America's most senior military leaders condemned the violent invasion of the US Capitol last week and reminded service members of their obligation to support and defend the Constitution and reject extremism in a statement that underscored the unprecedented challenges facing the country in the aftermath of the January 6 insurrection attempt by President Donald Trump's supporters.

"We witnessed actions inside the Capitol building that were inconsistent with the rule of law. The rights of freedom of speech and assembly do not give anyone the right to resort to violence, sedition and insurrection," said the statement, released Tuesday and signed by America's most senior general, Mark Milley, and the entire Joint Chiefs of Staff, which is comprised of the heads of each military branch.

"As Service Members, we must embody the embody the values and ideals of the Nation. We support and defend the Constitution. Any act to disrupt the Constitutional process is not only against our traditions, values, and oath; it is against the law," the statement said.

In addition, the statement referenced the certification of the election by Congress and said, "President-elect Biden will be inaugurated and will become our 46th Commander in Chief."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/poli...surrection/ar-BB1cH7Ru?ocid=anaheim-ntp-feeds

 

[allison22]

One dozen graduates of the Air Force Academy wrote an open letter against white supremacy that was published on Saturday in the Air Force Times.


"In late March, the U.S. Air Force Academy held its Department of Defense-mandated extremism stand-down training to examine and to eradicate extremism and white supremacy within the ranks. Superintendent Lt. Gen. Richard Clarke spoke of extreme ideologies on "both sides," rather than confronting the unique flavor of the extremism threat on display Jan. 6 at the U.S. Capitol," the group, led by Esteban Castellanos, wrote.

"Many USAFA graduates feel the mild response to the insurrection from the academy and its Association of Graduates failed to reflect these values and stands counter to everything they publicly expect of graduates. We are disappointed and feel that leadership has failed our graduates, the members they lead, and ultimately the citizens of this country," they explained. "Simply put, many of our leaders are underreacting to the attack. We need them to state, unequivocally, that the insurrection was wrong, intolerable and against our values and oath of service to the Constitution. They must state publicly and emphatically that those within our ranks who participate in, or are sympathetic to, the organizations that took part in the riot at the Capitol are not welcome in our ranks because they are supporting domestic insurrectionists and terrorists."


"Approximately one in five of the insurrectionists were veterans, according to criminal charging reports. They included at least one U.A. Air Force Academy graduate. Many more veterans are sympathetic to the insurrection, espouse the lies upon which it was based, or are participants in related causes," they explained. "Air Force Academy class Facebook pages and other social media sources show clear evidence that our officer corps members either do not take the threat seriously or support the underlying insurrectionist groups, many of which hold white supremacist ideologies."

https://www.rawstory.com/air-force-academy-white-supremacy/?utm_source=push_notifications

 

[Stephen_Coyle]

The Military Speaks Out



General Mark Milley

CJCS, CSA USA Chairman

January 12, 2021 Leadership:

U.S. Capitol Siege Critical Message to Joint Forces letter: "We witnessed actions inside the Capitol building that were inconsistent with the rule of law. The rights of freedom of speech and assembly do not give anyone the right to resort to violence, sedition and insurrection. As Service Members, we must embody the values and ideals of the Nation. We support and defend the Constitution. Any act to disrupt the Constitutional process is not only against our traditions, values, and oath; it is against the law... President-elect Biden will be inaugurated and will become our 46th Commander in Chief."



General John E. Hyten

VCJCS USAF Chairman

January 12, 2021 Leadership:

U.S. Capitol Siege Critical Message to Joint Forces letter: "We witnessed actions inside the Capitol building that were inconsistent with the rule of law. The rights of freedom of speech and assembly do not give anyone the right to resort to violence, sedition and insurrection. As Service Members, we must embody the values and ideals of the Nation. We support and defend the Constitution. Any act to disrupt the Constitutional process is not only against our traditions, values, and oath; it is against the law... President-elect Biden will be inaugurated and will become our 46th Commander in Chief."



General Joseph Dunford Jr.

CJCS, CMC USMC (ret.) Chairman

January 6, 2021 Leadership:

U.S. Capitol Siege Critical "I believe our leaders who have continued to undermine a peaceful transition in accordance with our Constitution have set the conditions for today’s violence.”



General Martin Dempsey

CJCS, CSA USA (ret.) Chairman January 6, 2021 Leadership:

U.S. Capitol Siege Critical "'What America looked like today.' Ugly. And how sad that we have to confront the fact we may be no better than countries we often criticize. But despite all of that we still can be. 535 members of the House and Senate can make that choice for us. Hopefully."




https://www.newamerica.org/international-security/blog/military-speaks-out/

 

[Rightguide]

Yes they sure do:

124 retired generals and admirals question Biden's mental health
“We must always have an unquestionable chain of command."

By
Adam Barnes | May 12, 2021

https://thehill.com/changing-americ...ls-and-admirals-question-bidens-mental-health

 

[Cubantripod]

Just as many military officials that are sounding off on Trump, there are as many sounding off on Biden.

