Two former Chairmen of Joint Chiefs of Staff speak out against Trump's use of the military

[highplainsdem]

Tweet from Chris Lu about this. Lu worked for the Obama administration as Deputy Secretary of Labor.

Link to tweet

Remarkable: Two former Chairmen of Joint Chiefs of Staff speak out against Trump’s use of military.

Dempsey says “our fellow citizens are not the enemy.”

Mullen calls out political “stunts” and says he was “sickened” by protestors being cleared out. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/06/american-cities-are-not-battlespaces/612553/

Dempsey's tweet, posted yesterday:

Link to tweet

America’s military, our sons and daughters, will place themselves at risk to protect their fellow citizens. Their job is unimaginably hard overseas; harder at home. Respect them, for they respect you. America is not a battleground. Our fellow citizens are not the enemy. #BeBetter

Mullen's opinion piece in The Atlantic, published this evening:

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/06/american-cities-are-not-battlespaces/612553/

I Cannot Remain Silent

Our fellow citizens are not the enemy, and must never become so.



It sickened me yesterday to see security personnel—including members of the National Guard—forcibly and violently clear a path through Lafayette Square to accommodate the president's visit outside St. John's Church. I have to date been reticent to speak out on issues surrounding President Trump's leadership, but we are at an inflection point, and the events of the past few weeks have made it impossible to remain silent.

Whatever Trump's goal in conducting his visit, he laid bare his disdain for the rights of peaceful protest in this country, gave succor to the leaders of other countries who take comfort in our domestic strife, and risked further politicizing the men and women of our armed forces.

There was little good in the stunt.

-snip-

I remain confident in the professionalism of our men and women in uniform. They will serve with skill and with compassion. They will obey lawful orders. But I am less confident in the soundness of the orders they will be given by this commander in chief, and I am not convinced that the conditions on our streets, as bad as they are, have risen to the level that justifies a heavy reliance on military troops. Certainly, we have not crossed the threshold that would make it appropriate to invoke the provisions of the Insurrection Act.

-snip-

He concludes: "This is not the time for stunts. This is the time for leadership."

[elleng]

1. I Cannot Remain Silent Our fellow citizens are not the enemy, and must never become so.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/06/american-cities-are-not-battlespaces/612553/?