Donald Trump

[Magicpole]

I joined under Thatcher (The beginning of her reign) but where Trump is concerned he was voted in and good or bad he's their commander in chief. I saluted people I didn't like because chain of command is everything and if it isn't present or deteriorates you'd end up with an ineffectual fighting unit. There's an old saying that encapsulates this better than I can put it from Lord Tennysons poem The Charge Of The Light Brigade and now used by squaddies and servicemen in common parlance.

Theirs not to make reply
Theirs not to reason why
Theirs but to do & die

Being a serviceman or woman means you're steeped in tradition and liking or disliking your commander in chief doesn't come into it.

When I was at Uni the Army Officer Recruitment came to speak to some of us. I asked the clipped accented officer, why should our forces be controlled by toffs? And what impact he thought this had on the morale of better, more intelligent and braver working class soldiers who had to accept a leader primarily due to social class.

He replied I would be an officer and more officers from similar backgrounds are becoming officers

That's my problem with our military, being led by people because they come from the establishment rather than their ability to lead and fight.

I would find it difficult to take orders from a guy just because he went to fucking Harrow.

 

[vonkeynotvenky]

When I was at Uni the Army Officer Recruitment came to speak to some of us. I asked the clipped accented officer, why should our forces be controlled by toffs? And what impact he thought this had on the morale of better, more intelligent and braver working class soldiers who had to accept a leader primarily due to social class.

He replied I would be an officer and more officers from similar backgrounds are becoming officers

That's my problem with our military, being led by people because they come from the establishment rather than their ability to lead and fight.

I would find it difficult to take orders from a guy just because he went to fucking Harrow.

The question I was answering was really in a response to a posters feelings about the Orange bloke with the syrup. The chain of command has to followed or the fighting force is not unified so by definition wont be affected, imagine what a unionised military force would look like? Accepting this is part and parcel of joining the military mate and also part and parcel of the reasons some people don't which is why the military isn't suited to everyone.
I genuinely applaud your egalitarian attitude and it's for people outside of the military to push for a meritocracy in the officers club and I have no doubt it would have been welcomed, but it's not for the rank and file to be politically motivated and socially aggrieved once they take the Queens schilling. The part of me that is socialist wants to see the old school tie in all government positions abandoned and for able people to take their place it's a fight that should be had. Just look at our parliament on a cross party level it's inundated with elite people with elite educations from elite colleges.

 

[ali benarbia's studs]

A question to any Bluemooners who have served in the military. How would you feel if you had to salute the draft-dodging, gold-star family abusing, POW insulting Trump? He doesn't seem to have a single character trait that would be respected by the military. I see those Marines saluting him every day and MY skin crawls. God knows what they feel like .....

under it all, he is just a cold hearted killer like they are taught to be. i m sure they think he s a little dick that will pass.

 

[Magicpole]

The question I was answering was really in a response to a posters feelings about the Orange bloke with the syrup. The chain of command has to followed or the fighting force is not unified so by definition wont be affected, imagine what a unionised military force would look like? Accepting this is part and parcel of joining the military mate and also part and parcel of the reasons some people don't which is why the military isn't suited to everyone.
I genuinely applaud your egalitarian attitude and it's for people outside of the military to push for a meritocracy in the officers club and I have no doubt it would have been welcomed, but it's not for the rank and file to be politically motivated and socially aggrieved once they take the Queens schilling. The part of me that is socialist wants to see the old school tie in all government positions abandoned and for able people to take their place it's a fight that should be had. Just look at our parliament on a cross party level it's inundated with elite people with elite educations from elite colleges.

I am not suggestion no line of command. I'm suggesting that command is there to lead because they are the best to lead. Having a cut glass accent only means you have a cut glass accent in my book.

I know why it's done, control, but, I resent a guy who is inferior to me being above me because he knows were a salad fork goes.

I know where it goes too.

I do accept that once you accept the shilling you get on with it.

 

[vonkeynotvenky]

I am not suggestion no line of command. I'm suggesting that command is there to lead because they are the best to lead. Having a cut glass accent only means you have a cut glass accent in my book.

I know why it's done, control, but, I resent a guy who is inferior to me being above me because he knows were a salad fork goes.

I know where it goes too.

I do accept that once you accept the shilling you get on with it.

We should resent that in all walks of life though shouldn't we? As I said the people with the most power namely those in parliament whose demographic, a quarter of all MP's went to Oxbridge while only 1% of the general population went to Oxbridge. We have of course been changing that demographic it was worse than that even when James Callaghan was the PM but as yet I am not convinced the power lies with the people and that our establishment ( All positions of power) are clear of the Eton effect.
I blame the Normans :)

 

[Magicpole]

We should resent that in all walks of life though shouldn't we? As I said the people with the most power namely those in parliament whose demographic, a quarter of all MP's went to Oxbridge while only 1% of the general population went to Oxbridge. We have of course been changing that demographic it was worse than that even when James Callaghan was the PM but as yet I am not convinced the power lies with the people and that our establishment ( All positions of power) are clear of the Eton effect.
I blame the Normans :)

I agree this should be the case across the board. This is even more critical when you are fighting for your life.

As for the Normans? What did they ever do for us?

 

[west didsblue]

Trump's just said "What happened in Las Vegas is in many ways a miracle"
He was talking about the police operation but it really shows how given any circumstance he has the unerring ability to say totally the wrong thing unless it's written down for him in advance.
George W Bush came out with some crap but Trump takes it to another level.
A total buffoon.

 

[goalmole]

YCMIU, can you?! UFB!

Yes, I thought that. It's like a 12 year old kid running the USA.

 

[goalmole]

Kim

When I was younger, I was kind of keen in getting involved in a 'situation' or two. One way of doing this would be to wind someone up - so that they might try and hit me, then I would be 'justified' in hitting them in the name of 'self-defence.' From a distance, it seems like Trump i,s itching for a fight and is inflaming the NK situation to get the kind of
reaction that would 'justify' a military action that would obliterate millions of people yet have him be seen - in the eyes of the support that got him elected - as some sort of hero. Question : Do you believe Kim's rhetoric to be true or is he just playing into Trump's hands?

My take is that Kim is saying to Trump ' Fuck off and leave us alone. If you think you can attack us with impunity like you did with Saddam and Gaddafi then you've got another think coming because they might not have had the means to harm your country but I have, or will very soon have those means so be warned'.
Quite rightly and justifiably in my opinion.
That's all it can be.
Why would a small impoverished country be eager to take on hyperpower, thereby guaranteeing it's own obliteration. He knows the Americans like to start wars on flimsy pretexts because they know the resulting destruction and chaos will be on somebody else's soil. He's telling the Americans this time might be different.

 

[Magicpole]

Yes, I thought that. It's like a 12 year old kid running the USA.

A stupid, mean, spoiled, racist, future draft dodging, future tax avoiding, pathological lying, future sex offending, 12 year old.

I bet her tortured animals as a child.