DEAR MAGA: Open Thread 20250424 & Exodus Jubilation

Ivan has not posted a video in over a month.

At his substack he posted an article written by Chase Spears. Spears studied to be a journalist and ended up in the military because there were no jobs. This is long, but he shows the military culture from the inside.

“…The military’s response to Covid-19 shattered any lingering doubt that the military institution—and much of the civilian public—believe service members surrender not just some rights, but all rights…”

“…𝙈𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙖 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙪𝙩𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙜𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙤𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙚 𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝙘𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙯𝙚𝙣𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚-𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨—𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙨𝙛𝙮 𝙥𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙙𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙤𝙣 𝙝𝙞𝙜𝙝…”

Lies are Unbekoming “You knew what you signed up for.”

Interview with Chase Spears on military culture and politics, institutional conformity, civil-military relations, vaccination mandates, and much more.

…The colonel I worked for tried to win me over to the system, explaining that everything the Army officially says is nationally strategic. He explained that every piece of information released is coordinated with legal and legislative affairs to ensure alignment between military and political actors. That revelation stood in stark contrast to the public affairs motto: “Maximum Disclosure, Minimum Delay.” It also clashed with the military’s self-proclaimed status as an apolitical institution. How could the Army be non-political when it prioritized vetting its statements through political liaisons rather than simply following its own rulebook?

This was something I wrestled with over the next few months. I observed how communication planning was more focused on pleasing policymakers—the ones who control the budget—than on fulfilling the military’s Title 10 responsibility to keep the public well-informed about military activities.

Then one day, while driving to the Metro rail stop in Suitland, Maryland, a realization hit me: military activities cannot be apolitical. The military is a Presidential cabinet agency. Its top leaders are political appointees. It employs deadly force in support of foreign policy objectives—which are, by definition, political. Even my own promotion orders to the rank of Major required Senate confirmation….

There’s some truth to the old adage “you knew what you signed up for” when joining the military….

But there are also unspoken restrictions—ones that go beyond anything we actually sign up for. I remember in 2004 hearing a staff sergeant at Fort Meade, MD yelling at a group of soldiers that they were all property of Uncle Sam. I thought he was just trying to sound tough. I didn’t sign away my life as a piece of property to anyone when enlisting; though, it became clear later in my career that his perspective was shared among others.

I became acclimated to the formal and tacit restrictions placed upon me as a military member over time. Occasionally, people who sensed my passion for discussing domestic politics would warn me to keep my thoughts to myself because “you knew what you signed up for.” I didn’t like it, but usually nodded along. This was not because I actually agreed with the charge that I signed away my First Amendment rights to be a soldier. Rather, I had simply learned to navigate the military culture, despite my best efforts to stay connected to my identity as a citizen.

It wasn’t until 2018, during the final months of my Georgetown University fellowship, that I fully grasped how far some were willing to take that phrase. A colonel who disapproved of my writing for publication told me bluntly: “When you became a PAO, you gave up your right to an opinion.” He went on to say that I was only allowed to say things that aligned with approved Army messaging.

I found that statement not only offensive but also ignorant. At no point had I signed away my right to think or speak freely beyond the limits I already understood as a military officer. And if I was truly only authorized to speak in pre-approved Army soundbites, would I need a disclaimer for every off-duty conversation? Imagine how absurd that would be:

“Happy birthday, son. I love you. To be clear, this is my personal opinion and does not reflect the position of the U.S. Army, Department of Defense, or U.S. Government.”

It’s a ridiculous thought—but sometimes, you have to meet absurdity with absurdity to fully expose a fallacy. I never accepted that colonel’s claim that I had voluntarily ceded all expressive right. But I remained aware that my perspective on remaining a citizen was in the minority among most others in the military institution.

The military’s response to Covid-19 shattered any lingering doubt that the military institution—and much of the civilian public—believe service members surrender not just some rights, but all rights. I chose not to take the Covid shot when it was voluntary and believed it should remain that way. A family friend I had known since my teenage years challenged me on Facebook, saying that as a soldier, I knew what I signed up for and should take whatever substances the military dictates.

That was the moment the dam broke.

It hit me that the same people who wave the flag and profess to support the troops actually believe that we rank below them as citizens. It’s a despicable social doctrine that flies in the face of George Washington’s words:

“𝕎𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝕨𝕖 𝕒𝕤𝕤𝕦𝕞𝕖𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕤𝕠𝕝𝕕𝕚𝕖𝕣, 𝕨𝕖 𝕕𝕚𝕕 𝕟𝕠𝕥 𝕝𝕒𝕪 𝕒𝕤𝕚𝕕𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕔𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕫𝕖𝕟.”

That truth has been almost entirely lost—both within the military and in American public consciousness. I never heard it in military training, nor encountered it in civic education.

I discovered it by chance—etched in stone at Arlington National Cemetery.

Fitting, really. There in a graveyard is where today’s military would prefer such truth remain….

Then came April 21, 2021.

That was the day Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin mandated the Covid-19 vaccine for the entire force. I went to the base hospital to ask what the process for requesting a religious exemption would look like. The nurse was visibly disgusted. No exemptions would be granted, she said. Military physicians were pressured to deny requests. 

[He took the shot]

𝗜𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻’𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵.

-𝗔𝘁 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗴, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝘃𝗮𝘅𝘅𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗴𝘆𝗺𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀.

-𝗔𝘁 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗥𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘆, 𝘂𝗻𝘃𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗯𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗯𝘂𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱.

-𝗔𝘁 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗝𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘀𝗼𝗻, 𝗺𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝘆 𝘀𝗼𝗻’𝘀 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗰 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗱𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

-𝗔𝘁 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗚𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗼𝗻, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗵𝗶𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗶𝗺 𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴—𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗹𝗲.

𝗬𝗲𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗵𝗼𝘄, 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗿, 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗿𝗺𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗜𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀𝗻’𝘁. 𝗜 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱….

As I said it is long and that is just a smattering.