General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsAs a Marine, I have to say something I never wanted to say about Gen'l Kelly...
He has sunk to Ollie North territory for me.
Irish_Dem
(45,619 posts)democratisphere
(17,235 posts)There will be a place on the fox propoganda network when he is finished with this tour of dirty duty; "War Stories from the Oval Office".
sharedvalues
(6,916 posts)Consider the case of Rick Santorum, rather humiliatingly beaten in 2006. What came next?
The Ethics and Public Policy Center is delighted to announce that the Honorable Rick Santorum is joining EPPC as a Senior Fellow. Mr. Santorum will establish and direct a program, titled Americas Enemies, that will focus on identifying, studying, and heightening awareness of the threats posed to America and the West from a growing array of anti-Western forces that are increasingly casting a shadow over our future and violating religious liberty around the world.
And who funds the Ethics and Public Policy Center? Just who youd expect: a couple of Richard Mellon Scaife foundations, the Koch brothers, etc..
Follow the money.
democratisphere
(17,235 posts)for conservatives with zero talent for anything. I am always amazed at the idiots that get hired.
sharedvalues
(6,916 posts)It's intentional - donors want there to be a soft landing for their witless pawns after they burn out in their jobs.
True Blue American
(17,972 posts)Now Rick is on CNN. I change the channel when he comes on.
George II
(67,782 posts)sharedvalues
(6,916 posts)Santorum needs to self-deport, as the President would say. America doesn't need his hate and corrupting lies.
Alice11111
(5,730 posts)so many others are so far to the new right, he just seems less conservative. I always thought he was just another RWNJ, but there are many to the right of him. God, how did we go from a civilized country to normalizing RWNJs in less than a year?
The media did their part!
LovingA2andMI
(7,006 posts)......
Still In Wisconsin
(4,450 posts)He is thoroughly disgusted by General Kelly. He calls him a disgrace to the Marine Corps.
keithbvadu2
(36,362 posts)Kelly's lie about FBI building funding degrades the integrity of the entire Officer Corps.
No honor there.
lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)Chalk up one more.
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)Why don't they realize that they are ruining their careers? Don't they know that Trump is just going to turn around and stab them in the back sooner or later? There is no future in propping him up.
weydowner
(100 posts)A few years ago could ANYONE foresee that most Republicans would be quite happy about the fact that Russia - by foul means and fouler - could have influenced the election and produced a 'winner' in the most unsuitable human being in the continent? Who would promote a nest of rodents that must rely on their boss because they know that every good person would recoil in horror? That The Simpsons would pick our our Donald as being the potential most unlikely and disastrous President, to be treated as a joke.
Indeed there is a future with Trump; as long as he has his base and his Generals and his crazy donors.
One cancer cell is a bit useless; 100 or a 1000 or a million means a trip to the doctor.
A million posters or media panels or town hall meetings are ultimately futile; we are all 'fake news', fit to be consigned to yesterday news that nobody will read and nobody cares about, as important as the thousands of Trump-Bots, except they managed to fulfil their aims in creating this nightmare.
thegoose
(3,115 posts)These are demonic souls...
oasis
(49,150 posts)after his servicing of Trump. Ollie, at least , got a gig at Fox.
KelleyKramer
(8,844 posts)The had him make a Senate run (Virginia I think) and Ollie had plenty of GOP sugar daddies to fully fund his campaign
oasis
(49,150 posts)Alice11111
(5,730 posts)Stem cells and against the far right. I used to hate her, but like a lot of Republicans, she signaled that the party had left her, and she was probably closer to many Dems now. She was still reclusive. She invited Michelle Obama and Hillary to her funeral.
yallerdawg
(16,104 posts)We transported Marines around the world. Would "drop" them off at the beach, and then wait for them "far away!"
My experience with Marines - if you think anyone could rise to the rank of 4 Star Marine General with any flirtation with sanity, you don't know Marines!
Wounded Bear
(58,437 posts)I was in the Air Wing, the sane half of the Corps.
During my hitch, I met two generals. One was a simple handshake as I got off a plane after an 18 month deployment aboard the USS Forest Fire (I mean Forrestal ). The other was an actual interview just before I left active duty, because they were having some trouble retaining people that used to be considered automatic re-enlistees. By the time they get stars, it is my contention that they turn into politicians.
RDANGELO
(3,430 posts)Wounded Bear
(58,437 posts)sarge43
(28,939 posts)Tick off the rungs, kiss the butts, step on necks, forget where you came from and who is CingYA = careerists.
