Gen. Mark Milley: "We do not take an oath to a king or a queen, a tyrant or a dictator."

[ffr]

Military Wary That Trump’s Shakeup Could Upend Its Apolitical Nature
The words spoken by America’s top military officer carried a familiar ring, but in the midst of a chaotic week at the Pentagon, they were particularly poignant.

“We are unique among militaries,” said Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “We do not take an oath to a king or a queen, a tyrant or a dictator. We do not take an oath to an individual.”

Milley was speaking Wednesday at the dedication of an Army museum in a week that saw President Donald Trump fire Defense Secretary Mark Esper and install three staunch loyalists to senior Pentagon policy positions. The abrupt changes have raised fears about what Trump may try to do in his final two months of office — and whether the military’s long held apolitical nature could be upended.
-snip-

But his message in a time of turmoil — Trump has refused to concede his election loss — was unmistakable: The military exists to defend democracy and is not to be used as a political pawn. “We take an oath to the Constitution,” Milley said, adding that every service member “will protect and defend that document regardless of personal price.” - HuffPost

Constitution 1. tRump 0.

[UpInArms]

1. My thanks to General Milley

for saying it loud and clear.

[asiliveandbreathe]

2. General Mark Milley CAN see the whites of his eyes..n/t

[MyOwnPeace]

20. Amazing vision.........

BunkerBoy is SO full of shit that there can't be much OTHER than brown..............

[gratuitous]

3. The Attorney General swore that oath, too

And we see just how much that oath has meant to Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III and William Barr, each of whom acted as the president's personal attorney on countless occasions when they were supposed to be representing the interests of the United States.

[Ferrets are Cool]

8. The Constitution only matters to persons of character.

[erronis]

15. Rephrasing: An oath only matters to persons of character.

These people can swear on a stack of bibles (or whatever) but will always be treacherous.

[MyOwnPeace]

22. You mean like when BunkerBoy had

the "largest crowd ever" while he put his slimy hand on a Bible and "took an oath?" (sorry, had a little "throw-up" in my throat just typing that........).

[Bradshaw3]

9. Barr isn't in charge of the U.S. military

And Milley isn't Barr.

[gratuitous]

10. No, he's in charge of the Department of Justice

Which, contrary to recent practice, isn't the personal law firm of the president - any president.

[Bradshaw3]

32. Well aware of that

And, again, being in charge of the DOJ isn't the same as being in charge of the military. The differences when it comes to a coup should be obvious. As should be the fact that Barr and Milley are two different people.

[BarbD]

14. Let's not forget Moscow Mitch.l

Moscow Mitch is drunk with power. Right now he is the biggest obstacle to the Biden/Harris administration.

[MyOwnPeace]

23. Actually, I would dearly LOVE to!!!!!

and I'm naming him as being even MORE villainous than BunkerBoy - Moscow Mitch was responsible for the "Garland screwing" and giving us BunkerBoy - and yes, he continues to slither down his path of obstruction and is in the gutter with power.

[struggle4progress]

4. Enlistment oath

I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God

[4Q2u2]

11. Did that 6 Times Myself

Gen Miley is also from the Great Commonwealth of Massachusetts and we have not done Kings or Dictators for a long time.

[MyOwnPeace]

24. And, as Charlie Pierce would say,

"Long live the Commonwealth!"

[jaxexpat]

26. That paragraph could tie the oath taker into knots of cross-purposed loyalties.

Obeying orders. What orders? From who?

When the guy at the top is corrupt, everyone below just follows corrupt orders. Or pays the price for violating their oath.

[sarisataka]

29. It isn't that difficult

The orders come from-
the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me

And must be-
A- Constitutional
B- according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice

[jaxexpat]

31. Okay, pretty simple, not that difficult.

Unless you're the soldier who refuses to obey his commanding officer's illegal order. The officer who orders other soldiers to throw the disobeying soldier in jail. Are the other soldiers now obeying an illegal order when they obey the commander? How does it stop? Is there any course other than the lone disobeying soldier "learning by being in jail"? Is the commander obeying an illegal order? Who prevents his cooperation with unconstitutional activities performed by his superiors?

Before Trumps election a coworker and I discussed Trump's extreme views. He said he wasn't worried about that because the Joint Chiefs would bring him to heel if he got too far out of line. So far all I've seen is he either fires them or they resign. No bringing to heel.
I imagine they quit because Trump wanted to do something with the military which was unconstitutional or illegal, otherwise they would have stayed. There are some who yet stay. Looks to me like this simple oath gets pretty muddled in the performing. Looks like a few have refused to obey already. But the orders still get carried out. And generals Maddox or Kelly won't spend time in jail like the soldier who refused to obey an illegal order, against the Uniformed Code of Military Justice.

[sarisataka]

33. There are risks

Associated with declining an order. The "less" illegal it is, the greater the risk. Spending time in jail is possible and even facing a court martial.

The military cannot 'bring the President to heel'. Your friend was wrong. That would be a coup. What they can do is refuse orders which are illegal, such as killing civilians.

We saw this in action over the summer as the role of active forces were expanding during the protests. It went to a point and the military backed off, realizing they were already stepping beyond boundaries.

