Pete Hegseth Fires Subversive Leakers and the Deep State Is Having a “Total Meltdown”

[mudwhistle]

the photo was used in this news article.

If Trump was using makeup it would be more even.
What he does do is spend a couple hours a day in the Sun, which tends to cause people to burn.
Which sometimes happens unevenly.

 

[Crepitus]

Clearly you're not a mind reader, so STFU

Don't have to be. Your actions clearly show you don't.

 

[mudwhistle]

Don't have to be. Your actions clearly show you don't.

My actions?

Fuk you.

 

[Crepitus]

My actions?

Fuk you.

View attachment 1108375

YEs, your actions.

 

[PeterPilot]

Second, will Trump erode the norm of a nonpartisan military and deploy active-duty troops for domestic policing purposes? The United States has a widely held belief that the military is nonpartisan and serves all citizens regardless of political affiliation. This norm safeguards American democracy by ensuring that the military won’t intervene for specific political outcomes. The Posse Comitatus Act, a post–Civil War law, codifies this norm and is designed to stop presidents from using the military to impose domestic control except for extreme emergencies. Yet during Trump’s first term, his administration had discussions about bringing in “regular, active-duty troops” to violently quell Black Lives Matter protests in 2020. Reportedly, opposition from Trump’s senior aides caused him to back down from pursuing this measure.
On the campaign trail, Trump has continued to toy with the idea of deploying troops against American citizens. Trump has threatened to bring in the military to police large American cities, saying in 2022, “In places where there is a true breakdown of the rule of law, such as the most dangerous neighborhoods in Chicago, the next president should use every power at his disposal to restore order — and, if necessary, that includes sending in the National Guard or the troops.” When asked in an interview with Time in April whether he would “override” the Posse Comitatus Act and use the military in his mass deportation plan, Trump replied, “Well, these aren’t civilians . . . I can see myself using the National Guard and, if necessary, I’d have to go a step further.” Notably, he has talked about using troops to subdue critics and opponents—“We have some sick people, radical left lunatics . . . and it should be very easily handled by, if necessary, by National Guard, or if really necessary, by the military, because they can’t let that happen.” Crossing this guardrail would be another sharp warning about a turn toward authoritarianism in the country.

Will Trump Govern as a Strongman?

Four crucial signals can inform us about whether America’s authoritarian descent is real.

carnegieendowment.org

Good post, but recall that over the objections of Sec Def Cap Weinberger, Posse Comitatus was nullified at the Altar of The War On Drugs. Sacrificed for nothing because even the military cannot stop smuggling of contraband, and we have just as many or more "illegal" drugs today than we did then.