I met a handful who weren't, but only a very few.
Wounded Bear
(58,437 posts)In my squadron, the aircrews were generally OK. All were O1-3, essentially. Of course, the fact that we worked on their planes might have had something to do with it.
sarge43
(28,939 posts)Last edited Sat Oct 21, 2017, 08:06 PM - Edit history (1)
Same in the Fly Force. The jocks and wrenches were tight. As long they had their flight status, the jocks were ok. Once they had their wings clipped (usually medical or promoted up and out) not so much. There were exceptions, but not so much.
Crowman2009
(2,477 posts)I was in for about 9 years (mostly active duty) with my MOS being 6541. But I left due to other s*** that I wanted to do with my life and not have to deploy to Iraq again. Not to mention that I didn't want to make a career out of Aviation Ordnance since I don't know if my liver could handle it. LOL It was a rather eclectic unit let me put it that way.
Wounded Bear
(58,437 posts)Did 7 years back in the 70's. Skated out of Vietnam.
Crowman2009
(2,477 posts)A large percentage of Aviation Ordnance consists of Marines who couldn't get into Crash Fire Rescue school. Myself included! I assume HQ thinks: well if there crazy enough to want to work with fire, then they could probably handle large amounts of explosives.
Wounded Bear
(58,437 posts)They assigned me when I got to MCAS El Toro. That was the C school I went to.
sandensea
(21,526 posts)And the Faux News gig (for now).
Thank you for your service, Wounded Bear.
Wounded Bear
(58,437 posts)procon
(15,805 posts)NCjack
(10,279 posts)fake news he created in an empty barrel. Ready for prime time on Fox News. And, the follow-up standing by his original statement, well that is delicious.
UTUSN
(70,496 posts)He is owned by his "superior" and will perform any sycophancy and loss of self-respect for his "superior."
Grammy23
(5,808 posts)At the building dedication in 2015 and he had a chance to see the video, he should have apologized right then. He could have called her personally to apologize and then released a statement acknowledging his mistake. A public statement would be better but short of that, something released to the press would be better than nothing!
Instead he is standing by his lie. Any person caught in a mistake, lie or incorrect information owes it to the person they maligned to correct the situation ASAP. Failure to do this makes him no better than tRump. And we all know tRump is a pathological liar. Deal with that, Kelly. Is that really how you want to be remembered??
BigmanPigman
(51,430 posts)but not worthy of an apology. He has no respect for women and is a racist. He fits perfectly in the White House. He may be a general but he garnishes no respect from me.
czarjak
(11,191 posts)He works for the guy that "cherishes women"
Alice11111
(5,730 posts)assumed since they had risen to a level of competency, they had to know what an imbecile DT is, and that they would take control at the proper time. We were projecting rational assumptions...dangerous. No such assumptions now. They will defend the Chain of Command.
pnwmom
(108,925 posts)FakeNoose
(32,340 posts)... that's exactly what he would have done, I'm sure. But it's not Kelly's show, it's Cheeto's.
Therefore Cheeto is calling all the shots. That includes making Kelly fall on his sword or a grenade or whatever.
Not one single American has an ounce of respect for General Kelly anymore. Sad isn't it?
Skittles
(152,964 posts)Kelly is a Trump whore
DinahMoeHum
(21,737 posts)NanceGreggs
(27,813 posts)... about Congresswoman Wilson's speech. He fabricated it.
We've all now seen the video of her speech. Kelly's recounting of it has absolutely NO resemblance to anything she actually said - none.
That's not a "mistake" - it's not a matter of "mis-remembering". His entire account was a lie, and he knew it was a lie when he told the tale.
Amazingly enough, Kelly was stupid enough to think no one would dig up the video disproving his version of events.
I guess stupidity, like lying, is contagious at the Trump WH.
Stonepounder
(4,033 posts)We are a damn Democratic Republic. We have civilian control of the military and we will question anyone we damn well we want to. You are not allowed to 'question' high ranking officials in Dictatorships, you question long and hard ina Democratic Republic.
