In Front of Our Noses: Politicizing the Military

“To see what is in front of one’s nose needs a constant struggle.”-George Orwell.

For previous entries, click here.

Yesterday, Trump gave a grossly, nakedly political speech at Fort Bragg. It was an utterly inappropriate usage of US military personnel as political props, and also an inducement of those soldiers to engage in partisan behavior.

I recommend Tom Nichols writing in The Atlantic: The Silence of the Generals.

The president also encouraged a violation of regulations. Trump, himself a convicted felon, doesn’t care about rules and laws, but active-duty military members are not allowed to attend political rallies in uniform. They are not allowed to express partisan views while on duty, or to show disrespect for American elected officials. Trump may not know these rules and regulations, but the officers who lead these men and women know them well. It is part of their oath, their credo, and their identity as officers to remain apart from such displays. Young soldiers will make mistakes. But if senior officers remain silent, what lesson will those young men and women take from what happened today?

The president cares nothing for the military, for its history, or for the men and women who serve the United States. They are, like everything else around him, only raw material: They either feed his narcissism, or they are useless. Those who love him, he claims as “his” military. But those who have laid down their life for their country are, as he so repugnantly put it, just suckers and losers, anonymous saps lying under cold headstones in places such as Arlington National Cemetery that clearly make Trump uncomfortable. Today, he showed that he has no compunction about turning every American soldier into a hooting partisan.

See, also, The Bulwark: Trump’s Grotesque Military Address.

More clips:

Hooray for Confederates!!

Ever classy.

BTW, personalizing the military is a dangerous move.