More than 120 retired generals wrote to Biden appearing to back a false election conspiracy

[choie]

What the ever loving fuck??? This country has jumped the shark...

(businessinsider.com)

More than 120 retired US military leaders have signed an open letter appearing to advance a false conspiracy theory that the 2020 election was rigged and questioning President Joe Biden's mental capacity to serve.

"Without fair and honest elections that accurately reflect the 'will of the people' our Constitutional Republic is lost," said the letter released Tuesday by "Flag Officers 4 America," and signed by 124 former admirals and generals.

"The FBI and Supreme Court must act swiftly when election irregularities are surfaced and not ignore them as was done in 2020."

On its website, Flag Officers 4 America says it is a collection of "retired military leaders who pledged to support and defend the Constitution of the US against all enemies, foreign and domestic."

more of this crap at: https://www.businessinsider.com/former-generals-admirals-letter-question-election-biden-health-2021-5

[Skittles]

1. very disturbing indeed

shows how deep the cult propaganda runs

[TheBlackAdder]

21. I bet most of them think that Putin is a swell guy too.

[PortTack]

2. Retired white privileged flynn types!! Who cares

what the hell are they talking about? SCOTUS must act swiftly..they did. There were 60 cases brought..the deposed idiot king lost 59!!

Republican and dem SOS across the country repeatedly stated they found no voter fraud, no irregularities, counts were done 2 and 3 times..audits. Whining assholes

[zaj]

12. This is how military coups happen.

Don't dismiss anything legit crazy like this as "who cares".

[Hekate]

3. Oh gods no...

[dhol82]

4. They need to be examined to see how far they are down the Alzheimer's rabbit hole.

[Phoenix61]

5. 120 out of 1,000's is not a huge issue.

Over 200 retired officers wrote a letter in support of Biden.

[zaj]

13. 120 Generals have become radicalized nutjobs.

If 120 supported Trump it would be comparable, but this is 120 believing bat-crap crazy BS Conspiracy theory garbage. They have become radicalized.

[Phoenix61]

18. Micheal Flynn + 120 more.

It’s really not that surprising. Look at how many of the insurrectionists were ex military .

[zaj]

22. It's f',ing bonkers and we have to say I'm that outloud

We can't accept this as normal or we are part of the problem

[uponit7771]

23. ... on another planet, this is horrible on Earth to have former flag officers sold out to Trump

[everyonematters]

6. Is this a reliable news source?

[Takket]

7. Joe Arbuckle and the 119 other voices in his head

Yeah... I'd like an accounting of whether all these people actually exist and if so if they are even aware they signed this "letter".

[Hugin]

32. My thoughts, too.

I wouldn't be too overly surprised to see Geo. A. Custer on that list.

Actually, I'd be disappointed if he weren't listed.

[House of Roberts]

8. Didn't something like this happen some time ago,

and a number of 'signees' turn out to be phony?

[everyonematters]

9. How many were approached and didn't sign it?

[GP6971]

10. The most notorious signer is

LTG (Ret) Boykin...he's executive VP of the Family Research Council. And if I recall correctly, at the beginning of the Iraq War stated that "Our God is stronger than your God".

[gratuitous]

11. The crackpot legion weighs in

So a 7.1 million vote spread doesn't represent the "will of the people" for these knuckleheads?

[RegularJam]

14. Business Insider is not a legitimate source.

Not saying that this isn’t overall accurate as 120 is a very small number. But BI is a no go.

[moonscape]

24. Why aren't they legitimate? My impression of them has

been neutral, but not illegitimate or unreliable.

[RegularJam]

26. They have a history of printing false stories, have given sponsors direct editorial control,

Do not vet or corroborate sources, intentionally omit facts in order to promote what they want, and use inflammatory headlines as a means of getting clicks.

It’s well documented.

It really is a shit show.

[RegularJam]

15. The only thing I can find online about this group...

Is this story and their own website. There are close to 5000 retired generals in the US.

[RegularJam]

16. If you go to their websites "Media and PR Center"

This is the only thing they have up. This and links to a bunch of right wing places talking about this story. Nothing else.

[TomSlick]

17. It's unfortunate but 124 retired flag officers - many of whom have been retired "for decades" -

is not a large number.

Heaven knows I managed to run into a very few nut-case general officers in my time. However, they were greatly outnumbered by the brilliant ones.

I wish this had not happened but I am not too distressed.

