Today—250 years since the Continental Army officially formed to fight for the independence of the American colonies against the British monarchy—marks a milestone in President Donald Trump’s effort to politicize the U.S. military. Though they are rare, military parades have happened before in Washington, D.C. For the most part, these have been celebrations of military achievements, such as the end of a war. But today is also Trump’s birthday, and what he and his supporters have planned is a celebration of Trump himself.
A mark of a free society is that its public institutions, especially its military, represent the body politic and the freedom-enabling equal rights that structure civic life. If service members and the public begin to believe that the military is not neutral but is in fact the servant of MAGA, this will threaten the military’s legitimacy and increase the likelihood of violent conflict between the military and the public. Today’s events bring us one step closer to this disaster.
“If service members and the public begin to believe that the military is not neutral but is in fact the servant of MAGA, this will threaten the military’s legitimacy and increase the likelihood of violent conflict between the military and the public. Today’s events bring us one step closer to this disaster.”
So well said I had to quote it and share it again!
I just wanted to chime in and say I subscribed based on your friendship with Colonel Cutright, and I’m looking forward to following you here on substack. He has spoken highly of you, and I’m excited to read your work.
Regarding this specific post, I have very mixed feelings about the recent parade, but someone made the point that this was celebrating the anniversary of the continental congress “creating” the army, and the planning for such an event would have likely predated Trump’s January inauguration. This struck me as a reasonable point, and I’d be interested in your response.
I also noted the manner in which it celebrated different eras of the army, rather than highlighting the current era, which is a notable difference from parades dictators often put on.
Regarding the politicization of the military, it is certainly something to be wary of, but there is precedent for doing so-integrating units during the Korean conflict being the least controversial and most successful. That said, I’m not certain having a parade to celebrate the anniversary of one branch of the armed forces constitutes its politicization, but the optics were certainly questionable.
Once again, I’m happy to have found your corner of Substack, and hopefully one day the stars will align for you, myself, and Colonel Cutright to explore the philosophical mysteries of modernity over quality libations. Cheers, good sir.
“If service members and the public begin to believe that the military is not neutral but is in fact the servant of MAGA, this will threaten the military’s legitimacy and increase the likelihood of violent conflict between the military and the public. Today’s events bring us one step closer to this disaster.”
So well said I had to quote it and share it again!
I just wanted to chime in and say I subscribed based on your friendship with Colonel Cutright, and I’m looking forward to following you here on substack. He has spoken highly of you, and I’m excited to read your work.
Regarding this specific post, I have very mixed feelings about the recent parade, but someone made the point that this was celebrating the anniversary of the continental congress “creating” the army, and the planning for such an event would have likely predated Trump’s January inauguration. This struck me as a reasonable point, and I’d be interested in your response.
I also noted the manner in which it celebrated different eras of the army, rather than highlighting the current era, which is a notable difference from parades dictators often put on.
Regarding the politicization of the military, it is certainly something to be wary of, but there is precedent for doing so-integrating units during the Korean conflict being the least controversial and most successful. That said, I’m not certain having a parade to celebrate the anniversary of one branch of the armed forces constitutes its politicization, but the optics were certainly questionable.
Once again, I’m happy to have found your corner of Substack, and hopefully one day the stars will align for you, myself, and Colonel Cutright to explore the philosophical mysteries of modernity over quality libations. Cheers, good sir.