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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsMore than 120 retired generals wrote to Biden appearing to back a false election conspiracy
What the ever loving fuck??? This country has jumped the shark...
(businessinsider.com)
More than 120 retired US military leaders have signed an open letter appearing to advance a false conspiracy theory that the 2020 election was rigged and questioning President Joe Biden's mental capacity to serve.
"Without fair and honest elections that accurately reflect the 'will of the people' our Constitutional Republic is lost," said the letter released Tuesday by "Flag Officers 4 America," and signed by 124 former admirals and generals.
"The FBI and Supreme Court must act swiftly when election irregularities are surfaced and not ignore them as was done in 2020."
On its website, Flag Officers 4 America says it is a collection of "retired military leaders who pledged to support and defend the Constitution of the US against all enemies, foreign and domestic."
more of this crap at: https://www.businessinsider.com/former-generals-admirals-letter-question-election-biden-health-2021-5
Skittles
(153,150 posts)shows how deep the cult propaganda runs
TheBlackAdder
(28,188 posts)PortTack
(32,762 posts)what the hell are they talking about? SCOTUS must act swiftly..they did. There were 60 cases brought..the deposed idiot king lost 59!!
Republican and dem SOS across the country repeatedly stated they found no voter fraud, no irregularities, counts were done 2 and 3 times..audits. Whining assholes
zaj
(3,433 posts)Don't dismiss anything legit crazy like this as "who cares".
Hekate
(90,662 posts)dhol82
(9,353 posts)Phoenix61
(17,003 posts)Over 200 retired officers wrote a letter in support of Biden.
zaj
(3,433 posts)If 120 supported Trump it would be comparable, but this is 120 believing bat-crap crazy BS Conspiracy theory garbage. They have become radicalized.
Phoenix61
(17,003 posts)Its really not that surprising. Look at how many of the insurrectionists were ex military .
zaj
(3,433 posts)We can't accept this as normal or we are part of the problem
uponit7771
(90,335 posts)everyonematters
(3,433 posts)Response to everyonematters (Reply #6)
JHB This message was self-deleted by its author.
Takket
(21,563 posts)Yeah... I'd like an accounting of whether all these people actually exist and if so if they are even aware they signed this "letter".
Hugin
(33,135 posts)I wouldn't be too overly surprised to see Geo. A. Custer on that list.
Actually, I'd be disappointed if he weren't listed.
House of Roberts
(5,168 posts)and a number of 'signees' turn out to be phony?
everyonematters
(3,433 posts)GP6971
(31,141 posts)LTG (Ret) Boykin...he's executive VP of the Family Research Council. And if I recall correctly, at the beginning of the Iraq War stated that "Our God is stronger than your God".
gratuitous
(82,849 posts)So a 7.1 million vote spread doesn't represent the "will of the people" for these knuckleheads?
RegularJam
(914 posts)Not saying that this isnt overall accurate as 120 is a very small number. But BI is a no go.
moonscape
(4,673 posts)been neutral, but not illegitimate or unreliable.
RegularJam
(914 posts)Do not vet or corroborate sources, intentionally omit facts in order to promote what they want, and use inflammatory headlines as a means of getting clicks.
Its well documented.
It really is a shit show.
RegularJam
(914 posts)Is this story and their own website. There are close to 5000 retired generals in the US.
RegularJam
(914 posts)This is the only thing they have up. This and links to a bunch of right wing places talking about this story. Nothing else.
TomSlick
(11,097 posts)is not a large number.
Heaven knows I managed to run into a very few nut-case general officers in my time. However, they were greatly outnumbered by the brilliant ones.
I wish this had not happened but I am not too distressed.
CatWoman
(79,298 posts)niyad
(113,278 posts)How many of them are there? How many active duty? And can we verify all those supposed signatories???
I keep thinking about the Bing Crosby song from "White Christmas", "What DoYou Do With A General?".
JHB
(37,159 posts)"GFOs" = general and flag officers. Generals and admirals, in non-militaryspeak.
Active duty:
Number of retirees is harder to pin down quickly, but the first guy on the list, a Coast Guard rear admiral, retired in 1991, 30 years ago. GHW Bush was president, the Soviet Union still had a month left in it, and FOX News didn't even exist yet.
niyad
(113,278 posts)Hortensis
(58,785 posts)JHB
(37,159 posts)The average age of officers one grade below the GFOs is mid-40s. The lowest GFPs have mandatory retirement at 5years in rank or 30 years of service. I'd need to spend more time checking to familiarize myself with how it all works in practice, but there's a strong "up or out" mechanism in place.
Which means there's a lot of retirees going on to second careers, of which 124 is a paltry number, but not surprising they can round up that number of old cranks so they can wave the shoulder boards around to look like it's more significant than it is.
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)seems problematic, and perhaps sometimes leading to bitterness that there wasn't one more promotion to save them from being discarded? Some will just have really gotten good, of course. Wonder how much corruption might be a problem. Most will know from day 1 that they will need to transition to private industry positions in only 5 years.
Locutusofborg
(525 posts)who are Trump supporters?
In case anyone has forgotten what the CURRENT Generals of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said:
Message from Joint Chiefs on U.S. Capitol Riot
January 12, 2021 5:19 PM
MEMORANDUM FOR THE JOINT FORCE
SUBJECT: MESSAGE TO THE JOINT FORCE
The American people have trusted the Armed Forces of the United States to protect them and our Constitution for almost 250 years. As we have done throughout our history, the U.S. military will obey lawful orders from civilian leadership, support civil authorities to protect lives and property, ensure public safety in accordance with the law, and remain fully committed to protecting and defending the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.
