Washington Post: “President Trump’s vision of soldiers marching and tanks rolling down the boulevards of Washington is moving closer to reality in the Pentagon and White House, where officials say they have begun to plan a grand military parade later this year showcasing the might of America’s armed forces. … American shows of military strength don’t come cheap. The cost of shipping Abrams tanks and high-tech hardware to Washington could run in the millions, and military officials said it was unclear how they would pay for it.”
I don’t think there’s a lack of love and respect for our armed forces in the United States. What are they going to do, stand there while Donald Trump waves at them? It smacks of something you see in a totalitarian country — unless there’s a genuine, earnest reason to be doing it.
— Historian Doug Brinkley
from the guardian:
[….]
“The marching orders were: I want a parade like the one in France,” the official told the Post. “This is being worked at the highest levels of the military.”
[….]
On Tuesday retired general Paul Eaton, senior adviser to VoteVets, a progressive political action committee for military veterans, said: “Donald Trump has continually shown himself to have authoritarian tendencies, and this is just another worrisome example.”
…..He added: “Unfortunately, we do have a commander in chief right now as much as have a wannabe banana republic strongman.”
Richard Painter, former White House ethics lawyer for George W Bush, tweeted: “Cool. Just like in North Korea and Russia. But what do we do about those traitors who don’t clap during our Dear Leader’s speech?” – a reference to Trump’s criticism of Democrats who did not applaud during his state of the union address.
[….continues…]
save the military money and defense budget, let him float in the macy thanksgiving parade….already has the necessary amount of hot air and strings attached.
considering the extra law enforcement, security, heavy tank road damage, additional duty pay etc etc… just how much will such a trump back-ass-tille parade cost?
Pam Bennett @PamBennettSails
Pam Bennett Retweeted Rick Wilson
An excellent suggestion for
@realDonaldTrump. None of the sissy blue or black. Pink, shocking, day glo pink.#MoronInChief#ResistPam Bennett added,
Rick WilsonVerified account @TheRickWilson
I think Donald Trump needs his own special commander-in-chief uniform, don’t you? Something with some fancy epaulets, several yards of ribbons, and a bejeweled medal at his throat the size of a saucer. Also, a sassy little beret. Definitely jodhpurs, boots and a swagger stick.
3:37 AM – 7 Feb 2018
this answers the cost question…. at least 8 million. nice tidy sum that could otherwise go to more worthy military needs. maybe the twit and the wh generals or the rnc could cough up the 8 millions to pay for it.
wapo:
President George H.W. Bush stood in a shirt and tie surrounded by bullet-proof glass in Washington in June 1991 as 8,800 U.S. troops and the weapons that helped the United States win the Gulf War against Saddam Hussein rumbled by him.
The spectacle, held on Constitution Avenue a few months after Operation Desert Storm ended, was part of what the White House called a National Victory Celebration.
Helicopters buzzed by the Washington Monument. Abrams tanks and Patriot missiles systems rolled past cheering civilians. Fireworks burst, marching bands played, and Army Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf Jr., the chief of U.S. Central Command, led the troops before saluting Bush and enjoying the rest of the display alongside him.
The $8 million-plus event attracted at least 200,000 people and was followed by an even larger celebration the next day in New York. It was a celebration of American martial history and prowess, and a good example of what it appears President Trump wants sometime later this year. The president has suggested that he has wanted one for more than a year, and the White House and Pentagon are now examining options.
[….]
The national military parade of 1991 — the last of its kind — had its detractors. The Washington Post reported at the time that interviews with 50 citizens showed public opinion “sharply divided” about it, with some calling it a waste of time and money and others saying it was a chance to be excited about a war ending successfully after just 43 days.
[…continues…]
bbronc, and a mustache
and of course, the requisite monocle and spiked helmet
Just when you think it couldn’t get any wackier… it does.
Last night I went to our town’s deliberative session for our town budget being voted on in our town election in March. A certain faction (think Trumpos) wanted to gut our police dept and shut down the library. Many people showed up and loudly gave support for both depts…. and made sure the money stayed for both depts. in the budget.
Something tells me this is a microcosm of what is happening across this country. We are fed up with these clowns and will take our towns, cities, states, and country back.
Pete Souza’s Instagram … petesouzaI love a parade. (Republic Day Parade, India, 2015)
New Upset in Trump Country: Democrats Win Special Election in Missouri That Went Big For Trump…
C’mon, Bobby 3 Sticks! Get on the stick and get rid of Cadet Bone Spurs.
If he wants a parade, let Trumpco pay for it. Doesn’t Congress still hold the purse strings? He may be able to order it, but Congress could refuse to fund it, couldn’t they?
