Below is my column in the New York Post on the controversial speech of President Joe Biden in Philadelphia. The speech has received sharply different reviews from “disgusting” and “hateful” to a historic declaration of war against the enemies of the state. Some like MSNBC regular (and writer for The Nation and Above the Law) Elie Mystal insisted that the speech did not go far enough because all Republicans are white supremacists, not just MAGA Republicans. I thought the speech was divisive and inflammatory. However, it was not the content but the optics of the speech that was particularly unsettling. Framing Biden were two Marines standing like nutcracker props in a highly political speech. His use of the Marines (and the Marine band) violated long-standing rules for shielding the services from such political events.
Here is the column:
President Joe Biden’s speech in Philadelphia has produced sharply different responses from the media. On CNN, it was praised as a rallying cry for patriots. On conservatives sites, it was denounced as hateful and divisive. For many of us, however, the optics was a glaring distraction with the intense red background and prominently placed Marines framing the President. The use of the Marines and the Marine band raised concerns given the clearly political purpose of the speech. Indeed, the networks did not view the speech as an address to the nation and refused to give the White House primetime slots.
While White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre assured the media that “it’s not a political speech,” it was unabashedly political from calls to get the vote out to direct attacks on “MAGA Republicans” and Donald Trump. That again raised the legal questions over the use of the Marines in such a speech. Even CNN flagged the concern over the use of the Marines and CNN chief White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins stated the obvious that “it was a very political speech.”
The optics of the speech instantly became a source of Internet chatter with the weird red background that made the President look like he was giving a stump speech from Dante’s Inferno. Indeed, it almost had that High Chancellor Adam Sutler look from V for Vendetta. (The comparison ultimately did not end with just the optics. Sutler warned his inner circle that “every day…brings us closer to November” and “I want this country to realize that we stand on the edge of oblivion. I want every man, woman and child to understand how close we are to chaos…to remember why they need us!”).
However, it was the use of the Marine guards that most stood out — framing the President as he declared Trump supporters to be a threat to democracy . Biden denounced “MAGA Republicans” thirteen times as well as repeated references to his past and possible future political opponent, Donald Trump.
The speech was obviously political, as noted by CNN’s Collins, as a “full frontal attack” on his political opponents.
The United States has long drawn a line between the work of federal employees in public service and the use of such employees for political purposes. The Hatch Act was passed in 1939 to curtail the political activities of civilian federal employees.
The Marine Corps expressly forbids personnel from being used or participating in such political events.
“Active duty members will not engage in partisan political activities, and all military personnel will avoid the inference that their political activities imply or appear to imply DoD sponsorship, approval, or endorsement of a political candidate, campaign, or cause.”
The other services have also drawn a bright line against such appearances. Army officials, for example, stress that their rules bar such involvement because “actual or perceived partisanship could undermine the legitimacy of the military profession and department.”
In Department of Defense Directive 1344.10 the long list of prohibited involvement in political events include:
“Attend partisan political events as an official representative of the Armed Forces, except as a member of a joint Armed Forces color guard at the opening ceremonies of the national conventions of the Republican, Democratic, or other political parties recognized by the Federal Elections Committee or as otherwise authorized by the Secretary concerned.”
These rules also expressly bar the wearing of uniforms at such political speeches: “The wearing of the uniform by Service members … is prohibited … during or in connection with furthering political activities, private employment, or commercial interests, when an inference of official sponsorship … for the activity or interest may be drawn.”
There are obviously gray areas for a president who is necessarily accompanied by members of the military. Moreover, drawing the line between what is a presidential address and what is a political speech is often difficult. Presidents are politicians and often use official statements to slam their critics or opponents. Such events often have color guards and military bands.
The enforcement of such rules are also rather anemic. Even violation of the Hatch Act are routinely brushed aside by presidents and both the Biden and Trump administrations have violated the Act in the past.
Yet, what is interesting is the relative silence of many in the media on the use of these Marines as virtual nutcracker props for a political speech. The media overwhelmingly condemned President Trump for his picture in front of St. John’s Church after the clearing of Lafayette Park in 2020. While the media falsely claimed that the park was cleared for the photo ed, many criticized the photo with military and law enforcement officials as inappropriate. Later, Gen. Mark A. Milley, apologized for being in the photo, declaring “My presence in that moment and in that environment created a perception of the military involved in domestic politics.”
