I’m not an american or even fan of american military but how could career military people ever like a draft dodger and tv personality? Military is notoriously a rank based community and they absolutely don’t fit that.
My favorite part was when Hegseth talked about removing politics from the military, and then trump spent 20 minutes whining about politics.
Hegseth disrupted the lives of 800 highly educated military leaders to call them fat. 🤣
He meant remove Democrat politics, not GOP ones.
Exactly.
These scumbags talk one thing and do the opposite.
They deserve the gallows before they take the rest of that shit country down with them.
Just like Christian’s don’t consider Christianity anything besides “the truth” American conservatives/maga/gop also don’t think their political beliefs are political, just “common sense”
That’s because they have the IQ of sourdough starter
“All I’ve had from them so far, from the people I’ve talked to, is a combination of disbelief that some of them were made to fly from, some of them, Asia, from all over the world … all the way to Quanico to listen to the same familiar type of culture war complaints that we’ve been having since Trump was reelected,” she added, calling Trump’s remarks a “campaign-style stump speech.”
They love making people do shit like this, and absolutely despise being reminded that someone can make them do it.
As long as they don’t bitch out and resign, this is going to backfire on trump.
Even if he tries to kick them out, they can drag their feet thru the official process, and if trump starts circumventing that widescale, the rest will close ranks and do a coup out of pure self interest.
You don’t get that high up without putting your career over everything, and trump just threatened their careers.
Even if he tries to kick them out, they can drag their feet thru the official process, and if trump starts circumventing that widescale, the rest will close ranks and do a coup out of pure self interest.
Things might get spicy when we finally have folks that decide to uphold their oaths to uphold the Constitution. We certainly haven’t seen any in the Executive Branch yet, and most of the Judicial and Legislative seems to be abdicating their oaths too.
Note the oath the enlisted take specifically says they will follow the orders of the President.
That’s not the one that matters.
The officer’s oath does not include that, specifically for this reason:
I ___, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God. (Title 5 U.S. Code 3331, an individual, except the President, elected or appointed to an office of honor or profit in the civil service or uniformed services)
I’m 99% sure that these oaths apply across the board regardless of branch, because they apply to more than just commissioned officers.
Foreign and DOMESTIC
Yeah they both say that.
Only one also says they’ll do what the POTUS says.
I’ve already seen the taking point showing up on the right that the “… and domestic” part applies to the “antifa terrorists turning our cities into war zones and besieging federal (especially ICE) buildings.”
I really hope that GOs don’t take the oath lightly. When I taught that lesson to my cadets it was a serious conversation and usually involved stories about commanders I knew who got fired or court-martialed for everything including extra-marital affairs, to belittling subordinates, to fabricating illegal orders (and then breaking international law). I hope it doesn’t come to it, but I imagine that a military court would be less partisan than our current courts have been.
We certainly haven’t seen any in the Executive Branch yet, and most of the Judicial and Legislative seems to be abdicating their oaths too.
And these generals will follow suit. People keep saying how serious and career-driven they are. What makes you think they won’t put their career over the constitution like everyone else?
”If you don’t like what I’m saying, you can leave the room, of course, there goes your rank, there goes your future” -Trump, to the entire military leadership
If enough of them decide simultaneously that Trump is the main impediment to their careers, then you have a good, old-fashioned military coup.
The federal courts are filled with people appointed through the political process, and a lot of the bullshit that’s made it through the courts is a result of venue shopping to find sympathetic judges. But more importantly, the Trump administration has been losing a lot in court… until the Supreme Court steps in and reverses those rulings on the shadow docket. It’s not the whole judicial branch that’s the problem, just the ones that matter the most.
The legislature isn’t doing its job because it’s controlled by Republicans, and as a party they’ve gone through multiple purges to root out anyone who would put the country or the constitution ahead of Trump’s slightest whim.
The executive branch has been under siege all year, a lot of people were fired without cause, and a lot of other people are resigning or getting fired rather than doing shit that’s illegal and unconstitutional. While in some instances there are lawsuits making their way through the courts, there’s only so much they can do after they get escorted out of the building.
To the best of my knowledge, the leadership of the military has had much more continuity and isn’t so easily stacked with loyalists. You can’t just grab some 20 something techbro douchebag from Elon’s little band of hitler youth, or the last lawyer that was dumb enough to represent Trump and make them a general.
