While mates of mine were quartered in former SS barracks in Nürnberg, i served near Ansbach during the coldest of wars. I have stood on the very promontory of this Arena, visited many of the not see relics. How short can our memories be that we, in any way, tolerate the evil unfolding before our eyes? 30,000 interred at Gitmo? AMERICAN prisoners sent to foreign countries? MAGATS ……
Sorry I should have been more clear. I was running out to late lunch. By the military adapting I meant to authoritarianism. Not in the sense that the military is overrun by maga. I meant in the sense of obedience to the executive. Careerism will ensure the vast majority will go along with incresingly unusual orders. It won't all happen at once. It will be a slide that started the last time. There was considerable resistance to illegal orders back then. That was characterized as deep state resistance and a woke military. All of which is bs. Back then, it was possible to resist illegal orders. Now... Not so much. As Greg, another reader mentioned, add in the pardon power to the immunity ruling and the ability to resist closes even further. The will to resist what would have previously been an illegal order is already low and fast evaporating. Most will go along. Gen's Mattis and Kelly - supposedly big tough 4 star Marines - stayed almost totally silent except for some passive aggressive snark befitting a sullen teen. I especially don't get Kelly. Trump essentially pisses on his sons grave and Kelly acts like a sphinx. Trump mounts a coup, steals nuclear secrets, denounces the IC in front of his puppet master in Helsinki, and these powerful strong generals stayed silent. So we expect the SGTs to push back against what will now be legal orders?
It's good to point out that SCOTUS obviated Nuremberg. An obvious point but, who sits around thinking of Nuremberg?
I think the dark analysis here is pretty much spot on, but I can think to add one ray of possible light. MAGA cannot possibly hope to maintain a US military that is a tool for executions, something operated on capitalist all volunteer force principles, and a force that is theoretically American, and not composed of immigrants.
Recruiting will go off a cliff and/or immigrants will have to be quietly enlisted en masse because, while the recruiting pool for the US military is more conservative than the nation as a whole, it is not limited to MAGA, and the ethic of service to country, and not parties or individuals is too many generations deep.
In a MAGA military, the tradition of so-called elites enlisting via service academies, doing a tour or two to establish bona fides, and then exiting to a career in business or government will end, because no American families with other options will want to see their children at risk of performing executions. Indeed, the bar on this is much lower, and elite recruiting will fall off a cliff if there's even a hint the US military is becoming majority MAGA. In addition to elites, one could cite any number of gender or ethnic identities that MAGA considers woke to simply vanish from the military and the recruiting pool.
None of these concerns would matter to MAGA dead enders or to grifters looking to profit off the administration and get out. But at a minimum, the US military will become less and less effective as a tool for authoritarianism as the authoritarians grind it down with idiotic policy choices.
Having worked in the US military for 20 years I'm confident it will adapt, alter course, and comply. I agree on the operational effectiveness consequences but as we will be formally allied to the Axis of Autocracy (something I've addressed at length in earlier posts) we will not have much to fear from our “old” allies.i urge you to read this
Nothing I said should imply that I believe the US military won't adapt and overcome future challenges even if those challenges are sadly now the rule of law.
Anne Applebaum's Atlantic article from a few years ago that is now making the rounds again is also good, and you may have discussed it that I have not seen. Sadly her book version is less good.
I agree on the Hitler parallels. My challenge is that the rise of Hitler is something where I've read enough to talk semi-intelligently. But obviously, Godwin's law applies and everybody gets indignant and you tend to lose your audience even if you are bringing facts to the table.
"When Hitler wondered whether the army could be used to crush any public unrest, Defense Minister Werner von Blomberg dismissed the idea out of hand, observing “that a soldier was trained to see an external enemy as his only potential opponent.” As a career officer, Blomberg could not imagine German soldiers being ordered to shoot German citizens on German streets in defense of Hitler’s (or any other German) government.
Hitler had campaigned on the promise of draining the “parliamentarian swamp”—den parlamentarischen Sumpf"
From
How Hitler Dismantled a Democracy in 53 Days
He used the constitution to shatter the constitution.
You never fail to take the reader to the darkest place! I thank you for that, because forewarned is forearmed.
