Fear And Loathing
Pete's tattoo
Just a quick follow up - or maybe an addition to - the Hegseth tattoo thing. When I republished All We Have To Fear Is Fear Itself a couple of days ago, which I now wish I’d borrowed from “Gonzo Journalist” Hunter S. Thompson and named it Fear and Loathing, because fear and loathing is what we all should be feeling at the thought of a drunk-on-the job, womanizing, White supremacist at the helm of America’s armed forces. A couple days ago I thought that most people knew of Trump’s Secretary of Defense nominee’s White Supremacy tattoo but had likely forgotten about it because of the media’s focus on his boozing and womanizing while ignoring his racism. But judging from the emails I received, a lot of really bright and aware people didn’t know. In America’s media, booze and broads trumps White supremacy.
Lots of subtle things catch my attention. It was attention getting to me that Maine Senator Susan Collins who initially shied away from expressing a thumbs up on Hegseth, expressed a new and improved opinion of him after grilling him in privacy about his stance on women in the military and his love affair with drunkenness. I’d love to have been a fly on Susan’s wall. Seemingly absent from her grilling was any discussion of Hegseth’s racism. Evidently Susan stayed focused on that which matters to Americans and steered clear of that which does not. Equally perplexing in light of her new-found concern over treatment of woman was her 2018 full throated support of the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh while dismissing the credible reports of his sexual assaults.
Umm…a few days ago I was complimented on my usual ability to stay informative and not angry or cynical. I suspect that I’ve let my anger, cynicism, and frustration poke through in today’s newsletter. I apologize… back to professionalism tomorrow.
Wayne, thanks for putting the spotlight on Hegseth’s racism. My impression is the U.S. military has been significantly ahead of other institutions in America in addressing both racism and sexism. The military is also one of the most respected institutions in our society, especially with working class and rural people who are more likely to join the military. If you are a patriarchal white supremacist, how are you going to feel when one of the most highly respected institutions in America gives the lie to your racist and sexist creed. If white supremacists hope to force their beliefs on all Americans then a primary objective will be to root out ideals of justice and equality from such a respected institution. From that perspective Hegseth as Secretary of Defense has some logic. It’s a strong statement of the depravity of the Trump administration when a primary objective is destroying principles of justice and equality in the most powerful military on the planet.