[CatWoman]

19. check their bank accounts

[niyad]

20. Just a tacky little question here. WTEF are we doing with all these retired generals and admirals?

How many of them are there? How many active duty? And can we verify all those supposed signatories???

I keep thinking about the Bing Crosby song from "White Christmas", "What DoYou Do With A General?".

[JHB]

30. Taking a stab at it...

"GFOs" = general and flag officers. Generals and admirals, in non-militaryspeak.


Active duty:

As of November 1,2018, there were 891 active duty GFOs subject to statutory caps, which is 72 less than the maximum of 963 authorized by law.There were also another 29exempt from the statutory caps. The current number is about average for the post-Cold War era, though substantially lower than the number of GFOs in the 1960s-1980s,when the Armed Forceswere much larger in size than they are today. However, while always very small in comparison to the total force, the general and flag officer corps has increased as a percentage of the total forceover the past five decades. GFOs made up about one-twentieth of one percent (0.048%) of the total force in 1965, while they made up about one-fifteenth of one percent (0.069%) of the total force in 2018, indicating that the share of the total forcemade up of GFOs increased by 44%. Some argue that this increased proportion of GFOs is wasteful and contributes to more bureaucratic decisionmaking processes. Others counter that the increased proportion is linked to the military’s greater emphasis on joint and coalition operations, core organizational requirements, and the increasing use of advanced technologies.

Number of retirees is harder to pin down quickly, but the first guy on the list, a Coast Guard rear admiral, retired in 1991, 30 years ago. GHW Bush was president, the Soviet Union still had a month left in it, and FOX News didn't even exist yet.

[niyad]

33. Most informative, and I thank you. The song is still playing in my head.

[Hortensis]

38. Thanks. Wars also once required a lot more people in uniform.

[JHB]

39. Also, there's something of a conveyor belt at work

The average age of officers one grade below the GFOs is mid-40s. The lowest GFPs have mandatory retirement at 5years in rank or 30 years of service. I'd need to spend more time checking to familiarize myself with how it all works in practice, but there's a strong "up or out" mechanism in place.

Which means there's a lot of retirees going on to second careers, of which 124 is a paltry number, but not surprising they can round up that number of old cranks so they can wave the shoulder boards around to look like it's more significant than it is.

[Hortensis]

43. Thanks for the context. Only five years at a grade striven for for years

seems problematic, and perhaps sometimes leading to bitterness that there wasn't one more promotion to save them from being discarded? Some will just have really gotten good, of course. Wonder how much corruption might be a problem. Most will know from day 1 that they will need to transition to private industry positions in only 5 years.

[Locutusofborg]

25. Why is anyone surprised that there are 120 retired Generals

who are Trump supporters?
In case anyone has forgotten what the CURRENT Generals of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said:
Message from Joint Chiefs on U.S. Capitol Riot
January 12, 2021 5:19 PM
MEMORANDUM FOR THE JOINT FORCE
SUBJECT: MESSAGE TO THE JOINT FORCE
The American people have trusted the Armed Forces of the United States to protect them and our Constitution for almost 250 years. As we have done throughout our history, the U.S. military will obey lawful orders from civilian leadership, support civil authorities to protect lives and property, ensure public safety in accordance with the law, and remain fully committed to protecting and defending the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.
The violent riot in Washington, D.C. on January 6, 2021 was a direct assault on the U.S. Congress, the Capitol building, and our Constitutional process. We mourn the deaths of the two Capitol policemen and others connected to these unprecedented events.
We witnessed actions inside the Capitol building that were inconsistent with the rule of law. The rights of freedom of speech and assembly do not give anyone the right to resort to violence, sedition and insurrection.
As Service Members, we must embody the values and ideals of the Nation. We support and defend the Constitution. Any act to disrupt the Constitutional process is not only against our traditions, values, and oath; it is against the law.
On January 20, 2021, in accordance with the Constitution, confirmed by the states and the courts, and certified by Congress, President-elect Biden will be inaugurated and will become our 46th Commander in Chief.
To our men and women deployed and at home, safeguarding our country-stay ready, keep your eyes on the horizon, and remain focused on the mission. We honor your continued service in defense of every American.
[signed]
Mark A. Milley
General, U.S. Army
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

John E. Hyten
General, U.S. Air Force
Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

