There is much that Democrats CAN DO here. 1. Tell your senators to put holds on any nominee to replace those purged last night. 2. Tell your senators, loudly, to have the Democrats get their act together and filibuster the nominees to replace those purged, including any officers to be elevated to chief of JAG that need senatorial approval. And tell your senators to do everything they can to tie up the Senate, especially as March 14 approaches.
Just look at some of the Trump nominees that some Democrats have voted YES for. I don't understand why you have any confidence in the 47 Dems in the Senate to do anything that means anything of consequence.
Anyone who tells you they can beat a determined enemy in a week is of a piece with the Russians who told Putin he could defeat Ukraine in three days. In addition to his other lack of qualifications, the guy’s incompetent.
Trump is laying the groundwork for a military coup. He’s going to come up with some corn pone reason to invoke the Insurrection Act and establish martial law. I feel like I should be running down the street warning everyone what’s about to happen.
The Democrats, bless their hearts, have once again demonstrated their signature talent: tripping over their own feet while clutching a 600-page procedural manual. It’s almost charming, in a self-sabotaging, doomed-to-repeat-history kind of way. Maybe—just maybe—if Nancy Pelosi, the so-called Black Widow (who, let’s be honest, still spins a tighter web than most of the fumbling amateurs around her), and Chuck Schumer, who spent the first week of Hitler 2.0 looking like someone just told him his dry cleaner lost his best suit, could be shown the door, we’d stand a snowball’s chance in hell. But let’s not kid ourselves—this party could turn a landslide victory into an existential crisis faster than you can say “focus group.”
Leaders emerge from all fraught situations. Right now AOC and Rep. Garcia seem to be raising their profiles. Mark Cuban (mostly libertarian) is also in the boxing gym wrapping his hands. But the Dem-Govs are showing the most moxie. They all need our encouragement.
Seeing all the bloodletting among the brass and the cuts to vets' jobs and benefits, I wonder if a counter coup is possible, if the phony populism might become more genuine. Most groups of any kind, not just the military, may be disgruntled with the leaders, but they often react more negatively when a know-it-all new guy comes in to steer things and is incompetent like Capt. Sobel in "Band of Brothers."
I disagree that his mental capacities are severely compromised. He has had only one kind of mental ability. That is as 5th grade bully, and revenge master. Sorry I left out greedy bastard. He has splinter skills that are geared to these things. He is a f**king genius at these skills, but has not one iota of humanity. Nor do any of the followers who are not cult devotees. They are the repubs who have spent 40+ years planning every aspect of their treachery. I am So tired of saying the same thing over and over on substack. I have been saying the same things for ten plus years. I don’t need to learn anymore about this coup. I don’t have the time or the money to attend to all the people on substack and the many podcasts that have answers for the mess we are in. I wish I did, in my world, people don’t know or care. They are busy trying to get through the day, if they are not MAGAts. I feel like America died Friday night. At least the military was decapitated. I won’t give up, but this groundhogs day has had enough reruns.
“When he and Trump met in 2019, he told Trump he could defeat ISIS in “one week” if they could use more force. He knew what he was doing when he told Trump: “I love you, sir. I think you’re great, sir. I’ll kill for you, sir.” What sealed the deal for Trump was that Caine then allegedly put on a red MAGA hat, despite military protocol prohibiting active-duty troops from donning any clothing with a political message.”
If anyone is acquainted with a Democratic Senator on Armed Services, please please please encourage them to grill Caine on this.
JAGS. I always thought they were appointed by their respective services. Didn't know the president or the SecDef could fire them. Of course, they had a role model: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jw6gwGawbXA&t=12s
Yup, top 3 JAG fired. Hagsith thinks they don't contribute to a "warrior ethos." That ethos, of course, is more that of the Huns sweeping across Europe than of a sense of keeping a stable international order as the main defense of peace, BACKED by a strong military dedicated to maintaining such international order. Hagsith apparently didn't like the advice that killing so many civilians in Iraq was turning the people against the US, so the army should make some effort to tone it down. Pretty sure Bibi agrees with Hagsith.
