Retired general warns the U.S. military could lead a coup after the 2024 electio

[dutch508]

Star Member Lasher (24,597 posts)
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100216198333

Retired general warns the U.S. military could lead a coup after the 2024 election

As the anniversary of the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol approaches, three retired U.S. generals have warned that another insurrection could occur after the 2024 presidential election and the military could instigate it.

The generals – Paul Eaton, Antonio Taguba and Steven Anderson – made their case in a recent Washington Post Op-Ed. "In short: We are chilled to our bones at the thought of a coup succeeding next time," they wrote.

Paul Eaton, a retired U.S. Army major general and a senior adviser to VoteVets, spoke with NPR's Mary Louise Kelly earlier this week.

Below are the highlights of the conversation.

https://www.npr.org/2021/12/31/1068930675/us-election-coup-january-6-military-constitution

So many people don't yet realize how close we came on January 6th. Others don't care. How I miss my naive younger days when I thought we all supported the basic principle of majority rule.

 

Star Member LiberalFighter (42,845 posts)

1. Who would instigate it? Generals? Renegade troops?

Are there explicit penalties for being involved in an attempted coup? Are military prosecutors independent of generals? Are there standards for military prosecutors that are high enough so someone like Graham Lindsay is not qualified to serve?

twodogsbarking (2,742 posts)

2. I fear the military.

Some have said that is ridiculous.

Star Member teach1st (5,494 posts)

3. Washington Post article link (no paywall

https://wapo.st/3zgiqTf

One of our military’s strengths is that it draws from our diverse population. It is a collection of individuals, all with different beliefs and backgrounds. But without constant maintenance, the potential for a military breakdown mirroring societal or political breakdown is very real.

The signs of potential turmoil in our armed forces are there. On Jan. 6, a disturbing number of veterans and active-duty members of the military took part in the attack on the Capitol. More than 1 in 10 of those charged in the attacks had a service record. A group of 124 retired military officials, under the name “Flag Officers 4 America,” released a letter echoing Donald Trump’s false attacks on the legitimacy of our elections.

Recently, and perhaps more worrying, Brig. Gen. Thomas Mancino, the commanding general of the Oklahoma National Guard, refused an order from President Biden mandating that all National Guard members be vaccinated against the coronavirus. Mancino claimed that while the Oklahoma Guard is not federally mobilized, his commander in chief is the Republican governor of the state, not the president.

The potential for a total breakdown of the chain of command along partisan lines — from the top of the chain to squad level — is significant should another insurrection occur. The idea of rogue units organizing among themselves to support the “rightful” commander in chief cannot be dismissed.

Star Member mahina (13,889 posts)

6. It's bugged me that the military confidently assume

Everyone in it is a Republican. Wasn’t always so but now people get all kinds of hassles for being a Dem. It’s wrong and un American.

Star Member WHITT (2,359 posts)

5. ...

How I miss my naive younger days when I thought we all supported the basic principle of majority rule.

Gore winning the 2000 election by more than a half a million votes, and Clinton winning the 2016 election by almost three million votes, should have been the first clues.

Escurumbele (1,949 posts)

17. I have been saying that for a long time, the military is a totalitarian regime by nature

The danger is that all dictatorships succeed because the military easily aligns to the regime, they benefit from the totalitarian regime, and the signs I have been seeing for a while point to the military becoming complicit with republicans to implement a totalitarian regime in the USA.

Look at Venezuela, the regime is successful because the military has aligned to them, with a patriotic military a totalitarian regime would never succeed. Has anyone asked the question of why hasn't the military recalled Michael Flynn? Their duty is to recall a traitor, why have they not done it? I understand his brother is brass in the military. but that should not be a pretext, treason must be punished, no matter who the traitor is.

Those generals are correct, the USA is on the edge and if the military aligns with the GOP that is it, that is the end of Democracy in the USA.

I don't buy the following statement in the article:
"I believe that we need to wargame the possibility of a problem and what we are going to do. The fact that we were caught completely unprepared – militarily, and from a policing function – on January 6, is incomprehensible to me."

I believe there was coordination between the military and the GOP, a minimum would be that orders were made to not act, and they obeyed those orders, which makes them complicit.

 

[DLR Pyro]

The DUmmies see the writing on the wall that the 2024 election isn't going to go their way so they are desperately trying to gin up a boogie man scenario. 

It wouldn't surprise if they begin to push the idea that the "upcoming insurrection threat" is so big that it would be too dangerous to hold a presidential election in 2024 and give brandon's puppet masters 4 more years of power without an election thru an executive order

[SVPete]

I wish all members of the US military could see this outpouring of Prog hatred. It is the "thinking" of a significant percentage of the Democrat Party.