Yet, Milley has said nothing about supplying not just the Marine Band but Marines to stand directly behind Biden at a political speech as he denounced his political opponents as threats to democracy and part of what he was called a “semi-fascist” movement. Those Marines stood at attention as the President declared “Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic.” (Apparently, nothing says that you are against fascism as much as labeling your political opponents enemies of the state with Marines on either side of you).
The use of the Marines would certainly seem to “create a perception of the military involved in domestic politics.” Moreover, the message sent to other military personnel, particularly other Marines, is that support for the President’s opponents is considered a threat to the constitutional Republic.
The Washington Post previously objected to the use of the Marine band at the White House when President Trump was viewed as giving a political speech. During the Trump Administration, others joined such criticism including Members of Congress and public interest groups.
Alice Hunt Friend, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told the Post that the use of the band was a “big violation” since “Americans who see uniformed military personnel at partisan political functions may assume the military has a partisan identity. Presidents running for reelection always have to take extra care to keep their military aides out of their campaign activities.”
Those voices are, thus far, silent in President Biden’s use of these Marines for a highly partisan and divisive speech.
Winston Churchill once said that it is “always dangerous” for military to find themselves mixing with politics because “they enter a sphere in which the values are quite different from those to which they have hitherto been accustomed.” That was never more evident as two young Marines stood at attention as their president accused millions of their fellow citizens of being enemies of the constitutional Republic. They deserved better from the President.
Joe (to Hunter): “I want to know everything that’s on that laptop that could ruin my erection.”
The Anti-American Democrat Speech would have been much more effective if a smoke machine had been deployed to create images of gray smoke rising from the ground against the black and red background while President Biden was speaking.
That said, we must give credit where credit is due. The President did his preparations for the speech and carefully emulated the style, tone, and even the rhetoric of his model:
Speaking of Hitler …
Marshall Cohen: “Cynthia Hughes, who runs a support group for J6ers, spoke at [Saturday’s] Trump rally. She told the story of her nephew Tim Cusanelli, a convicted Capitol rioter — and Nazi sympathizer, who said “Hitler should’ve finished the job.” This is their poster child for J6 “injustice.” /1 …”
https://twitter.com/MarshallCohen/status/1566178439866056705
I don’t look fondly on Nazi sympathizers. Do you?
…and then there’s “the big guy.”
“True Crime”
RE:””On CNN, it was praised as a rallying cry for patriots.””.CNN calls to its side the wretched refuse of a political establishment reeking of moral and ethical turpitude and rightly calls them ‘anal-ysts’. ” FOX opens its weekend daytime broadcasts with the National Anthem and photos of a proud citizenry ‘wrapped in fhe flag’ ‘ll know where to seek the patriots should the day and the need arrive..
Has Biden ever said such intensely negative things about Antifa or BLM?
I didn’t think so.
What about the weekly slaughter in Chicago and Baltimore?
I didn’t think so.
Oh he will complain about guns but never complain about the people pulling the triggers.
I don’t think he truly likes this country or most of the people in it.
“I don’t think he truly likes this country or most of the people in it.”
Welll… maybe the little girls.
I don’t think you truly like this country or most of the people in it.
The Gnat With No Name.
Today, the president’s social feed was no less dark and threatening than he was in person at Independence Hall.
The office of the president’s message is Stalinist.
This time reminds me of the many people who after WWII said, we could have spoken up and stopped this.
Where are the sane leaders? Why aren’t they joining to stop this?
The full weight of the US government will be brought to bear on anyone who isn’t compliant.
Will we be forced to wear a letter on our clothes?
I hope others study more of occurrences within our military and even changes within the laws. The laws are on a different path. While currently, our forces are not supposed to be used against our citizens’ foreign troops are allowed in our borders to do so if necessary, including U.N. forces. Our troops are permitted to practice missions within our neighborhoods. The law is only as good when politicians want to use it, and there are no punishments for circumventing these laws. This goes for rather someone is Republican or Democrat. They have immunity from the law for the harm they do, and this is one of the worse laws created.
