Gold Star Mother Eviscerates Trump AND OTHERS on MSNBC

I didn't catch her name, sorry, but I'm sure it will become well known in just a few minutes or hours after the video is posted online by MSNBC and then goes viral. At least, I certainly hope it goes viral. No, it wasn't Mrs. Khan, it was another Gold Star mother taking exception to Donald Trump in the main, his booing supporters after that, then the Republican Party and then all politicians who vote for war, specifically the Iraq War.

By word of background, my father was in the service for thirty years and had a chestful of what is referred to as "fruit salad", i.e. a big block of colorful ribbons on his uniform. He is now buried in a Veteran's cemetery. I was a military brat. When I was growing up I went to nine different schools from first grade through high school. I actually lived on military bases a number of times. I personally know what it's like to have the staff car with the chaplain and the two other guys drive up in front of your house. In our case, we were lucky, my Dad was only wounded, not killed. I had friends who were not so lucky. The people who serve, know personally and well what the price is. In case you are wondering, my father was not conservative, he was not authoritarian, he was not a war hawk, he was not Republican. He was great, but no Great Santini. I add this personal bit of biography to provide context to my comments below.

It may be that Trump has finally met his Waterloo in his crazy and wrong-headed and ludicrous attacks on the Khans.

What did the woman in the title of this essay say that was different from what has been said already so effectively by the Khans?

She broadened her outrage out from just Trump, but also to encompass his Party and his supporters and every politician who has not just condemned him but also NOT repudiated him as the Party's standard bearer, which she defined as an outrage as large as Trumps words. She said "You do not serve Trump. You serve the American people. You are not his civil servants, you are our civil servants." (paraphrase from memory). She really called out those Republican Party heads who are not recognizing this incident as the Rubicon that it is.

She also chastised the Trump supporters who booed the military Mom, telling them that they didn't have a clue, that only one half of one percent of Americans are active military and have any idea of the kind of sacrifices the military life involves. (I checked and her figures were right). Going further, she said that all the politicians who voted to going to war in Iraq owed the American people an apology. She talked about veteran suicides and mental struggles that were another cost of war.

It was incredibly powerful. I thank her so much for saying clearly that the problem isn't confined to Trump but to all politicians who send soldiers into wars wars for unjust reasons. In other words, she splattered Trumps sh*tstain onto others who would like like to remain pure and above the fray and simply bray about "honoring our troops" and thanking "the brave men and women who serve" "lay their lives on the line" and all the other empty patriotic blather and flag waving they indulge in in political campaigns. You honor them most by not wasting their lives or treating them as fungible pawns on an international chessboard. I'm looking at you, Democrats and Hillary Clinton.

Now this brings me to another related issue. There is someone else who has disrespected Gold Star families and all those who serve. That person is someone in a position of high trust and authority who betrayed that trust by having highly classified information that potentially could impact the national security of the country on her personal sever and who allowed people without the proper clearances to have access to that information and who created a highly hackable situation which may have benefitted foreign governments and agents who work against our interests We'll never know how bad it was BECAUSE IT'S CLASSIFIED! It's all redacted. Congress can't even see it.

If Hillary Clinton had been SOS while my Dad was serving and seeing combat, she may have put his life at risk. I understand personally how grotesque her security failures are. They can't be whitewashed for me or pooh-pooed and shoved under the carpet or downplayed by her Party and their talking heads. She herself knows her transgressions were so awful, that she will never be able to acknowledge them in public and will be forced to lie openly about them for the duration of her campaign and her Presidency if she achieves it.

The sacrifices of The Gold Star families tells us that there are two highly unqualified candidates running for President: Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.

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Still our leaders have not finished one war since 9-11; yet we are back for more.

With the current crop we would still be in Vietnam.

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Phoebe Loosinhouse's picture

draft. The strongest point by the Gold Star Mother was her noting the .05% figure of Americans serving in the military.

As long as such a minute percentile of the public has war absenting their mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, sons and daughters, they have been immunized to the human consequences here. If there was a draft, you better believe Americans would be scrutinizing the reasons behind every single pair of boots on the ground.

