Gen Mattis has denounced President Trump as a threat to the constitution

[cccjwh]

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/06/james-mattis-denounces-trump-protests-militarization/612640/

"I have watched this week’s unfolding events, angry and appalled. The words “Equal Justice Under Law” are carved in the pediment of the United States Supreme Court. This is precisely what protesters are rightly demanding. It is a wholesome and unifying demand—one that all of us should be able to get behind. We must not be distracted by a small number of lawbreakers. The protests are defined by tens of thousands of people of conscience who are insisting that we live up to our values—our values as people and our values as a nation.

When I joined the military, some 50 years ago, I swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution. Never did I dream that troops taking that same oath would be ordered under any circumstance to violate the Constitutional rights of their fellow citizens—much less to provide a bizarre photo op for the elected commander-in-chief, with military leadership standing alongside.

We must reject any thinking of our cities as a “battlespace” that our uniformed military is called upon to “dominate.” At home, we should use our military only when requested to do so, on very rare occasions, by state governors. Militarizing our response, as we witnessed in Washington, D.C., sets up a conflict—a false conflict—between the military and civilian society. It erodes the moral ground that ensures a trusted bond between men and women in uniform and the society they are sworn to protect, and of which they themselves are a part. Keeping public order rests with civilian state and local leaders who best understand their communities and are answerable to them.

James Madison wrote in Federalist 14 that “America united with a handful of troops, or without a single soldier, exhibits a more forbidding posture to foreign ambition than America disunited, with a hundred thousand veterans ready for combat.” We do not need to militarize our response to protests. We need to unite around a common purpose. And it starts by guaranteeing that all of us are equal before the law.

Instructions given by the military departments to our troops before the Normandy invasion reminded soldiers that “The Nazi slogan for destroying us…was ‘Divide and Conquer.’ Our American answer is ‘In Union there is Strength.’” We must summon that unity to surmount this crisis—confident that we are better than our politics.

Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people—does not even pretend to try. Instead he tries to divide us. We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort. We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership. We can unite without him, drawing on the strengths inherent in our civil society. This will not be easy, as the past few days have shown, but we owe it to our fellow citizens; to past generations that bled to defend our promise; and to our children.

We can come through this trying time stronger, and with a renewed sense of purpose and respect for one another. The pandemic has shown us that it is not only our troops who are willing to offer the ultimate sacrifice for the safety of the community. Americans in hospitals, grocery stores, post offices, and elsewhere have put their lives on the line in order to serve their fellow citizens and their country. We know that we are better than the abuse of executive authority that we witnessed in Lafayette Square. We must reject and hold accountable those in office who would make a mockery of our Constitution. At the same time, we must remember Lincoln’s “better angels,” and listen to them, as we work to unite.

Only by adopting a new path—which means, in truth, returning to the original path of our founding ideals—will we again be a country admired and respected at home and abroad.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Mattis

James Norman Mattis is a retired United States Marine Corps general and former government official who served as the 26th United States Secretary of Defense from January 2017 through January 2019. Wikipedia

Born: September 8, 1950 (age 69 years), Pullman, WA

Previous office: United States Secretary of Defense (2017–2018)

Awards: Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Distinguished Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal

 

[TexasAg1969]

Calling cal, calling cal. Time to trash another military leader for hurting your boys "feelings".

Very eloquently and patriotically stated by Gen. Mattis.

History is going to be very unkind to Trump and to people who put him in power.

[DieHardBrownsFan]

Heres bonespurs tweet after he read General Mattis letter:

 

 

Donald J. Trump

8 mins · 

Probably the only thing Barack Obama and I have in common is that we both had the honor of firing Jim Mattis, the world’s most overrated General. I asked for his letter of resignation, & felt great about it. His nickname was “Chaos”, which I didn’t like, & changed it to “Mad Dog.” His primary strength was not military, but rather personal public relations. I gave him a new life, things to do, and battles to win, but he seldom “brought home the bacon”. I didn’t like his “leadership” style or much else about him, and many others agree. Glad he is gone!

