Wednesday, February 07, 2018

Trump wants huge military parade

Trump claims that he wants to emulate France and the impressive military parade that he viewed when there. That was on Bastille Day and the parade is an annual tradition in that country.  The truly massive parades of this type are in China, Russia, and North Korea.  They happen periodically but not on a set day each year.  One could say they are at the whims of their dictators.  Yes, I know that there is some pretense of an electoral process in China and Russia, but they are led by all powerful leaders.  North Korea's gulag approach to the family run business makes no attempt to be anything but what they are, other than promoting some strange spiritually ordained power.

What Trump wants is dictator classic.  It fits his style.  Anyone who questions this parade can be labeled as not supporting the troops and being unpatriotic.  An event of the type that Trump wants will be incredibly expensive and divert funds, resources, and attention from military preparedness to create pomp for the Presidential ego.  It seems obvious that such an event would lead to demonstrations by those Americans who do not support this cost and more importantly do not support the showmanship of preparing for war.  The United States has historically been reticent to sink to this level, maintaining the quaint notion that it is not necessary.  It is not part of tradition.  America's strength does not need to be proven.  That's the thought process.

In addition to demonstrations, such an event could be a magnet for aggressive and disruptive protesters, and even lone wolf or small cell terrorists.  The United States has avoided these types of incidents for the most part.  Why provide the target?  If something happened, how could Trump use it to harden his power?  He admires autocrats around the world.  He has a limited understanding of history.  From this opinionated perspective, underestimating the damage Trump can do would a mistake.  He is dangerous, and unfit to be President.  But he is and has the power.

The military parade prospect is unsettling.

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