It’s a gross use of something *very* important. It’s something that should piss off anyone who has served, all to lead up to the damn cage match, where everyone should have been eaten alive with clouds of mosquitoes and gnats, because it looks like the weather cooperated for it. With respect for Raw Story:
A wave of anger erupted online this weekend after U.S. military honor guards were spotted taking part in the run-up to President Donald Trump’s UFC spectacle at the Lincoln Memorial. The backlash took off after progressive commentator LanaQuest, who posts as RosaSparks, shared video of uniformed service members flanking the memorial’s steps as UFC fighters made their entrance. “Those are Honor Guards?” she wrote. “I’m literally flabbergasted. The disrespect is off the charts.”
To insert a personal note, this pisses me off, and I never served. My brother did. I know how important honor guards are. And for Trump to pull them in for his event is disgusting. But it’s Trump. He has no respect for the military. He only cares about what HE wants. So he thinks nothing of this. But some of us do.
The footage was real. According to the Daily Beast, several U.S. military honor guards appeared on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the UFC Freedom 250 press conference on June 12, as fighters strode past Abraham Lincoln’s statue — a Getty Images photo confirmed the service members’ presence at the commercial event. Among the loudest critics was liberal commentator Brian Krassenstein, who co-hosts a political show with his brother Ed. “Trump is f—— using Honor Guards at a UFC event on the Lincoln Memorial,” he wrote. “No this is NOT ok. Don’t you dare call yourself a ‘patriot’ while supporting this c–-.” When one commenter asked whether Republicans were comfortable with the scene, Krassenstein replied that they “aren’t ok with it” but were “too cowardly to say so.”
Scorch! Thank heavens there is someone with a voice and a following to bring these to people’s attention to say how wrong it is. Of *course*, Republicans were too cowardly to say so. There aren’t many who have broken off from Trump’s chains yet. One would expect Democrats not to attend as a form of protest. Besides, you know those tickets have to have cost a bundle, so nope for us little people. The whole thing is/was insulting, the whole damn event.
The criticism cut deepest from those with military ties. Army veteran Skyleigh Uhrich called the display “a f—— disgrace,” writing that troops of an earlier era would have faced a court-martial for far less. “So many fought and died and were maimed for this country,” she wrote, expressing disbelief that ceremonial service members were being used as props at a cage-fighting promotion. //// DemCast’s content director also chimed in, writing, “Trump used the Armed Forces Full Honor Cordon — soldiers who escort fallen heroes and heads of state — to usher UFC fighters past Abraham Lincoln’s statue like they’re celebrities on a red carpet. I am LIVID. And everyone else should be too.” //// Others reached for the GOP’s history of manufactured outrage, with one reply noting that Republicans “almost crucified Obama for wearing a tan suit.” The Lincoln Project weighed in with a single word: “Disgraceful.”
And disgusting. How did they agree to do that? Were they given an order? It must have been humiliating for them. Good thing the military teaches you how to keep a straight face. It’s something that should be in a movie, except it’s true. Just another Trump stain on the arse of history.
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