And there is also a big difference between what might be demanded of some congressman or civil servant compared to the military. While I doubt we’ll see anyone directly disobeying an order from the white house that has troops standing around outside federal buildings, I do think it’s pretty likely that an order to nuke an American city would be disobeyed. The question for each of them is where they draw the line. Openly defying orders is not something to be done lightly in the military.
Everyone there would have been the one for commissioned officers right below what you posted.
Something truly ridiculous is Hesgeth lectured these generals on grooming and hygiene but he is actually on the record as a filthy weirdo who doesn’t believe in washing his own hands: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-47201923
He’s talking about getting rid of military members who can’t shave due to medical reasons.
People with curly hair can have ingrown hairs from shaving. Most people with no shave chits are black.
Don’t let him trick you into thinking this speech is just stupid. Its stupid, but he’s also trying to give generals plausible deniability to remove minority military members and women.
Somewhere between 1 in 2 to 2 in 3 African American men experience a condition called pseudofolliculitis barbae where, due curliness and firmness of hair, a clean shave results in significant local inflammation, irritation and discomfort.
The treatment is to not to shave too close to the skin…
Don’t forget they’re also mad about Sakhs who were allowed to wear turbans and beards.
Would have removed me. Basically pulling a barbarossa with thick hair. Giving me the same issue.
Maybe he was trying to nazi dogwhistle, would not surprise me if he plagiarised an SS.
Shitfinger Pete.
I hope every single one of them realizes that they were used as seat fillers for more culture war bullshit. I’m sure they can see right through these two man-babies for the weak human beings they are and will think twice when they’re asked to do something illegal/immoral for them.
Mussolini promised the world to his troops, and was seen as a competent soldier himself (I admit I know little on his military prowess). Our regime is led by a diaper wearing, flat footed nepo baby who hired a pretty boy guardsman who spent more time in front of a camera wielding propaganda than he did a rifle to lead our entire military. These generals meanwhile get chastised and left to fix every fuckup generated by the administration with no reward for themselves or the men and women under their command. Then they see any hope of rewards in retirement after decades of service go up in smoke. Yeah, I’m not too worried about them doing illegal actions on US citizens. I’m becoming more afraid of a military coup however. If our balance of power and law becomes obsolete, then they may see it as reason to change the executive power as it stands.
I was kinda hoping that they would have done that coup today and put those two on trial for being enemies of the constitution. The military swears an oath to the constitution and those two knuckleheads were directing the generals to do unconstitutional shit. I’m pretty sure this coup scenario would be better than what is going on currently
The military is not going to do a violence to protect the country unless ordered to do so (by the executive branch) OR a violence is done to them first.
If they’re to be believed they’re honorable / noble enough to want to protect the nation from the president then they’re honorable / noble enough to not act first. So, double edged sword and all that
Yeah that’s a good point
There are 300 million of us lmao you just gotta convince people to remove their representation and replace it with someone competent. Im sure the generals probably believe its not their duty or place and also fear to consequences of turning the USA into a military rule for even a second. It’s time to stop praying to a higher power for a miracle and start removing your congress people from office. They can’t hide from their voters for ever.
Our system is corrupted from top to bottom. The vote harder strategy has failed
I mean voting is good: we just need to remove the rot and start voting again with a clean slate. We don’t have fair access to voting anymore.
Yes we need a reset to hold our government officials accountable for the corruption
Imagine if it continues to degrade to the point that Kristi Noem gets put in charge of more branches of armed forces.
Would have been a great opportunity for a military coup.
Ugh. Now I get to fantasize about that for a week.
Unfortunately, reporters also couldn’t find a single general who cares that it’s allowed to disobey an unlawful order and that they can overthrow a domestic terrorist.
Just curious how much it cost American tax payers for this meeting that could have been an email?
Speak for yourself, I would have paid DIRECTLY to the defense department to put Hegseth on stage in front of hundreds or thousands of career military professionals from all walks of life and all branches of our highest levels of defense planning and strategy so they all get to see him in person for what he is, a wannabe TED-talking, sound-bite spewing grifter civilian with no leadership qualifications past running a podcast. Telling them each “how it’s going to be” in a sad, rambling, uninspired, chat-GTP written lecture that you would expect from a CEO of a silicon valley startup hungup on military aesthetics.
There is no better way to ensure that every competent and concerned armed-forces leader is on the same page as getting them all in a room together to listen to these clowns perform their circus act.
If it comes to it, we do not win revolutions without the military. We need this kind of performance.