[Gorka]

That letter was empty. As empty as Tex's ramblings about Trump.

Mattis is merely the third in a trio of McCain, Romney, and Mattis as having their panties knotted up over a belligerent "unqualified" non-politician becoming president. They fucking couldn't stand it.

[Gorka]

43 minutes ago, DieHardBrownsFan said:

Says a little bitch fuckwad like you, lol.

Shut the fuck up loser.

Fuckwad is what your dad called you every time he put his cigarette out on your arm.

[JAFBF]

[FairHooker11]

 

 

1

3 hours ago, cccjwh said:

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/06/james-mattis-denounces-trump-protests-militarization/612640/

"I have watched this week’s unfolding events, angry and appalled. The words “Equal Justice Under Law” are carved in the pediment of the United States Supreme Court. This is precisely what protesters are rightly demanding. It is a wholesome and unifying demand—one that all of us should be able to get behind   We must not be .distracted by a small number of lawbreakers. The protests are defined by tens of thousands of people of conscience who are insisting that we live up to our values—our values as people and our values as a nation.
  

   OH fucking REALLY??         3rd sentence in and hes as LOST as  BIDEN -  and all you establishment fanbois are tucked up under his sack... sheesh

 

 

When I joined the military, some 50 years ago,         ..........................YADA YADA YADA       

 

 

 

[hoorta]

3 hours ago, TexasAg1969 said:

Calling cal, calling cal. Time to trash another military leader for hurting your boys "feelings".

Very eloquently and patriotically stated by Gen. Mattis.

History is going to be very unkind to Trump and to people who put him in power.

They won't listen to us Ag, I seriously doubt they're going to listen to George Will, who's forgotten more about politics than I'll ever know and is around the most respected level headed unbiased commentator in existence.... . MDS- MAGA Defense Syndrome....  

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/no-one-should-want-four-more-years-of-this-taste-of-ashes/2020/06/01/1a80ecf4-a425-11ea-bb20-ebf0921f3bbd_story.html?fbclid=IwAR2PN9uP271Nzp6bRHqJhqDhIM1G7AD6M6_NdVctTR0AtnhBa1rCssDiYyE

[hoorta]

5 hours ago, Gorka said:

That letter was empty. As empty as Tex's ramblings about Trump.

Mattis is merely the third in a trio of McCain, Romney, and Mattis as having their panties knotted up over a belligerent "unqualified" non-politician becoming president. They fucking couldn't stand it.

That's your problem Gorka. Damn near everyone who doesn't have their heads up Trump's ass know the guy is totally unqualified to run this country, it's along list- and getting longer daily.... They couldn't stand it because- it's the f**king truth. And Trumptard bashes anyone who doesn't agree with him unmercifully... 

Bite me MAGAs- and you specifically....     https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/06/james-mattis-denounces-trump-protests-militarization/612640/?fbclid=IwAR3lmp09SzmyTsCVud-S7P-pzXKEW-1oTNC0uej7k4T9RavUHR-nVhJPjqk

[calfoxwc]

oh, that's funny. Hoorta is enjoining Tex and Dh, etc. 

Nobody has their heads up anywhere - he isn't unqualified, look at the PROMISES HE"S KEPT !!!!!

but you won't, you have TDS bad. THANK GOD WE ELECTED PRES TRUMP - or our country would be lost.

You think for a second that your haggardly or your obaMao commie was qualified to be our president?

No, you don't. Nobody can admit that bite me biden is qualified. He's a mentally incompetent liar/deep state corrupt player.

Despite all the hate and fake outrage/fake criticisms...Pres Trump is Making America Great Again. Your ObaMao commie bitched about our country all around the world.

and pouty face mattis is just another profoundly arrogant hater because he couldn't control OUR GREAT AMERICAN PRESIDENT for the deep state.

You all just hate him because of the color of his skin (looks orange), and all the hater fake labels about anything he says or doesn't say, anything he does/doesn't do.

He's a GREAT AMERICAN LEADER we need now.

you don't agree for no legit reason. That's TDS.

[DieHardBrownsFan]

[calfoxwc]

6 hours ago, Gorka said:

That letter was empty. As empty as Tex's ramblings about Trump.

