Summary

Trump’s nomination of Pete Hegseth, a Fox News presenter with minimal managerial experience, as defense secretary has stunned the Pentagon.

Hegseth has been a vocal critic of the military, calling for a purge of generals and questioning the appointment of Gen. Charles Brown as chair of the joint chiefs of staff.

Hegseth’s nomination is seen as a boost for the far right in Israel, as he has shown support for territorial expansion and suggested the construction of a new temple on the Temple Mount.

  • dream_weasel
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    4112 hours ago

    Oh no, it’s the consequences of our actions! What a fucking joke of a country we are in.

  • HubertManne
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    3313 hours ago

    but not a surprise to the people who actively voted against him and his party in order to not have them in control.

  • peopleproblems
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    2513 hours ago

    OH OH OH OH IVE SEEN THIS ONE!!!

    NEXT THEY’RE GONNA REVEAL VAULT PROGRAMS!!!

  • @enbyecho
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    2614 hours ago

    I guess on the plus side when China invades Taiwan we won’t have to honor our long-standing commitments and get our hands dirty defending our allies I mean economic partners

    • @ikidd
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      313 hours ago

      With TSMC in Taiwan still the only chipmaker worth its salt in the world, that’s not going to happen. They’ll have every carrier group there the second China sticks it’s pickles across the line.

      • @curiousPJ
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        1812 hours ago

        Trump believes Taiwan “stole” chip making technology from the states. And judging from most Republican’s general stupidity on this matter… They think majority of the semiconductors are produced in China. Because to them Taiwan == China.

  • @[email protected]
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    21419 hours ago

    Hegseth’s nomination is seen as a boost for the far right in Israel, as he has shown support for territorial expansion and suggested the construction of a new temple on the Temple Mount.

    Let me know, protest abstainers, when it sinks in how fucked palestinians are.

    • @[email protected]
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      12619 hours ago

      Yea, anyone who didn’t know that Trump’s immediate policy would be to glass Gaza is a fucking idiot. He was extremely transparent about it.

      • Lightor
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        1212 hours ago

        “I will never vote for genocide” Yeah, and you didn’t help stop it either.

      • @Yawweee877h444
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        5018 hours ago

        His son in law Jared kushner is a practicing orthodox jew, and his daughter Ivanka literally converted to Judaism for him. They are both practicing orthodox jews, check Kushners wiki.

        This is the daughter trump adores. Anyone supporting Palestine who voted trump or didn’t vote is an idiot.

        • @[email protected]
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          2517 hours ago

          Orthodox Jews, while being more likely than the other major branches of Judaism to be conservative and support expansionist and oppressive Zionism, do not inherently hold that belief. There are sects of ultra-orthodox Jews that are hardline anti-Zionists. Don’t make the mistake of conflating religious belief with support for Israel in general or Israel’s genocide specifically.

          Kushner and Ivanka probably do, but because they’re just shitty people, not automatically because they’re religious.

          • @AbidanYre
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            813 hours ago

            Kushner and Ivanka probably do

            Wasn’t Jared already talking about how he couldn’t wait to get his hands on some of that beachfront property even before the election?

          • @Yawweee877h444
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            515 hours ago

            Oh I agree completely. There’s many orthodox jews in and out of Israel that are very critical of Netanyahu, Israel foreign policy, etc.

            That wasn’t my point though. My point was that, his family as evidence, it should be simply obvious to everyone that trump will either be moderately supportive or very supportive of Israel, keyword being supportive. I doubt he’ll give a shit about the blight of the Palestinians.

            On the subject of kushner and Ivanka being devoutly religious, I’m very suspect. I believe these two to be spoiled and coddled their entire lives, I think they love money, power, and luxury, and that’s the extent of their world. Why they follow the tradition, I have no idea. Maybe they’re so narcissistic they latch onto the whole “gods chosen people” nonsense. Maybe it’s just following tradition of kushners family. Regardless, I don’t think there’s any substance to these people other than greed, that includes trump.

        • massive_bereavement
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          1317 hours ago

          check Kushners wiki.

          It is bad enough they will ruin the world, I would rather not have to learn the lore.

      • @someguy3
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        2318 hours ago

        “I thought ‘finish the job’ meant peace!”

