The 118th Congress has 72 Republican Veterans unwilling to fulfil their oaths to the military or their elected office.
Why won't military leadership speak up?
Today is not a mini-rant, but a full broadside aimed, at a GOP pretending to be principled conservatives but are in fact, right-wing-extremists. This is especially true of the cowardly GOP elected members of the 118th Congress, that are veterans who have and continue to refuse to honor their oaths of service.
Okay, I’m a veteran and I am well aware of my oath of service. It is drilled into every servicemember from their first day. Yet, we have 72 Republican Vets who refuse to take a stand against the January 6th, armed rebellion nor the “big lie” that underpinned the assault on the Capital and worse, our very republic.
Some of these veterans come from prestigious military careers and have sacrificed a great deal for our nation, along with their families. This service is, of course appreciated. Why do they refuse to speak out, to put down a GOP base, still settled on the big lie and a litany of anti-American values, imposed on US citizens by entities like FOX news. Hell, FOX has even been supporting pro-Putin propaganda nearly verbatim on popular shows like Tucker Carlson’s, Sean Hannity’s and of course, the other disgraceful hosts and news commentators. This is not just my opinion, but a carefully archived set of data by national security pros across the spectrum of the USG, US Government.
For the first time since the War of 1812, we had our Capital invaded by armed opponents of our republic. Not even Robert E. Lee managed to wave a Confederate battle flag in the Capital, but an extremist wearing fur, sure as hell did. He was led, inspired and supported by the majority of today’s Republican party, of which 2/3 still two years later, believe the big lie. They were led and inspired by the sitting POTUS, head of the GOP. A former, highly decorated vet named Mike Flynn was the operational commander of January 6th and who is still, advocating for a long list of anti-American values that require revolution to implement.
I have plenty of questions for Republican voters but mostly, how in the hell do you justify overthrowing the US government and supporting Putin? How do you sleep at night? How do many still hold security clearances? Where the hell is military leadership who demands “core values” from serving troops but don’t have the intestinal fortitude to expect it of themselves. The most effective leadership style taught is, to “lead from the front.”
I see this every day from my TX 23 Congressman, Tony Gonzales. He loves to wave his vet experience but doesn’t do a damn thing to lead by example. He essentially sold his soul to Trump for an endorsement and then refused to condemn Russia until he received party approval. Even then, it was minimum. He once made a statement against January 6th but since has refused to support an investigation. His embarrassing dishonesty about the border has gotten national attention in the past few weeks by flailing on Face the Nation. He was unable to address the border situation without the dishonest party rhetoric that he screeched daily for the past 2 years on local TV. Military Times did a series on the abuse of the TX National Guard by Gov. Greg Abbott’s failed political stunt called, “Operation Lonestar” and Tony would not even come to their defense. Like the other 71 GOP vets in Congress, Tony must decide on whether being a Republican is more important than honoring his oath. He sure isn’t a principled conservative.
Today’s piece is obviously harsh, but it's also true in every respect. Every service member who has served honorably should be as irate as I am. Political identity is NOT the same as American values. Truth is what folks do, not what they say. Speaker (I am choking on the word Speaker) McCarthy has now placed MTG, Marjory Taylor Greene on the Homeland Security committee. She has claimed that 9-11 was an “inside job” and seditiously incited rebellion against the nation she swore an oath to. These two facts are but the proverbial, tip-of-the-iceberg.
What I wish to know and that every American voter should also be interested in is, when will our Congressional majority, stop supporting violent, right-wing extremism? Many on the right side of the aisle, have also broadly supported FOX news leads that support Putin. WTH? We already know that 72 veterans refuse to honor their oath of service. Now they violate the oath of Congress too. Please, don’t ever let a modern Republican official say anything to me about values. They can’t even spell American values. For a good discussion on aspects of “principled conservatism” look no further than the following embedded link. This excellent paper from George Mason University does NOT describe the current party, nor has it, in the Trump era.
Admittedly, today’s post is me saying what our leadership refuses to. If you’re offended, I don’t know what to say that will mitigate how you feel. I cannot, according to my own oath of service to the nation… stop protecting her from dangerous threats. Today’s Republican party has clearly demonstrated that they are one of those threats. In professional terms, today’s congressional GOP is the mother of all “insider threats.” My voice will always, as the title of this newsletter expresses, be in support of “Truth about Threats.”

The Pentagon talks a good game but like sexual assault, they are feckless in taking on the threat of right-wing extremism in the ranks. Sure, they will order another computer-based class like they did when previously embarrassed by other scandals but in the end, nothing of substance will materialize. Proof, FOX still plays on bases and in most DoD offices. FOX, NEWSMAX and BREITBART should never appear on a government screen. Full stop.
When today’s Republican extremist movement becomes again, if ever, focused on principled conservatism, I will leave them alone. That day, I’m sad to say, is not on the horizon. My vigilance will continue.