The laws are being changed gradually and towards where our military and D.O.D contracting agencies can be used against our citizens.
“…A FORCE TOO STRONG FOR ME TO OVERCOME…”
_______________________________________________
“You can’t handle the truth!”
– Colonel Jessup
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“Semper Sigh: Biden’s Use of the Marines Violated Long-Standing Federal Policies and Regulations”
– Professor Turley
______________
Biden and the communists (liberals, progressives, socialists, democrats, RINOs) can’t help it, they learned well to violate fundamental law from “Crazy Abe” Lincoln. In their haughty realm of arrogance, their personal passions transcend the laws of society, including threats of violence and use of violence, the trademark of the Marine Corps. To be sure, slavery must have been eliminated through legal means and methods such as advocacy, censure, boycotts, divestiture, legislation, etc.
Under his whopping 39.8% “mandate,” “Crazy Abe” seized power and imposed martial law, illicitly denied fully constitutional secession, which is not prohibited by the Constitution and which the American Founders themselves engaged in against Great Britain. “Crazy Abe” went on to conduct an unconstitutional war of aggression, not common defence, against a sovereign foreign nation, unconstitutionally suspend habeas corpus, deny the freedom of speech and freedom of the press, arrest and imprison political opponents (i.e. FBI Raid on Mar-A-Lago), confiscate private property, refuse to enforce extant immigration law and compassionately repatriate (i.e. deport) illegal aliens, violate human rights and commit heinous total war against civilians and civilian infrastructure, and, ultimately, achieve the impossible through his successors by corruptly and improperly ratifying, not one, but three near-impossible-to-ratify amendments, in an environment, non-conducive to amendment, of brutal post-war military occupation and oppression.
After a mere 71 years of American freedom, “Crazy Abe” used the entire U.S. military to nullify and void the Constitution and commence the “Progressive” movement toward the “RECONSTRUCTION of a social world” as Karl Marx’s “earnest of the epoch” per Marx’s letter of congratulation and commendation to Lincoln:
https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/iwma/documents/1864/lincoln-letter.htm
America has been “Semper Sighing” since 1860 due to the singular American failure, the judicial branch and Supreme Court. Through its power of “Judicial Review,” the Supreme Court should have struck down Lincoln’s “Reign of Terror” and every unconstitutional collectivist act, and executive and legislative aberration since then. The sole exception in the history of judicial failure was Chief Justice Roger B. Taney’s* valiant attempt to support the Constitution, which every federal jurist swears an oath to do.
America will only stop “Semper Sighing” when the Supreme Court finally decides, or is compelled, to obey its sworn duty to support the clear and obvious, meaning and intent of the Constitution and to conduct comprehensive “Judicial Review” of all acts of the executive and legislative branches.
Article 1, Section 8, provides Congress the power to tax for ONLY debt, defense and infrastructure, as “general Welfare,” and to regulate only the value of money, commerce among the several States and land and naval Forces. Central Planning (solar panels, electric cars), Control of the Means of Production (regulation), Redistribution of Wealth, Social Engineering and all acts with even the appearance of approaching those principles of communism, are antithetical and unconstitutional.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
*
“The clause in the Constitution which authorizes the suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus is in the ninth section of the first article. This article is devoted to the Legislative Department of the United States, and has not the slightest reference to the Executive Department.”
“I can see no ground whatever for supposing that the President in any emergency or in any state of things can authorize the suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus, or arrest a citizen except in aid of the judicial power.”
“I have exercised all the power which the Constitution and laws confer on me, but that power has been resisted by a force too strong for me to overcome.”
– Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, May 28, 1861
____________________________________
“Judicial Review in the United States”
“The doctrine of judicial review holds that the courts are vested with the authority to determine the legitimacy of the acts of the executive and the legislative branches of government.”
– Office of Justice Programs, DOJ
Grandstander-in-Chief
Please. Don’t. Stop.
From Gas Lighting to Dung Lighting in 6 Months.
Men have had Dreams from the past which they’ve awaken from only to greeted by Nightmares of all ages.
