39 Comments

Thank you Tom. I confess, I thought about you when I heard the liar speak; all you've written, all I've learned through your accounts of courageous military valor in the face of horrific situations. The orange cheato liar-in-chief must be defeated by millions upon millions of votes along with his crowd of hangers-on, sycophants, and traitors to the American project. It is a project worth fighting and striving for. As Anne Applebaum has said, democracy is the new mode of governance. Most governance throughout history was monarchical,autocratic, dictatorship...lots of what we see in today's world. The gop, their candidates and monied supporters must learn from this election and all that will follow that the majority of Americans will not go back ever;that what has been won by the blood and sacrifice of so many

thousands over generations, even the

ones who never received the Medal of

Honor, means that we can never allow our nation to submit to fascist dictatorship or to people like Trump, Flynn, Hawley, Jordan, Gaetz, Greene, Boebert, etc....a long ignoble list of thieves, grifters, liars, petty tyrants, and dumba***es. Onward and upward Tom. Thank you again for your powerful writing. I dare say the nation is appalled by the bone spurs pimp.

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Liars and COWARDS all. Thank You, TC.

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This is perfection, TC. A definite keeper. It's been a pleasant surprise to have so much pushback against Trump on this. ABC Nightly News, in particular, devoted a significant portion of their newscast on it. There's nothing to add. You said it all.

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It should be headlined all over the world. The world that has suffered mightily from the likes of his ilk.

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Trump, the dyslexic and insanely narcissistic detritus of our political system, is by far the worst individual ever to occupy the Oval Office - and there have been some beauts in the past. To speak his name in the same breath as those of truly heroic and brave people is to sully their memory and show us all the depths to which the Republican Party has fallen. We shall overcome, and come November 6, we shall dance in the streets and celebrate with tidings of great joy the deliverance of our country.....

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With trump, everything is transactional, as in “what’s in it for me?” He cannot remotely conceive of the concepts of duty, honor, and sacrifice because all he truly understands is anything with a dollar sign attached to it. He knows the price of everything, but the value of nothing. And unfortunately, there are too many in this country exactly like him…

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How anyone who wears or has worn the uniform of our armed services could ever think to support Trump's candidacy for the office of the presidency is beyond my comprehension. He is an insult to all those that have served our country in time of peace or of combat. Private Bone Spurs is a disgrace.

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Unfortunately, there re far too many veterans who do. Many of them are "frogs in the pot" - conservatives who "went along" over the past 40 years and were boiled in the pot.

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I know two decorated veterans who support Trump. For some, I guess the chance to bash hippies and get tax cuts is just too big of a temptation. Very sad to see.

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There is unfortunately a very serious problem of veterans being involved with the far right. I just got through reading an article in The New Yorker, "Infiltrating the Far Right," which reports the numerous times active duty and retired military are found as members of violent fascist gangs.

It pretty much tracks with my memory of time in the Navy: I never knew so many white male morons in one place at one time ever otherwise. Lots of very good people, people you don't forget. But way too many morons.

The article is well worth the hour it will take to read it.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/08/26/infiltrating-the-far-right?utm_source=nl&utm_brand=tny&utm_mailing=TNY_Daily_081824&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_medium=email&utm_term=tny_daily_digest&bxid=5bea10b92ddf9c72dc8ee2ec&cndid=24809103&hasha=af4cf7c572d22388192b4af90c2bd903&hashb=7505b732e50ad572ec199936a542ca7dc07a2498&hashc=3f8d3399e0350857d037784e729dfcd475c18dc4a301e547d0fda2bd282b7881&esrc=MARTECH_ORDERFORM&mbid=CRMNYR012019

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Thank you, Tom for your account of the heroic Medal of Honor recipients you met. To be honest, there is nothing the trumpster/dumpster has done or continues to do surprises me. I look forward with glee to the day this slimy douche bag drops dead.

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This has always galled me more than anything else about him. His callous disregard, and outright disgust toward any and all aspects of unselfish acts of heroism, love of fellow soldiers and country are emblematic of a soulless cretin. He can’t, and doesn’t want to hide what he is. He is loud and proud of his vile nature. Do we teach our children to emulate him. Some apparently do. How even one person associated with the military can abide this monster is a national shame. Same for any true patriot. Same for any American of any stripe. You said it best. He can always go lower. There is no bottom for his depravity.

