General Ripper's Rationale
The key moment in the plot of Dr.Strangelove comes as the lunatic Wing Commander named Jack Ripper was trying to start World War III. The civilian authority of President Merkin Muffley is trying to thwart his renegade order to the airplanes under his command to attack the Soviet Union with nuclear bombs. One of three characters played by Peter Sellers, an RAF officer named Mandrake, tries to talk some sense into him, in hopes of getting him to recall the planes before Armageddon. Ripper explains his rationale in an hilariously crazy series of comments, including his own fear of flouride in water and his assessment of "commies" as evil monsters with no regard for human life. He reaches his rhetorical climax with a quote from Clemenceau: "War is too important to be left to the generals." Ripper disagreed with the old French statesman. "War is too important to be left to politicians. They have neither the time, the training, nor the inclination for strategic thought."
The tension between civilian and military authority is a very old story, going back about as far as ancient times. Meanwhile, The incredibly short time for decision making that nuclear warfare dictates has shrunk even further than it was in the 1960s, when Kubrick made the film.
The Trump Phenomenon --- from both positive and vehemently negative perspectives -- points up the stubborn persistence of that civilian-military tension. I saw an argument from one of his defenders on the classified docs case who asked the question, Secret from who? From elected officials, like the POTUS? And that led me to wonder who has the stones to tell the elected POTUS what he can or can't do with secret information? Generals? CIA lifers? Guys with the time, the training and the inclination for strategic thinking -- like General Ripper?
The real question is Who the fuck is in charge?
I agree with Caitlin Johnstone -- it damn sure ain't grifters like Trump or Biden.
Comments
My understanding
of the Trump docs case involved the plans to cut off the head of Iran's government and invade, which Trump refused to authorize.
Could have been a deep state setup or for real invasion.
Trump could have kept the docs as proof of "crazies in the basement".
Dunno, could go either way.
Crapshoot.
Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.
Dunno about
the docs and Iran, but there were obviously concerns in the Congress in the 2020 presidential election year that Donald might have been planning a little war with that country to improve his re-elect prospects. Thus they passed the Iran War Res Act to tie Trump's hands a bit. https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/06/politics/trump-veto-iran-war-powers/index...“very,to%20the%20Senate%20on%20Wednesday.
Good catch, Wokkamile
Hadn't seen that.
Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.
As an aside
Whenever I see the name Ripper I always recall in my mind the Millennium Challenge 2002 war games where Lt.Gen. von Riper sunk the US Navy.
Good times!
Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.
Well, Congress has
the legal jurisdiction to regulate how secret gov't docs are kept, and DT's case involves his actions once he ceased to be POTUS on Jan 20, 2021 at 12:01pm and became a private citizen. Who knows his motive for his weird actions, but probably some blackmail ideas were involved.
What was Biden’s excuse for keeping classified documents
at numerous places including his home in Delaware where he kept them in his garage? And why hasn’t he been charged with the same charges that Trump has been? Maybe they related to what he had been up to in Ukraine?
Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.
Didn't Hellery
have secret government docs on her personal server at home, unsecured? I do remember the election chants "Lock her up".
Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.
Yup
And not only that but most of her emails going back to 2006 were found on Anthony Weiner’s laptop after he was charged with sexting a minor. His wife Huma Abedin has been Hillary’s BFF for quite some time. This is why Comey wrote the letter to congress just before the election. The NYC FBI office was going to spill the beans on what they found. Lots of sexual emails that they said made them sick. I think they got threatened into staying silent, but the facts of the case are somewhere in my mind and in my comments here.
Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.
Also remember what else Comey said about not bringing charges
for gross negligence which he knocked down to a lesser charge. He said that no prosecutor would go after her because she had no intent to break the law. The law that Obama set himself. Plus Comey gave a lot of her staff immunity, but then he didn’t question them.
Hillary appeared on Rachel’s show last night and said that she wasn’t celebrating Trump’s indictment. I bet she wasn’t because she knew that the case against had been rigged and she didn’t want to tempt karma to decide to come after her. She and the democrats questioned the results of his election for 4 years and they even went so far as to get the FBI to do a bogus investigation of Trump on the charges that she herself made up. She made up false accusations against him before the election that he was working with Putin to keep her out of the White House. Adam Schiff lied to congress and the American people about having evidence of Trump being guilty. Pelosi brought impeachment proceedings against him after he was no longer president instead of doing it immediately after the capitol riots…I could go on, but not one person was been charged for the attempted coup attempt against Trump. Well except for Clinesmith who lied to the FISA court to get warrants to spy on Trump’s campaign. Plus all the people that lied to congress during the first impeachment.
If after looking at all the evidence of what was done to Trump and not admitting that there seems to be 2 sets of rules for Hillary and Trump to see that America is a fcking banana republic well then you are lying to yourself. Not you guys, but those who refuse to see the facts.
Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.
I was just
answering FWF's several Qs at the end of her OP, nothing more.
For those backing Donald, I wouldn't worry too much -- he's not likely to end up in prison stripes anywhere soon. I expect a plea deal could be arranged where he agrees not to seek higher office again.
FYI
I’m not backing Trump or Biden. I think both should be serving long prison sentences, but more so for crimes against humanity that have committed than the silly charges of play with documents. Biden’s history of it goes back much longer than Trump’s, but they ain’t alone in who else I think should be.
Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.
What is the authority
for Congressional "jurisdiction" over gov't secrets? I just read through the text, and there is nothing in the text about regulation of secrecy. I am ready to entertain an argument for implied jurisdiction, provided it answers the conceptual argument that national security is clearly a function of the Executive, and that Congress has only the power of the purse in this area.
It did not bother the Democrats in Congress that Trump was a private citizen when they pressed the second impeachment trial in the early days of the Biden Administration. To the extent that Trump neglected his obligation to maintain State Secrecy during or after his term, the Congress still needs some authority in the Constitution for the proposition.
The concept of "secrecy" being a life and death matter that a jerk like Trump has no "right " to breach, even if he did get elected, is a straightforward rejection of Representative Democracy, just like General Ripper's attempt to start WWIII.
I cried when I wrote this song. Sue me if I play too long.
what text?
Constitution? Congress clearly has authority beyond merely the power of the purse in foreign affairs/nat'l security areas. The power to declare war. Power to consent to treaties, Espionage Act (1917), Presidential Records Act (1978) are examples of Congress acting in the nat'l security domain beyond merely doling out $$$. To my knowledge, these actions have not been successfully challenged on constitutional grounds, so the laws enacted stand and are in effect. For sure the Executive branch has major responsibility for this area, but not exclusive authority.
Re classification/over-classification of gov't docs, it's long gotten way out of hand.
There has been no reason for
any President to contest the Presidential Records Act as all the players in the National Security Game have been on the same team and I strongly suspect that the Justices are players on the same ballclub, so Trump will probably lose the argument if his lawyers try to argue that the statute is unconstitutional, as his supporter suggested.
I still find merit in that particular wingnut argument that the Permanent Government -- manned by guys like General Jack Ripper -- has no legitimate reason, in a representative democracy, for ordering the Chief Executive to do anything at all, let alone keep their secrets.
Thus we see Democrats and alleged progressives cheerleading for the war machine.
I agree with Snoopy that Trump and Biden both belong in prison.
I cried when I wrote this song. Sue me if I play too long.