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Countdown to Trump using the military against Americans

Reality always has to be manipulated to a degree most suitable for Trump.

www.military.com

Bragg Soldiers Who Cheered Trump's Political Attacks While in Uniform Were Checked for Allegiance, Appearance

As President Donald Trump viciously attacked his perceived political foes, he whipped up boos from the gathered troops directed at California leaders, including Gov. Gavin Newsom.
www.military.com www.military.com


For this story, Military.com reached out to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's office as well as the Army and the 82nd Airborne Division directly with a series of questions that ranged from the optics of the event to social media posts showing the sale of Trump campaign merchandise on the base, to the apparent violation of Pentagon policies on political activity in uniform.


Internal 82nd Airborne Division communications reviewed by Military.com reveal a tightly orchestrated effort to curate the optics of Trump's recent visit, including handpicking soldiers for the audience based on political leanings and physical appearance. The troops ultimately selected to be behind Trump and visible to the cameras were almost exclusively male.

One unit-level message bluntly said "no fat soldiers."

"If soldiers have political views that are in opposition to the current administration and they don't want to be in the audience then they need to speak with their leadership and get swapped out," another note to troops said.

Service officials declined to comment when asked about the extent to which troops were screened, whether soldiers displaying partisan cheers on television -- a violation of long-standing Pentagon rules -- would be disciplined or if soldiers who objected to participating in the event, citing disagreements with the administration, would be disciplined or admonished in any way.

"This has been a bad week for the Army for anyone who cares about us being a neutral institution," one commander at Fort Bragg told Military.com on the condition of anonymity to avoid retaliation. "This was shameful. I don't expect anything to come out of it, but I hope maybe we can learn from it long term."
 
I’ve come to appreciate the Drudge Report, for its ability to portray the climate of the present moment, with its “front page headlines” approach. Captures the mood and moment well…

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What a surprise.

www.theguardian.com

Troops and marines deeply troubled by LA deployment: ‘Morale is not great’

Several service members told advocacy groups they felt like pawns in a political game and assignment was not necessary
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com

California national guards troops and marines deployed to Los Angeles to help restore order after days of protest against the Trump administration have told friends and family members they are deeply unhappy about the assignment and worry their only meaningful role will be as pawns in a political battle they do not want to join.

Three different advocacy organisations representing military families said they had heard from dozens of affected service members who expressed discomfort about being drawn into a domestic policing operation outside their normal field of operations. The groups said they have heard no countervailing opinions.

“The sentiment across the board right now is that deploying military force against our own communities isn’t the kind of national security we signed up for,” said Sarah Streyder of the Secure Families Initiative, which represents the interests of military spouses, children and veterans.

“Families are scared not just for their loved ones’ safety, although that’s a big concern, but also for what their service is being used to justify.”

Chris Purdy of the Chamberlain Network, whose stated mission is to “mobilize and empower veterans to protect democracy”, said he had heard similar things from half a dozen national guard members. “Morale is not great, is the quote I keep hearing,” he said.

The marines and the California national guard did not respond to invitations to comment….

…..Trump has taken the unusual step of ordering 4,000 national guard members to Los Angeles without the consent of California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, saying that the city risked being “obliterated” by violent protesters without them. Earlier this week, he also activated 700 marines from the Twentynine Palms base two hours’ drive to the east, describing Los Angeles as a “trash heap” that was in danger of burning to the ground.

In reality, the anti-Trump protests – called first in response to aggressive federal roundups of undocumented immigrants, then in anger at the national guard deployment – have been largely peaceful and restricted to just a few blocks around downtown federal buildings. The Los Angeles police has made hundreds of arrests in response to acts of violence and vandalism around the protests, and the city’s mayor, Karen Bass, has instituted a night-time curfew – all with minimal input from the federal authorities.
 