    • @[email protected]
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      3017 hours ago

      Someone from an Arab group was saying on the radio that they basically didn’t care if it meant more deaths in Gaza if they encouraged their members not to vote for Harris, they would blame the Democrats… That’s some twisted logic if I’ve ever seen it.

      • @Serinus
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        18 hours ago

        The same strategy is Hamas’s primary MO. If Israelis die, it’s good for Hamas. If Gazans die, it’s good for Hamas. On one hand, Israel should get a hell of a lot more blame than the Democrats. On the other, you can see how this powers Hamas strategy.

        • @[email protected]
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          17 hours ago

          Exactly, and same for Israel in respect of settlers.

          There’s a good reason Netanyahu chose to install hamas and usurp and kill Arafat.

          States/ Nations are usually willing to sacrifice a fair number of their people for the benefit of those in power - I’m sure the benefits trickle down though.

      • @idiomaddict
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        314 hours ago

        That’s a pretty extraordinary claim, do you happen to remember any information about the group or radio show?

          • @idiomaddict
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            -111 hours ago

            Bad, but I found this. It may be a translation issue, but it seems significantly less spiteful and more regretful than I how read your description.

            I do get it, it’s like getting a limb caught in a bear trap and not chewing through it. Sure, we’d all hope we would do it and know that it’s the best chance of survival, but it’s not easy to do. I’m not confused, just sad, worried and tbh, a little angry at the democrats. They could have made this an easier choice for us, and they might have won. I’m also angry at people who didn’t vote for Harris, but I really can’t understand how difficult it is for people like Abed Hammoud, so I’m going to save my anger more for the people who voted for trump

            • @[email protected]
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              12 hours ago

              I’m paraphrasing but what he says on the radio is “I know things might be the same or worse with Trump, but we’re taking a chance because a change in leadership is our only hope and if it’s Trump that gets elected then it will be the Democrats’ fault.”

              • @idiomaddict
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                12 hours ago

                I mean, yeah. He can’t gnaw through his own limb to save himself from the bear trap. And if the democrats were less supportive of Israel, it would be an easier choice. It’s natural for him to blame them fully, because he doesn’t want to blame himself. I don’t see this as crazy logic, he’s just in an incredibly difficult emotional state.

                It’s a Sophie’s choice and he’s blaming the democrats for making their side of the choice unappealing. It’s a double standard, but that’s just because everyone expects republicans to be anti Muslim. He expected democrats to be on his side in a meaningful way and they weren’t.

            • @frostysauce
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              411 hours ago

              tbh, a little angry at the democrats. They could have made this an easier choice for us

              It was as easy as can be, mate. It’s not the Democrats’ fault more than half or country are so fucking stupid.

              • @idiomaddict
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                -110 hours ago

                It was not as easy as it could be, come on. Nobody wants to vote with Dick Cheney. They swung hard to the right and muddled it for people. It would be great if people were able to keep their eyes on the ball, but they couldn’t. Politicians should be generally aware of their potential supporters’ priorities, and there’s been a clear misstep here.

    • @[email protected]
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      2318 hours ago

      The new temple will be the seat of the world government headed by the Antichrist. That’s why far-right evangelicals want to rebuild it. You’d think he’d be able to just do it himself after conquering the world. And of course, the outcome of the final battle between God and Satan is actually uncertain.

    • @GeneralEmergency
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      617 hours ago

      By the time that happens they’ll find another single issue to focus their energy on.

    • KNova
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      -1511 hours ago

      You sure sound gleeful that a bunch of people’s lives are about to be ruined.

      The Dems could have done much more to prevent this. Letting a Muslim American elected democrat speak at the DNC would have been the smallest bone thrown.

      Stop voter blaming.

      • @TenderfootGungi
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        811 hours ago

        Trump got fewer votes than the year he lost. Democrats did not show up to vote.

    • @[email protected]
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      -812 hours ago

      It literally can’t get worse. Have you watched the news lately? The good news is the second in command of the world’s most ravenous, vicious, blood thirsty empire will soon be an unqualified blowhard–and the first in command will be similarly (un)qualified. Death to America.

      • @Entropywins
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        311 hours ago

        There’s a thing about rock bottom…it can always get worse until there is nothing left to feel.