In their whacked out reasoning, the Supreme Court majority believes that our military will not carry out illegal orders, and that this will be the only restraint necessary to prevent the President from ordering assassinations and whatever else strikes his fancy.
But with absolute pardon power as well, he has all the tools in his arsenal needed to become America’s first malevolent dictator. He just needs to surround himself with the “baddies.”
Knowing the Supreme Court is the ultimate check on his power, he will probably have the ones who don’t fall in line arrested and put on trial to face charges via a military tribunal. Never mind that the charges will be manufactured - absolute grasp of power is all he cares about.
The only thing that might restrain him is if he starts to lose support from his MAGA base. But that appears unlikely since they are mostly non-sentient cult members at this point.
You are right to add the pardon power. It's quite the tool set. I wish I could say the military is filled with moral courage to resist the obvious direction in which this is headed. The incentive structure is in place for individuals and institutions - to engage in self-censorship, compliance and submission - even in advance. If one or two individuals hold out, as you note, an example will be made. Those inclined toward supporting the constitution will see it is no longer possible and leave. There will not be some glorious pushback. All of our institutions have collapsed. The judiciary, legislature, press, and corporations, have already submitted eagerly.
There are courageous, sensible officers in the military, but there are also enough Michael Flynn types that will rise to the top and gladly do Trump's bidding.
The judiciary likes to keep us guessing. It's a bit of a mixed bag, but after this most recent decision regarding the hush money sentencing, we can figure that at least 4 justices are 100% in line with doing whatever is required to keep Trump in power and above the law.
You didn't mention that this Supreme Court is illegitimate. Or that members of the Armed Forces will quickly figure out that if one group can claim authority without rule of law, so can anyone. That will be when the empire eats itself.
While mates of mine were quartered in former SS barracks in Nürnberg, i served near Ansbach during the coldest of wars. I have stood on the very promontory of this Arena, visited many of the not see relics. How short can our memories be that we, in any way, tolerate the evil unfolding before our eyes? 30,000 interred at Gitmo? AMERICAN prisoners sent to foreign countries? MAGATS ……
It's incredible. The willful ignorance and excuse punditry "no he didn't mean what he just said".. is spectacular self delusion.
Yikes! I identified the facism early. I imagined scenarios. It was to prepare. Your post is so scarily powerful. The US is so not ready .
Sorry I should have been more clear. I was running out to late lunch. By the military adapting I meant to authoritarianism. Not in the sense that the military is overrun by maga. I meant in the sense of obedience to the executive. Careerism will ensure the vast majority will go along with incresingly unusual orders. It won't all happen at once. It will be a slide that started the last time. There was considerable resistance to illegal orders back then. That was characterized as deep state resistance and a woke military. All of which is bs. Back then, it was possible to resist illegal orders. Now... Not so much. As Greg, another reader mentioned, add in the pardon power to the immunity ruling and the ability to resist closes even further. The will to resist what would have previously been an illegal order is already low and fast evaporating. Most will go along. Gen's Mattis and Kelly - supposedly big tough 4 star Marines - stayed almost totally silent except for some passive aggressive snark befitting a sullen teen. I especially don't get Kelly. Trump essentially pisses on his sons grave and Kelly acts like a sphinx. Trump mounts a coup, steals nuclear secrets, denounces the IC in front of his puppet master in Helsinki, and these powerful strong generals stayed silent. So we expect the SGTs to push back against what will now be legal orders?
It's good to point out that SCOTUS obviated Nuremberg. An obvious point but, who sits around thinking of Nuremberg?
I think the dark analysis here is pretty much spot on, but I can think to add one ray of possible light. MAGA cannot possibly hope to maintain a US military that is a tool for executions, something operated on capitalist all volunteer force principles, and a force that is theoretically American, and not composed of immigrants.
Recruiting will go off a cliff and/or immigrants will have to be quietly enlisted en masse because, while the recruiting pool for the US military is more conservative than the nation as a whole, it is not limited to MAGA, and the ethic of service to country, and not parties or individuals is too many generations deep.
