Last Friday, Trump called General Mark Milley, retiring Chief of Staff for the Joint Forces, “treasonous” and deserving “to be executed for communications the general had with China.”
The Atlantic was one of the first to report in detail, “The former president is inciting violence against the nation’s top general, and America’s response is distracted and numb.”
Sometimes, it’s impossible to think a thing like this could happen, but it did, so now is the time not to be “distracted and numb.” This is serious and dangerous for all of us.
Yes, Trump — former President of the United States, said Milley — the man Trump appointed to be Chief of Staff of the Joint Forces, should face “death” for communicating with China during Trump’s presidency.
Milley’s job was to communicate with China (and other countries, too). The growing response among Americans seems to be … outraged, shocking, disgraceful. Just plain wrong.
Just hours ago, President Biden responded, saying in a speech in Arizona that “Trump holds the dangerous view that presidents possess fearsome, unchecked powers, a position at odds with the constitutional norms meant to prevent unilateral rule.”
I confess. Tonight I wanted to write about Ukraine – how we have two choices: (1) keep a stiff backbone and make sure we – the Western World, stay strong for Ukraine and, in doing so, show how powerful the democracies of the Western World are, or (2) “woose out” on Ukraine, break our nation’s word, and in doing so, send the message that the Western World is weak, cannot be counted on, and is probably vulnerable to more attacks.
But now, we have an even bigger challenge. Donald Trump, former president of the United States, called for the execution of General Mark Milley, retiring Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. This is what dictators do. This is what Putin does … remember how the plane Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was flying in mysteriously blew up? Remember anti-corruption campaigner Alexei Navalny, who was first poisoned and now is sentenced to life in Russia because he disagrees with Putin. Navalny’s “sin” is to support democracy.
Trump, who is charged with 91 felonies, many of them related to attempts to steal the 2020 election, is really good at stirring up people, pushing them to commit crimes about things that did not happen. We saw that on January 6th when Trump urged his MAGA supporters to go to the Capitol … to stop Vice President Pence from doing his Constitutional duty, as Pence presided over a joint session of Congress and did his duty to count the proven electoral votes certified by the states. We saw the angry MAGA supporters build a gallows for hanging Pence and also Speaker Pelosi. (Disclosure: I live four blocks from the U.S. Capitol; I saw the damage done by the terrorists.) This was no picnic. It was an attack on democracy, an attack on the very heart of our nation, the building that symbolizes our democracy.). Day of Rage: How Trump Supporters Took the U.S. Capitol
And now, we have Trump seemingly attempting to do it again — as he calls out his MAGA supporters to make a villain of General Milley and incites the MAGA folks to do more wrongs.
Just hours ago, President Biden offered “dire warnings about Trump, accusing mainstream GOP of ‘deafening’ silence.” The damage to our democracy is right in front of us. ABC News reported: Domestic terrorism-related cases increased by more than 350% over eight years: Watchdog
But just for a moment, let’s think. Trump has long admired dictators and oligarchs. He has disparaged our military for decades. Now, he has trapped himself in not only a legal mess but also, as the legal problems grow, an illusion about how strong he is. He’s forced General Milley to take steps to protect himself and his family. His threat against Milley is what Putin and other dictators do.
These threats and actions create a dangerous time for all of us. 44% of the American military comes from Rural America, but Trump has Mocked the Military His Whole Life (Paul Hirsch, Foreign Policy Magazine). He mocks rural Americans as he mocks our military. If he can call for the death of America’s top general, he can call for the end of anyone — in the military or this country. Trump’s most vocal supporters in Congress just shut down the federal government. In doing so, they force our American military to go without pay and stop the military industry in its tracks. (Disclosure: both my sons served in the Iowa National Guard and fought in the “War on Terrorism.”). U.S. investments in our military help keep us safe. For Ukraine, our investments and the rest of the Western World support Ukraine’s democracy and send the message to the “dictator/oligarch” world that we should not be messed with; we are strong. These U.S. investments also help keep wars away from our shores as they limit the fighting our soldiers are trained to do.
But this won’t be enough to keep us safe if past presidents are allowed to call for the leader of our U.S. military to be executed. It is time to look at ourselves as a nation. General Mark Milley held the line. He protected our Constitution. We all must act to protect and respect it, too.