by Joseph DeMaio, ©2021
(Feb. 11, 2021) — The newly-minted Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, has issued a memo to the entirety of the nation’s military force commanders. That memo states as its objective a one-day “stand-down,” to be identified by individual commanders, sometime between Feb. 5, 2021 and April 5, 2021. On that day, “discussions” are to be held with military personnel under their command (Stand-Down to Address Extremism in the Ranks (defense.gov)). The topic of the discussions will be the importance of identifying and preventing “actions that go against the fundamental principles of the oath we share, including actions associated with extremist or dissident ideologies.”
The terms “extremist” and “dissident ideologies” are not defined in the memo, but the memo references another document – an “Instruction” paper identified as the “Department of Defense Instruction (DoDI) 1325.06, ‘Handling Dissident and Protest Activities Among Members of the Armed Forces’ which is said in the Austin memo to “provide the core tenets to support such discussions.” These tenets are not bad goals but instead provide a useful guide to maintaining necessary order and discipline in the military. So far, so good.
Interestingly, the Instruction came into being largely as a result of the 2009 Ft. Hood, Texas massacre carried out by Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan. Recall that the reason the death toll (13) and wounded (over 30 others) was so high was because Ft. Hood commanders had ordered that no military personnel on base were allowed to carry personal sidearms.
Hasan, of course, took advantage of that stupid and deadly directive and, after screaming “Allahu Akbar” in Arabic, proceeded to murder 13 soldiers and wound over 30 others, many of whom had just returned (safely) from overseas combat zones. Hasan was finally wounded and taken into custody not by military police, but by civilian contracted security personnel. The event, of course, was described by Obama regime operatives and a hyper-compliant media as an isolated incidence of “workplace violence” rather than what it actually was: Islamist terrorism. What PC-jerks.
Returning to topic, among the “core tenets” of DoDI 1325.06 are the goals of identifying and interdicting actions which “actively advocate supremacist, extremist, or criminal gang doctrine, ideology, or causes….” Active participation in such prohibited actions “includes, but is not limited to, fundraising; demonstrating or rallying; recruiting, training, organizing, or leading members; distributing material (including posting online); knowingly wearing gang colors or clothing; having tattoos or body markings associated with such gangs or organizations; or otherwise engaging in activities in furtherance of the objective of such gangs or organizations that are detrimental to good order, discipline, or mission accomplishment or are incompatible with military service.” (Emphasis added)
The devil is always in the details: are “blogging,” “texting” or social media “postings” included within the “not limited to” prohibited other actions? Yes, Virginia, they are, if conducted by military personnel on-post using federal property. OK, probably legit. What about off-post activities? While the DODI 1325.06 Instruction acknowledges that the First Amendment protects freedom of speech and expression, it also makes cldar that certain regulatory and disciplinary protocols to ensure order within the military — and backed up with statutory provisions enacted by Congress — are necessary. Reader alert: slippery slope approaching.
But what, exactly, is meant by the terms “extremist” and “dissident?” Few would contest that neo-Nazi groups are “extremist,” but what about, for example, Antifa? Goons belonging to that group freely wander the streets of Portland, Oregon espousing the demise and destruction of the city and replacement of the nation’s wildly successful capitalist economy model with a dictatorial communist regime.
And what about the Black Lives Matter (“BLM”) folks? Their founders freely admit that they are “trained Marxists” intent on the demise of the United States, starting with the ousting of President Trump from office. Rumors persist that the rioting taking place at the Capitol in January was either facilitated or pre-planned by Antifa or BLM members who had infiltrated the crowd of Trump supporters.
Whenever you see at BLM “peaceful rallies” signs like “Kill a Cop – Save a Life;” “pigs in a blanket, fry ‘em like bacon” and “%#@& the Police” being proudly waved about, you know… or should know… that there is something very extremist and wrong underlying that movement. And very dangerous, too. Free speech is one thing: incitements to riot and atmospherics promoting the killing of police officers are quite another.
Stated otherwise, a compelling argument can be made that both Antifa and BLM qualify as “extremist” and “dissident” organizations. As recently as last weekend, for example, Antifa and BLM “protestors” clashed with citizens and police in the nation’s capitol, chanting “burn it down.”
Accordingly, the question becomes: will the upcoming military “stand down” discussions – purportedly intended to address “extremist or dissident ideologies” – include an examination of both right-wing (e.g., neo-Nazi) and left-wing (e.g., BLM and Antifa) organizations? Will pandemic “MAGA” face-masks be banned while “BLM” face-masks remain allowed? Will T-shirts emblazoned with the Communist Party hammer and sickle be deemed a “free-speech” right while a Gadsden Flag T-shirt must be banned?
Let us hope that the “stand-down” order discussions take place on a level and even playing field. If they do not, and if, among other things, left-wing BLM pandemic face-masks are allowed, but MAGA face-masks, among other things, are banned, that could exacerbate an already tinderbox situation. This nation needs more tinderbox situations like it needs another hole in the head…, or another cancel-culture toppled statue…, or more burned-out businesses…, or more murdered police officers…, or a spontaneous revolt in the ranks of the military.
Stay tuned.
The price we paid for abolishing the Draft is abolishing our country.
The ‘spare the paddle and spoil the child’ has come home to roost in the form of Socialist teachers, from K through university.
America is the drug capitol of the world because of the Welfare State, endorsed by politicians whose only aim is to get reelected.
If someone proposes an excuse why Johnny or Trayvon can’t read, speak or do sums, it is not because Johnny and Trayvon are stupid, but because there is no incentive to assimilate in the Great Experiment that we call Democracy. If they are not taught to fish, what do you expect? We must teach them to fish.
To fish: go to school; learn thrift and the art of saving; get a job and save for a rainy day; vote for a strong military and lower taxes.
But the politicians who oversee the military are corrupt beyond redemption themselves, and that is the truth that we must recognize as reality.
It is quite obvious: the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in cahoots with the Department of Homeland Security, overtly solicit illegal immigrants and members of the very people whom we need to kill: members of the Islamic political party, to serve side-by-side with us few who believe in the Constitution, a Black Mark in todyay’s political climate.
This “stand-down” is the last straw of colossal failures of a people who failed to walk-the-walk, even though they talked-the-talk for the last passing centuries.
Big deal.
The solution is to embrace the Constitution, a document that is Number One on the Endangered Document List.
We’ve become the joke of nations.
Professor “Trash the masks” Zorkophsky
Antifa and BLM are ‘domestic terrorist groups and until they are treated as such they will continue to prey on the weak, elderly, and defenseless. The military should be the last resort for protection from them. Additionally, the failure to run Hassan out of the military a few years prior to the Ft. Hood incident shows what ‘political correctness and a**kissing can do.’ The LAW needs to make a comeback and some folks will need to be ‘bagged and tagged.’
This is not only against the First Amendment, it will be counter productive, as it will incline the rank and file to stop speaking to their commanding officers, and incite suspicion against those who do.