
Submitted to VT by the Washington Post
89 former Defense officials including Leon Panetta, Chuck Hagel, Ashton Carter and more write in Washington Post Opinions: As former leaders in the Defense Department — civilian and military, Republican, Democrat and independent — we all took an oath upon assuming office “to support and defend the Constitution of the United States,” as did the president and all members of the military, a fact that Gen. Milley pointed out in a recent memorandum to members of the armed forces. We are alarmed at how the president is betraying this oath by threatening to order members of the U.S. military to violate the rights of their fellow Americans.
…Beyond being unnecessary, using our military to quell protests across the country would also be unwise. This is not the mission our armed forces signed up for: They signed up to fight our nation’s enemies and to secure — not infringe upon — the rights and freedoms of their fellow Americans. In addition, putting our servicemen and women in the middle of politically charged domestic unrest risks undermining the apolitical nature of the military that is so essential to our democracy. It also risks diminishing Americans’ trust in our military — and thus America’s security — for years to come.
As defense leaders who share a deep commitment to the Constitution, to freedom and justice for all Americans, and to the extraordinary men and women who volunteer to serve and protect our nation, we call on the president to immediately end his plans to send active-duty military personnel into cities as agents of law enforcement, or to employ them or any another military or police forces in ways that undermine the constitutional rights of Americans. The members of our military are always ready to serve in our nation’s defense. But they must never be used to violate the rights of those they are sworn to protect.
Full op-ed: https://wapo.st/372SRXM
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We need a write-in candidate and solidarity in promoting them. My thought was Gen James Mattis. I’m much more willing to have a former military commander (with guts to speak out) than the failed casino developer or career politician Democrat, creepy Joe Biden.
I think they signed up to kill people in poor countries that the empire wants to control.
Where are all these good ole boys when it comes to the goings on at places like Fort Huachuca, or having one of your organizations intentionally and covertly spread a deadly pathogen, or unilaterally canceling or ignoring weapons ban treaties? Crickets!
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