But with Biden’s F15 bong dope, it’s all cool Man! lol;) Cause you’d have to be high to believe their crap. LOL
**************
(Everyone Must/Should Watch)
Mass Formation Hypnosis: The Psychology of Totalitarianism Exposed, Professor Mattias Desmet In-Studio
73,775 views
Sep 2, 2022
https://banned.video/watch?id=63128338f675d544c48601e8
Not just the 700 million guns now the ATF is reporting 37 straight months of over one million guns sold monthly.
Biden and the National Socialist Democrat Party have no idea what will come upon them.
Sounds like a threat of violence. How unpatriotic.
The 2nd Amendment is the remedy for tyrannical government.
I served seven years in the Army and you?
Curious, what is your work around when the Army declares your MOS essential and recalls you to active duty?
I’m too old to be drafted again.
My MOS was essential that’s why I stayed five more years until Carter gave Unconditional Presidential Pardons to the draft dodgers and deserters.
Now it makes sense.
I took the same oath as you.
Unaffiliated.
I support the US Constitution.
Why do you support Socialism, Fascism and Marxism your Oath was to support the Constitution.
I will not tolerate tyrannical government. I am the enemy of the National Socialist Democrat Party.
You’re just making that up…but thanks for pointing out your combatant status.
I don’t support Socialism, Fascism or Marxism, and the fact that you’d project that garbage onto me tells us about you, not me.
My oath was to the Constitution, and I continue to support it.
If you are the leftist that prowls the blog day and night, commenting as if there is no tomorrow, I believe you when you say: “I don’t support Socialism, Fascism, or Marxism…My oath was to the Constitution,”
Your problem is different. You don’t know what socialism, fascism, and marxism are. To you, the Constitution is nothing more than a roll of toilet paper that needs changing after every bad meal.
One can only hope that the Supreme Court begins a streamlined and accelerated “Judicial Review” of every executive and legislative act over the past 150 years, as the Supreme Court recently reviewed and corrected the irrefutably unconstitutional Roe v Wade from 50 years ago.
Article 1, Section 8, provides Congress the power tax for ONLY debt, defense and infrastructure, or “general Welfare” (ALL WELL ADVANCE) – roads, water, post office, electricity, internet, cable connectivity, telecom, sewer, trash collection, etc., commodities and services used by all in “general” and in similar amounts and frequency but not made available by the competitive free markets of the private sector.
Article 1, Section 8, provides Congress the power to regulate ONLY the value of money, commerce among the several States and land and naval Forces.
All acts of Central Planning (requirements to buy solar panels, electric cars, etc.), Control of the Means of Production (unconstitutional regulation), Redistribution of Wealth (cash assistance, Obamacare, food stamps, WIC, SNAP, HAMP, HARP, HUD, HHS, etc), and Social Engineering (affirmative action, forced busing, quotas, “Non-Discrimination” laws, “Fair Housing” laws, etc.) are unconstitutional. The American thesis is Freedom and Self-Reliance. The entire communist American welfare state is unconstitutional.
Well said! I was afraid that I was the only one that understood that part of the Constitution.
Someone above, Lin I think, stated that he thinks that Jon Meacham was the force behind the disastrous speech and t now appears that this is the case. Jon Meacham is a far left fake historian who has written Biden’s speeches before and then he went on CNN and critiqued that same speech. This is how the swamp works.
Meacham ruined Newsweek, he is a hack and he is trying to be a first party to history that he himself with then write about. The only good thing about this week is that between the student loan fiasco and the horrible speech Democrats will see their little momentum dissolve and maybe Ron Klaine will finally get Meacham out of the moron Biden’s ear.
Someone above, Lin I think, stated that he thinks that Jon Meacham was the force behind the disastrous speover ech
I mentioned it early in the thread. The Althouse blog covered it today, with links to her earlier blog posts, documenting the propagandizing historian
Follow the threads to her earlier posts.
The media calls her right wing, despite being a liberal. Their proof? Her refusal to support leftist lies.
https://althouse.blogspot.com/2022/09/who-wrote-joe-bidens-blood-red-soul-of.html
Sorry Iowan, I gave Lin credit for what you posted earlier. It was your comment that got me looking into Jon Meacham being the voice behind this loser of a president.