Mattis is merely the third in a trio of McCain, Romney, and Mattis as having their panties knotted up over a belligerent "unqualified" non-politician becoming president. They fucking couldn't stand it.

yep.,

[TexasAg1969]

17 hours ago, Gorka said:

That letter was empty. As empty as Tex's ramblings about Trump.

Mattis is merely the third in a trio of McCain, Romney, and Mattis as having their panties knotted up over a belligerent "unqualified" non-politician becoming president. They fucking couldn't stand it.

 

10 hours ago, calfoxwc said:

yep.,

Let's then add another voice to ignore for the fools who continue to spout TDS so their ears cannot hear. In addition to Gen. Mattis and George Wills whom hoorta cited, add the voice of former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen-- "I cannot remain silent."

And notice that proof of the continuance of their foolishness is that none are addressing what either man actually said because it is just far easier to stick to the "TDS defense" which allows the person to remain in blissful ignorance of the truth about the King. 

So here is the third voice of many to follow I would guess.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/06/american-cities-are-not-battlespaces/612553/

[The Cysko Kid]

11 hours ago, cccjwh said:

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/06/james-mattis-denounces-trump-protests-militarization/612640/

"I have watched this week’s unfolding events, angry and appalled. The words “Equal Justice Under Law” are carved in the pediment of the United States Supreme Court. This is precisely what protesters are rightly demanding. It is a wholesome and unifying demand—one that all of us should be able to get behind. We must not be distracted by a small number of lawbreakers. The protests are defined by tens of thousands of people of conscience who are insisting that we live up to our values—our values as people and our values as a nation.

When I joined the military, some 50 years ago, I swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution. Never did I dream that troops taking that same oath would be ordered under any circumstance to violate the Constitutional rights of their fellow citizens—much less to provide a bizarre photo op for the elected commander-in-chief, with military leadership standing alongside.

We must reject any thinking of our cities as a “battlespace” that our uniformed military is called upon to “dominate.” At home, we should use our military only when requested to do so, on very rare occasions, by state governors. Militarizing our response, as we witnessed in Washington, D.C., sets up a conflict—a false conflict—between the military and civilian society. It erodes the moral ground that ensures a trusted bond between men and women in uniform and the society they are sworn to protect, and of which they themselves are a part. Keeping public order rests with civilian state and local leaders who best understand their communities and are answerable to them.

James Madison wrote in Federalist 14 that “America united with a handful of troops, or without a single soldier, exhibits a more forbidding posture to foreign ambition than America disunited, with a hundred thousand veterans ready for combat.” We do not need to militarize our response to protests. We need to unite around a common purpose. And it starts by guaranteeing that all of us are equal before the law.

Instructions given by the military departments to our troops before the Normandy invasion reminded soldiers that “The Nazi slogan for destroying us…was ‘Divide and Conquer.’ Our American answer is ‘In Union there is Strength.’” We must summon that unity to surmount this crisis—confident that we are better than our politics.

Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people—does not even pretend to try. Instead he tries to divide us. We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort. We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership. We can unite without him, drawing on the strengths inherent in our civil society. This will not be easy, as the past few days have shown, but we owe it to our fellow citizens; to past generations that bled to defend our promise; and to our children.

We can come through this trying time stronger, and with a renewed sense of purpose and respect for one another. The pandemic has shown us that it is not only our troops who are willing to offer the ultimate sacrifice for the safety of the community. Americans in hospitals, grocery stores, post offices, and elsewhere have put their lives on the line in order to serve their fellow citizens and their country. We know that we are better than the abuse of executive authority that we witnessed in Lafayette Square. We must reject and hold accountable those in office who would make a mockery of our Constitution. At the same time, we must remember Lincoln’s “better angels,” and listen to them, as we work to unite.