As with all trump is doing, this move got me looking into 10 USC on the military. It is actually pretty scary. It does set forth requirements as to who can be nominated as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, but also says the president can waive those requirements if national security requires it. The problem is that I'm pretty sure the legislators didn't include "following only my agenda and whims" as part of the definition of national security. https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/10/subtitle-A/part-I/chapter-5, particularly Section 152(b)
The definition of militia is scary, too. Besides the National Guard and Naval Militia, there is the "unorganized Militia which consists of all able bodied males 17-44 and female citizens who are already members of the National Guard. Guess us girlies don't count unless we bother to sign up. Also, those males can either be citizens or "have made a declaration of intention to become citizens"--whatever that means. I'm pretty sure trump won't call up asylum seekers.
Hard to tell, but it LOOKS like a president can call up the "unorganized militia" to do stuff, and nothing seems to say he can't call up just those who call themselves Oath keepers or Proud Boys and use them to "enforce the laws of the United States in any State" wherever he thinks there are "unlawful obstructions, combinations, or assemblages, OR rebellions" that can't be dealt with by judicial proceedings. Note that it is more than rebellions that can result in this use of the military AND/OR militia. SA here we come. It is getting clearer and clearer that neither the Constitution nor Congress ever really contemplated a trump.
There is much that Democrats CAN DO here. 1. Tell your senators to put holds on any nominee to replace those purged last night. 2. Tell your senators, loudly, to have the Democrats get their act together and filibuster the nominees to replace those purged, including any officers to be elevated to chief of JAG that need senatorial approval. And tell your senators to do everything they can to tie up the Senate, especially as March 14 approaches.
Good points all, Jon.
Alexander Vindman has some excellent advice also.
https://open.substack.com/pub/alexandervindman/p/why-it-matters-pentagons-friday-night-c24?r=3jvi8&utm_medium=ios
Thanks, Karen!!
ditto.
I hope to God they do so.
We can help make sure they do.
senate.gov to find your senators.
Just look at some of the Trump nominees that some Democrats have voted YES for. I don't understand why you have any confidence in the 47 Dems in the Senate to do anything that means anything of consequence.
Anyone who tells you they can beat a determined enemy in a week is of a piece with the Russians who told Putin he could defeat Ukraine in three days. In addition to his other lack of qualifications, the guy’s incompetent.
So it's a case of "birds of a feather flock together," eh? "I'll end t he war in Ukraine in one day."
By making Zelensky capitulate. Hope he can hold firm, but the rug he was balancing on has been pulled from under him.
did anyone doubt for a second what that "promise" amounted to?
I sure didn't.
Trump is laying the groundwork for a military coup. He’s going to come up with some corn pone reason to invoke the Insurrection Act and establish martial law. I feel like I should be running down the street warning everyone what’s about to happen.
Judith Paul Revere. I agree
The Democrats, bless their hearts, have once again demonstrated their signature talent: tripping over their own feet while clutching a 600-page procedural manual. It’s almost charming, in a self-sabotaging, doomed-to-repeat-history kind of way. Maybe—just maybe—if Nancy Pelosi, the so-called Black Widow (who, let’s be honest, still spins a tighter web than most of the fumbling amateurs around her), and Chuck Schumer, who spent the first week of Hitler 2.0 looking like someone just told him his dry cleaner lost his best suit, could be shown the door, we’d stand a snowball’s chance in hell. But let’s not kid ourselves—this party could turn a landslide victory into an existential crisis faster than you can say “focus group.”
Leaders emerge from all fraught situations. Right now AOC and Rep. Garcia seem to be raising their profiles. Mark Cuban (mostly libertarian) is also in the boxing gym wrapping his hands. But the Dem-Govs are showing the most moxie. They all need our encouragement.
Thank God for the 3 people in Congress and the Democratic Governors for fighting back.
We all need prepare to be like the student in Tiannamen Square who stood in front of the tank.
More true than most realize.