Private Gomer Pyle & Sergeant Carter, USMC would never serve as actors for Uncle Joe…..Or would they?
“Uncle Joe!”
But, of course!
Jonathan: A lot of us have been wondering where the top secret docs are after the FBI recovered up to 48 empty “C;ASSIFIESD” folders inside Mar-a-Lago. Some speculate Trump has sold the docs to a foreign power or someone else that might have a interest in them. Trump supporters think there is an innocent explanation. He likes to collect things and brags about his time in the White House. They say maybe he took empty folders with him with the intent to display them at his many properties. To show off. Others, like me, think Trump took folders full of top secret docs and has them hidden in other locations. Maybe in Trump Tower?
I mention this because the Insider is now reporting that at the “45 Wine & Whiskey Bar” inside Trump Tower there is a glass display case containing a folder marked “CLASSIFIED, EVENING SUMMARY”. No one knows whether it is a fake or the genuine article. But if the folder is genuine what is it doing on display inside Trump Tower? And where are the contents of the folder? It’s anyone’s guess. But how long will it take the FBI to get a search warrant for Trump Tower?
The TDS lives loudly in you, Denny.
“Some speculate Trump has sold the docs to a foreign power . . .” Who exactly?
They also found a lot of unfoldered materials with classified markings, so the first task will be to try to reunite the folders with their contents. Like you, I wouldn’t be surprised if Trump had materials illegally in his possession at other of his properties.
Dennis why do you bring up “some people say” Trump has sold documents to a foreign nation. Are you so thirsty to reinforce your narrative that you must rely on “some people say”. Do you never have the curiosity to know who “some people” are before you put such an accusation in print. We understand. When your addicted your addicted.
Trump says “people are saying” all the time. Is he likewise so thirsty to reinforce his narrative that he must rely on that?
What part of DECLAS does the DOJ, the FBI, the Media and the Left not understand? The POTUS has the sole authority to DECLASSIFY any Government Document. He does not have to get anyone’s permission, he does not have to fill out any Government Forms, he can simply say, I DECLASSIFY these documents, done! The 15 boxes of documents were declassified by President Trump before he left Office. Most of them are the FBI’s records of “OPERATION CROSSFIRE”, which would be an embarrassment to the Legacy of President Obama, if the truth of his involvement in the Russian Collusion Hoax, that tried to affect the outcome of a Presidential Election and when that failed, it lead to spying on President Trump, before and after he took office. Tarnishing his first two years in Office with Investigating what they knew to be a hoax. That’s what the FBI is trying to get back, before these documents end up in President Trump’s Presidential Library for Historians to study for years to come. In order to do that they will have to get him Indicted on some made up charges, then drag the trial out to 2024, making him disqualified from running for President, while pending the outcome.
Some speculate Trump,….
“some” is doing all the work here. Tells you everything you need to know about trolls spitting out their assigned talking points.
“Some speculate” that a gaggle of Soros-backed commenters populate this blog — led by you and Anon. And that “someone else” holds the deed to your soul.
Another viewpoint: every member of the U.S. military, including every Marine, swore a supreme loyalty oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution. Biden supports the American system.
Trump does not support the constitutional Oath of Office that he swore GOD to uphold. Neither do some (not all) of his most extreme supporters. Trump supports a foreign model of government.
-And what foreign model of government was that?
Ashhat, Biden promulgated the eviction moratorium which was unconstitutional, he did the illegal vaccine mandates, he is not upholding the law with the border, he signed away 300 BILLION in student loans…now tell us what Trump did.
My dear Ashcroft, the Constitution clearly states that the appropriation of funds is to be approved by the representatives of the people and not by one man. Joe Biden just appropriated a minimum of 300 billion dollars without the permission of the legislature. You say that Trump supports a foreign model of government. Many foreign models of government spend their tax payers money through decree rather than legislation. Somehow you don’t recognize Biden’s similar action in appropriating your tax dollar and giving it to those with a debt owed to you. Even Nancy Pelosi said that it would be unconstitutional (illegal) to do so. Perhaps you should read the constitution before you opine on its meaning.
