Confederate base names, and Trump's veto threat, the only roadblock for $740 billion defense bill

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Congressional negotiations on a bill to authorize more than $740 billion in defense spending hinge on only one point of contention: whether lawmakers will order the Pentagon to rename bases that commemorate Confederate generals.

The debate has raged against the backdrop of national protests over racial injustice and grew more contentious this summer when President Trump threatened to veto the annual defense bill if it ordered such changes. Both the House and Senate, with veto-proof majorities, nonetheless passed separate versions of the spending authorization containing directives and deadlines to change the names.

But in the months since — and now despite Trump’s lame-duck status — Republican leaders on the armed services committees have become adamant that as long as he is threatening a veto, compromises must be made.

“There’s already a softening of positions, that I have seen,” Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.) said in an interview Wednesday. “We have to have a bill.”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has a policy, Inhofe said: “He’s not going to put anything on the floor that has a veto threat. And so we have to overcome that.”

There are 10 Army posts — located in Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana and Texas — that carry the names of Confederate generals. Earlier this year, the Senate passed a defense bill that ordered the names to be changed within three years, while the House passed a bill ordering the changes within one.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/confederate-base-names-and-trump-s-veto-threat-the-only-roadblock-for-740-billion-defense-bill/ar-BB1b8PKt?li=BBnbfcQ&ocid=DELLDHP

Why does the party of Abraham Lincoln insist on honoring the side that murdered him?

[bullimiami]

1. we need to start by halving the defense budget. its stupid beyond stupid.

[Kaleva]

2. A few of our WWII tanks were named after Confederate Generals

The Lee, the Stuart, the Jackson.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

3. So?

[Kaleva]

4. The tanks could be renamed to remove any history of honoring traitors.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

5. You're grasping for straws

[Kaleva]

6. I take that to mean you are ok with our history of honoring traitors?

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

9. Oh bullshit

The Lee was actually called the Grant. Some later revisionists tried to rename it.

And I've had enough of your childish games. Welcome to ignore.

[Kaleva]

12. well, you didn't deny you don't have an issue with honoring traitors.

[NutmegYankee]

10. The names aren't official.

The ones you cite were given by British and Commonwealth forces. The official US name was just letters and numbers.

Even the famous Sherman got its name from the UK.

[stonecutter357]

17. SO ? Confederate Generals ARE RACIST PIGS !!!!!!!!!

[NutmegYankee]

7. If I recall correctly, it was the British who named them "Lee".

The US turret design was called Lee and the British turret design was called Grant. Both were M3 tanks.

The British also named the Stuart tank.

[Kaleva]

8. The Brits called the M3 tank the Grant if I recall correctly

[NutmegYankee]

11. Only if it had the British turret design. They also used Lee tanks.

Because they needed them so badly they put US turret designs into British service.

[Kaleva]

13. The M36 Jackson was an American designation though.

[NutmegYankee]

14. Not officially.

It's an informal name. And that's why it would be pointless to argue over renaming it. You can't get that toothpaste back into the tube.

[Whiskeytide]

15. I think all of the WWII tanks we ...

... produced and leased to other countries were nick-named by the British after U.S. Civil War generals. Before that most of them carried letter/numeric names. We adopted the policy following the war, but I don’t think we used confederate general’s names.

I could be remembering that wrong, though.

[stonecutter357]

16. The one thing I hate the most is a RACIST PIG !