 

[LukSkyFokker]

Just as many military officials that are sounding off on Trump, there are as many sounding off on Biden.

Not active duty military. Don't lie.

 

[Lazaran]

Yes they sure do:

124 retired generals and admirals question Biden's mental health
“We must always have an unquestionable chain of command."

By
Adam Barnes | May 12, 2021

https://thehill.com/changing-americ...ls-and-admirals-question-bidens-mental-health

Yeah, one of the signatories was John Pointdexter who was convicted for his role in the Iran contra affair.

Consider the source.

 

[Jesus_Ateo]

Yeah, one of the signatories was John Poindexter who was convicted for his role in the Iran contra affair.

Consider the source.

The letter in question was highly partisan and pushed a multitude of right-wing Republican talking points. It read more like a right-wing political screed or Fox news rant than a letter written by military or national security professionals.


It regurgitated timeworn conservative talking points about security at the border and the military prowess of China. "Establishing cooperative relations with the Chinese Communist Party emboldens them to continue progress toward world domination, militarily, economically, politically and technologically," it read. "We must impose more sanctions and restrictions to impede their world domination goal and protect America's interests."

On immigration, the ex-military officials went on to write: "Illegals are flooding our Country bringing high economic costs, crime, lowering wages, and illegal voting in some states. We must reestablish border controls and continue building the wall while supporting our dedicated border control personnel. Sovereign nations must have controlled borders."

The letter sounded alarms amongst military experts, as well as officials in the Biden administration, considering those in the military are instructed to remain as apolitical as possible.


"We've seen isolated statements from retired generals and admirals like McChrystal or McRaven, but this statement is the first full-blown partisan attack from a large group of retired officers that is not explicitly tied to an election or specific issue," Jim Golby, a senior fellow at the Clements Center for National Security at The University of Texas at Austin, told Politico.

"I think it hurts the military and by extension it hurts the country," echoed retired Adm. Mike Mullen.

The letter comes amid a national effort led by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to root out right-wing extremism within the ranks of the military. In late April, it was reported that at least 52 active or retired military, law enforcement, or government service employees were connected to the violent breach of the Capitol on January 6.

 

[Rightguide]

Just as many military officials that are sounding off on Trump, there are as many sounding off on Biden.

And what does it really mean, little. The difference was most of those officers opposing Trump were against his stated policies. In Biden's case it's about his mental fitness. Of course many Democrats questioned Trump's sanity because they thought his policy positions against their own, were insane. I don't recall any majority of them pointing to his inability to speak, loss of memory, hiding from the press, or a White House staff correcting and editing his public statements, and preventing him from speaking in public. In the Trump administration, they couldn't keep Trump away from the press. He spoke to them and took their questions every day.

 

[LincolnDuncan]

And what does it really mean, little. The difference was most of those officers opposing Trump were against his stated policies. In Biden's case it's about his mental fitness. Of course many Democrats questioned Trump's sanity because they thought his policy positions against their own, were insane. I don't recall any majority of them pointing to his inability to speak, loss of memory, hiding from the press, or a White House staff correcting and editing his public statements, and preventing him from speaking in public. In the Trump administration, they couldn't keep Trump away from the press. He spoke to them and took their questions every day.

Covfefe

 

[DeluxAuto]

And what does it really mean, little. The difference was most of those officers opposing Trump were against his stated policies. In Biden's case it's about his mental fitness. Of course many Democrats questioned Trump's sanity because they thought his policy positions against their own, were insane. I don't recall any majority of them pointing to his inability to speak, loss of memory, hiding from the press, or a White House staff correcting and editing his public statements, and preventing him from speaking in public. In the Trump administration, they couldn't keep Trump away from the press. He spoke to them and took their questions every day.

https://i.imgur.com/OtFpGfm.jpg?1

 

[LincolnDuncan]

“Two Corinthians, right? Two Corinthians 3:17, that’s the whole ballgame. Where the spirit of the Lord—right?—is, there is liberty!” February 18, 2016, speech at Liberty University, citing the book of the Bible that Christians call “Second Corinthians.”

 

[LincolnDuncan]

"So, supposing we hit the body with a tremendous - whether it's ultraviolet or just very powerful light," the president said, turning to Dr Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response co-ordinator, "and I think you said that hasn't been checked but you're going to test it.

"And then I said, supposing you brought the light inside of the body, which you can do either through the skin or in some other way. And I think you said you're going to test that too. Sounds interesting," the president continued.


"And then I see the disinfectant where it knocks it out in a minute. One minute. And is there a way we can do something like that, by injection inside or almost a cleaning?

"So it'd be interesting to check that."

Pointing to his head, Mr Trump went on: "I'm not a doctor. But I'm, like, a person that has a good you-know-what."

 

[DeluxAuto]

I'm surprised his followers didn't impeach him for this alone:

“By the time you go to court it takes so long to get the due process procedures,” Trump said.

"I like taking guns away early," he said. "Take the guns first, go through due process second."

~Donald J. Trump (former President, currently under several grand jury investigations)