You don't believe me? Check out:
[link:https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51f3gNIB9UL._SX328_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg|
Hmmm...image doesn't automatically load. It is a picture of the book by HR McMaster, who retired as a 3-Star General.
world wide wally
(21,719 posts)A fish rots from the head down
hay rick
(7,521 posts)General Kelly's credibility was based on his history of meritorious service and the presumption of honesty and good character that Americans accord to all members of the armed services by default. They are presumed to be good guys until they prove otherwise. General Kelly's credibility was bolstered by an additional factor- wishful thinking. We have desperately hoped that there are mature and dedicated people ready to intervene on our behalf when Trump goes off the rails.
Now we know better. General Kelly threw away all of his credibility in a single day.
csziggy
(34,120 posts)Found on another DU thread:
We all need to read and share this: John Kelly has been a monster for years - please share!!!
Link to original article:
https://www.aclu.org/other/john-kelly-facts
hay rick
(7,521 posts)So folks have been counting on a torture/Guantanamo hardass to be the voice of reason in this White House. The hits just keep on coming.
Response to Wounded Bear (Original post)
Name removed Message auto-removed
Trust Buster
(7,299 posts)Is reminiscent of Patton slapping a shell shocked soldier. Kellys inability to step to the worlds largest pulpit yesterday to retract and apologize for his slanderous comments in light of the video all over the news yesterday represents the true measure of Kellys character and honor or lack thereof IMO.
H2O Man
(73,308 posts)RandomAccess
(5,210 posts)ETA one more: We all need to read and share this: John Kelly has been a monster for years - please share!!! https://www.democraticunderground.com/10029735017
Regarding Chief of Staff John Kelly, it's worth recalling @theCCR statement about him from his Gitmo oversight days
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10029733501
White House officials believe that chief of staff John Kellys personal cell phone was compromised, potentially as long ago as December, Politico reports.
The discovery raises concerns that hackers or foreign governments may have had access to data on Kellys phone while he was secretary of the Department of Homeland Security and after he joined the West Wing. https://politicalwire.com/2017/10/05/kellys-personal-cell-phone-compromised/
John Kelly is not a good man https://www.democraticunderground.com/10029426076
His tenure at DHS has been one of cruelty and indifference to suffering.
http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/attytood/how-can-kelly-save-trump-when-he-was-a-human-rights-disaster-at-homeland-security-20170806.html
The unsupported Kelly hagiography ignores the testimony of those such as the ICE agent who last month bared his soul to the New Yorker magazine. The agent told the magazine that he wasnt a fan of micromanagement and some policies during the Obama years, but now he was appalled at what was happening at the agency under Kelly and Trump. Things such as basic humane discretion, or simply calling an interpreter to resolve a problem, he says, have been tossed out the window because [t]he problem is that now there are lots of people who feel free to feel contempt. The agent said he struggled to understand a policy change to deport children who had been placed in U.S. homes and given an education, only because they had turned 18 and were now legally adults. Were doing it because we can, the unnamed agent told the magazine, and it bothers the hell out of me.
Homeland Securitys John Kelly is unhinged
http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2017/04/25/homeland-security-john-kelly-unhinged/viy0TgjP0p54ovFHDWO8KJ/story.html
Last week he delivered one of the more unhinged speeches that you will ever hear from a Cabinet secretary. It was a terrifying reminder of the depths this administration will sink to in order to sell its toxic policies.
A race against those who seek our destruction
America is under attack every single day from people who hate our country, our freedoms, our laws, and our values.
The genius of Trumpism
Kellys remarks garnered headlines for his statement that if members of Congress do not like the laws theyve passed and that Department of Homeland Security is charged to enforce then they should either change the laws or shut up.
He also claimed that morale issues at the department are a result of a default to believing the self-serving accusations of a wrong doer rather than department officials. Because really nothing inspires greater confidence in law enforcement than the notion they should be a) above criticism and b) assumed to always be acting in good faith.
But then Kelly jumped out of the crazy tree and hit every branch on the way down. In discussing his agencys mission, Kelly said this (slightly annotated).
Make no mistake we are a nation under attack.
No, were not.
HOMELAND SECURITY PICK GEN. JOHN KELLY FAILS TO DISCLOSE TIES TO DEFENSE CONTRACTORS
https://theintercept.com/2017/01/17/homeland-security-pick-gen-john-kelly-fails-to-disclose-ties-to-defense-contractors/
THE INTERCEPT revealed last week that Donald Trumps nominee to lead the the Department of Homeland Security, retired Marine Corps Gen. John F. Kelly, did not disclose on his ethics form that he was listed as a vice chairman at the Spectrum Group, a defense contractor lobbying firm.
