Liz Cheney endorsing Kamala
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Four-star admiral tears into Trump’s ‘betrayal’ at Arlington
Opinion by D. Earl Stephens
Mullen awarding U.S. Army captain Gregory Ambrosia the Silver Star at Korengal Outpost, Afghanistan, July 11, 2008.
Ever since the reprehensible Donald Trump — the Republican Party’s loathsome candidate for president — desecrated the graves of our fallen heroes and their families at Arlington National Cemetery’s hallowed Section 60 last Monday, August 26, by slovenly staking it out for a campaign photo-op, I have searched inside myself for the right words to express my sadness, anger, and disgust.
I had all but given up, when I came across an opinion piece on the tragic subject from retired Admiral Mike Mullen in today’s edition of the Washington Post. Mullen, who attained the rare rank of four-star admiral and commanded one high-level posting after another during his superlative, 43-year career in the Navy, served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2007 to 2011 under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
Mullen’s career was honorable, distinguished, and as a Navy man myself, did me proud.
Our paths crossed a few times while I was the civilian Managing Editor of Stars and Stripes newspaper from 2000 to 2011, and he was bouncing around the globe from one big command to another. Mullen presented as understated, distinguished, and one step ahead of whatever it was he was messing with.
Mullen always respected Stars & Stripes, which could be a helluva lot easier said than done from a man in his position.
Because Stripes is mandated by Congress to be editorially independent, we occasionally turned around some tough stories, that didn’t always reflect well on the military or command.
Our service members are only too human sometimes, and a rare few will stumble and find trouble — a sailor robbing store, a captain running aground, a master chief peddling Navy secrets … Unfortunately, it’s news when it happens. Best the military’s newspaper reports it first, rather than some other media entity that treats the military as a sidelight or a hobby.
We reported on the military for the military, good and bad, and Mullen understood and respected our mission. So when I saw him take to a newspaper today to explain to the American public why what Trump pulled at Arlington was so out of line and disrespectful, I read it with extreme interest.
Among Mullen’s many points in his editorial is that politics have no place whatsoever in our military. This is a line Trump has disgracefully crossed before, which is why so many former military leaders are sounding the alarms about another Trump term.
Typical of the man, Mullen was for more measured than I could ever be, but elegantly made a series of excellent points before landing here: “ to intrude upon that scene — to visit politics upon it — is to do much more than violate those rules; it is to betray the very nature of Arlington.”
“It is to betray the very nature of Arlington …” That, to me, was the money line, and why everybody must understood Trump’s high crime, and how low he went with his disgraceful visit.
But rather than critique the admiral’s good work, I thought it best to just share it with you here directly. It is a short, tight piece and explains why Mullen “never wants to see it happen again.”
The best way to prevent this, of course, is to make sure this horrible person never gets anywhere near power again.
You’ll notice he never mentions the despicable man, by his despicable name. This is by design, because the admiral honors his own words by avoiding sounding political or partisan. He’s sees his job as drawing the bright line that was obliterated here, and can never be crossed again.
Adm. Mike Mullen: Politics has no place at Arlington’s Section 60
Our fallen and departed veterans did not serve, fight or die for party.
Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery on Aug. 15, 2021.
By Mike Mullen
September 4, 2024 at 3:16 p.m. EDT
Mike Mullen, a retired U.S. Navy admiral, was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2007 to 2011.
Grieving families gathered at Arlington National Cemetery last week to commemorate the third anniversary of a terrorist attack in Afghanistan that took the lives of 13 brave American troops.
What was supposed to be a healing moment — a simple wreath-laying at the Tomb of the Unknowns — became a political event when campaign officials and cameramen attended the ceremony and visited Section 60 of the cemetery. Section 60 holds the remains of hundreds of men and women killed in Afghanistan and Iraq.
I was sorry to see that happen and never want to see it happen again.
To be sure, I hope the wreath-laying offered solace to those Gold Star families and the veterans who participated. I hope that, even if only for a moment, the burden of their unimaginable sorrow was lifted. They had every right to be there, as did their special guest.
But no part of Arlington — or any veterans’ cemetery for that matter — should ever play host to partisan activity. These cemeteries are sacred ground. They represent the final resting places of our best, our brightest, our most unselfish citizens.
Our fallen and departed veterans did not serve, fight or die for party. They fought and died for country, for each other, for their families and for us. They served in a military that defends all Americans — regardless of creed, color, race and, yes, voting habits.
Politics has no place in the ranks. And it absolutely has no place in our national cemeteries.