James C. McConville
General, U.S. Army
Chief of Staff of the Army

David H. Berger
General, U.S. Marine Corps
Commandant of the Marine Corps

Michael M. Gilday
Admiral, U.S. Navy
Chief of Naval Operations

Charles Q. Brown, Jr.
General, U.S. Air Force
Chief of Staff of the Air Force

John W. Raymond
General, U.S. Space Force
Chief of Space Operations

Daniel R. Hokanson
General, U.S. Army
Chief of the National Guard Bureau
https://news.usni.org/2021/01/12/message-from-joint-chiefs-on-u-s-capitol-riot

[JHB]

28. This is like creationists trotting out some pet PhDs to "prove" evolution is "disputed".

Most of them don't know what they're talking about (i.e., they're engineers, not scientists) or are True Believers for whom any conflict between facts and (their version of) The Bible means the facts aren't facts. All the creationist groups want is to wave around those degrees to "prove" they're right but Big Socialist Science is conspiring to lead the nation to Satan.



Gosh, out of thousands of flag rank retirees still alive, they rounded up 124 crotchety ranting cranks so they could wave those shoulder boards around to "prove" they're right. How do they know? Why, other ranting cranks and liars told them so!

[JHB]

29. The first name on that list, Coast Guard Rear Admiral Ernest B. Acklin...

...retired November 1, 1991.*

The Soviet Union still existed.

Granted, for just another month, but it still existed.




*https://www.dcms.uscg.mil/Portals/10/CG-1/psc/rpm/RPM-1/Boards-Panels/2018%20Registery/2018_Permanent_Regular_Retirees_min.pdf?ver=2018-04-10-124720-420
page 5, right column, 7th name down.

[StarfishSaver]

31. From Politico:

'Disturbing and reckless': Retired brass spread election lie in attack on Biden, Democrats

The open letter from 124 retired officers alarmed current and former military members concerned about the politicization of the military.

A day after 124 retired generals and admirals released a letter spreading the lie that President Joe Biden stole the election, current and former military officers are speaking out, calling the missive a dangerous new sign of the military being dragged into the trenches of partisan warfare.

The open letter on Monday from a group calling itself Flag Officers 4 America advanced the false conspiracy theory that the presidential vote was rigged in Biden's favor and warned that the nation is "in deep peril" from "a full-blown assault on our Constitutional rights."

As news of the letter spread, it set off a round of recriminations among current and former military members. One serving Navy officer, who did not want to be identified publicly, called it "disturbing and reckless."

Jim Golby, an expert in civil-military relations, called it a "shameful effort to use their rank and the military's reputation for such a gross and blatant partisan attack," while a retired Air Force colonel who teaches cadets at the Air Force Academy, Marybeth Ulrich, labeled it "anti-democratic."

"I think it hurts the military and by extension it hurts the country," said retired Adm. Mike Mullen, a former chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, describing it as replete with "right-wing Republican talking points."

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/05/11/retired-brass-biden-election-487374

[Passenger]

34. Swiftboat 2021. n/t

[kentuck]

35. Very disturbing story.

It shows how successful the "former guy" was at dividing every part of our society, including the military.

[MineralMan]

36. What retired generals have to say is of precious little importance.

Any time you see a headline about some "retired" or "former" government officials, it's important to remember that they are people who no longer hold any position of authority, and that they make up only a tiny percentage of other similar people.

Essentially, what they are saying is scarcely worth notice at all.

[Hortensis]

37. These are retired, but it's crossed my mind to wonder if their sort may have been

at least part of the reason the Assistant SecDef didn't send the military to stop the attack on the Capitol. For sure we know some like them are there.

[haele]

40. Oafkeepers and Swiftboaters.

Pencil-neck "I got a star because Daddy had Three" Poindexter was one of them.

120 retired "flag level officers" is less than 2% of the living retired flag level officer and it seems like this list is comprised of a bunch of over-80 year old Air Force LaMay cultists they found at random VFWs gathered around a TV with Faux News on.

Haele

[andym]

41. It's a big warning alarm going off that Fox News, Trump + allies succeeded in "1984'ing" the US

Just like in Orwell's 1984, Republicans and their sympathizers have to do doublethink to absorb all the lies they have been told. That retired military brass believe the election lies raises fears over the possibility of a military coup by disaffected individuals still in the military who might seek to take action against imaginary injustice.

[Elessar Zappa]

42. 124 is actually an insignificant number.

It tell us nothing, really, other than there are some generals who are idiots.

[andym]

44. How do you determine what a significant number is to cause problems?

What percent of retired admirals and generals are these, and how many other military men and leaders silently support them, especially those still in uniform? It's not like an election, they don't need a majority or even close to one, they just need a dedicated group who believes in the lies of an injustice that never happened.