Check out this powerful statement from former Ft. Benning commander, @PaulDEaton52, on our demand to remove the names of Confederate officers from US military installations. Now.
“As a former commanding general at Fort Benning, it didn’t escape me that I was going to work every day at a base named for a Confederate General and traitor to the United States, a racist and an incompetent warfighter.
"Worse, the base was not named after him as a goodwill gesture after the Civil War. It was named more than fifty years after the South surrendered, as a way of reasserting the racism that the south stood for. I regret I did not act then, on conscience.
“As a white man, I cannot even fathom what it feels like for a black soldier to enter the gates that bear his name, every day. I cannot imagine what it feels like for soldiers across the country to serve on one of the nine other bases similarly named after Confederate officers.
"I can only imagine it would feel like a Jewish soldier being told to serve at Camp Rommel or Camp Goring – military leaders who similarly waged war against the United States to establish racial dominance.
“If the Army is going to be true to the idea that it judges its people by their skills and qualifications, and not their race, having bases named after those who believed otherwise is incompatible with the Army itself.
“The Secretary Army should order these bases renamed, today. This does not take an act of Congress. This does not require a conversation. It requires courage and action now."
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The notion of a president claiming immunity for ordering the assassination of a political rival using the military like SEAL Team 6 is fundamentally against the principles of democracy and the rule of law.
Here are several reasons why such an act would be VERY detrimental:
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The Constitution enshrines the rule of law and the separation of powers. The president using the military as a tool for personal vendettas, and not allowing the judiciary to hold a president accountable violates these principles. It undermines the checks & balances designed to prevent the abuse of power.
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Democracy relies on peaceful transitions of power and the electoral process, not through violence or force.
Utilizing the military to target political rivals would move us into an age of authoritarianism and away from democracy.
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What a HUGE night across America, particularly in Virginia. In the state legislature races, EIGHT VoteVets-endorsed candidates won in some of the toughest districts, helping Democrats keep the Senate and flip the House!
Keep that in mind for 2024! Join our fight at !
Congratulations to all the #VoteVetsEL projected winners!
We've got something to say about the fringe attacks happening on our LGBTQ+ Troops coming from the right. So listen up.
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There are real threats facing us, and we need all hands on deck to defend our country. Our Military is the most lethal and capable fighting force in the world because it's made up of our best, brightest and strongest.
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The fringe right wants to impose its extreme social engineering on our Military by alienating and kicking out LGBTQ+ Troops.
They'd sacrifice our security and Military for their social agenda.
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Donald Trump is consistently a clear and present danger to our national security. His followers believe his lies and end up dying on his behalf.
Trump is not just a danger to our nation, he's a danger to his followers.
Today is #MemorialDay. While it has become a day for BBQ's, beaches and sales, please remember the real reason for this day, and why so many have off work to observe it.
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Interestingly, no one agrees where Memorial Day started. Numerous places claim it, which only proves how important we as a nation agree it is to remember our fallen.
At any rate, the name Memorial Day wasn't official until 1967, some 100+ years after the first observances.
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This is also not Veterans Day. While we'd argue any day is a good one to thank a Veteran for their service, and ask how they are, today is dedicated to those we've lost.
If the Supreme Court draft decision on Roe v. Wade becomes law, the impact on people serving in the military would be disastrous.
And some experts believe it could harm military readiness.
Consider the facts: (THREAD 🧵)
First, more than half of all states are poised to ban abortion if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade. States like Texas, Georgia and Florida, which are home to hundreds of thousands of troops and military families on some of the nation’s largest military bases.
Now consider that most active duty troops and military families don’t get to choose where they are stationed — meaning that safe, legal abortion will be inaccessible to them if this decision becomes law.