Rules? What Rules?
As if on cue this week, The Don took his sideshow act to Arlington National Cemetery in order to steal much-needed newspaper column inches from his newly (and gloriously) minted opponent.
To do this, and in order to make a big splash, TFG flouted the long-established rules for visiting Section 60 – the section reserved for our post-nine eleven war dead – in order to make a photo op and record video for a campaign ad.
Both of these acts are in violation of specific rules that visitors are asked to observe in order to respect the fallen and their families.
NPR has a few articles on this and was first to report this brazen disregard to rules of propriety and respect.
It’s all very predictable, you know. TFG has no respect for the military, the soldiers that serve in it, or their dead, who he has referred to as “Suckers and Losers.”
But he has been given permission to flout these rules, much as he has already done for his entire lifetime, by 5 Justices of The Supreme Court who ruled that one man may be immune from prosecution for “official acts.” That he is not President, and that this was not an official presidential act has nothing to do with it.
I can’t imagine anyone in the military, any military veteran, or any family member of any of the above (including Gold Star families) who could or would vote for this truly despicable person, but the Half Empty part of me says it will be so.
I think even Hoover got like 40% of the vote in 1929.
1So to this day, we have 4 out of 10 voters with low IQs. Sounds about right.
Yes, thumbs up in a cemetery.
2Where have we seen that before?
Nowhere, never.
Trump couldn’t honor our veterans from the moment he steps into a cemetery through stepping out, even with his handlers moving his arms and legs for him, and holding two hands over his mouth.
The Arlington Cemetery security person that tried to stop this illegal political stunt and had an altercation and was pushed aside. She decided not to press charges so they dropped the case. Called it case closed. I don’t know why they can’t proceed anyway- it’s on film.
3Also, elon the musk decided to flag the NPR article on his Xtwitter with a warning that the article was very possibly infected with dangerous spam so people wouldn’t open and read it. The guy who’s so free speechy and now trumpy protector. I’ll never pay for his social disservice network or his creepy cars.
Female employee abused by drumpf thugs declined to charge because she feared retaliation by drumpf’s rat-f###ing goons.
4drumpf claims Gold Star family gave him permission to take pics and film. I seriously doubt a family can override fed regulations.
5Steve from Beaverton: show some respect and use his full name. It’s Elongated Muskrat, according to the college kids.
As for the Arlington Cemetery security person, it could be that she know if T**** wins in November, his Project 2025 goons will make sure she loses her job (at the very least).
6Right, Surly!
7I saw a 2 bit nbc report on the local midday news about the cemetery incident. They, like most corporate both sides it news, didn’t show the despicable thumbs up smiley face photo op. They show trumpf placing a wreath next to a woman in a wheelchair. They talked about people there that said they didn’t see nuthin. Just throwing this out, trumpf campaign paid their expenses to be there. I don’t blame the relatives of the dead soldiers paying their respects. Of course, trumpf was disrespectful to them and the soldiers buried there.
Also, the media doesn’t report that TFFG (he’s the very smartest negotiator) released 5000 taliban, the same ones that ambushed and killed the 13 soldiers in Afghanistan buried in Arlington Cemetery.
Jusr this…. Meanwhile, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, who attended the Arlington events with Trump, apologized in a social media post for sending a campaign fundraising email with a photo of him and the former president in Section 60 with the family of Staff Sgt. Darin Taylor Hoover.
Is their a magat alive that abides by the rules?
8I am surprised Trump didn’t try to get the family to move their son’s gravesite to one of his golf courses to garner a property tax break. His pitch: “Wouldn’t you want to honor your son by having him be close to a woman of impeccable taste, Ivana instead of being in the midst of all of these suckers and losers?”
9The poor soul who tried to tell the campaign photographers that Arlington is SACRED was shoved aside and also “spoken” to unwisely. Now she won’t post charges out of fear of retaliation from MAGA Central. I would like to remind these cretins that the cemetary is owned and operated by the military and they have tanks plus personnel highly experienced in surprise moves. And did I mention tanks?
10As despicable as this all was, it’s a federal law that was, if not broken, disregarded and as somebody here mentioned families okie dokies don’t supersede federal law. So why haven’t TFFG’s campaign people been charged with the offense regardless of whether the woman assaulted wanted to press charges. She must have supervisors there that can do that. There’s evidence even without their supposed video of the incident just of the pictures (repulsive pictures) of gutless there in the cemetery and if they even begin to think of using video they did, my stomach churns even thinking of it. Someone should see that it’s just one more federal law that poopy believes he’s above.
11rastybob @ 1
Little known but actual historical fact: Roosevelt ran in ’32 on a platform of economy in government.
He may even have been sincere (or maybe not) but in those days the wait from election to inauguration was over 4 months, and conditions deteriorated dramatically before FDR was sworn in.
12Cathy @ 11
I have no doubt the brass are infuriated but CYA is a military acronym. They will not do anything. The secretary of the Army (whoever that is) could but orobably not.
This is the kind of issue — like TWA Flight 800 — that the military will evade.
13I need to clarify that I do not expect the brass to do anything gallant in public. But behind the scenes, yes.
The Army covered itself with shame publicly in the Zwicker incident, but behind the scenes it helped Eisenhower (an ex-general) to destroy McCarthy.
14