Now Trump’s ideological heirs are carrying on his odious battle against the military. Fox News host Tucker Carlson — a grizzled veteran of the culture wars — kicked off the latest offensive in March when he criticized an Air Force flight suit for pregnant women. “It’s a mockery of the U.S. military,” he complained and went on to grumble that the U.S. armed forces are becoming “more feminine” while “China’s military becomes more masculine.”
In May, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) posted an Internet video that contrasted muscular Russian soldiers doing push-ups and jumping out of airplanes with a female U.S. soldier who was raised by two mothers. “Holy crap,” Cruz tweeted. “Perhaps awoke, emasculated military is not the best idea.” Cruz then doubled down on his homophobia, accusing “Dem politicians & woke media” of “trying to turn” the armed forces “into pansies.” Promoting Russian propaganda to own the “libs” — brilliant!
At a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee last week, Republicans expressed outrage that an elective course at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point includes information about critical race theory and “white rage.” This prompted a memorable rebuke from Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
“I personally find it offensive that we are accusing the United States military … of being ‘woke’ or something else because we’re studying some theories that are out there,” Milley said. “I want to understand white rage — and I’m White. What is it that caused thousands of people to assault this building and try to overturn the Constitution of the United States of America?”
The general’s explanation hit a little too close to home for a TV personality who personifies “white rage” while denying its existence. On Thursday night, Carlson responded by calling Milley — a combat veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan with degrees from Princeton and Columbia University — “unimpressive.” “He’s not just a pig,” Carlson opined, “he’s stupid.” His Fox colleague Laura Ingraham, taking a break from maligning Democrats for supposedly defunding the police, called on Congress to defund the military. Meanwhile, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), taking a break from defending himself against allegations of sex trafficking, tweeted: “With Generals like this it’s no wonder we’ve fought considerably more wars than we’ve won.”
With conservatives like this, it’s no wonder our country is so screwed up. Thanks to Trump, the guardrails are gone. These right-wing blowhards — most of whom have never served a day in uniform — now feel free to revile decorated combat veterans such as Milley. Imagine what kind of hissy fit the right would throw if a member of “the Squad” called a four-star general a stupid pig. Yet the most popular cable-TV host in America does it without a peep of protest from the right.
To anyone who is familiar with the military — a category that evidently excludes most Fox hosts and Republican lawmakers — the notion that it has been a hotbed of progressive ideology is absurd. Even though Trump’s attempts to politicize the military reduced his support in the ranks, the military remains a deeply conservative, heavily Republican institution. Over the years, it has integrated Black people, women, gays, transgender people and others. But, at each step of the way, critics, internal and external, wrongly claimed that expanded diversity would hurt combat effectiveness.
One of Carlson’s guests had the temerity to claim last week that “We have been a colorblind culture in the United States military for almost 200 years.” In fact, President Harry S. Truman ordered the military desegregated 73 years ago. Even today, there is widespread evidence of racism and discrimination within the armed forces. Right-wing extremism also remains a real concern: Some 10 percent of the defendants charged with attacking the Capitol on Jan. 6 are either veterans or active-duty service members.
In short, there’s a good reason the military is trying to combat racism, sexism and other noxious sentiments: They present a clear and present danger to a diverse military force that must work together to defend the nation.
But right-wing politicians and commentators don’t care about what is in the best interests of the armed forces. They care only about scoring their stupid political points — and they show no regard for the damage they inflict on an institution where far too many TVs are tuned to Fox “News.” Carlson & Co. are giving aid and encouragement to racists in the ranks, telling them, in effect, to ignore the guidance they receive from the chain of command. They’re the ones — not the critical race theorists — who are hurting unit cohesion, good order and discipline.
I just wish the military-bashers would spare us the pretense that they are uber-patriots who “support the troops.” You can’t be for the troops if you’re waging war on the armed forces.
"stupid" - Google News
June 28, 2021 at 11:13PM
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Imagine if a Squad member called a general a stupid pig. Tucker Carlson just did. - The Washington Post
"stupid" - Google News
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