This request for a military spectacular, coupled with his repeated attempts to obstruct justice and the crackpot remark about not clapping for him being treasonous…can they just get his rubber room ready now, please?
If there is a parade, the day before and after will be met with protest marches. This is not about thanking the military, this is about glorifying him, as are all things in Donnyland.
Donnie Bone Spur….more like Nixon everyday
oh wait a minute Nixon actually served in the Navy
In today’s money, the parade for the Gulf War cost $22 Million.
“$22 Million”
craig, that’s worth about 7 trips to mal-a-ego which reportedly costs us taxpayers 3.6 million a pop (give or take a few grand)
so did that $22 million include repairing the DC streets after the tanks rolled by?
Colbert egging on the twit….bwack bwack bwack
Colbert also mused on a new action figure
according to Chicago trib: Colbert turns Duckworth’s Trump diss into an ad for ‘Cadet Bone Spurs’ figurine
G.I. Joe has a new friend: “Cadet Bone Spurs.
[….]
“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on Tuesday imagined what a “Cadet Bone Spurs” figurine would look like. “He’d love to charge bravely into battle, it’s just that he has this thing with his heel, which causes occasional minor foot pain,” goes the ad that kicked off Tuesday’s show. While his comrades head off to battle, “Cadet Bone Spurs” is shown laying in a hammock and holding a cocktail.
KGV, i wondered the same thing. Don’t know. Whatever the reason tanks in the streets is not something I like to see.
amen
Cadet Bone spur’s parade Where were the sensible generals when this discussion started?
I wonder how much it costs to crate and ship the goose-stepping Russian eunuch leading the Red Square May Day parade?
Thanks for the pic, Mx Cariad ! I’m happy to see you riding the Trail. However, standing on your saddle is a serious challenge to those of us who ride right-side up, off-side down, or with U marks across our backs. I hope we can keep up to you.
Hey X-R sounds like the caucuses were a big success.
Minnesota had caucuses last night.
With all precincts reporting, almost 11,000 Republicans had participated in the caucus, barely more than half the 20,000 who showed up 2010 and well less than the 14,000 in 2014.
On the DFL side, turnout was on its way to 30,000, more than the 22,500 who turned out in 2010, the last time there was an open governor’s race.
AOL quotes durbin and schatz on twit’s parade:
….”fantastic waste of money to amuse the president.”
“Take the money that the president would like to spend on this parade [and] instead, let’s make sure our troops are ready for battle and survive it and come home to their families,” Durbin, the Democratic minority whip, said on MSNBC.
[….]
“Let’s put money into the quality of life and military families who sacrifice with our men and women in uniform,” Durbin told MSNBC. “And finally, let’s make sure that we’re doing something to stop the waiting lines in veteran’s hospitals. That’s a good way to put money, taxpayers’ money — investing in our troops, investing in our veterans instead of the amusement of the president.”
[….]
An estimated sticker price for the parade has yet to be revealed, but Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, tweeted Tuesday night that “a military parade costs millions.”
“Let’s fix military housing, hire more VA doctors, fund telehealth, DOD schools, support the commissaries, daycare for families, or give more flight training time,” he said.
Duct tape Old Pussypincher to the saddle of a fat white Suffolk gelding with yellowish tail and fetlocks.
Have the old Pfard wear a gold beribboned hot orange prison uniform and feathery white busby with large yellow cockade. Give him a gilded marshal’s baton surmounted by a two-faced vulture. His sword must be rubber.
There are probably a few of the old Nixon Guard uniforms around although somehow most ended up with a marching band in Iowa
The most impressive military parade in DC, to my knowledge, marked the 1953 inauguration of Pres Eisenhower. It wasn’t so much for domestic consumption as for our NATO allies and the Russians and their Warsaw Pact. It portrayed in very physical terms the advanced weaponry that we were prepared to use in the defense of Western Europe, Turkey and the UK should the Russians stray into ‘our’ territory.
I remember seeing such things as massive atomic cannons, corporal guided missiles, battalions of Walker Bulldog Tanks, 8-inch guns, etc., along with thousands of ground troops. I watched the inauguration with Michael Spencer at his house; we didn’t get teevee for several more years.
Now, we have nothing to match except nukes in subs, silos, and stealth aircraft–not exactly parade material.
A parade of bashi bazooks, birkebeiners, Janissaries, and berzerkers.
With pinatas – Norwegian pinatas, made of inflated and frozen walrus bladders.
That’s an image —
…..just as I’m eating my brunch bowl of kashi
Trumps new official portrait
Renee
That win was another suburban flip. It looks as if the Republicans are losing the suburbs. But there were 3 more races and the democrats did very good in all of them even though they lost. 31% doesn’t look good until you realize that 15-20% is the norm.