It's hard to be for a draft, if the military is meeting it's manpower needs with a voluntary military, but there is that one benefit noted above.

What would/will happen if the economy improves and the segment now choosing military service for economic reasons, can find something better in the civilian world? One upside for The Masters of The Universe in a crappy economy is they can always count on enlistees to fill any gaps they might have felt otherwise in the struggle for global dominance.

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" “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” FDR "

Lily O Lady's picture

of my husband's ROTC term paper in '74. He saw how ending the draft would cause the country to lose interest in our involvement in war. Therefore, I believe that was the purpose of ending the draft thus free politician from worrying about arousing the ire of the people by involving us in war. I think it's working out really well for politicians and the MIC Ike warned us about.

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"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" ~Orwell, "1984"

Unabashed Liberal's picture

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Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.

Lily O Lady's picture

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"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" ~Orwell, "1984"

spontaneous incidents of mutiny carried out by draftees in Vietnam. There were approx. 900 incidents of fragging the military could not cover up and it's anyone's guess how many really occurred. Officers and higher ranking non commissioned officers were the targets. The practice began as a means for draftees to save themselves from being maimed or killed in a colonialist war. It was self defense against the officers.

The pentagon wanted a compliant pool of enlisted personnel and they, and Congress and the President, were willing to spend what it took. A volunteer army is much more expensive but the mercenaries usually do as ordered.

I doubt if the pentagon will be pushing hard for a return to the draft: the draftees themselves, and their civilian allies, were a big reason for the draft's end.

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"The justness of individual land right is not justifiable to those to whom the land by right of first claim collectively belonged"

when we have a compliant media that will do as they're told. And they'll crank out the reliable propaganda - "You're against invading ______ then you're against the troops." And if things get real bad, rest assured a half dozen country singers will write a song praising the virtures of the good old USA

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Forcing people to choose between jail, fleeing the country and killing innocents upon the order of our political masters solves nothing. There was a draft in the Civil War. There was a draft in WW I. There was a draft in WW II, the Korean War, the Cold War and Vietnam.

If we really want to bring the waging of war to a halt, we need to concentrate on preventing our young people from signing up to be cannon fodder and trained murderers.

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Phoebe Loosinhouse's picture

Let's be clear about that. I lived with the whole lottery deal and seeing the fickle finger of fate randomly sending young men I knew off to far away jungles.

But the advantages of a draft (which I am not arguing for) are that:

People in general are more hesitant to enter into armed foreign entanglements if it's their family members whose lives are on the line. One could wonder if a draft, possibly mutated into a public service requirement of all people after high school and before college wouldn't have greater peace as a result.

The consequences of waging war are distributed more evenly throughout society and not concentrated in poor people enlisting simply to have employment. (This doesn't address student deferment where people who can afford college are removed from the draftable population)

At any rate, a return to a draft is a remote probability IMO.

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" “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” FDR "

down to a size consistent with the USA being a promoter of peace and not having military bases in the majority of the world's countries.

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"The justness of individual land right is not justifiable to those to whom the land by right of first claim collectively belonged"

Unabashed Liberal's picture

is that private sector jobs pay so little--in comparison.

This was not always true, but it resoundingly is the case, today.

And this trend will only get stronger, unless we throw all the neoliberal politicians out.

Much of the talk about educational attainment (regarding attainment of a middle class life), is a straw man, or sham, to some extent. (in the decades to come, since neoliberalism has destroyed our job base, in so many ways)

2-3 years ago I posted a Labor Dept brief that flatly stated that over the next couple decades, of the jobs that the US economy will create during this period--only 3 out of 10 will even require a 4-year college degree, or higher.

IOW, 70% will be low-paying, low-skilled jobs in various service sectors (including lower tier health care jobs).

As long as this keeps up, I fear that many youth will take the risks of joining the military during 'wartime,' knowing that at least they won't be working a part-time job with no benefits, paying a paltry $7.25 hours (or less, if they're food servers).

