The military and veterans have been mythologized far too long. All are infallible heroes regardless of their service record. 1/
Yet on Jan 6th, veterans and some members of the military, encouraged by the President and other politicians, actively participated or supported the insurrection in DC. 2/
All this because the favored candidate lost and a self-fulfilling prophecy of alleged election fraud led to his inevitable defeat. Defeat equated to theft. 3/
How did we get here? In part, a disinterested public willing to overlook our flaws while correcting Vietnam’s scornful legacy. Military leaders repeatedly telling their subordinates how special they were – the 1% trope. 4/
A public incessantly thanking us for our service with cheap, performative acts of patriotism such as televised soldier reunions, free meals on Veteran’s Day, and other innocent-sounding tokens of misguided appreciation. 5/
While we slept, patriot groups arose to organize around the oath we took and enlisted veterans into their ranks. While providing a renewed sense of purpose and belonging, these groups also perverted and, in some cases, radicalized their members. 6/
They inculcated the belief that the government they previously served was now tyrannical and it was their duty to “remember their oath.” 7/
Why would those who swore an oath to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic, participate in such madness? My opinion - some believe they have a greater share and claim to the rights of citizenship – because they have been led to believe thus. 8/
Belief that only conservative values are consistent with military service, especially when those same values take on the religious symbolism of a crusade or sacred charges of duty. 9/
How do we fix this toxic brew of misguided beliefs and activism? First, we must equally judge the experience and credibility of veteran and non-veteran voices. Simply having served does not confer the right to have our voice heard above all others. 10/
Second, civilian and military leadership must come out of hiding and publicly, actively and forcefully put their houses in order. There must be a deliberate campaign to root out those who actively sympathize with these seditious groups. 11/
We do not tolerate openly racist leaders and this shouldn’t be different – in fact, more so because it strikes at the heart of our oath to defend the Constitution. There must be a discussion about the norms of service, political engagement 12/
and belief structures that are, and are not, compatible with military service. If your belief structure isn’t compatible, you must be shown the door. Third, veterans who participated in Jan 6th madness must be charged and tried. 13/
If guilty, they must be stripped of all rights and benefits conferred upon honorable service – including access to the VA, pensions, TRICARE, etc. It must be made clear that you cannot rebel against the government and benefit from prior service at the same time. 14/
Jan 6th is a clarion call to take seriously what it means to serve and our role in a democratic society. We need to get over ourselves, quit navel gazing about how special we are, and realize that we were lucky that something more serious and sinister did not occur. e/
Had to get off the chest. Stop being special and engage. Take back our oath from those who wrongfully think it belongs to them.

More from Government

This article by Jim Spellar for @LabourList misses the point about why Labour needs to think seriously about constitutional reform - and have a programme for it ready for government.


The state of our constitution is a bit like the state of the neglected electric wiring in an old house. If you are moving into the house, sorting it out is a bit tedious. Couldn’t you spend the time and money on a new sound system?

But if you ignore the wiring, you’ll find that you can’t safely install the new sound system. And your house may well catch fire.

Any programme for social democratic government requires a state with capacity, and a state that has clear mechanisms of accountability, for all the big and all the small decisions that in takes, in which people have confidence.

That is not a description of the modern UK state.
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.

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I think a plausible explanation is that whatever Corbyn says or does, his critics will denounce - no matter how much hypocrisy it necessitates.


Corbyn opposes the exploitation of foreign sweatshop-workers - Labour MPs complain he's like Nigel

He speaks up in defence of migrants - Labour MPs whinge that he's not listening to the public's very real concerns about immigration:

He's wrong to prioritise Labour Party members over the public:

He's wrong to prioritise the public over Labour Party