Who are they supposed to be defending the Constitution from ā Trump perhaps. Mattis makes it pretty easy to read between the lines.
holdfast (hÅldĖfÄstĖ)āŗ
n. restraint that attaches to something or holds something in place
I wonder just how many previous Secretaries of Defense felt it necessary to encourage soldiers to defend the Constitution in their exit messageā¦ My guess would be a number fairly close to zero. Pretty amazing statement.
I am really hoping he drops the ācodeā and starts giving TV interviews tomorrow, if not that the Sunday shows on the 6th. Mattis has a duty to let the Country know what he saw, and what Trump has done, and no incentive since Trump went after him to hold back.
Do your duty! American needs to know what you know!
BTB, here is the complete statement: https://news.usni.org/2018/12/31/mattis-farewell-message
I was not happy Mattis was placed into the role given his military background for a position that is supposed to be non-military. Butā¦ given the plethora of deplorables Trump placed into civilian positions, Mattis exceeded my expectations and was one of the very VERY few people put into place in the administration that was not out to actively destroy our country.
I wish Mattis well. I hope he is able to help speak up and fight against the cancer of Trump now.
I do not look forward to the āyes manā that will come next.
I like the line "So keep the faith in our country and hold fast, alongside our allies, aligned against our foes."
Standing together with our allies against our foes is something I president has failed (intentionally) at.
I hope there is some method to the madness re: timing of the Mattis resignation. He must have known that Trump would fire him as soon as someone told him his letter was a rebuke.
Soā¦there is a developing General Legal Disclaimer as Petraeus has apparently come out and joined his fellow officers:
āI will not serve this president.ā
āSo keep the faith in our country and hold fast, alongside our allies, aligned against our foes.ā
Thatās a none-too-subtle nod to the reality that our enemy is in the WH. That, and the increasingly real possibility that a military coup might be in order to "support and defend the Constitution while protecting our way of life.ā
Isnāt āhold fastā the sort of expression you use in the context of the military when youāre at war, and especially on the defensive fending off enemy advances? Which is where we are realistically, though no one wants to say weāre at war with an enemy that has made the President into their agent.
Stating the obvious at a time when the obvious is no longer obvious at all. How must Presidents like Truman and Eisenhower, like Reagan and G.H.W. Bush feel if they could see that the President has to be reminded to stand alongside the allies and against the foes of the United States. Heck, even a monster like Sen. Joe McCarthy presumably would have a few strong words for the current occupant of 1600 Penn Ave and his connections with the āfoeā.
How do we feel about this reminder? Iām willing to run with outrage and shame, for starters.
Trump is inept.
I feel angry this is what weāve come to. I feel resolute to working to correcting the willful destruction by these deplorables.
Never shame. Shame is for something I had a hand in, something I should have done better. I place the responsibility and ownership for the terrible actions of the GOP, the president, the administration squarely on THEIR shoulders and on all who remain silent in support of their candidate.
Nice to see Donnie got his wall, can we restart the government now?
OT: Love your kitty with itās third eye open. I know catās have third lids, but this is wild!
The Military-Industrial complex that Eisenhower warned against has now come into full realizationā¦fully formed. Cheney almost had itā¦but donnie doesnāt even worry about any veil, mask or lipstick on this pig.
But Shanahan, in his capacity as a Boeing exec in charge of procurement for the 787, does have experience with crooked Russian/Ukrainian oligarchs and with bribery schemes, which makes him perfect for the tRump cabinet. Always the best people. Always.
āSo keep the faith in our country and hold fast, alongside our allies, aligned against our foesāforeign or DOMESTIC"
Trump is inept.
Canāt agree.
From the perspective of the national welfare, this is, at worst, unarguable. However, from Drumpfās perspective, who has more of an interest in seeing to it that our soldiers are āproperly equippedā than a military contractor? And, might there not be some opportunities for personal gain attached to the pick?
Of course, thereās also the advantages the Russians gain from having a SecDef of doubtful competence and effectiveness.
From my pov, āineptitudeā provides a socially acceptable palliative for DTās malfeasance.
With that in mind, might I suggest that more precise word choices could have been ācorrupt,ā or even, perhaps, ātreasonous?ā