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this post was submitted on 17 Aug 2024
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They've also made it clear they want to cut military and veteran benefits. It's surprising they think the military will be absolutely loyal to them if they try to power grab and go full dictator.
I was a medic in the AF - it was a pretty even split of red and blue. Air Force medical is probably the bluest slice of the military there is, so overall there's definitely a strong lean red, but there's this weird notion of absolution when it comes to the military's political loyalty. Worse case scenario, Trump gets elected and attempts to 'execute order 66' ...the military will implode on itself with infighting, and my money's on one of the troops will take an opportunistic shot at him in accordance with their Oath of Enlistment's promise to defend the constitution against domestic enemies. Officers and civilian federal employees oath has the same language.
Edit - Also, Donald Trump fucking hates us. If anyone 'supports the troops' they'll vote blue.
I'm currently in the AF. Can confirm, we're a snapshot of the country. Not some frothing red dog.
The military isn't a democracy: If the top of the hierarchy is following Donald's orders, everyone else will be too...
Look up duty to disobey.
That's just propaganda, not how it operates in practice...
Yeah, but nobody who goes out of their way to advertise that they "support the troops" actually gives a shit about them. It's always been jingoistic performative nonsense.
I tried Mission BBQ one time and their jingoism was just absurd. Their notion of supporting the troops is delivering barbecue in a Hummer and selling $2 plastic cups with (some of) the proceeds going to veterans in some vague way. Of course their worst crime is that their barbecue sucks.
If he loses and tries to claim a stolen election, project 2025 promising a bloodbath will not go well for any of them. Especially since Trump continues to disrespect military personnel at every turn.
I know there are some maga nuts in the ranks, but last I heard most generals have spoken out against the Trumpet crumpet.
Military leadership in the U.S. has always traditionally leaned pro-U.S. If it came down to it there would be fewer Trump allies the higher up you go. Exceptions though, always exceptions.
Trying really hard to not draw parallels with that scene in Winter Soldier where it's announced that some agents are Hydra while some are SHIELD and they turn on one another.
My impression has been that the USA air force is perhaps the branch of the armed forces that is most controlled by high ranking evangelicals. Is there any reality basis to this belief?
No idea how it compares to the other branches. Would be an interesting question to run by one of those crazies who served in like all of them (one of the nurses I worked with in the AF then had previously been a Marine and soldier. I've had patients who claimed to have served in Marines, Army, Navy, and AF, but no way to tell of they're full of shit or insane enough to actually do that (the amount of paperwork that would translate to...).
Anyway, in AF med they'd hit us with the occasional "the lord willing" or something in official functions like change of command ceremonies or squadron "all-call"s, which was definitely crossed the line of what I'd consider acceptable (it should be 100% secular), but that's the extent of it. No down-throat-ism or pressure to convert or anything.
I have heard anecdotal evidence to this but cannot verify.
Wow! I was expecting a link to one incident but there was a list of many, many unrelated incidents. He really does hate the military.
Thanks for the link!
Yeah his scandal-per-day tactic seemed to work pretty well - keeping up with his bullshit is a full time job, and we literally don't have the mental realestate to keep track.
And it drives me nuts... almost all of those would be a career-ender for a normal politician, but Trump gets away with it again and again because by the time we've processed just how bad one thing is, he's commited 3 or 4 more.
To highlight just how bad cutting VA benefits would be, only 18% of veterans get the benefits they're entitled to.
Why is that?
Because the country would go bankrupt if everyone got what they deserve (with the way the budget is now)
Do they just reject their requests for benefits, or how does it happen?
Yup, that's about it.
They would also add extra un-needed steps to deter vets from continuing. If the process gets too confusing, the vet normally just gives up.
Because the US is a "fuck you, I got mine" style country.
There's a model for this. Basically, the reason you see dictatorships having a Republican Guard. Those guys are the loyalists that will do anything for the dictator and they get sinecure positions and help if they're hurt. The rest of the military is lucky to get rations because the dictator is worried about other people using them to end their reign.
The total transition would take awhile but Trying was already effectively using the Department of Justice and federal agents to run a Republican Guard during the BLM protests.
The military is filled with the most loyal beaten dogs in America. Master can beat them as much as he wants and they'll never bite.
We have no idea how this would play out. Internal military use is right there in the coup playbook, and top military leaders know this and surely have privately considered it. Would they tell him to fuck off? Maybe. Whatever they would do, if it gets to that point, they're betting their legacies and their lives on their choice.