    • @Psychodelic
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      -2514 hours ago

      It’s so gross how much some/the majority of libs are enjoying shitting on small, powerless groups that didn’t support their preferred candidate

      • @[email protected]
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        2413 hours ago

        Because your fucking choice was to support Trump instead. How fucking hard is it to understand, fuck.

      • @frog_brawler
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        312 hours ago

        I’m not a lib, and by all accounts the libs are also a powerless group. Who are you referring to exactly?

    • ceoofanarchism
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      16 hours ago

      Oh ye Biden was really making a difference. Stop pretending the dems are materially different on this even if the re less blunt.

      • @enbyecho
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        1214 hours ago

        Stop pretending the dems are materially different

        You are lucky. For you there is no material difference. For many, there very much is. Contrary to popular opinion, you do not have to always and exclusively vote for your own selfish interests.

        • ceoofanarchism
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          -711 hours ago

          Did you not notice i was talking about palestine? Are the democrats not currently helping commit one?

      • @[email protected]
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        1716 hours ago

        So it hasn’t sunk in yet. Got it. TTM in the spring and we’ll see if you still think like this.

    • @[email protected]
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      19 hours ago

      Are you living under a fucking rock?

      Palestinians are already fucked. They are literally going through a genocide. There is no worse outcome.

      It doesn’t get worse under Trump, it’s the same under Trump. Just as Biden continued Trumps other Israel bullshit. Birds of a feather massacre together.

      • @Cornelius_Wangenheim
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        8 hours ago

        The death toll up to this point is about 45k. Israel has not settled any land in Gaza or started expelling Palestinians into neighboring countries. There is a lot of room for it to get worse.

      • @PugJesus
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        5718 hours ago

        Palestinians are already fucked. They are literally going through a genocide. There is no worse outcome.

        Ah yes, the two states of existence, genocide, and not-genocide. That’s why the genocide, which has been going on for near two-decades now, is no more urgent today than it was in September of last year.

        • Flying Squid
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          2117 hours ago

          I hate that idea. It was genocide when the Nazis were putting Jews in ghettos, it was genocide when Nazis were putting them in labor camps, it was genocide when they decided on the Final Solution and started putting them in the gas chambers.

          Genocide can get worse. People who say that it can’t are coming from such a ridiculous position of privilege that they will never understand suffering.

        • @[email protected]
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          18 hours ago

          Pug I usually respect your takes, but this isn’t one of them.

          For nearly a century it’s been a state of apartheid, the genocide in earnest started after oct. The UN and many other institutions have raised huge concerns over it.

          It feels like you’re just trying to downplay what Palestinians are actively going through under Biden to push on the angle of Trump being worse. Honestly it reeks of genocide denial, which I suspect wasn’t your intent.

          • @frostysauce
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            311 hours ago

            to push on the angle of Trump being worse

            You… You think that is an angle? Wait and see how not worse Trump is for the people in Gaza.

          • @PugJesus
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            3418 hours ago

            It feels like you’re just trying to downplay what Palestinians are actively going through under Biden to push on the angle of Trump being worse.

            “Palestinians are being genocided, but that doesn’t mean that the genocide can’t happen faster or in a more bloody manner”

            “I think you’re just trying to downplay what Palestinians are going through under Biden”

            ???

            For nearly a century it’s been a state of apartheid, the genocide in earnest started after oct.

            No. It really didn’t start in October.

            The UN and many other institutions have raised huge concerns over it.

            Yes, they have, and rightfully so. The escalation of the genocide to where it is now is a major atrocity, beyond where the genocide was before.

            Don’t be fooled for a single fucking second that this is as bad as it gets.

            • @[email protected]
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              2318 hours ago

              Exactly, it’s such a bizarre statement. It’s like saying ghettoes and the holocaust were the same thing.

              • Flying Squid
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                1517 hours ago

                I’m also guessing that the people in Gaza who are still alive think that it could definitely get worse. What with them not being dead yet.

                • @Veneroso
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                  313 hours ago

                  To quote Dr. McCoy.

                  “He was worse than dead!”

      • @aesthelete
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        1615 hours ago

        There is no worse outcome.

        This reminds me of a joke about Russian history.

        Russian history in 5 words:

        And then things got worse.

