This has been a deeply troubling and dangerous week, complete with risky calls and delicate dances, some high wire acts in the streets of Los Angles without safety nets. We see good and bad and ugly players, and, yet, somehow, cool and measured LA professionals on the scenes have contained most of the chaos in the streets without deadly violence. Nearly everyone is rooting for the soldiers and Marines and policewomen and men who have been thrown together and expected to manage and control legal and illegal immigrants, aggressive ICE agents and frustrated demonstrators, most peaceful, a few violent.
This concocted political show of excessive force and power and danger is unfolding live on television in the city of make believe with thousands of extras straight out of a lavish Cecil B. DeMille production. The star, of course, even when he is not on camera, is none other than our President of the United States. It’s his show, another Trump theatrical production conceived for MAGA believers and Fox News distribution but paid for by taxpayers of the United States. Trump, ever the cheap blowhard producer, never picks up the bills. (That’s for losers.)
Our president who moonlights as playwright, theater critic, and head of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts gives his frightening California show and inept contract players—Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and Senate and House Republicans smashing reviews. Five stars, Trump’s highest rating, for his compliant confederacy of dunces. And our president has no doubt America loves his phony strong man act, that it will play to sold out houses for years, breaking all records, including those for the Nazi satire “The Producers”.
Our president isn’t interested in lowering the volume as we approach the 250th birthday celebration of the U.S. Army. No, he is reveling in his ugly and shocking show of force and itching for a bloody fight. The visuals and dangers become more disturbing and apparent with each passing day. Indeed, with each passing hour.
This is not normal, not in the United States of America.
Fascism arrived unannounced early Thursday afternoon inside a nondescript Los Angeles federal building when federal agents threw down and handcuffed a United States Senator who had identified himself to the Homeland Security Secretary holding a press conference there. The first duly elected Latino United States Senator was attempting to ask the Secretary important questions on behalf of his constituents. Millions saw the stunning and bold takedown and heard the Senator identify himself, and we should be very afraid. This happened in the very building in which the senator works when he is in LA.
This is not normal, not in the United States of America.
The president isn’t ready to call off his menacing henchmen. The creator, artistic director, producer, and bully-in-chief of this mean mess is threatening to take his alarming strong man act on the road. Another opening, another show. He said maybe Atlanta, Dallas, D. C., and New York City. Foley Square! His Marines on Broadway! George M. Cohen was there with “Over There” and, after all, if George Clooney can play Broadway and be nominated for a Tony, why not POTUS who can order up his Marines as extras and props.
The LA Trump show opened just as the president envisioned. Television networks fell in line immediately. They stopped or curtailed their coverage of his big, beautiful tax bill stalled in the Senate, and pretty much forgot about the promised tariff deals that never materialized, and the Musk Trump breakup quickly became page 10 gossip. Little and big screens and niche podcasters and young influencers began running Trump’s free content 24/7 – all showing how he and his ICE team were rounding up illegal and legal immigrants, be they at work or home or in schoolhouses or in the streets.
To interject immediate drama and ensure attention grabbing headlines and millions of cool hits, the president ordered National Guard troops to Los Angeles over the objections of the mayor and governor, both of whom insisted that local and state police trained in law enforcement were managing a tough situation on the ground well and federal troops were not needed.
Some of the most disturbing images in recent days were those of physically fit young combat airborne soldiers at Fort Bragg wearing red berets seated directly behind President Trump as he delivered a blistering political speech. It doesn’t matter that those young soldiers volunteered and were screened to be in the prop. That backdrop was straight out of the president’s campaign playbook. It was implicit that those patriotic soldiers supported him and his tirade in a political speech.
That is not normal in the United States of America.
In fact, service members are explicitly prohibited from attending or participating in political rallies in uniform. Even the stumbling, bumbling Secretary of Defense knows that. I believe Hegseth orchestrated the Bragg event. After all, he is the president’s military cultural warrior.
Perhaps the most troubling aspect of what we witnessed at Fort Bragg was the unabashed and defiant racism on full display by the president and the secretary. Everyone should understand those two bullies chose Fort Bragg to gloat and kick off the Army’s 250th birthday celebration because of its naming history and acts of bigotry and white supremacy.
We Americans do not celebrate bigotry and white supremacy and racist generals in our military today.
That is not normal today, and it is not who we in these United States of America are today. Yes, we are striving to become better and embrace equality for all. Yes, we are a work in progress, and we are determined to forge ahead, not fall back.
A final thought as we old soldiers celebrate the 250th anniversary of our United States Army. Some of my friends in the sixties sweated out being called for Vietnam. They took advantage of the college deferments as long as they could and prayed hard for a lucky number in the draft lottery. None of us faulted them for doing so. Only a few of them ended up being called, but the ones who were called went. However, one of my college classmates fled to Canada where he remained for decades. He apologized for doing so before he died.
That apology was authentic and acceptable. The shameful way the President of the United States is using the army and military during this celebration is not acceptable.
His behavior is not normal.
The very least our president can do is salute the Army, and try very, very hard not to hog the celebration. This important celebration is not about the young Donald Trump or bone-spurs or his 79th birthday. The President of the United States had repeated opportunities in the mid and late sixties to be a part of the United States Army. He used his father’s wealth, privileged position, and medical doctors to ensure that didn’t happen.
The decent thing for this president to do now is stop using the United States Army for props and political gain and stay out of the way during the army’s big birthday. Saturday belongs to the United States Army and the men and women who wore the army uniform and their families, not to Donald Trump who avoided the call to duty when his draft board and Selective Service called in 1968.
You cannot have it both ways, Mr. President.
Aubrey Sarvis
United States Army veteran
Timothy Sullivan says
The President of the USA is within his rights to call out force in the wake of the LA riots. The local police were ill equipped to handle the rioters. Articles like this are drawing the Wack jobs of the world to act like crazies. I’ll bet you were happy to see those two young Jewish people assassinated. Or the make-believe gardener does his crazy act.
All of you condemning this President, should read the book, “Original Sin”. You’ll see what a criminal empire is like. It was worse than any mafia family could ever have been.
Hopefully, after the Congress investigates the former president and his family, they’ll send them all to Leavenworth for life.
Bil Anderson says
Unfortunately, sending political operatives to Leavenworth or elsewhere is exactly where investigations never lead. It is almost as though politicos are expected to do these kinds of things and simply become unelectable but never incarcerated. That’s what makes criminal activity so appealing!
Ron Jordan says
I always wonder why folks like you Timothy even bother to write such drivel. Though, it is because of the 1st amendment you have the right to do so, no matter in my mind how wacko you may sound. You on the other hand do not give that space, to people who do not agree with you, in fact you attack their rights to protest against the government and any administration that you deem is worthy of your support and vote, so be it. Our esteemed President is running a criminal enterprise and at any other time, the Congress of the USA would put a stop to his criminal enterprise on the backs and out of the pockets of the American public. Though you say, former President Biden’s family is a criminal enterprise,but not ole Donnie, so you please stand down and take your meds next time you decide to write such nonsense and drivel, could ya?
Paula Reeder says
Regretably, Aubrey, yet not unexpectedly, Donald J. Trump,ever the theatrical extremist, did not heed your call. Enough is enough! Time for change!
John says
Paula, your best opportunity will come with the 2026 midterms. Good luck. With the current disarray within the Democratic party, I don’t see any changes on the horizon. In fact, this may become an even more right leaning political landscape. Time will tell.