Donald Trump’s campaign was warned about not taking photographs before an altercation at Arlington National Cemetery during a wreath-laying ceremony earlier this week to honor service members killed in the Afghanistan War withdrawal, a defense official told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter concerning Monday’s events. It came a day after NPR reported, citing a source with knowledge of the incident, that two Trump campaign staff members “verbally abused and pushed” aside a cemetery official who tried to stop them from filming and photographing in Section 60, the burial site for military personnel killed while fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq.
They claim they were “given permission” to film there. Except it turns out the “permission” was given by the families, who can’t actually give permission to film in the cemetery.
Then they claim that there was no altercation, no pushing, and the cemetery official was having a mental health crisis anyway - which will sounds very Narcissist’s Prayer of them.
The cemetery official has declined to press charges, saying they didn’t want to be targeted by followers of The Orange One.
Sound very Soviet to me. “You didn’t see any graphite on the roof because it isn’t there… This man is delusional, take him to infirmary”
The republicans learn from their masters well.
So if I were to announce my candidacy, go there with a professional photographer, then yell and push people I would also get away scott free, right? Or is the permanent backing of an angry, violent prone mob also a requirement.
I hate to say it, but I’m at the point where I’d take being targetted and harassed if it meant I could make a dent in this fuckers defenses.
Sorry, cemetery official, these are fucking Nazis and you’re appeasing them.
No, as an individual, it isn’t your personal fight, but it’s a fight that’s affecting everybody in the USA as it is and if Trump wins even moreso. So ignoring how it affects all of us because you don’t want to personally be affected just makes me think you’re kind of a fucking pussy.
Like I’m just some random asshat, I don’t have a federal law standing behind me and work at a place that is highly respected. This person has way more backup on their team than I fucking do. I’m sick of these people fucking turning pussy in the face of adult bullies.
It’s easy to say that behind a screen but as someone who has been threatened by MAGAs, it’s no picnic. And I have guns.
This is the problem with our current justice system. We have a chilling effect on bringing real consequences to these assholes because their acolytes will threaten if not beat you for going against their Dear Leader.
What we should be doing, instead of blaming this one soldier, is to tell Congress to pass judicial reform to make these kinds of threats punishable by the same minimum sentencing laws that we use for drugs.
I get what you’re going for, and I generally agree, it’s easier to say it than actually deal with it: but if more people stood up to it, these bullies wouldn’t be so emboldened. Everyone backing the fuck down every time is literally part of why they’re so fucking bold about it now. This has been going on for a decade now. Do you think a decade is long enough to let them become more emboldened from people pissing themselves and giving up?
And secondly… Dude congress has gotten jack fucking shit done in 20 fucking years. We would have to completely blow the Republicans out of the water with major majorities in both the House and Senate, and even then at best we’ve got two years to get anything done.
We literally have half of Congress in the bag for the people committing these crimes. They won’t go out of their way to punish them. We have the Supreme Fucking Court tell us that a President is totally immune to whatever as long as his name is Trump.
So yeah, sorry, the only thing we can actually functionally fucking do at the moment is to stand up to the bullies.
EDIT:
Also, if Trump wins, they will become super emboldened and basically become Trump’s Brownshirts, terrorizing the country at large. Will you still have the same position? That it’s better to turn tail and just give up?
When fascism has already won, will you think it was worth it to have saved your own skins? Because your skins are up for grabs if Trump wins. Everyone’s is. Saving your own skins won’t last forever if he wins, will it?
When the fascist dictator is putting innocent people to death, is the best solution to protect your own and fuck everyone else? No wonder this country is falling apart, nobody is willing to stand up for anyone else. No fucking unity.
EDIT II: Here is some poetry from someone who turned tail and kept his mouth shut during World War II because protecting his own was more important. He was pro-Hitler before the war.
Maybe they have children? It’s easy to say here anonymously when it’s not happening to you but if I felt I wouldn’t be the only one targeted I’d consider making the same choice.
Right? I immediately thought of Ron Swanson’s note, but at least he was nominally in charge of the parks.