Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at his confirmation hearing refused to rule out opening fire on protesters if Trump ordered it.
As Donald Trump ramps up his use of the military to quell domestic dissent, he has on his side a Pentagon chief apparently ready to carry out any order Trump gives him, possibly including a potentially illegal one to shoot American citizens.
Pete Hegseth, specifically asked during his January confirmation hearing whether he would have obeyed a 2020 Trump demand to shoot protesters — as Trump had wanted then-Secretary Mark Esper to do in his first term — would not answer and instead dodged the question.
On Monday, even as California Gov. Gavin Newsom sued Trump and Hegseth to rescind the deployment because he had not requested it, as he said the law requires, Trump escalated the situation by adding 700 Marines, a full battalion, to the mix.
It is unclear what, precisely, they can accomplish. Federal law prohibits them from arresting people unless Trump were to invoke the 1807 Insurrection Act. While he has referred to the protesters as “insurrectionists” multiple times, he has not used his authority to declare the riot an “insurrection” against the United States, which would suggest that the participants are trying to overthrow the national government.
They’re gonna be real surprised when people shoot back.
Who’s going to be surprised? The leaders who will never be in the same state? Nah it’s advantageous for them. The soldiers? Either they are following orders and gritting their teeth as they fire at innocent civilians, or they believe the propoganda that the protestors are a violent threat to the country. Surprise will be if say, on the order a significant portion of the armed forces back the protestors.
Hi all, I hope people hear this and the post is not hidden. This is an insecure system, and talking on here about things you want to or will do will be used by the regime.
Please take this as it is meant. I fully appreciate the anger and the pain you are all feeling, and you are totally right to fight, but you must fight smart.
DO NOT LET YOUR ANGER GET THE BEST OF YOU. If this goes the way it’s looking like it might, direct fights with whatfever is left of the States’ forces is suicide, and the good guys need all the boots on the ground you can muster.
There are many veterans of the war on terror who are literal experts on the tactics needed to win this; seek them out.
Assume all coms are monitored because they are. Look after each other, people.
A friend who knows the score.
As a guy who spent the majority of his life in a dictatorship, you’re correct: be very careful of what you say online.
There’s a point that they eventually get to where they just send law enforcement after you for things like tweets - they do it to make examples of folk, so they end up casting a very wide net. It’s definitely not worth getting caught in it.
Having said that, I still like the US! Just need to apply the usual fascist state warnings from now on: watch what you say, mind who you spend time with, and watch where you go. Avoid large crowds etc. etc.
I’m chuckling as I imagine there’s got to be a thinly veiled lemmy.gov instance out there in some way shape or form lol
looks at the poligonal ursae
taps signs Don’t feed the piggies by fedposting, my little lemmings. They are fat enough.
And yet again, our news media has failed us.
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Willing? These freaks are absolutely salivating for the opportunity to kill civilians.
America wanted to be Israel so bad
Be Israel? Lol… how old are you? If we’re keeping the convo to our neighbors in our economic stranglehold, Google Central America in the 20th century. We export this culture.
No mate there not alot of troops will change sides they don’t hate the public they are the fucking public, pigs are difrent but soilders are not robots there people who will not go along with those shit some will but when shot hits the fan and they have the choice to shoot civvys or traitors they will make the right call some will do evil most won’t and you will see units fall apart.
Where were these supposed moral soldiers when bombing school busses in the Middle East?
Of course he has a willing yes man. That was the entire point in installing woefully unqualified sociopathic sycophants to every department at every level possible.
I’m a British veteran and from the first day if basic training your are told over and over and over not to follow an illegal order, honestly sending in the marines would prob be better for the public than the pigs troops are from shit holes and just needed the money most of the yanks I worked with would never fire on protesters.
But you know I might be wrong.
I’d like to hope you’re not wrong. When I was in, honor, integrity, and empathy were tenants put above duty to any one person. I’ve seen a lot of this anti-soldier sentiment coming in the wake of the CNG being deployed to LA. As far as I have seen, there have been no instances of the California National Guard acting out of line according to the UCMJ. I don’t expect all of the men and women, currently serving, to honor their oath as this country has been fed a steady stream of hateful and vitriolic propaganda from all forms of available media, mainstream and social. However, I have to believe those who commit atrocities will be the minority, not the majority.
Let’s hope there are vets in the crowd to remind them that their oath is to a principal and not a “man.”
Bombing schools and weddings in the Middle East and Africa is also illegal but that never stopped the US military.
It’s easy to sit in a computer chair and cast a wide net of indignation across an entire band of people from all manners of background and culture. If you’ve never served, then you’re just a puppet for whatever the media has fed you. If you’re in the US, the same people you’re shitting all over may be the only thing that stands between you and LEOs that would love nothing more than to get another gun to aim your way.
Everyone. Is. Capable. Of. Evil. You are not immune to propaganda.
Facts mate I know people fairly senior who I belive will do the right thing when the time comes I worked with them in iraq and stay In touch there just like you but with a weird job there’s idiots every where but there’s enough good to fight them
I will admit, sadly, the current propaganda machines have poisoned the minds of so many servicemen. The popularity of tRump within their ranks is higher than I would like to see, given the blatant demegogory displayed by him at every turn. Still, I hold out hope we see good triumph over evil when this all inevitably goes tits up.
What I wouldn’t give to be anywhere else than the states nowadays! I feel like just the headlines take a day off my life, anymore.
And any military who follow that order are a fucking disgrace…
I really hope they’re still teaching opportunity, capability, and intent as the deadly force “triangle” (i.e., all 3 must be present in order to use deadly force) in addition to the justifications for the use of force, none of which are “somebody told me to.”
“Look here. I know I was in the M1 Abrams tank, but that blue haired lesbian with a climate change flag made me fear for my life.”
“Besides, what if she were to claim that America wasn’t the land of the free, how would THAT look?”
They will argue that a toddler has all three.
You’ll find that’s a pretty large portion of the Marines.
The Nazis had a choice now Americans do. Let’s see how this pans out cotton.
I expect it to go much the same way.
Tin soldiers and Trump is comin’
We’re finally on our own…
Get the fuck out while you still can, if you’re able.
“if”
Geez, who could have seen that coming.
Except, you know, everyone who wasn’t in the cult.
I will hurt every servicemember I spot if that’s the case. I used to live in Colorado Springs. If I were still there, then it’d be a turkey shoot, getting so many of those fuckers. They’re everywhere in the city. Now I have to travel to Monterey to get them. Or San Diego.
Honestly mate I don’t think the armed forces would exist for very long if he gave that order, most troops would change teams on the spot.
Having lived in Colorado Springs, I beg to differ. Maybe a significant minority will defect but most military members have a lot of anger towards the world and want to kill anyone in their way.
Nah that’s all show some are like that but tons arnt and there’s a big difference with fighting overseas and shooting civvys in la
The Libertarians, NRA, etc. would be up in arms (in the original, literal meaning) over something like that, right?
They are already there in uniform
“Some of those that work forces, are the same that burn crosses”
Lol
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Do not fight a stand up fight mate this is not going to end well they have things you don’t know how to stop dm me