That goes double for Section 60. For the surviving family members of the men and women buried there, Section 60 is not a graveyard. It is a sanctuary, as alive to them now as their loved ones were not so long ago. Their memories — and their loss — are as thick as the hot summer air and as fresh and fragrant as the turf so recently turned over.
Walk those neat, clean white rows for yourself. Read the headstones. And marvel at the youth beneath your feet. There are few old men or old women buried in Section 60. And there aren’t many old mourners, either. On any given day, you’ll see school-age kids missing a mom or dad, young spouses yearning for the soft embrace of a husband or wife, and parents far too young to have buried a son or a daughter.
Talk to those mourners, as I have, and you’ll hear the stories of the fallen. You’ll hear about the fish they caught, the marathons they ran, the jokes they pulled, the love and the life they embraced. But you won’t hear a whit about politics. Not a breath about who voted for whom. Section 60 is far too big a place for that.
These families and friends come to pray, to cry, to read aloud from a favorite book, to spread a blanket on the soft grass and nap and dream of closer, happier days. It may be open to the public, but Section 60 is an intensely private place. That’s why there are strict rules there and elsewhere at the cemetery forbidding partisan activity, including campaign photography.
To intrude upon that scene — to visit politics upon it — is to do much more than violate those rules; it is to betray the very nature of Arlington. It is to mock the apolitical nature of our military and to dishonor the sacrifices made by those who rest there. Worse, it may lead others to think less of those sacrifices, to view them as smaller than they actually were. And that’s a travesty, no matter what the visitor may have intended.
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No no no the story around the military is that Walz is the disrespectful one because he called himself the same rank he held while serving and failed to mention he was administratively demoted in order to retire.
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Interesting polling results coming out of Nebraska’s Senate race. Nebraska has been one of the safest Republican seats in the Senate for nearly a generation, the current incumbent won with around 70% of the vote, but she is awful. An Independent filed to run against her, and the Democrats chose not to run anyone (unusually both Nebraska Senate seats are up for election this November). As a result, what was considered an easy win is running very close.
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Ah that explains why I read something about campaign resources being diverted to Nebraska.
Nebraska gives each of its three districts a single EC vote, and the second district in an around Omaha has been swingy and can go Dem. With the map is looking it is not unreasonable that single vote can be the difference between a 270-268 win vs a 269-269 draw. For as cheap as a district as it is to be active in and the importance a win would have there it would make sense they are putting resources there.
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With the financial edge overall, and with no ‘grift tax’, it could be sound strategy for the Democrats to force the Republicans to spend the money they do have outside the Trump campaign on defensive measures, even in places where they would not normally prioritize.
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Sure he’s a bigoted shit head with no understanding of anything, but Im an economy voter, and Trump is simply better on the economy. Sure, despite the resounding post-covid rebound, low unemployment, and wage rises that have kept up with inflation, Bidenomics has just failed.
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/goldman-sachs-sees-biggest-boost-us-economy-harris-win-2024-09-04/
Oh
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Trump takes incoherence to a new level…
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You could play a game of listening only to the answer and trying to guess what the question was and everyone would lose. Every time.
EDIT: Catherine Rampell described his speech as “sounded like it was just words randomly chosen out of the dictionary. To the extent that he said anything coherent, it was a promise of more corporate tax handouts and higher tariffs, which would raise costs for everyday Americans”
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Now the interesting thing will be what Democratic resources that frees up - Virginia in particular would have seen significant spending.
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had a genuine moment of reflection… i joined TIA all those years ago just to see the inside goss on the club…yet here we are all those years later…and i cant even say im not interested about the polling in Nebraskas senate race…
the internet is a different beast…
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TAN is honestly my favourite source of news from across the world. So many interesting and knowledgeable posters, from Nebraska to Edithvale.
They are the sharks of truth, and I am their remora.
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shit joke thread though…
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Here’s his answer written down.
Wow…
https://x.com/7Veritas4/status/1831815234127790254?t=LULrjee9BSb-4btl7uAQ5g&s=19
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Imagine being stuck in a lift with him… He is one boring bastard.!
He actually sounded like he was trying to describe how he will get more money from the childcare system, not reduce its cost.
In fact he doesn’t even sound like he understands what childcare is.
I’d love to know what the defence is of this kind of rambling incoherent nonsense.
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Can’t remember who said this before, but I fear for your brilliant mind if you do understand it.
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I have to say it is a first for me too - interesting times we live in.
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