Mollie


“I believe in the redemptive powers of a dog’s love. It is in recognition of each dog’s potential to lift the human spirit, and, therefore, to change society for the better, that I fight to make sure every street dog has its day.”
--Stasha Wong, Secretary, Save Our Street Dogs (SOSD)

Available For Sponsorship And/Or Adoption, Save Our Street Dogs, SOSD

Cole - SOSD

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Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.

Phoebe Loosinhouse's picture

that anyone thinking manufacturing jobs were coming back to this country in major way was delusional and that job growth would continue to be in the service sector.

I don't have a problem with that, I have a problem with the words "low-paying" being an almost automatic linkage to the word service sector job - the problem being that it is true as you point out above.

To me, the answer has always been to transform from the world of the "low-paying service sector job" to the "high-paying service sector job" and I always thought that universal healthcare would be the vector because we would need more doctors and nurses and technicians and labs and schools and teachers and all the buildings to put these people in as well as all the other support services that would spring up. The only thing we have to do is to make sure that these jobs are well-paid and that vampire CEOs aren't sucking all the capital out of these enterprises to put in their own pockets.

Hillary pretending that steel jobs are going to come back is a farce.

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" “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” FDR "

such as solar panels and associated items. I believe China and Europe are further ahead in that area. We need a "Green New Deal", like Jill Stein says.

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Beware the bullshit factories.

Unabashed Liberal's picture

will put an end to everlasting war, as you so aptly put it. But, the military brass know that this would stop our rampart military adverturism, so I doubt that they would sign onto it.

I think that it is insulting--meaning, the faux outrage by politicians.

Agree with DMW. And, I know firsthand that when Washington (or any) dignitaries visit a military installation, the event is totally sanitized. And frankly, the dignitaries know it--and want it that way. That includes screening or filtering the audience to make sure there are no dissenters that might disrupt the event, or embarrass the visitor/dignitary.

In reality, those are simply held as 'photo ops' to be used by politicians in their campaign ads. And, to propagandize the American public, of course.

Not sure what affect the Khan kerfuffle will have, since the Mother of slain CIA operative Sean Smith is all over Cable news pushing back, and talking about the hypocrisy regarding her treatment by the Press, and that of the Khan family. Dunno, but I would imagine that her son's plight would resonate more with some in the military community, since many of them considered Benghazi to be a major fiasco, and injustice. (and more than a few, lean conservative/Republican, anyway)

Again, others, including Mr M and I, are simply appalled by the brazenness, hypocrisy, and arrogance of all the politicians who've jumped on this bandwagon.

IOW, a sincere and true show of concern would mean putting an end to the US military empire--not trotting out grieving parents to be used in political side shows, such as the Party Conventions.

(Of course, we look at this as former 'insiders.' Most Americans, as you pointed out--less than .05%--probably don't share our perspective.)

Again, nice work!

Mollie


“I believe in the redemptive powers of a dog’s love. It is in recognition of each dog’s potential to lift the human spirit, and, therefore, to change society for the better, that I fight to make sure every street dog has its day.”
--Stasha Wong, Secretary, Save Our Street Dogs (SOSD)

Available For Sponsorship And/Or Adoption, Save Our Street Dogs, SOSD

Cole - SOSD

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Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.

Phoebe Loosinhouse's picture

And for that reason, it will never happen. People always wonder, what does it take to get people in the streets? It takes having your loved one's lives at risk. That's probably one of the few things that will cause people to put their own at risk. TPTB never want to see that in regards to their wars ever again. Although it is happening, and for the very reasons stated above -loved one's lives at risk, with BLM who are facing a different war being waged on their sons and daughters.

Thanks for your comment, love talking with you as always.

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" “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” FDR "

Unabashed Liberal's picture

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Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.

we get charge up when our love ones are in danger. I think that my grandkids are in danger and their ability to live or thrive or become the best they can be is in danger. So that is why I supported Bernie so heartily and why I have put funds in the Democratic Spring movement and the BLM movement. And why I have deserted the top community. And why I cannot bring myself to vote for Hillary even AFTER all the dire exhortations. (Not Trump either. I am gonna try Jill) It is my belief that people cannot accept the fearsome disasters that are gonna come at us in the next few years. We're getting a taste of the heat this year in the Midwest. We no longer get good weather forecasts either. But no hand wringing do I see other than mine from people I talk to.