Only by adopting a new path—which means, in truth, returning to the original path of our founding ideals—will we again be a country admired and respected at home and abroad.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Mattis

James Norman Mattis is a retired United States Marine Corps general and former government official who served as the 26th United States Secretary of Defense from January 2017 through January 2019. Wikipedia

Born: September 8, 1950 (age 69 years), Pullman, WA

Previous office: United States Secretary of Defense (2017–2018)

Awards: Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Distinguished Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal

 

I said once as long as he had support from mattis I felt I could trust him. 

Well, shit. 

[BaconHound]

The alt-right is ultra-patriotic when it fits their agenda

[Gorka]

7 hours ago, hoorta said:

That's your problem Gorka. Damn near everyone who doesn't have their heads up Trump's ass know the guy is totally unqualified to run this country, it's along list- and getting longer daily.... They couldn't stand it because- it's the f**king truth. And Trumptard bashes anyone who doesn't agree with him unmercifully... 

Bite me MAGAs- and you specifically....     https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/06/james-mattis-denounces-trump-protests-militarization/612640/?fbclid=IwAR3lmp09SzmyTsCVud-S7P-pzXKEW-1oTNC0uej7k4T9RavUHR-nVhJPjqk

Haha a TDS guy says I have a problem. Due to the sheer numbers of conservative judges Trump has appointed his presidency will have shaped the country for years to come. The pre-COVID roaring economy, record unemployment, record unemployment among minorities due to Obama era restrictions erased from the books by Trump, his willingness to take on China and NAFTA,,  Keystone pipeline go-ahead...

Look, I'm not going to go through the entire litany of this administrations accomplishments because you emotional TDS types void of intellect will hear none of it.

For decades all of us have whined about voting in smooth talking politicians with their empty promises...we longed for the anti-politician, someone who can run this country like a business. Well we finally got this man, and look what the fuck you assholes are now resorting to.

And for the umpteenth time no one got their heads up his ass.  Yeah Trump can come across like an a-hole, but weigh his improprieties against the demonrats and the demonrat party's glaring advocating socialism, of violence, open borders, Antifa, anti-Semitism, corruption. etc etc etc, and any half brain free of TDS would embrace the transgressions of the former over the latter. What's going on in the streets today was nurtured by you motherfuckers. Trump even in all his buffoonery is still the anti all of that, and the firewall between We The People and the rest of you motherfuckers.

Yeah, orange man bad.

 

[DieHardBrownsFan]

5 minutes ago, Gorka said:

Haha a TDS guy says I have a problem. Due to the sheer numbers of conservative judges Trump has appointed his presidency will have shaped the country for years to come. The pre-COVID roaring economy, record unemployment, record unemployment among minorities due to Obama era restrictions erased from the books by Trump, his willingness to take on China and NAFTA,,  Keystone pipeline go-ahead...

Look, I'm not going to go through the entire litany of this administrations accomplishments because you emotional TDS types void of intellect will hear none of it.

For decades all of us have whined about voting in smooth talking politicians with their empty promises...we longed for the anti-politician, someone who can run this country like a business. Well we finally got this man, and look what the fuck you assholes now resorting to.

And for the umpteenth time no one got their heads up his ass.  Yeah Trump can come across like an a-hole, but weigh his improprieties against the demonrats and the demonrat party's glaring advocating socialism, of violence, open borders, Antifa, anti-Semitism, corruption. etc etc etc, and any half brain free of TDS would embrace the transgressions of the former over the latter. What's going on in the streets today was nurtured by you motherfuckers. Trump even in all his buffoonery is still the anti all of that, the firewall between We The People and the rest of you motherfuckers.

Yeah, orange man bad.

 

You have your head up Trumps ass fuck wad!

[Gorka]

4 minutes ago, DieHardBrownsFan said:

You have your head up Trumps ass fuck wad!

[DieHardBrownsFan]

[Gorka]

16 minutes ago, DieHardBrownsFan said:

[Gorka]

4 hours ago, TexasAg1969 said:

 

Let's then add another voice to ignore for the fools who continue to spout TDS so their ears cannot hear. In addition to Gen, Mattis and George Wills whom hoorta cited, add the voice of former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen-- "I cannot remain silent."

