They're now operating in a highly political environment. More could join them. 2/
I think this thread came from a good place, but I want to add a few thoughts because I think service members WILL be talking about yesterday's events -- and that leaders SHOULD be talking to their troops about them.
They need to be thoughtful, not scared of doing so. 1/
(2 of 4) Commandant Sends #13: Protest at the US Capitol
— Army War College (@ArmyWarCollege) January 6, 2021
"And in light of that, I believe it is prudent to remind everyone of our duty to restrain ourselves from political commentary in any venue. The importance of an apolitical military cannot be overstated."
They're now operating in a highly political environment. More could join them. 2/
Personal/partisan sympathies cannot interfere with a military unit's duties. 4/
You can't do that if you're not communicating with them and having real discussions. 5/
Leaders can & should make clear that civilian electoral institutions HAVE decided the outcome. The Electoral College vote has been certified. Joe Biden will be President. 6/
But leaders should not avoid these discussions or pretend divisions aren't there. They need to work to unify around values and principles of service. 7/
How to deal with those soldiers is a whole different problem, but it is one leaders should be addressing. 8/
In this sense, it is wise to avoid pure commentary, particularly if it could give the impression you're speaking for the military -- intentionally or not. 9/
Not talking about these issues won't make them go away, and it could potentially obscure real problems.
So, please talk about them. But be professional & thoughtful. And remember the public is watching. 10/10
He came on a post one of my former LTs made condemning yesterday. Stated there were many exercising their Constitutional rights and the term \u201cStorming the Capitol\u201d is unfair to them. Profile pic is in ASUs. Told him we expect better of Army Os. Will see if he escalates.
— Brad Duplessis (@DuplessisBrad) January 7, 2021
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If you're curious what Trump's defense will look like, all you have to do is turn on Fox News. My latest at @mmfa
The tl;dr is that for years right-wing media have been excusing Trump's violent rhetoric by going, "Yes, but THE DEMOCRATS..." and then bending themselves into knots to pretend that Dems were calling for violence when they very, very clearly weren't.
And in fact, this predates Trump.
In 2008, Obama was talking about not backing down in the face of an ugly campaign. He said "If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun."
https://t.co/i5YaQJsKop
That quote was from the movie The Untouchables. And there's no way anybody reading that quote in good faith could conclude that he was talking about actual guns and knives. But it became a big talking point on the
In 2018, Obama-era Attorney General Eric Holder was speaking to a group of Georgia Democrats about GOP voter suppression. He riffed on Michelle Obama's "When they go low, we go high" line from the 2016 DNC.
The tl;dr is that for years right-wing media have been excusing Trump's violent rhetoric by going, "Yes, but THE DEMOCRATS..." and then bending themselves into knots to pretend that Dems were calling for violence when they very, very clearly weren't.
And in fact, this predates Trump.
In 2008, Obama was talking about not backing down in the face of an ugly campaign. He said "If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun."
https://t.co/i5YaQJsKop
That quote was from the movie The Untouchables. And there's no way anybody reading that quote in good faith could conclude that he was talking about actual guns and knives. But it became a big talking point on the
In 2018, Obama-era Attorney General Eric Holder was speaking to a group of Georgia Democrats about GOP voter suppression. He riffed on Michelle Obama's "When they go low, we go high" line from the 2016 DNC.