The violent riot in Washington, D.C. on January 6, 2021 was a direct assault on the U.S. Congress, the Capitol building, and our Constitutional process. We mourn the deaths of the two Capitol policemen and others connected to these unprecedented events.
We witnessed actions inside the Capitol building that were inconsistent with the rule of law. The rights of freedom of speech and assembly do not give anyone the right to resort to violence, sedition and insurrection.
As Service Members, we must embody the values and ideals of the Nation. We support and defend the Constitution. Any act to disrupt the Constitutional process is not only against our traditions, values, and oath; it is against the law.
On January 20, 2021, in accordance with the Constitution, confirmed by the states and the courts, and certified by Congress, President-elect Biden will be inaugurated and will become our 46th Commander in Chief.
To our men and women deployed and at home, safeguarding our country-stay ready, keep your eyes on the horizon, and remain focused on the mission. We honor your continued service in defense of every American.
[signed]
Mark A. Milley
General, U.S. Army
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
John E. Hyten
General, U.S. Air Force
Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
James C. McConville
General, U.S. Army
Chief of Staff of the Army
David H. Berger
General, U.S. Marine Corps
Commandant of the Marine Corps
Michael M. Gilday
Admiral, U.S. Navy
Chief of Naval Operations
Charles Q. Brown, Jr.
General, U.S. Air Force
Chief of Staff of the Air Force
John W. Raymond
General, U.S. Space Force
Chief of Space Operations
Daniel R. Hokanson
General, U.S. Army
Chief of the National Guard Bureau
https://news.usni.org/2021/01/12/message-from-joint-chiefs-on-u-s-capitol-riot
JHB
(37,159 posts)Most of them don't know what they're talking about (i.e., they're engineers, not scientists) or are True Believers for whom any conflict between facts and (their version of) The Bible means the facts aren't facts. All the creationist groups want is to wave around those degrees to "prove" they're right but Big Socialist Science is conspiring to lead the nation to Satan.
Gosh, out of thousands of flag rank retirees still alive, they rounded up 124 crotchety ranting cranks so they could wave those shoulder boards around to "prove" they're right. How do they know? Why, other ranting cranks and liars told them so!
JHB
(37,159 posts)...retired November 1, 1991.*
The Soviet Union still existed.
Granted, for just another month, but it still existed.
*https://www.dcms.uscg.mil/Portals/10/CG-1/psc/rpm/RPM-1/Boards-Panels/2018%20Registery/2018_Permanent_Regular_Retirees_min.pdf?ver=2018-04-10-124720-420
page 5, right column, 7th name down.
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)'Disturbing and reckless': Retired brass spread election lie in attack on Biden, Democrats
The open letter from 124 retired officers alarmed current and former military members concerned about the politicization of the military.
A day after 124 retired generals and admirals released a letter spreading the lie that President Joe Biden stole the election, current and former military officers are speaking out, calling the missive a dangerous new sign of the military being dragged into the trenches of partisan warfare.
The open letter on Monday from a group calling itself Flag Officers 4 America advanced the false conspiracy theory that the presidential vote was rigged in Biden's favor and warned that the nation is "in deep peril" from "a full-blown assault on our Constitutional rights."
As news of the letter spread, it set off a round of recriminations among current and former military members. One serving Navy officer, who did not want to be identified publicly, called it "disturbing and reckless."
Jim Golby, an expert in civil-military relations, called it a "shameful effort to use their rank and the military's reputation for such a gross and blatant partisan attack," while a retired Air Force colonel who teaches cadets at the Air Force Academy, Marybeth Ulrich, labeled it "anti-democratic."
"I think it hurts the military and by extension it hurts the country," said retired Adm. Mike Mullen, a former chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, describing it as replete with "right-wing Republican talking points."
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/05/11/retired-brass-biden-election-487374
Passenger
(217 posts)kentuck
(111,085 posts)It shows how successful the "former guy" was at dividing every part of our society, including the military.
MineralMan
(146,288 posts)Any time you see a headline about some "retired" or "former" government officials, it's important to remember that they are people who no longer hold any position of authority, and that they make up only a tiny percentage of other similar people.
Essentially, what they are saying is scarcely worth notice at all.
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)at least part of the reason the Assistant SecDef didn't send the military to stop the attack on the Capitol. For sure we know some like them are there.
haele
(12,649 posts)Pencil-neck "I got a star because Daddy had Three" Poindexter was one of them.
120 retired "flag level officers" is less than 2% of the living retired flag level officer and it seems like this list is comprised of a bunch of over-80 year old Air Force LaMay cultists they found at random VFWs gathered around a TV with Faux News on.
Haele
andym
(5,443 posts)Just like in Orwell's 1984, Republicans and their sympathizers have to do doublethink to absorb all the lies they have been told. That retired military brass believe the election lies raises fears over the possibility of a military coup by disaffected individuals still in the military who might seek to take action against imaginary injustice.
Elessar Zappa
(13,975 posts)It tell us nothing, really, other than there are some generals who are idiots.
andym
(5,443 posts)What percent of retired admirals and generals are these, and how many other military men and leaders silently support them, especially those still in uniform? It's not like an election, they don't need a majority or even close to one, they just need a dedicated group who believes in the lies of an injustice that never happened.