And notice that proof of the continuance of their foolishness is that none are addressing what either man actually said because it is just far easier to stick to the "TDS defense" which allows the person to remain in blissful ignorance of the truth about the King. 

So here is the third voice of many to follow I would guess.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/06/american-cities-are-not-battlespaces/612553/

You need to do better than that. This is the kind of shit that fuels your derangement.  CNN hasn't been reporting the violence?

Using this isolated event to support your delusion that Trump violates the Constitutional Rights of it's citizens is pathetic. When Trumps clamps down on protests in every city you'll then have something legit to bitch about, and you won't be delusional.

[TexasAg1969]

1 hour ago, Gorka said:

You need to do better than that. This is the kind of shit that fuels your derangement.  CNN hasn't been reporting the violence?

Using this isolated event to support your delusion that Trump violates the Constitutional Rights of it's citizens is pathetic. When Trumps clamps down on protests in every city you'll then have something legit to bitch about, and you won't be delusional.

Fortunately a lot of real Republicans are waking up to this unconstitutional buffoon and are finally showing the gumption to stop him before he really goes more overboard than he already has done. He is not a King. He is a president sworn to protect something he has obviously never read and certainly shows about as much comprehension as he has about COVID-19, which is nil. He violates it on any whim just like the one we threw out over 200 years ago. Real Constitutionalists see it for what it is.

Just stick to your blind TDS line. You're not going to see anything with your head that far up his ass anyway.

 

4 hours ago, The Cysko Kid said:

I said once as long as he had support from mattis I felt I could trust him. 

Well, shit. 

Welcome to the light Cysko. Better late than never. BTW it was Mattis leaving that finally got to DieHard as well. Had to eat on him a bit though. And it may take the same process with you. I'm lucky to have known about the degeneracy of this ignorant immoral fool years before he switched parties because he figured out he could not get the presidency through the the Democrats. I knew all about his stiffing sub-contractors and stealing by use of bankruptcy law going into decades, not just years. But the blind still like to use TDS, a term that didn't exist when I developed a distaste for this Narcissistic jackass.

[TexasAg1969]

May as well add Colin Powell from almost two years ago. Nothing has changed for the better. But that has not affected the foolish followers.

https://www.newsweek.com/colin-powell-donald-trump-america-we-people-madeleine-albright-constitution-1157119?fbclid=IwAR3KgWnRDGPRHKiBRWIiLTh32-mDy0Bpiu9wo1ryVEYM5J1KkUU5lvt0qxY

[calfoxwc]

4 hours ago, Gorka said:

Haha a TDS guy says I have a problem. Due to the sheer numbers of conservative judges Trump has appointed his presidency will have shaped the country for years to come. The pre-COVID roaring economy, record unemployment, record unemployment among minorities due to Obama era restrictions erased from the books by Trump, his willingness to take on China and NAFTA,,  Keystone pipeline go-ahead...

Look, I'm not going to go through the entire litany of this administrations accomplishments because you emotional TDS types void of intellect will hear none of it.

For decades all of us have whined about voting in smooth talking politicians with their empty promises...we longed for the anti-politician, someone who can run this country like a business. Well we finally got this man, and look what the fuck you assholes are now resorting to.

And for the umpteenth time no one got their heads up his ass.  Yeah Trump can come across like an a-hole, but weigh his improprieties against the demonrats and the demonrat party's glaring advocating socialism, of violence, open borders, Antifa, anti-Semitism, corruption. etc etc etc, and any half brain free of TDS would embrace the transgressions of the former over the latter. What's going on in the streets today was nurtured by you motherfuckers. Trump even in all his buffoonery is still the anti all of that, and the firewall between We The People and the rest of you motherfuckers.

Yeah, orange man bad.

 

[Vambo]

4 hours ago, Gorka said:

Haha a TDS guy says I have a problem. Due to the sheer numbers of conservative judges Trump has appointed his presidency will have shaped the country for years to come. The pre-COVID roaring economy, record unemployment, record unemployment among minorities due to Obama era restrictions erased from the books by Trump, his willingness to take on China and NAFTA,,  Keystone pipeline go-ahead...