While I understand your larger points about Federal costs and no congressional involvement with respect to the Biden loan forgiveness program, as a technical matter I don’t think Federal budget experts would consider such program to be an appropriation of funds.
What American System is that? The one where he used the power of the Vice President’s Office to take kickbacks from foreign countries, China, Ukraine, Russia, Iran, etc. Using his drug addicted, whore chasing son as the middleman, making sure that “The Big Guy” gets his 10%! Now as President, selling our Strategic Oil Supply to China (probably under the threat of blackmail). Intentionally sabotaging the US economy through Executive Orders and the New Green Deal, causing a Recession and Inflation, maintaining an America Last Policy on the World Stage, facilitating an Invasion on our Southern Border, putting American citizens in danger from the MS13 gang members and the drug Cartels. Is that the American System that Biden supports? Or the one, that as an American Senator allowed him to grab a young female staff member, Tara Reade, by her genitals, and then claimed that he was too powerful of a man and no one would believe her! Or his hair fetish, where he cannot help himself from sniffing women and little girls hair, no matter who is watching. For years he was the butt of jokes in the Congress and the Senate about not letting him near their wives or children, is that the American System that Crazy Joe supports? Maybe him holding down the Executive Branch of the Government while being heavily medicated on Dementia medications, leaving his handlers in charge of running the Country, that American System! When has putting America first ever been a “foreign model of government”? It was what our Forefathers intended. President Trump has never violated his Oath of Office, as you have claimed. But, you probably still believe in the Russian Collusion Story and that Hunter’s laptop was Russian misinformation and that he was guilty of those two phony impeachment attempts on trumped up charges, January 6th hearings, where President Trump is shown clearly telling everyone to peacefully protest outside of the Capitol and when the Antifa crowd started smashing windows, President Trump issued another statement telling everyone to go home. It was amazing how the breach happened right when Senator Cruz signed on to the objection to the vote count, almost like someone on the inside gave the order and the Capitol Police started removing the barriers and waving people through. I served 21 years in the US Army and we take an Oath to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic and to obey the Lawful Orders of those Appointed over us. And using Marines as a backdrop during a Political speech is not a Lawful Order no matter who authorized it.
So there we have it. This guy on MSNBC says Biden did not go far enough. He says that all the black people who voted for Trump are racist. All the hispanic people who voted for Trump are racist. All the independent voters who voted for Trump are racist. It is my hope that all the Democrats in the nation are not in agreement with this race baiter. How else is this guy going to make such a lucrative living?
If Biden and the National Socialist Democrat Party declare martial law and suspend the midterm elections I suspect there will be voting with the ammo box. 700 million guns and billions of rounds of ammo.
MSNBC Roland Martin. “We are at war with these people.”
“If you’re attacking people who aren’t attacking you, and wanting to make war on them, and those people are your country men? The term is Genocide.” Sarah Hoyt.
An interesting view point.
Sen. Huey Long is often given credit for the remark: “Sure, we’ll have fascism in this country, and we’ll call it anti-fascism.” [https://lubbil. ngontinh24.com/article/when-fascism-comes-to-america-it-will-be-wrapped-in-the-flag-quote-investigator] If “fascism” has any real meaning, it must mean the use of violence to achieve political ends. That perfectly describes the actions of the modern American Left, from urban centers to college campi, from recent BLM and Antifa riots to the 2012 anti-1% riots, from the shooting of a member of Congress to the near assassination of a Supreme Court justice – wherever anyone dissents from regnant left-wing (and Democratic Party) ideas, violence rears its ugly head.
Uniformed Soldiers (Marines) in front of Independence Hall, to what, stop a possible intruder from entry while an incarnate is present? Everyone knows the entire Gate to hell is always welcoming to any Soul, and if you are doubtful look at who emerged from the gate to profess salvation. The choreographers and stage designers who created the illusion of the Gate should be rewarded with Truth in advertising gold stars.
I’m just disappointed that the incarnate had the opportunity to use a cherished symbol of American history to spew hatred.
This is very much worse than even the threat of the Marines.