A long time ago, when I signed up for the U.S. Marine Corps, I didn’t sign up for chicken-shit operations to harass American citizens.
And I’m pretty damn sure that neither did the warriors in the called-up Seventh Marines, First Marine Division, out of Twentynine Palms CA, where I trained as an artillery cannon cocker. (Even though it’s southern California, it can get dang cold at night high up in the San Bernardino Mountain’s as a forward observer.)
I feel bad for those Marines who might be ordered to rough up legitimate protesters in the LA region. Those Marines surely want nothing to do with putting down a legitimate protest against President’s Trump’s heavy-handed immigration policies and actions.
They signed up to protect, if necessary, their own country from real enemies.
The Marine Corps is arguably (I’m biased) the most elite large fighting force in the world. We have been trained to take on the toughest enemy forces that exist in the toughest of circumstances. We were not trained to put down U.S. citizens who are almost all demonstrating peaceably.
Sending in the Marines was an intentionally dramatic, but an over-the-top decision by our commander in chief, who, not so ironically, was a multiple-time draft dodger with an alleged bone spur. It is classic Trump over-reach.
It’s important to note that the president also called up 4000 National Guardsmen, who, along with state and local police officers, should be more than enough to control the situation. Those professionals are trained in handling demonstrations.
You have to consider the possibility that Trump is counting on some violence to break out between the protesters and the military. Recall that he sat on his hands for hours Jan. 6, 2021 when violence did break out during the insurrection following his phony claims that the 2020 election had been stolen.
Our president is not a man who is bothered by unnecessary injuries to other people.
You have to consider the possibility that Trump is trying to win the support of the military, like strong-men dictators often do, at the expense of the citizenry. Why else would he mount a monster military parade on Constitution Avenue on his birthday?
Many of us are incredibly angry about soldiers being used as pawns in his political agenda. There is no threat to the security of the country in the peaceable protests across the land. None.
Trump would have more credibility with military families if any Trump family member had ever served in the military, ever, if he hadn’t repeatedly shown complete disrespect for people who have served, and if he hadn’t slashed jobs, services, and funding at the Veterans Administration.
I will be wearing my Marine Corps cap at the West Bend rally. I won’t be alone. A good number of vets were doing the same at earlier rallies. I expect more in response to his made-for-TV call-ups.