A good sign for Claire if she can carry rural counties in the high 20’s she will win with a landslide.
Here is a good summation of the night
Jack
KGC: “Where were the sensible generals when this discussion started?”
My hunch is they’re the ones leaking this story, in hopes of stopping it. It’s clear Pentagon does not want to do this.
Ya know, I don’t now why we are even talking about Trump today.
The subject of the Day should be all about Elon Musk, Wow what a show!! and what a showman. He is trying to live a Heinlein novel. Ha and what a pun, Falcon Heavy Rocket, Yes it is. BTW just so everybody would get it he told Bloomberg that his next project is called BFR or Big Falcon Rocket. Say that 3 times real fast if you still don’t get it.
With all that who wants to talk about Trump, screw Trump. It is time to have fun.
A Falcon Heavy Rocket, lol
Jack
Let the idiot have his parade, as to expense as Pat pointed out with his trips to FL, he pisses away more than that cheating on the golf course. There are serious things that need to be addressed, this ain’t one of them. Even if it does make you throw up in your mouth,
Jack
jack, yes, a big atta boy for elon! just the sight of that tandem landing on the return of the 2 rockets. wow!
too bad about the tesla tho…. but how cool to try…. as Colbert said last night Musk’s “king of the nerds”
from fortune: Elon Musk’s Tesla Missed Mars Orbit After Successful Falcon Heavy Launch
[….]
@elonmusk
Third burn successful. Exceeded Mars orbit and kept going to the Asteroid Belt.
10:46 PM – Feb 6, 2018
The fate of Starman and the Tesla is unclear. The capsule could remain in an orbit around the asteroid belt, be demolished by an asteroid, or continue into deep space. Musk has posted no further updates since his tweet last night.
since Mars is not an option I like the possibility Tesla just heads on out to deep space.
Poobah, great minds and all that. You posted the straight armed salute pic, and I posted a comment at WaPo this morning suggesting that SFB would be doing a straight armed salute from the reviewing stand on PA Ave.
Patd, I’m guessing the Tesla was stamped “Irregular”.
correction: that Colbert name for musk was “king nerd”
pogo, Colbert & others have reported that it’s elon’s very own…. course you might say that about all the teslas coming off the production line, but I also wondered about it’s condition and whether it had one too many dents or scratches or if some drunk had tossed his/her cookies in it.
another thing, what does the tesla starman have on under the space suit and is there a smile on his face behind the visor….. and did he yell “yeeee hawww” as he was thrust into the asteroid belt
“yeeee hawww”
considering that the guy who just successfully returned right on the button 3 big falcon rockets to 3 little pads comes from one of those african countries that the twit called a “sh*thole/house” ….. what does that say about our hole/house and its rocket accuracy
Officials: US missile defense test failed in Hawaii
Yes, the Tesla with its “Don’t Panic” sign on the dashboard (I wonder if there’s a towel in the glove compartment?), blaring David Bowie heads to deep space to be discovered in x-Earth years by…
Money for a military parade would, indeed, be better spent on military readiness, families, pretty much anything else they need.
That is probably the one thing that can get enough traction to unseat his certain whaling about how not having it is disrespectful to the military.
Dear Cadet BS,
We respect the real military.
We respect the ‘office’ you hold.
We just don’t respect you.
Jeez, Hope Hicks sure has poor taste in men.
And Kelly stood up for the abusive asshat. Huckapoo-Sanders has no moral compass; it seems she will say anything fuhrer tells her to say.
Paul Ryan is still awful…but in comparison…
patd, makes sense that it’s Elon’s – I can’t say this for certain, but I doubt that billionaires who own car (and space) companies keep their cars very long or give a damn about foregoing the trade-in value.
probably one of the cars with the exploding battery
I just call that stupid clip of the dumbfuck talking about Democrats “treason, why not”? I don’t do the Twitter thing, but I suspect there’s something out there about like this #TrumpIsAnAsshole. Can anyone confirm that?
As sunshine is a disinfectant, some news from the bright side: the latest Gerber Baby is an adorable boy with a big smile. He also has Downs Syndrome.
Could this WH wife abuser leak be FBI payback for Trump’s smears? They interviewed the ex-wives long ago. If so, they have every right.
RebelliousRenee,
Hoping you are safe from the weather.
My day was shovel, do my taxes, shovel, grab hot water bottle, go to bed, watch Investigation Discovery (aka The Murder Channel)
for a few tips and ideasOh my goodness I am tired of the childish behavior in our government. Tit for tat from anyone at any age is unacceptable. All these yahoos work for me & I say so.
Pogo, here’s a hashtag to trend: #AreThereAnyAdultsInOurGovernment