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glitterscale

Phoebe Loosinhouse's picture

Our concern for those we love is often greater than our concern for ourselves and provides a reason to believe in the possibility of and the fight for better outcomes. Would we simply consign them to bleak future and shrug?

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" “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” FDR "

Really stepped in it last week and it is not getting better. He disparaged a Gold Star family and nobody in his party will come to his rescue. (although, as you pointed out, nobody is condemning him either). He also committed another political faux pas last week: He disparaged fire fighters. He has been making a big deal about the Fire Marshal in Colorado Springs limiting the number of people in a building. This after he was rescued by firemen while trapped in a elevator. He is trying to say it is political. Fuck - if you cannot find a Trump friendly political environment in Colorado Springs - you will not be able to find it anywhere.

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Democrats, we tried to warn you. How is that guilt and shame working out?

Phoebe Loosinhouse's picture

doesn't want to win because if he did, he would alter his behavior and try to expand his appeal as opposed to contracting it.

Trump is about the only Republican that could lose to Hillary. I think the dynamics otherwise would pull it out for a Republican for being a change vote after two terms of Obama and the widespread public mistrust of HRC would be the icing on the cake. People are going to be talking about the public suicide of the Republican Party by accepting Trump as the nominee for decades.

And now we are getting a ton of articles actually questioning his mental health and not as some kind of ironic comment, but as a serious question.

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" “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” FDR "

CS in AZ's picture

even if he truly wants to win. I think he really is a narcissist and simpleton, it's not an act. I read a recent interview of his and he sounded like an incoherent child. I know 10-year-olds who make far more sense. It was nuts.

I thought for months that he was in this just to ensure a Clinton victory -- he's been friends with them for years, after all -- and as many have said, he's likely the only person they could have nominated who could lose to her. But his narcissistic obsession with himself as a "winner" makes me doubt he would willingly play the part of loser.

Bill encouraged him to run, but I think now that was not because trump planned to let them win, but because they knew what a loon he is and that he'd fail miserably regardless of his intentions. He is handing it to shrillary on a gold platter however, whether intentionally or not. he's already complaining how the election is being "rigged" in order to rationalize his coming loss. The whole thing is embarrassing for the country and extremely depressing.

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He has never run for office and has never had any position of real responsibility. He is a spoiled rich kid who is used to everybody telling him how special he is. He is used to getting his own way always. With the military issue, all he had to say was, "of course I haven't sacrificed as much as parents who lost their child for this country, that doesn't disqualify me from being present. I thank their son for his service." And that would have been it. It would have been over. Instead, Trump has to compare himself with the family and prove he is better and made more of a sacrifice. He simply cannot be less worthy than anyone on anything.

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Democrats, we tried to warn you. How is that guilt and shame working out?

If Trump craters early on things could get interesting: with the boogie man gone the campaign based on the lesser-of-two-evils could find itself hosted up by its own petard— sometimes there is justice in the universe.

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that Trump had very weak competition in the primaries. Who among them could have had a chance against Hillary? Not JEB certainly, the base couldn't stand him. Cruz? I doubt it. Maybe Rubio. I think Clinton would have beaten any of them.

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native

OLinda's picture

Yes, our governor (who spoke at the DNC) even tweeted about it. This is his personal account, not the governor account.

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OLinda's picture

This is the kind of thing, more appropriately :), that he posts to his Governor account:

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detroitmechworks's picture

A politician actually talking to the TROOPS.

Outside the Chain of Command. Just getting the lowdown on how they feel from the men on the ground. Wouldn't score any points with the brass, but the Grunts would absolutely respect that.

Course, this scenario would also involve a LOT more listening than talking, but hell, I'm a Grunt, so what do I know?

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I do not pretend I know what I do not know.

