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Okay, let me see if I can explain:
US Presidents -- or any elected civilian leader -- should not salute, or otherwise engage in military fetishism.
In the US, the President, and the elected government, are civilians by design, for very good reason.
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US Presidents -- or any elected civilian leader -- should not salute, or otherwise engage in military fetishism.
In the US, the President, and the elected government, are civilians by design, for very good reason.
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In the US, the military is subordinate to civilian authority.
You'd have to study history of the period when the US was founded to understand just how radical an idea this was.
Our founders, many military men themselves, did this on purpose. It wasn't an accident.
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You'd have to study history of the period when the US was founded to understand just how radical an idea this was.
Our founders, many military men themselves, did this on purpose. It wasn't an accident.
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In the US, the military is specifically prohibited by the Constitution from being used against US citizens except under VERY specific and limited conditions.
Which is one of the reasons our elected leaders -- in their governmental roles -- are CIVILIANS.
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Which is one of the reasons our elected leaders -- in their governmental roles -- are CIVILIANS.
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The military is NOT part of the US government and has no authority over citizens except, again, under very limited and specific conditions -- conditions that have expanded dangerously since 9-11 and SHOULD NOT HAVE.
Again, the military has no authority over the population.
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Again, the military has no authority over the population.
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In the US the military is subordinate to the ELECTED CIVILIAN leadership.
The Executive is the CIVILIAN Commander-In-Chief, not the President-General. By design, he or she is not even required to have any military experience, Q.E.D.
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The Executive is the CIVILIAN Commander-In-Chief, not the President-General. By design, he or she is not even required to have any military experience, Q.E.D.
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When the President, or any civilian leader, begins to wrap themselves in military trappings, by saluting, by wearing uniforms or military paraphernalia, you are on a dangerous road.
Because those leaders start thinking that they actually ARE generals, and worse...
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Because those leaders start thinking that they actually ARE generals, and worse...
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...the generals start thinking they are part of the government and thus granted authority over the citizen.
If you let that go, sooner or later you're going to find yourself answering to soldiers on the street. Just as our ancestors did under the Redcoats.
Or Nazi Germany.
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If you let that go, sooner or later you're going to find yourself answering to soldiers on the street. Just as our ancestors did under the Redcoats.
Or Nazi Germany.
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In America, the president is a civilian.
The president is elected by the citizens and is supposed to answer to them. As is the rest of our government. Something we all seem to have forgotten.
Thus, in America, the military is subordinate to the people, not their master.
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The president is elected by the citizens and is supposed to answer to them. As is the rest of our government. Something we all seem to have forgotten.
Thus, in America, the military is subordinate to the people, not their master.
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The military MUST salute our nation's elected leaders.
But while elected leaders should show respect to the military, it should not be via military tradition.
This daily reminds both the military AND THE PRESIDENT, and the citizen, of their Constitutional relationship.
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But while elected leaders should show respect to the military, it should not be via military tradition.
This daily reminds both the military AND THE PRESIDENT, and the citizen, of their Constitutional relationship.
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Our nation was designed this way on purpose.
Because when the President fancies himself a general, then military fascism follows pretty damn quickly indeed and one day you'll wake up to discover the military has become your master.
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Because when the President fancies himself a general, then military fascism follows pretty damn quickly indeed and one day you'll wake up to discover the military has become your master.
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Addendum:
Yes. You're very clever shouting at me, "did you say this when Obama saluted?"
You'd be even more clever if you rolled back in my timeline and saw that I *did* very much say this, almost word for word.
Again, MY principles don't depend on who's in office.
11/11
Yes. You're very clever shouting at me, "did you say this when Obama saluted?"
You'd be even more clever if you rolled back in my timeline and saw that I *did* very much say this, almost word for word.
Again, MY principles don't depend on who's in office.
11/11
