Cogito Ergo Non Serviam
Assassinations, Parades and Protests
Yesterday was a contrast in political activity. On the right, there was a poorly attended military parade allegedly for the semiquincentennal of the US Army (which it was not) and political assassinations of lawmakers in Minnesota. On the left, there were about 2,000 protests nationwide against MAGA Fascism, and no one got hurt. This is what the Chinese mean when cursing one with "may you live in interesting times." The truth is that the good life, broadly defined, does not make for exciting intersting news. Interesting times usually involve violence, destruction and lost opportunies. Things in the US are very interesting these days.
First, the parade was the kind of banana republic farce badly executed, which seems to be the Trump brand. This is the same team that held an event at the Four Seasons in Philadelphia, not the hotel, the lawn-care company. The army did what it is supposed to do, follow orders and hold a parade. The coincidence with the birthday of the president was convenient for the administration as Mr. Trump wanted his own parade and the army anniversary gave it political cover.
It was, of course, bullshit. The US Army was NOT founded on June 14, 1775. That was the Continental Army that fought and won the American War of Independence. Congress created it, and in November 1783, Congress disbanded it. The US Army website even acknowledges this:
JUNE 2, 1784
Formation of the First American Regiment
The tradition of service did not end with the conclusion of the Revolutionary War in 1783. When Congress ordered the last Continental Army to disband and its remaining Soldiers were discharged, June 2, 1784, it retained two companies to safeguard military arms and stores. The next day, Congress voted to form, from this nucleus, the 1st American Regiment for national service. By the fall of 1784, the whole U.S. Army was one regiment, consisting of eight infantry and two artillery companies.
So, the US Army admits it was founded June 2, 1784, not June 14, 1775.
Worse are the assassinations in Minnesota. A right-wing troglodyte shot and killed the leader of the Democratic Farm and Labor Party (as they are officially known in Minnesota) in the state house and her husband. Another lawmaker and spouse are fighting for their lives in a hospital while the perpetrator is still running around loose.
Once assassination becomes part of the political equation, it takes very little to make things vastly worse. Tit-for-tat killings become possible if not probable. Government interference in the investigations and trials follows most of the time. Democracy and constitutional government exist to limit the level of conflict, and murder removes them as restraints. Rome had a long civil war after the assassination of Julius Caesar.
On the other side of the spectrum about 2 million people gathered around the country for "No Kings" protests. Despite the police and in LA the military escalating tensions by being there, the only violence came from the "security" forces who used teargas and pepper spray in Los Angeles. It was a bit of a surprise, as there are hotheads on the left who can be just as stupid as those on the right. Fortunately, they all seemed to have other things to do.
So, one has a Potemkin wannabee dictatorship on one side and a mass of those who want nothing to do with it on the other. Saturday, no bullets needed dodging, but that does not have to be the case in future.
© Copyright 2025 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Ubuntu Linux.
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