Phoebe Loosinhouse's picture

in that area. I know that a lot of politicians recently have made a big point of going to Iraq and Afghanistan and mixing it up with the troops and seeing conditions for themselves. I don't know if there is any opportunity for any real exchange with the rank and file and how filtered the experience is, but I thought that was a step in the right direction. At least they are experiencing the trip and the atmosphere, feeling the heat, eating the food, etc.

One thing that does resonate with me is when a politician makes it a practice to meet the bodies at Dover, I think both Joe Biden and Ted Kennedy made a point of doing that as much as possible. It acts as a reminder that people are dying because of the decisions they make. I think a politician should be assigned to receive every body for just that reason and I think they should be forced to volunteer an hour a week at a VA hospital. I hear they spend that time and more dialing for dollars every week for donors to their parties.

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" “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” FDR "

detroitmechworks's picture

visits from politicians are always heavily sanitized.

They always visit one of the larger FOB's... which have soldiers who either aren't in the fight, or are recuperating from it. They always have the BIG vendors at those FOBs, so politicians get a distorted view of what it's like for the troops on the ground.

And the politicians essentially see the Potemkin Village version of the war, with carefully screened soldiers who have been briefed on what questions to ask, by the brass.

An UNannounced visit that went to a COB, even once, would be a much greater commitment.
LIke your thoughts on the VA though, and on politicians needing to see the consequences of their decisions.

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I do not pretend I know what I do not know.

Damnit Janet's picture

My husband stood in the second row back in the early 90s when Bill Clinton was shutting down bases left and right. I saw it live on CNN. Well sorta live. We don't do LIVE here in America. There's always been a slight delay.

I knew the troops weren't pleased with the base closings and this one in particular was hard. So I was surprised and even disgusted to hear applause and cheers at every utterance of Bill.

When my husband got home, I launched into - how could they cheer!?!?!?!

They didn't. It was silent the entire time. Just some polite applause at the end. He said they had spliced it all in.

What sounded like big cheers from a large crowd was just piped in shit from and only about 50 guys who were ordered and screened to stand in the front.

It's all fucking fake. Just like their elections.

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"Love One Another" ~ George Harrison

to promote themselves and their own campaigns. Families who have lost loved ones in combat should not be used as political tools, not for any cause whatsoever. More often than not, this practice serves to endorse or justify war, whether past, present or future.

In this case it's also being used to emphasize the patriotism of Muslim Americans, but it's a cynical ploy just the same. It's a kind of stolen valor really, and not half as respectful of the fallen as it pretends to be.

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native

Lily O Lady's picture

ploy for a long time, which doesn't make it any less despicable.

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"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" ~Orwell, "1984"

I only trust Bernie. He is a man with a plan. Please trust him. I have seen movements break up and starts squabbling and it brings it down. I like Jill too. green party is very cool. But under the circumstances she is not gonna win. While Clinton is our nominee in a very unfair way. Bernie is still with us and is a huge member of congress now . and even the best of the best president cannot do a thing with out the right congress. so vote today . and vote for Bernie or green party friendly people. oh and please please do not let Trump win. ok? peace to all.

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Bernie may have a plan, and I trust him. But he has been robbed by the DNC, and they have NO INTENTIONS WHATSOEVER of making it right. He is out of this race. Inferring that Jill Stein has no chance, and then asking us to not let Trump win, kinda sounds like asking us to vote for Her Royal. Are you a Brock troll, perchance? Just curious.

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"Capitalism is the extraordinary belief that the nastiest of men for the nastiest of motives will somehow work for the benefit of all."
- John Maynard Keynes

What is a brock troll?. I am not telling who to vote for I am asking you to trust Bernie. you do what you think you have to

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Just as nasty over here so bye

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detroitmechworks's picture

Over and over.

Trust Bernie
Kos Sucks

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I do not pretend I know what I do not know.

your point being?

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seems to be your "only " comment is something snarky.

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detroitmechworks's picture

On a different site.

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I do not pretend I know what I do not know.

nope

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Of the Clintons constantly asking him to act crazy.

/psuedo-snark

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Beware the bullshit factories.