Hey hey… he’s not a civilian… for two weeks out of the year he is a citizen soldier.
A citizen soldier that just called all of the top military brass pussies to their faces.
Is it still considered a fragging if he’s a lower rank than them?
Is it still considered a fragging if he’s a lower rank than them?
While I love the fantasy, the reality is even colder and harsher.
They likely are not paying this clown any attention at all unless they’re forced to.
Policy decisions and recruitment strategies come and go, but they have a saying about war and if it ever changes or not. These lifetime generals and leaders are in their positions because they have far greater concerns than the temporary ravings of a political pundit who captured the spotlight for a moment. They will all go back to their stations, a little time lost, a little more to do, and they will sweep all the performative letters into the garbage so they can focus on the eternal art of finding ways to put holes in other people in mass numbers before they can put holes in us in mass numbers.
Well, expect all of them to be removed in favor of people who did, by the end of the week.
You won’t find anybody who liked Hegseth’s speech, because it didn’t appeal to anybody. It was both naive and condescending, and it was presented by a guy who nobody would respect in the first place. Nobody thinks the problem with our military is that some general is overweight.
But I’m sure it would be easy to find some people who say they liked the speech. It’s the same way that some people say they like Donald Trump. Strange how often those same people say that he’s the dumbest person on the planet once they get too fed up with him and leave.
I don’t think we have enough Fox news hosts to replace them all
Newsmax reservists? Draft from OAN?
They can’t. These people have the guns… That group forced to fly in has command over enough armies to fight the rest of the world and possibly win
And they’re not Trump fans
Yes dumping a large amount of soldiers while waging an unconstitutional war on the constitutional freedoms of the American people. ……that seems like they’re creating a powerful resistance or an enemy from within
The military may just have to step in and save us on this one guys. This administration is a direct threat to democracy and everyone who has provided material support for Project 2025 is a traitor.
The military ain’t gonna “step in”. The only way that could possibly happen is if we have major and sustained civil demonstrations in our cities. Even then, it may take mass civilian casualties before the military intervenes.
You could very well be right, but without Congress acting on this lawlessness and with SCOTUS’s capitulation it leaves the military as the last organization that could step in to end this madness.
First, consider the war crimes this administration has ordered. Second, its continual attacks on the Constitution and the rule of law. Lastly, the outright treasonous Project 2025 this administration has given material support to. The military would be acting well within reason seizing control and ordering a new election.
Everyone who has given material support to Project 2025 should be held by military tribunal or ICC in order to ensure corruption is kept out of the proceedings. After this purge of the right, something we should have done long ago due to their spreading of hate and class warfare tactics, we can finally move on to an imperfect but functional future.
Call your local general.
Wish I knew one personally so I could get their honest take. Perspective is really valuable.
You likely wouldn’t get their unguarded perspective unless you were married to them.
Source: one of my besties growing up, his dad got promoted to 2 star when we were in high school. Known them for decades, he still keeps his mouth shut when it might be construed as criticizing the commander in chief
I mean we have lunch once a month so I’ll just text
Consider the implication of a countries military denying the commands of the officials elected by the civilian population. The military is armed. That would completely destabilize the countries economy and it’s security on the world stage. The chain reaction of consequences is terrifying. It’s up to the people.
You can bet some of them are making “what if” plans.
Hegseth and Trump were treating it like a political event where people worship them.
But these weren’t their superfans attending a rally. They were professionals ordered to be there and to listen. And even if they were fans, you don’t fucking clap and cheer at a military briefing.
Everyday I think we’re getting dumber
Shit, that’s like half.
Smaller because they’re more efficient.
That’s one interpretation, sure
That’s literally what your linked article says.
Thats the first thing it says. There are other interpretations in the article.
Stibel believes that a changing climate, and not language, could explain our smaller brains. In a 2023 study, he analysed the skulls of 298 Homo sapiens over the past 50,000 years. He found that human brains have been shrinking for about the last 17,000 years or so – since the end of the last ice age. When he carefully examined the climate record, he found that decreasing brain sizes correlated with periods of climate warming.
Soon to be former pentagon reporter I’m sure.
Couldn’t get anyone to go on record. Not the greatest reporter /s
secretary of culture war
Am I a joke to you?
Whatever - they will follow orders from whoever their exhalted president is. Cause even though it’s a certified clown in office they still obey his bullshit cause they hold the office in high regard.