[mdbl]

52. The entire problem is a corrupt repug senate which enabled all of this

impeachment gave them a clear path to resolve all of this and they blew it, completely!

[jaxexpat]

56. It's a problem that won't get fixed with a coat of paint. Probably needs body work, too.

[TomSlick]

41. The officer's oath is slightly different.

"I ___, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God."

Note the absence of the reference to obeying orders of the President, etc. as in the oath of enlistment. The distinction is more apparent than real. Both officers and enlisted members are obliged to refuse unlawful orders.

[struggle4progress]

42. +

[usaf-vet]

55. 3 generations of this family took the oath at least once. Some more for taking elected office.....

... to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic

[BainsBane]

5. That's the end of him

Look for his firing on Twitter later today.

[mdelaguna]

46. +1

[dware]

12. I have been stressing that very point,

it is drummed into our heads from day one that our oath is to the Constitution, not any individual, and it is our duty is to refuse to obey an illegal order, which is take very seriously by the vast majority of service members.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

40. "will protect and defend that document regardless of personal price." -- Puts it in perspective.

[TomSlick]

43. Tell 'em Marine.

As a young Army Judge Advocate, I was the guy who taught that class to new recruits.

[mdelaguna]

47. ❤️

[kairos12]

13. And he is fired in 1...2....

[TomSlick]

45. That would be fine.

A small price to pay to protect his honor. Nothing - nothing - is more important to military officers than their honor. Besides which, anything a lame duck President does in the waning moments of a presidency can be undone by the incoming President.

[coti]

16. That's the source of our military's honor. nt

[NNadir]

17. Unique among militaries... ...thank you General Miller and General Washington.

I have never thought the storied army of our Republic would violate their oath to the US Constitution least of all for a clown wearing orange makeup. It only happened once in our history where some, but definitely not most, soldiers violated their oath,, and didn't turn out well.

The fact that Arlington is a place where we honor our greatest soldiers, rather than the estate of the decendents of Robert E. Lee, has something to do with that outcome.

[KG]

18. I guess they could enjoy their short stays.

[KG]

19. I guess they could enjoy their short stays.

[LudwigPastorius]

21. Well said, Sir, but...

I expect Trump to be tweeting news of your “retirement” at any time now.

[Cha]

36. And, Joe Biden can Hire General Mark Milley

BACK

[UTUSN]

25. He left out, "or a Mob cartel boss"

[ffr]

28. lol

Yeah, but how much further does he need to take his language as an apolitical figure.

Point taken though.

[llashram]

27. I would expect

nothing less from our military...

[Hekate]

30. Hang in there, General. We need you and your kind

Gen. Flynn’s kind, otoh, needs to be as gone as he is.

[keithbvadu2]

38. Gen Michael Flynn and Gen Benedict Arnold both started out as patriots who served their country well

Gen Michael Flynn and Gen Benedict Arnold both started out as patriots who served their country well.

Arnold died a traitor in England.

He was not lucky enough to have a Donald Trump on his side.

[roamer65]

34. That is a warning shot by the military at Dump.

You don’t have the support of it.

[mdelaguna]

48. Heck yeah

[Cha]

35. This better give FuckHead A BiG PAUSE!!

[Cha]

37. Many Thanks to General Mark Milley! This is

Huge, frr!

Biden can Hire him Back if need be!

[keithbvadu2]

39. Oath of Allegiance - Pre and post 1934

Oath of Allegiance - Pre and post 1934
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-fuehrer-oath

(before August 2, 1934)
"I swear by almighty God this sacred oath:
I will at all times loyally and honestly
serve my people and country
and, as a brave soldier,
I will be ready at any time
to stake my life for this oath."

The Fuehrer Oath
(effective August 2, 1934)
"I swear by almighty God this sacred oath:
I will render unconditional obedience
to the Fuehrer of the German Reich and people, Adolf Hitler,
Supreme Commander of the Wehrmacht,
and, as a brave soldier,
I will be ready at any time
to stake my life for this oath."

[smirkymonkey]

44. Hear, hear!

Thank YOU, General Miley! You are a true patriot.

[mnmoderatedem]

49. bu we sure do walk along side one

when he uses the military to clear out peaceful protesters in order to do a shameless bible photo op in front of a church.


Don't we, Mark.

[BobTheSubgenius]

50. I often wonder just how the divide looks within the military, if there is one of significance.

There are bound to be at least some who, if the decisions was theirs, would support their alleged CIC, but my hope is that that number tapers off radically as you ascend the ranks.

[dware]

51. The number of service personnel who would obey such an illegal order is relatively small

compared to the size of the Armed Forces and the Security Forces would stomp on them pretty quickly and very hard.

I did a 2 year stint with the Marine Security Forces (MOS 8152) and we took our duties very seriously.

[BigOleDummy]

53. Yay!

Beautiful speech and a warning/heads up to our chump in chief. Well said General, this veteran is proud of you.

[sarchasm]

54. If it wasn't for the Generals...

...keeping a check on the dirtbag, we'd be in a bigger world of crap than we are now.

Thank you Generals!