In a MAGA military, the tradition of so-called elites enlisting via service academies, doing a tour or two to establish bona fides, and then exiting to a career in business or government will end, because no American families with other options will want to see their children at risk of performing executions. Indeed, the bar on this is much lower, and elite recruiting will fall off a cliff if there's even a hint the US military is becoming majority MAGA. In addition to elites, one could cite any number of gender or ethnic identities that MAGA considers woke to simply vanish from the military and the recruiting pool.
None of these concerns would matter to MAGA dead enders or to grifters looking to profit off the administration and get out. But at a minimum, the US military will become less and less effective as a tool for authoritarianism as the authoritarians grind it down with idiotic policy choices.
Having worked in the US military for 20 years I'm confident it will adapt, alter course, and comply. I agree on the operational effectiveness consequences but as we will be formally allied to the Axis of Autocracy (something I've addressed at length in earlier posts) we will not have much to fear from our “old” allies.i urge you to read this
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/01/hitler-germany-constitution-authoritarianism/681233/
Nothing I said should imply that I believe the US military won't adapt and overcome future challenges even if those challenges are sadly now the rule of law.
Anne Applebaum's Atlantic article from a few years ago that is now making the rounds again is also good, and you may have discussed it that I have not seen. Sadly her book version is less good.
I agree on the Hitler parallels. My challenge is that the rise of Hitler is something where I've read enough to talk semi-intelligently. But obviously, Godwin's law applies and everybody gets indignant and you tend to lose your audience even if you are bringing facts to the table.
"When Hitler wondered whether the army could be used to crush any public unrest, Defense Minister Werner von Blomberg dismissed the idea out of hand, observing “that a soldier was trained to see an external enemy as his only potential opponent.” As a career officer, Blomberg could not imagine German soldiers being ordered to shoot German citizens on German streets in defense of Hitler’s (or any other German) government.
Hitler had campaigned on the promise of draining the “parliamentarian swamp”—den parlamentarischen Sumpf"
From
How Hitler Dismantled a Democracy in 53 Days
He used the constitution to shatter the constitution.
By Timothy W. Ryback
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/01/hitler-germany-constitution-authoritarianism/681233/
You never fail to take the reader to the darkest place! I thank you for that, because forewarned is forearmed.
In their whacked out reasoning, the Supreme Court majority believes that our military will not carry out illegal orders, and that this will be the only restraint necessary to prevent the President from ordering assassinations and whatever else strikes his fancy.
But with absolute pardon power as well, he has all the tools in his arsenal needed to become America’s first malevolent dictator. He just needs to surround himself with the “baddies.”
Knowing the Supreme Court is the ultimate check on his power, he will probably have the ones who don’t fall in line arrested and put on trial to face charges via a military tribunal. Never mind that the charges will be manufactured - absolute grasp of power is all he cares about.
The only thing that might restrain him is if he starts to lose support from his MAGA base. But that appears unlikely since they are mostly non-sentient cult members at this point.
You are right to add the pardon power. It's quite the tool set. I wish I could say the military is filled with moral courage to resist the obvious direction in which this is headed. The incentive structure is in place for individuals and institutions - to engage in self-censorship, compliance and submission - even in advance. If one or two individuals hold out, as you note, an example will be made. Those inclined toward supporting the constitution will see it is no longer possible and leave. There will not be some glorious pushback. All of our institutions have collapsed. The judiciary, legislature, press, and corporations, have already submitted eagerly.
There are courageous, sensible officers in the military, but there are also enough Michael Flynn types that will rise to the top and gladly do Trump's bidding.
The judiciary likes to keep us guessing. It's a bit of a mixed bag, but after this most recent decision regarding the hush money sentencing, we can figure that at least 4 justices are 100% in line with doing whatever is required to keep Trump in power and above the law.
BTW, the youtube clip was hilarious!
If Mattis and Kelly are the flag bearers for moral courage to push back against "den parlamentarischen Sumpf" then it's over before it has begun.
Glad you liked it. You might also enjoy this. https://youtu.be/BYz1ADttI1g?si=zRUNMuU42F5f_c0j
You didn't mention that this Supreme Court is illegitimate. Or that members of the Armed Forces will quickly figure out that if one group can claim authority without rule of law, so can anyone. That will be when the empire eats itself.
I have addressed that issue in older entries. None of this is remotely normal or good. It all benefits our enemies.