Truth for all to consider
Seeing all the bloodletting among the brass and the cuts to vets' jobs and benefits, I wonder if a counter coup is possible, if the phony populism might become more genuine. Most groups of any kind, not just the military, may be disgruntled with the leaders, but they often react more negatively when a know-it-all new guy comes in to steer things and is incompetent like Capt. Sobel in "Band of Brothers."
I disagree that his mental capacities are severely compromised. He has had only one kind of mental ability. That is as 5th grade bully, and revenge master. Sorry I left out greedy bastard. He has splinter skills that are geared to these things. He is a f**king genius at these skills, but has not one iota of humanity. Nor do any of the followers who are not cult devotees. They are the repubs who have spent 40+ years planning every aspect of their treachery. I am So tired of saying the same thing over and over on substack. I have been saying the same things for ten plus years. I don’t need to learn anymore about this coup. I don’t have the time or the money to attend to all the people on substack and the many podcasts that have answers for the mess we are in. I wish I did, in my world, people don’t know or care. They are busy trying to get through the day, if they are not MAGAts. I feel like America died Friday night. At least the military was decapitated. I won’t give up, but this groundhogs day has had enough reruns.
“When he and Trump met in 2019, he told Trump he could defeat ISIS in “one week” if they could use more force. He knew what he was doing when he told Trump: “I love you, sir. I think you’re great, sir. I’ll kill for you, sir.” What sealed the deal for Trump was that Caine then allegedly put on a red MAGA hat, despite military protocol prohibiting active-duty troops from donning any clothing with a political message.”
If anyone is acquainted with a Democratic Senator on Armed Services, please please please encourage them to grill Caine on this.
I thought it would take more time for him to slip from tyrant to despot.
I would like to hear from Retired US Army Lt. Gen. Honoré, or for that matter my former office mate Retired Col. Eastcott USAF Academy '63.
He has been planning for years, Repub idiots have been planning for decades
I should have added…and not like the poor kids at Kent State who got killed!
JAGS. I always thought they were appointed by their respective services. Didn't know the president or the SecDef could fire them. Of course, they had a role model: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jw6gwGawbXA&t=12s
Stand your ground and stay
safe everyone.
Yup, top 3 JAG fired. Hagsith thinks they don't contribute to a "warrior ethos." That ethos, of course, is more that of the Huns sweeping across Europe than of a sense of keeping a stable international order as the main defense of peace, BACKED by a strong military dedicated to maintaining such international order. Hagsith apparently didn't like the advice that killing so many civilians in Iraq was turning the people against the US, so the army should make some effort to tone it down. Pretty sure Bibi agrees with Hagsith.
As with all trump is doing, this move got me looking into 10 USC on the military. It is actually pretty scary. It does set forth requirements as to who can be nominated as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, but also says the president can waive those requirements if national security requires it. The problem is that I'm pretty sure the legislators didn't include "following only my agenda and whims" as part of the definition of national security. https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/10/subtitle-A/part-I/chapter-5, particularly Section 152(b)
The definition of militia is scary, too. Besides the National Guard and Naval Militia, there is the "unorganized Militia which consists of all able bodied males 17-44 and female citizens who are already members of the National Guard. Guess us girlies don't count unless we bother to sign up. Also, those males can either be citizens or "have made a declaration of intention to become citizens"--whatever that means. I'm pretty sure trump won't call up asylum seekers.
Hard to tell, but it LOOKS like a president can call up the "unorganized militia" to do stuff, and nothing seems to say he can't call up just those who call themselves Oath keepers or Proud Boys and use them to "enforce the laws of the United States in any State" wherever he thinks there are "unlawful obstructions, combinations, or assemblages, OR rebellions" that can't be dealt with by judicial proceedings. Note that it is more than rebellions that can result in this use of the military AND/OR militia. SA here we come. It is getting clearer and clearer that neither the Constitution nor Congress ever really contemplated a trump.
The cites are at https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/10/subtitle-A/part-I/chapter-13, particularly sections 252 and 253, and https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/10/subtitle-A/part-I/chapter-12 (on militia).