      • @jumjummy
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        1916 hours ago

        There is no worse outcome

        Let’s save that comment so we can revisit in 2025 shall we?

      • @someguy3
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        1318 hours ago

        Biden was pushing for a peace treaty. Trump is going to glass the whole place and build seaside resorts.

        • @[email protected]
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          -2318 hours ago

          Biden was pushing for a peace treaty by sending them guns, money, and assurances that the US would attack anyone who resisted?

          Yeah right and McDonalds is a health food company because they offer a salad.

          • @Eldritch
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            15 hours ago

            The United States has shipped Munitions and weapons to Israel for decades. It didn’t magically become about genocide just because you pretend it did. I would absolutely argue that we should reconsider or slow down or hold off on sending them more. But that wouldn’t have stopped anything. And it would be foolish to think otherwise. And yet there are still so many fools.

            Let’s play a fantasy game for a moment. Biden cancels all future arms shipments to Israel. You’re happy and the situation is now resolved right? The zionists in the house and Senate would never unanimously override his veto. And just continue those shipments. Then he would have burned any political Capital he had for negotiations and goodwill. Leaving us with less chance to stop it than before. And only empowering Netanyahu and the ghoulish zionists.

            This fantasy black and white thinking is a curse. That you and so many others are so terminally online. Getting high on your own supply of passing this rhetoric back and forth that you believe it. Sometimes things are complicated and have nuance. But what’s the point of nuance when you can just virtue signal for nothing and get nothing in return. You won. The Biden ministration nor the Harris administration will be sending any more arms or support to Israel after january. And no one will be arguing for a ceasefire either. Everyone is saved. And you certainly weren’t played a fool. Congratulations.

            • Flying Squid
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              615 hours ago

              They’re on the other side of the globe. None of it affects them personally and never did.

              • @Eldritch
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                415 hours ago

                I’d say you’re right. But they need to understand that capitalists will always need to find someone new to exploit, and fascists will always need to find someone new to scapegoat. They’re only safe on the other side of the world so long.

                • Flying Squid
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                  315 hours ago

                  Absolutely. The leopard is coming for their face.

            • @AbidanYre
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              113 hours ago

              Biden cancels all future arms shipments to Israel. You’re happy and the situation is now resolved right?

              Don’t worry, they’ll find something else to be mad about.

  • @Allonzee
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    4416 hours ago

    I think this is pretty funny in a the capitalist propagandizers are running the nuclear state insane asylum kind of way.

  • @DaddleDew
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    10919 hours ago

    Placing people in positions of power based on personal loyalty over competence. This is how dictators secure their power. It also usually completely cripples the country’s ability to function at every level but the dictators don’t care about that.

    • ddh
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      78 hours ago

      His professed loyalty to Trump. There is nothing else now.

  • @garretble
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    7619 hours ago

    I wonder how many thousands of pentagon people voted for trump.

    • Billiam
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      4217 hours ago

      You better worry about how many will obey when he orders them to be used on American soil.

      • @[email protected]
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        2817 hours ago

        Anyone who’s been on a military base should be very worried about that answer. It’s Fox News 24/7, in both recreational and professional areas.

        • @[email protected]
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          13 hours ago

          People seriously do not understand the degree of nationalistic propaganda anyone on a military installation is subjected to.

          Every poster, every event, every song, every sale ad for the commissary or other on-base stores, daily national anthem blasted over Giant Voice systems.

          It’s not just the military members themselves exposed to it; it’s their spouses and children; people are raised from birth in this environment. It’s every retiree who got a job back on the same base they retired from active duty on.

          • @[email protected]
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            411 hours ago

            There’s also a definite undercurrent of being put-upon special people separate from the civilians who don’t know what it’s like to sacrifice for “freedom”. It’s not a good atmosphere to rely on when an autocrat, who is their legal commander in chief, and who their media propagandizes for, tells them to do something that they theoretically should refuse. There’s so many avenues to just do it.

        • peopleproblems
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          413 hours ago

          I always hear a different story. One side says the soldier/airman/sailor/(are Marines just grunts?) is supposed to carry out all lawful orders by their superior, and the other is to protect the constitution.

          National Guard and Coast Guard aside (which are technically state militaries, but Congress has recently given the President to authority to Federalize them without the governor consenting), it seems to me that one of the things a service member should have learned was that the military cannot operate domestically.

