Trump Betrays the Military

[Zorro]

His intervention in decisions about war crimes undermines the moral standing of the armed forces.

President Donald Trump on Friday cleared three military service members of war crimes, even after being reportedly advised against doing so by Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy. Mr. Trump interceded on behalf of Army Maj. Mathew Golsteyn, who had been charged with murdering an Afghan man; Edward Gallagher, a Navy SEAL who was convicted in connection with posing for a photo with the corpse of a fighter in Iraq; and Army First Lt. Clint Lorance, who, after nine fellow unit members testified against him, had been convicted of murdering two civilians in Afghanistan.

Mr. Trump may believe that intervening pays respect to those who have served in uniform, that it shows he’s “pro-military.” But if this is his view, he’s wrong. In reality, Mr. Trump’s meddling undermines the military’s institutional values, risks endangering American service members, and disrespects the honorable service of the overwhelming majority of veterans.

The military strives to ensure that its members adhere to the laws of war and respect human rights. Service members are trained, for example, to avoid civilian casualties by understanding rules of engagement and following the proper steps for escalation of force. They also learn the appropriate ways to treat detainees, and interrogators are trained to employ only the approved, legal methods.

During my two deployments to Afghanistan, my intelligence work helped lead to the capture of insurgent leaders. Sharing responsibility for their capture and as a recipient of the intelligence produced by their interrogations, I had a sense of moral reassurance in the understanding that my colleagues handled and interrogated the detainees humanely — just as they had been trained.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/15/opinion/trump-war-crimes-pardons-gallagher.html

[2naSalit]

1. I wonder when the brass will

stop supporting his commands.

[jrthin]

2. The military will do nothing. Their leaders will just write books. Sigh.

[dlk]

3. No doubt, Putin is pleased

As Speaker Pelosi has said, with Trump, all roads lead to Putin.

[SWBTATTReg]

4. So the-want-to-be, so-called president is undermining morale among our troops by ...

failing to maintain a sense of law and order, and at the same time, creating anger among our allies in allowing these war crimes to go unpunished, causing potential problems down the road for our military in the future.

This is almost like saying rump will punish a murderer in NYC because he doesn't like the city of New York. I wouldn't be surprised that when he gets thrown out of office when the impeachment concludes, he'll be running around frantically (like he always does, shows clearly how incompetent he truly is) pardoning all of his mafia buddies and others. What will the republicans say then, when 1000s of more crooks are released onto the streets of America?

President Bone Spurs is living up to his reputation, as a crass and crooked scumbag, trying to hog unearned and undeserved respect.

[Girard442]

5. The scary thing about the pardons...

...is that they appeal to those members of the military who would really love to be part of an American SS.

[Beartracks]

6. Does he want to reduce regulations on the military, just like with safety and the environment?

Silly rules against killing civilians must be hampering our soldiers and keeping America from being GREAT, apparently.

Wouldn't America be nicer if soldiers could kill wantonly, companies were free to dump pollutants in our rivers, and your boss wasn't required to ensure you don't lose a limb at your worksite?

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