Look, I'm not going to go through the entire litany of this administrations accomplishments because you emotional TDS types void of intellect will hear none of it.

For decades all of us have whined about voting in smooth talking politicians with their empty promises...we longed for the anti-politician, someone who can run this country like a business. Well we finally got this man, and look what the fuck you assholes are now resorting to.

And for the umpteenth time no one got their heads up his ass.  Yeah Trump can come across like an a-hole, but weigh his improprieties against the demonrats and the demonrat party's glaring advocating socialism, of violence, open borders, Antifa, anti-Semitism, corruption. etc etc etc, and any half brain free of TDS would embrace the transgressions of the former over the latter. What's going on in the streets today was nurtured by you motherfuckers. Trump even in all his buffoonery is still the anti all of that, and the firewall between We The People and the rest of you motherfuckers.

Yeah, orange man bad.

 

Well said. 🥇

[calfoxwc]

47 minutes ago, TexasAg1969 said:

Fortunately a lot of real Republicans are waking up to this unconstitutional buffoon and are finally showing the gumption to stop him before he really goes more overboard than he already has done. He is not a King. He is a president sworn to protect something he has obviously never read and certainly shows about as much comprehension as he has about COVID-19, which is nil. He violates it on any whim just like the one we threw out over 200 years ago. Real Constitutionalists see it for what it is.

Just stick to your blind TDS line. You're not going to see anything with your head that far up his ass anyway.

Name one thing Pres Trump has done that violates the Constitution. Legitimately. Name just one. Your dirty corrupt deep state tried for years to get him on that, and finally admitted they had NOTHING.

   It was all a stunt because they lost control over America.

asswholes.

DID YOU TDSers KNOW THAT YOUR STINKIN AMERICA-HATING obaMAO COMMIE FIRED MATTIS TOO? 'haha'

Most all this violent protest has nothing to do with the poor man murdered by a dirty cop, it's about political activism by code pinko types, Antifa, Marxist/communist groups, and dangerously infected with TDS political haters who haven't been getting their free obaMao phones.

   I sure wish this fake outrage was around during the REAL SCANDALS during the corrupt obaMao years.

But you all conveniently had nothin. 

[TexasAg1969]

For the illuminated literate only. Another 4 Star Marine General weighs in quite adroitly. Like I said before............"many to follow I would guess".  Your deep 

state is starting to gain more prominent members there cal. Hard to label them all at one time is it not?

https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/06/03/trump-military-george-floyd-protests/

 

[TexasAg1969]

And for those who will not click to read, here it is in front of your eyes anyway. 

A Moment of National Shame and Peril—and Hope

We may be witnessing the beginning of the end of American democracy, but there is still a way to stop the descent.

By John Allen

| June 3, 2020, 5:29 PM

U.S. President Donald Trump leaves the White House to go to St. John's Church in Washington on June 1. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images

The slide of the United States into illiberalism may well have begun on June 1, 2020. Remember the date. It may well signal the beginning of the end of the American experiment.

The president of the United States stood in the Rose Garden of the White House on Monday, railed against weak governors and mayors who were not doing enough, in his mind, to control the unrest and the rioters in their cities, and threatened to deploy the U.S. military against American citizens. It was a stunning moment. But, in particular, it was notable for three important reasons.

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First, Donald Trump expressed only the barest of condolences at the murder of George Floyd, but he also said nothing about the fundamental and underlying reasons for the unrest: systemic racism and inequality, a historic absence of respect, and a denial of justice. All of these factors are centuries old and deeply engrained in an American society that systematically delivers white privilege at the expense of people of color.

Yes, he mentioned George Floyd, but he did not touch on long-standing societal problems at all. He sees the crisis as a black problem—not as something to be addressed by creating the basis and impetus for a move toward social justice, but as an opportunity to use force to portray himself as a “law and order” president. The reasons were irrelevant to the opportunity. Remember the supposed invasion of the southern border and his deployment of federal troops ahead of the 2018 midterm elections? The president’s failure to understand the reality of the problem was on full display when, on Saturday, he attempted to explain that his supporters, the so-called Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement, “love African American people. They love black people. MAGA loves the black people.” Evidently his movement, MAGA, is a coherent thing, and it’s white, which leads to the next point about his speech.