          Now, I’ve met some smart officers, and some really dumb officers, and a lot of… People who survived enlistment and they all swear up and down that the reality comes to what happens when a gun is pressed against your head. Do you die for your country (as is your job) or do you commit treason risking that punishment in the future.

          I like to imagine there’s a super top secret elite of the elite who are basically selected because at some point faced with that question and they take the bullet and become involved with an organization like Tenet.

    • @arin
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      618 hours ago

      More than half

  • @[email protected]
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    3219 hours ago

    This is a pretty outstanding Dipshit Move, even by the standards of Trump. And a good 90% of his actions seem stupid to the point of being actively malicious anyways.

    • @[email protected]
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      816 hours ago

      They said russia lost the cold war. Well when america is sold for scraps to putin, who is the winner then?

      • @ziggurat
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        415 hours ago

        Russia lost the cold war, but Russia won the orange war

  • @[email protected]
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    2719 hours ago

    Why the fuck would a good candidate for Secretary of Defense have any serious opinion on foreign policy.

    Don’t miss that red flag among all the others.

    • @[email protected]
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      He’s clearly an accelerationist. Rebuilding the temple on the Mount is a requirement for Jesus to come back and kick off biblical Armageddon.

      Trump has surrounded himself with insane people who are hell-bent on destroying the world so they can be raptured. Choosing people for these roles who openly say shit like this further proves that is their actual plan.

      They want to destroy the world and jumpstart their revelations prophecy. They don’t give a shit what happens to the rest of us.

    • @[email protected]
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      1618 hours ago

      Trumpets don’t value knowledge. They value commitment and loyalty and the ability to blame others.

  • FiveMacs
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    2619 hours ago

    Y’all better have some contingency plans in place to prevent him for doing well…anything

    • @[email protected]
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      19 hours ago

      Eh, the military will probably coup before submitting to Stalin-esque purges.

      That isn’t a particularly good thing. Coups are like Lay’s and Pringles… You can’t just have one and once you pop you just can’t stop.

      • @[email protected]
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        1419 hours ago

        Yeah, I’m trying to think of a recent (<100y) example that didn’t result in a junta or other coups, and I’m drawing a blank.

        • @PugJesus
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          718 hours ago

          Gorbachev purging the Soviet military.

          • @[email protected]
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            418 hours ago

            I don’t think that’s really a coup — if anything it’s the same as what Trump wants to do, but unlike Mr. Pizza Hut he isn’t on the right side of history.

            • @[email protected]
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              215 hours ago

              Collapsing the USSR and causing horrible living conditions throughout the area for the better part of two decades was the right side of history?

              • @[email protected]
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                15 minutes ago

                Right, I forgot he singlehandedly destroyed the USSR, which was a glorious utopia until his leadership and would totally still be around today otherwise. Thanks for the correction.

            • @PugJesus
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              318 hours ago

              I interpreted you as saying that you couldn’t think of a mass purge that didn’t result in a junta or other coups.

              • @[email protected]
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                318 hours ago

                I was thinking (and presumably xmunk too) of scenarios where the military overthrows the government.

                There are lots of examples of purges not resulting in coups, including the most famous purger of recent times, Stalin.

                • @PugJesus
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                  318 hours ago

                  I was thinking (and presumably xmunk too) of scenarios where the military overthrows the government.

                  Ah

      • Erasmus
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        918 hours ago

        No because he has already said when he becomes President he is going to create a task force that will basically clean house in the military of any ranking people that are not ‘yes men’

        He is wanting to create a North Korea/Russia style military that is only there to agree with him.

      • @[email protected]
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        818 hours ago

        This is an insane take. No, the military isn’t going to coup over this. If the generals were getting executed, perhaps, but they’re just being retired or shuffled off to other duties.

    • peopleproblems
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      413 hours ago

      We don’t! That’s the best part about having a country full of idgafologists and sociopaths.

      The answer is Guns, and more guns.

      But people seem to not understand how fucking outgunned the population is versus the military.

    • @[email protected]
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      719 hours ago

      We definitely have plans, big plans. Big massive contingency plans. Well, I can’t really describe them right now, because they’re so big. It’s really more like concepts, but check back in 2 weeks.