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- Sep 15, 2010
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John Kelly and the Language of the Military Coup
Consider this nightmare scenario: a military coup. You donât have to strain your imaginationâall you have to do is watch Thursdayâs White House press briefing, in which the chief of staff, John Kelly, defended President Trumpâs phone call to a military widow, Myeshia Johnson. The press briefing could serve as a preview of what a military coup in this country would look like, for it was in the logic of such a coup that Kelly advanced his four arguments.
Argument 1. Those who criticize the President donât know what theyâre talking about because they havenât served in the military.
2. The President did the right thing because he did exactly what his general told him to do.
3. Communication between the President and a military widow is no oneâs business but theirs.
4. Citizens are ranked based on their proximity to dying for their country. Kellyâs last argument was his most striking. At the end of the briefing, he said that he would take questions only from those members of the press who had a personal connection to a fallen soldier, followed by those who knew a Gold Star family. Considering that, a few minutes earlier, Kelly had said most Americans didnât even know anyone who knew anyone who belonged to the âone per cent,â he was now explicitly denying a majority of Americansâor the journalists representing themâthe right to ask questions. This was a new twist on the Trump Administrationâs technique of shunning and shaming unfriendly members of the news media, except this time, it was framed explicitly in terms of national loyalty. As if on cue, the first reporter allowed to speak inserted the phrase âSemper Fiââa literal loyalty oathâinto his question.
Before walking off the stage, Kelly told Americans who havenât served in the military that he pities them. âWe donât look down upon those of you who havenât served,â he said. âIn fact, in a way we are a little bit sorry because youâll have never have experienced the wonderful joy you get in your heart when you do the kinds of things our servicemen and women doânot for any other reason than that they love this country.â
Kelly stood up there and pretty much tried to lecture everyone else on what it means to serve and that he and others that serve feel sorry for the rest of us. And that anyone who dares question anything they do is in effect a shitty person because, as mentioned, he served in the military so he's beyond question.
Consider this nightmare scenario: a military coup. You donât have to strain your imaginationâall you have to do is watch Thursdayâs White House press briefing, in which the chief of staff, John Kelly, defended President Trumpâs phone call to a military widow, Myeshia Johnson. The press briefing could serve as a preview of what a military coup in this country would look like, for it was in the logic of such a coup that Kelly advanced his four arguments.
Argument 1. Those who criticize the President donât know what theyâre talking about because they havenât served in the military.
2. The President did the right thing because he did exactly what his general told him to do.
3. Communication between the President and a military widow is no oneâs business but theirs.
4. Citizens are ranked based on their proximity to dying for their country. Kellyâs last argument was his most striking. At the end of the briefing, he said that he would take questions only from those members of the press who had a personal connection to a fallen soldier, followed by those who knew a Gold Star family. Considering that, a few minutes earlier, Kelly had said most Americans didnât even know anyone who knew anyone who belonged to the âone per cent,â he was now explicitly denying a majority of Americansâor the journalists representing themâthe right to ask questions. This was a new twist on the Trump Administrationâs technique of shunning and shaming unfriendly members of the news media, except this time, it was framed explicitly in terms of national loyalty. As if on cue, the first reporter allowed to speak inserted the phrase âSemper Fiââa literal loyalty oathâinto his question.
Before walking off the stage, Kelly told Americans who havenât served in the military that he pities them. âWe donât look down upon those of you who havenât served,â he said. âIn fact, in a way we are a little bit sorry because youâll have never have experienced the wonderful joy you get in your heart when you do the kinds of things our servicemen and women doânot for any other reason than that they love this country.â
Kelly stood up there and pretty much tried to lecture everyone else on what it means to serve and that he and others that serve feel sorry for the rest of us. And that anyone who dares question anything they do is in effect a shitty person because, as mentioned, he served in the military so he's beyond question.