Second, Trump was clear he views those engaged in the unrest and criminal acts in these riots as terrorists, an enemy. He said so, ostensibly as justification to deploy the U.S. military to apply federal force—his “personal” force—against the riots. Indeed, the secretary of defense used the military term “battlespace” to describe American cities.

While there may be some very accomplished criminals on both sides of the riots, the truth is that they are minuscule in numbers. The vast majority of the people protesting in the streets are justifiably furious at the murder of George Floyd, but they’re even angrier over pervasive injustice, mass incarceration, frequent false arrests, and an institutionalized devaluation of black lives and property. And yes, as this anger has spilled over, violence and criminality have ensued. But as much as the president would like them to be—indeed, needs them to be—terrorists, that is not what these people are. The president and members of his administration seem bent on ensuring that the so-called antifa—or anti-fascist—movement is fully on display as a principal reason for the violence. To deal with antifa, the president even tweeted that he intended to designate the group a terrorist organization—never mind that he has no authority to designate any domestic movement as such. Those of us who’ve looked closely at homegrown violent extremism do, in fact, agree that a domestic terrorism statute should exist. And were such a statute to come into being, the obvious targets for designation as domestic terrorists are, first and foremost, violent white supremacist groups and individuals who provide material assistance to these groups.The obvious targets for designation as domestic terrorists are, first and foremost, violent white supremacist groups and those who assist them. And even if antifa is found to fit the statute as well, let me be clear: White supremacists have murdered, lynched, tortured, terrorized, oppressed, and discriminated against black Americans from the beginning of the idea of America. They have killed black Americans by the thousands, often in the most horrific ways imaginable. Far more damage to the United States has come from these terrorists—fascists, Klansmen, and neo-Nazis, all feeling newly empowered today—than those who have opposed them.

Finally, the governors have sufficient law enforcement capacity—and, if necessary, the combat power of the National Guard—to handle their respective crises. If not, they can ask for federal assistance. There is no precedent in modern U.S. history for a president to wield federal troops in a state or municipality over the objections of the respective governor. Right now, the last thing the country needs—and, frankly, the U.S. military needs—is the appearance of U.S. soldiers carrying out the president’s intent by descending on American citizens. This could wreck the high regard Americans have for their military, and much more.

Third, in a bid to create some appearance that he can empathize with those demonstrating peacefully in the streets, the president proclaimed himself the “ally of peaceful protesters.” But, at that very moment, just a few hundred feet away across Lafayette Park, fully equipped riot police and troops violently, and without provocation, set upon the peaceful demonstrators there, manhandling and beating many of them, employing flash-bangs, riot-control agents, and pepper spray throughout. These demonstrators had done nothing to warrant such an attack. Media who were watching over the scene craned their cameras to try to understand what had happened to justify this violence, until it became clear for all to see. The riot police had waded into these nonviolent American citizens—who were protesting massive social injustice—with the sole purpose of clearing the area around St. John’s Episcopal Church, on the other side of the park, so the self-proclaimed “ally of peaceful protesters,” Donald Trump, could pose there for a photo-op.

There had evidently been a debate within the president’s inner circle about the efficacy of attempting a national statement to create a sense of unity in this moment of crisis. Clearly, the argument in favor of such a statement did not carry the day. The president has failed to show sympathy, empathy, compassion, or understanding—some of the traits the nation now needs from its highest office. Perhaps sensing this moment as an opportunity for an easy victory after his appalling leadership failure in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, the president came down hard: hard on the governors and mayors he’d labeled as weak, the same ones he’d left to fend for themselves during the pandemic, and hard on the Americans in the streets against whom he is preparing to dispatch “thousands upon thousands of heavily armed soldiers, military personnel, and law enforcement.” At the end of his speech, offhandedly saying something about going to pay homage to a national shrine, the president departed back into the White House.Donald Trump isn’t religious, has no need of religion, and doesn’t care about the devout, except insofar as they serve his political needs.

