SECDEF Lloyd Austin Follies
Democracy Fails When Trust Is In Short Measure
The Pentagon.
Where…
There’s a very delicate “sweet spot” in exercising deception, whether with malice or good intent, personal or public, covert or overt and can be bad for the business of trust and by possible extension national security. Looks like the Pentagon has another cavity.
A shit week (and election year) for playing “I got a secret” to test voters trust in our armed forces as an institution. SECDEF Lloyd Austin has become an algebraic cancellation of any good (General -RETIRED) Milley’s Miracle did to prevent a coup d’etat on January 6.
Yet another example of what our armed forces as an institution is forced to morph into when hubris, complacency and poor judgement are forced upon it, with strenuous degrees or stress positions.
Personal allegiances and alliances, in a challenged and strained secular democracy by the strongest and most powerful institution our country has. The glaring tribalism, conflation of personal loyalty over organization. The short sightedness of creating a legacy associated with an organization that needs to not only be beyond transparent, but also prepared to function under tRump or a tRump wannabe…again!
Could have vs should have?
The General Ryder-dog-peed-on-my-homework (or had the flu) framing “excusatorial” explanational Psyop alphabet diarrhea as to why elective general anesthesia induced surgery on the SECDEF “could” have been nice to know information for the POTUS. WTF!!But don’t worry, the Pentagon second in command while on vacation in Puerto Rico has some graduated form of command and control handoff…no need for all the information to develop situational awareness…no way…that could be a distraction to making a life or death decision. I guess?
Our (citizens) trust in accountability and transparency is in short order, (D) or (R). Small wonder why.
Empathy granted, but this Austin hubristic context and method for safeguarding personal sensitive medical conditions certainly hurts the chances Americans will continue to trust our armed forces as an institution…in its current form at least.
Lloyd. How did that privacy safeguard 2-minute drill work for you? With 30-plus years and 4 star status, how the fuck do you forget bad news never gets better with time? Could have…MY ASS!
Looks like SECDEF is more than giving up a couple of Raytheon stocks. Welcome to living in the glass house your position provides, comrade!
Milley’s replacement, General Q. Brown. Bad assumptions? Or…Poor judgement on Brown’s part in not asking the hard to ask questions like, is POTUS read in on this? Channeled information in funnels helped who again on 6 January? If Brown can’t read the room for something as simple as the Pentagon’s chain of command turbulence caused over the last three days, where does that leave him for graduate level tea leaves reading for a possible coup d’etat? I guess 50/50 either way…either as the tRump stooge Milley was expected to be, or the first to be fired at the Pentagon in January 2025 when the Cheeto Dust King returns to his throne. Regardless, this latest episode puts at least one if not both Ms’ in the Milley Miracle.
Miracles don’t happen often. Especially to bless bifurcations that house a coexistence between democracy and fascism.
Who else has 15 February penciled in as the date of an Austin resignation? It is the hard right…thing to do. Biden’s staff won’t let the 10 points in polling Austin just cost him go unforgotten. Why should they? The element of trust is a fucking two-way street!
We will see.
But in the meantime we have all seen another glimpse of what happens when critical information is not shared effectively at the Pentagon and the White House. This time round it only harmed a man’s pride, ego and a prostate. What will it be next time? Too many wars, coups and threats to secular democracy going on to fuck around and find out. But here we are.
#WAF
PS - No bearing witness of false equivalence was exercised in this essay. Any scripted GOP attempts to fall on the side of what’s right in the aforementioned circumstances were and are purely accidental and unintentional.
And now for a #slowtravel Pit Stop…
Ramen.
https://www.labrearamen.com/
Twelve minutes (walking) from our apartment, there is some delicious Ramen going down on La Brea Avenue. 3 PM service when the crowd is thinnest? Hell to the yeah! Best Ramen we have had since 2018.
Nice to have great eats in your neighborhood. I look forward to another bowl next week. And the week after…
Cool.
If your neighborhood has small business non chain eateries, please support them first ahead of the corporate chain restaurants. Only if the food and drink are spectacular…of course!
☮️🇺🇸☯️
#slowtravel #leadership #humanity #militarytransition
Pro & Con: i understand both sides of the issue, being past military. And yes, considering the times we are in now, there could have been issues. His experience in the field though is crucial to keep...
As a Military Officer I was required to have 24 hour a day worldwide availability. My Commands, both during my 7 years on Active Duty and 30 years as a Reservist had to be able to get in touch with me. We had spontaneous random recall drills. It is stunning to know the Secretary of Defense did not appropriately notify his superiors and immediate subordinates of his whereabouts. This dereliction is more stunning at a time with so much critical military activity happening.