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Enraged on so many levels. Lumped into this is the backing of many of hubby’s Naval Academy classmates and squadron mates with whom we forged bonds long ago, which I now must break. Heartbroken not for myself, but for all the false promises made on behalf of upholding their duty to the country and the Constitution. And that they do not SEE IT and continue to “justify” their positions. I will never understand.

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It's really saddening, the number of Naval Aviators who are Trumpers - sad for anyone ever part of naval aviation. I've lost several friends as you have, and there are others I just don't talk about politics with because I don't want to hear them say what I think they might.

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One of the most valuable lessons I was given was when I attended a memorial service for Charles I at the Royal Chapel off Pall Mall in London. Back in the day they were still open to the public. I have ancestors who were court musicians for Elizabeth I and one of their descendants brokered buying up Charles I art collection to save it after the king was given the death sentence. I was a bit overwhelmed by the nearness to royalty and was acting very deferentially to the policeman on duty. He quietly looked at me and said words along these lines: never mistake the uniform for the man.

I have forgotten most of that memorial service but not his advice.

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Thanks for these insights. My relatives never talked to me about their war experiences but I know they were in danger of dying much of the time. I had friends who served in Vietnam and said no more than “You don’t want to hear about it” - not wishing to give me nightmares, probably. Now from your writing here, I know more of what some people have been through and it is inspiring and terrifying in equal measure to think of being faced with such choices, and choosing to do what they could to save the lives of their comrades. Thank you.

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The interesting thing about the Medal of Honor is that the overwhelming majority are awarded to people who were trying to save the lives of others. I have a book I used for research on Frozen Chosen, about the the people awarded the Medal of Honor during the Korean War. The largest single demographic by military assignment is medics (Army) and corpsmen (Marines). And most of those are posthumous.

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Save the lives of others…What was in it for them…losers and suckers…I don’t want to get my hair wet…

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Exactly. What is wrong with Trump ? This kind of demeaning whinging is more than just a display of weak character. There is something medically seriously amiss with the man. He displays a diseased mind that is strangely hypnotic for far too many.

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Maglignant narcissist is as damaged as one can get. It is not a medical condition that can be treated or a psychological condition that can be ameliorated. It is his core. I’ve heard/read that such severe personality disorders are pretty much set very early. Of course, his parents seemed to exacerbate his tendencies at every stage. He can’t be fixed. Not even holy water could touch him. Sort of like Hitler but not willing to end it without max damage. Did I say that? It was Ike. We will need the likes of Ike again.

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Many years ago I would often commune with Eisenhower’s statue in front of the old U.S. Embassy in Grosvenor Square in London. Yes. We urgently need the moral leadership of his like again.

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Wow, he was my hero growing up, as was Churchill. Chump thinks his scowl makes him look like Churchill. That’s about as deluded as one can get. That chump is in the headlines as a candidate again speaks volumes about how vulnerable we are - again.

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There are reason I pay to read what you write, this is an example

Leaving nothing to the imagination; putting it out there in clear indignant outrage at the outrageous

Firebrand

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Thanks, Dave.

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Indeed. On point.

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Thank you Tom, from my

heart and you know why.💜

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This was a deeply moving piece. Managing righteous rage against a false leader with the heartfelt honouring of truly heroic individuals.

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Not only is there no bottom for DJT, he is compelled to go after every pillar of decency in our society and culture and besmirch it.

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Trump was, is, and always will be despicable, but his latest mouthful of misanthropy will not change a single adoring maga mind because of what the magas themselves are, the disaffected who love his effrontery. He is their missile into the minds of the libs, the group the odious Medal of Freedom awardee Rush Limbaugh convinced them was the ruination of capitalism and all things American. Harris/Walz must take him and Vance to the mat. And when Trump refuses to depart the White House, make sure he leaves in a restraining garment and is delivered to the nearest Greyhound station with a pinnned on c-note and note bearing the Bedminster address on it, his final gift from the American people being a trip to a tax break bestowed on him by the dead body of the mother of three of his children. Did I mention that he's despicable?

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Unfucking believable is all you can say about Trump and the idiots who hang onto his every incoherent utterance. Your recent post about Joseph Heller’s experience reminded me of a Dutch film, available on Netflix, called The Forgotten Battle. The Dutch see nothing heroic in tje battle, only panic and the desperate desire to survive.

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