St. John’s Episcopal Church is one of the most historic churches in the United States, in which every president since James Madison has worshipped. It had been damaged the night before, when a fire had been contained in the basement with little damage. But on the afternoon of June 1, it was surrounded by members of the U.S. Secret Service, other law enforcement personnel, and soldiers. Tear gas was hanging in the air, with vomit still on the street from demonstrators overcome by gas and pepper spray. The debris of peaceful protesters attacked in the clearing operation littered the street. As it became clear where the president was headed, and as the reality of what was unfolding set in, a horrified nation looked on.

The president stood in front of St. John’s, holding a Bible aloft, and expropriated the image of the church, the Holy Bible, and the Christian faith as the backdrop and basis for his words and deeds in dealing with this crisis. It wasn’t enough that peaceful protesters had just been deprived of their first-amendment rights—this photo-op sought to legitimize that abuse with a layer of religion. To make matters worse, he was joined in the church photo-op by the other members of his staff and cabinet, including the press secretary, the chief of staff, and the national security advisor. Much worse still, he was joined in the picture by Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Attorney General William Barr.

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One wonders, did Esper and Barr know that hundreds of peaceful U.S. citizens had been attacked by riot police just minutes before, their civil rights massively violated just to set the stage for their picture? Did it occur to them that in posing with the president and the Bible he held in front of a church, ostensibly calling down the authority of God on this cause, they were violating the spirit of one of the most important strictures in America, the separation of church and state? And if federal troops are indeed dispatched into the states to take action against American civilians, where does the Bible and the Christian God figure into the president’s deployment order? The framers of the Constitution intended the separation for a reason, and the commander in chief just trampled it.

In the immediate aftermath of this dark moment, late into the night, there was an eruption of theological debate about what it all meant on that historic day when a U.S. president weaponized the church and the Bible for a photo-op in order to justify his cause. Bishop Mariann Budde of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington said all anyone needed to say in order to settle the debate: “Let me be clear: The president just used a Bible, the most sacred text of the Judeo-Christian tradition, and one of the churches of my diocese without permission as a backdrop for a message antithetical to the teachings of Jesus and everything that our churches stand for.” Apart from the bishop’s truly righteous indignation, there really was no need for further discussion. Donald Trump isn’t religious, has no need of religion, and doesn’t care about the devout, except insofar as they serve his political needs.The president failed to project any of the higher emotions or leadership desperately needed in every quarter of this nation during this dire moment. We know why he did all this on Monday. He even said so while holding the Bible and standing in front of the church. It was about MAGA—“making America great again.”

To even the casual observer, Monday was awful for the United States and its democracy. The president’s speech was calculated to project his abject and arbitrary power, but he failed to project any of the higher emotions or leadership desperately needed in every quarter of this nation during this dire moment. And while Monday was truly horrific, no one should have been surprised. Indeed, the moment was clarifying in so many ways.

So, what is to be done? At nearly the same moment that Americans were being beaten near the White House on behalf of their president, George Floyd’s brother Terrence Floyd visited the site of George’s murder. Overcome with grief and anger, he loudly upbraided the crowd for tarnishing his brother’s memory with violence and looting. And then he told Americans what to do: vote. “Educate yourselves,” he said, “there’s a lot of us.” So, while June 1 could easily be confused with a day of shame and peril if we listen to Donald Trump, if instead we listen to Terrence Floyd, it is a day of hope. So mark your calendars—this could be the beginning of the change of American democracy not to illiberalism, but to enlightenment. But it will have to come from the bottom up. For at the White House, there is no one home.

[tiamat63]

The left decries anyone who would disagree as a bigot.

The right decries anyone who would disagree as being afflicted with 'TDS'.

Both dismissive tactics to reasonable critique.  Sort of like these 17 year old sound cloud mumble rappers (and a couple idiots on this board )calling everyone haters when presented with critique.

 

You're all a pack of dumbasses. You just refuse to look in the mirror and acknowledge it.

[Axe]

Mattis holds the distinction of being fired by both a Dem POTUS and Rep POTUS.