On the West Coast, as many as 2,000 National Guardsmen have been ordered up for active duty in Los Angeles, in direct violation of protocols that defer to each state’s Governor, who is nominally the commander in chief of their reserve military. Trump also sent 700 Marines to Los Angeles to add to the uniformed legions that, to this point, have inflamed tensions, not quelled them. And there are whiffs that Los Angeles is merely a test case to see just how compliant Americans will be to see the world’s greatest fighting force turn against the very people who pick up its tab. As Trump told reporters on Tuesday, those choosing to object publicly may come to regret it: “For those people that want to protest, they’re going to be met with very big force.” (notice how trump doesn't say that violent protests will be met with very big force... or crimes committed during protests will be met with very big force. Any protesting. Which includes peaceful protesting. Protesting itself is becoming a crime under trumps admin)
 
From day one, it was not hard to see Stephen Miller has more hatred in his heart than a hundred Nazis. Now, I can say something like that, but ABC just fired one of their chief reporters for saying “Miller eats his hate”. That’s a problem. Be like Edward R. Murrow. Speak truth to power. The press is, or was, our watchdog. We need more such journalists, not editors who punish them….

www.bbc.com

Immigration raid at car wash shows how Trump’s crackdown is changing

The BBC obtained CCTV of the raid that shows how President Trump's immigration crackdown has ramped up.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com

When US immigration agents pulled up outside a Los Angeles car wash on a quiet Sunday afternoon, it sparked instant chaos.

Some customers at the Westchester Hand Wash, which sits in the centre of a busy shopping area just blocks from the city's airport, froze as the officers in olive-green uniforms approached, CCTV footage obtained by the BBC shows.

Two employees who spotted them ducked behind a luxury SUV they were wiping down with a rag. Another worker halfway through cleaning the back window of a car looked up.

Then all at once they scattered and ran, some jumping over a nearby fence as agents raced after them on foot and in US Customs and Border Protection pick-up trucks.

Agents came the following day to make more arrests.

Jesús Cruz, who has worked at the car wash for more than a decade and lived in the US for more than 30 years, was among the six men who were arrested over the course of two raids.

His wife, Noemi Ciau, told the BBC she was shopping with her daughter when she spotted a social media post about a possible raid. It included a photo of the car wash, so she dropped her daughter at home and raced there.

By the time she arrived, however, she was too late. She has not been able to reach her husband since.

"You are so used to having a partner there, just to help you out, to be the backbone… now it's like - how am I going to do it?" she said.

"My husband has no criminal background. He's never gotten a ticket before. We pay our taxes. We're up to date on everything."

She declined to answer if they were in the US legally. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) did not respond to an inquiry about Mr Cruz's legal status or the goal of the operation at the car wash.

That raid and similar ones across Los Angeles by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) represent a significant escalation in the White House's strategy to round up and deport undocumented migrants.

On the campaign trail, President Donald Trump repeatedly said he would prioritise deporting noncitizens accused of violent crimes. That promise received widespread support, even among Hispanic immigrant groups.

But in recent weeks, the administration has stepped up its targets, pushing to increase their arrests from about 660 to 3,000 a day.

To do that, they have widened their net, targeting not just criminals but workplaces such as farms and factories in an effort to detain more undocumented migrants.

"Just go out there and arrest illegal aliens," Stephen Miller, a top White House adviser, reportedly told Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials before they launched the recent LA raids.

According to the Wall Street Journal, he told them they did not need to produce target lists of suspected illegal immigrants, a longstanding practice, and should instead raid major businesses to arrest as many as possible.

Car-wash owner Mehmet Aydogan said the agents did not ask for IDs before placing the men in handcuffs and swiftly driving them away.

"They were not doing anything criminal," he said, noting the raids were quick and lasted less than a minute. "Everyone is hardworking."

nypost.com

Fired ABC News reporter Terry Moran finds new job — a day after boot from company over Stephen Miller tirade

Moran was dismissed Tuesday for violating the company’s policies with a viral social media attack against top White House official Stephen Miller.
nypost.com nypost.com
 
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