Now, it appears that Kelly failed to list two other positions as well: board memberships with Michael Baker International and Sallyport Global, two defense contractors that do business with the U.S. government.
Federal law requires Senate-confirmed nominees to list all positions at outside organizations on ethics forms that are vetted by the Office of Government Ethics and released to both the public and lawmakers. But the board memberships, like the Spectrum Group vice chairmanship, were not listed on Kellys federal ethics disclosure form nor his letter to the Homeland Security Departments designated ethics official.
... Ethics experts say the failure to disclose Kellys listed board memberships violate ethics guidelines. One of the purposes of the financial disclosure requirement is for OGE and the public to identify an officials potential conflicts of interest, said Brendan Fischer, an attorney with the Campaign Legal Center.
If Gen. Kelly only identifies his relationship with the parent private equity firm, and not his relationship with specific subsidiaries engaged in lobbying or other activities, OGE and the public are left guessing as to which clients of which subsidiaries might pose a potential conflict, Fischer added, noting that OGE guidelines do require even non-compensated positions to be disclosed.
John Kelly the "grownup"? Forget it -- Homeland Security chief turns out to be another Trump zealot
MONDAY, JUN 12, 2017 08:05 AM EDT https://www.democraticunderground.com/10029191621
http://www.salon.com/2017/06/12/john-kelly-the-grownup-forget-it-homeland-security-chief-turns-out-to-be-another-trump-zealot/
Democrats are finally noticing that Kelly's an immigration hardliner and anti-drug fanatic with a dubious worldview
HEATHER DIGBY PARTON
Its unclear as I write this whether or not Attorney General Jeff Sessions will be testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday in open or closed session. He has cancelled his previously scheduled appearance at an open hearing before the Appropriations Committee, so the speculation is that he just doesnt want to appear in public right now.
... With all the suspicion swirling around Sessions its actually possible that he could eventually be forced to step down. Since hes probably the most pernicious of all the domestic Trump appointees that would be a relief. But hes just one member of the Carnage Crew and there are others making worrisome progress in making America worse than ever.
Over the weekend, Politico reported that Democrats are becoming alarmed that the Director of Homeland Security, retired Gen. John Kelly, isnt the calming influence on Trump that theyd hoped. For some reason they believed Kelly he would rein in Trumps draconian policies on immigration and security. They were wrong:
<Instead, Kelly has moved to impose those policies with military rigor. He has pursued an aggressive deportation campaign; defended Trumps effort to ban visitors from several Muslim-majority countries; and hinted that he might separate migrant parents from their children at the U.S.-Mexico border. Kelly has joked with Trump about using violence against reporters and defended Trumps son-in-law, Jared Kushner, amid allegations that he tried to set up a secret back channel to the Russian government.>
Homeland Security unveils sweeping plan to deport undocumented immigrants
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2017/02/21/donald-trump-homeland-security-issues-deportation-memos/98190192/
spike jones
(1,654 posts)The Marine Oath of Enlistment
I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same. That I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.
You cannot defend the Constitution AND obey the orders of Trump.
diva77
(7,604 posts)Should be spread far and wide. Maybe put it on bumper stickers and buttons!
Grins
(7,132 posts)One former, very senior DoD guy, I worked with said all the senior Marine officers he knew at the Pentagon were just SEETHING when North showed up to testify before Congress - in uniform. Absolutely SEETHING in quiet rage.
At the time North was a Lt. Col. at the White House, a position about which my friend said:
"You know what Lt. Colonels do on Capitol Hill?? They're the damn easel carriers for the full Colonels and Generals with real responsibility!"
Never forgot it.
Tavarious Jackson
(1,595 posts)ThoughtCriminal
(14,010 posts)Lies. Tolerates those who do.
Dishonors the Corp.
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)I can't forgive Rs for the incompetence in recent missions and outright disrespect of our Military & their families.
SummerSnow
(12,608 posts)samnsara
(17,570 posts)tragedy soon. Kellys at the bottom,personally, too I think and hes not going to go out alone. I think the gold star thing wrung the life out of him. He's essentially a dead man walking who has his sites on trump.
burrowowl
(17,606 posts)StevieM
(10,499 posts)Wounded Bear
(58,437 posts)He's a fucking weasel. I can't even watch his bullshit show when I channel surf. Just his name makes me gag.
Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)Very disappointed is an understatement, I guess.
bdamomma
(63,652 posts)Kelly has sold his soul for this POS.