#SendBarron has gone viral. Let’s be clear. There’s no way in hell Barron Trump will serve in our armed forces. However with the awful prospect of Trump actually sending in thousands of combats troops to fight in Iran “Melanie’s” not-anymore-baby Barron is of draft age. NO Trump going back at least three generations has ever served in ours or anyone’s military and Barron will break that ignoble Trump family tradition of her dead body!
Trump trying to evoke comparisons to Lincoln is a joke. However there’s one (dubious) parallel in that Lincoln’s wife Mary Todd Lincoln adamantly refused to allow son Robert to serve during the Civil War. She relented in the closing weeks with Grant accepting a request from Lincoln for Robert to serve on his staff – which meant combat was highly unlikely. Melania doesn’t have anything to worry about because Trump himself would never allow Barron to serve. It wouldn’t get more than some mocking, except they’re talking about serious numbers of ‘boots on the ground’ in Iran and the draft Barron Trump movement (which I think in addition to #SendBarron has its own hashtag) is gaining steam.
Even if Trump finds a not-TOTALLY-humiliating way to go TACO with his Iran war this is yet another embarrassment Team Trump is ill equipped to handle. Melania has to be going spastic over her precious Barron being the subject of ridicule. The louder and more cutting it gets the more she’ll freak out and demand her P.O.S. hubby do something about it. Like what? Send in agents to shut down social media sites from Twitter to Facebook? Yeah, that’s exactly what she’s probably already demanding.
In the meantime plenty of snark at/about Barron is being generated and also reports of statements from the WH already about the matter, specifically about why Barron CAN’T serve. This article from The Hearty Soul explores a theory making the rounds that Barron’s HEIGHT disqualifies him from military service. Well, at least Trump doesn’t want to use the Bone Spur thing again. Barron is probably relieved about that but being declared unfit for military service because he’s (allegedly) an inch too tall won’t be doing him any favors.
Anyway I’d recommend taking a few minutes to read the piece. While not in the direct Snopes or Fact Check.org style it lays out a lack of a specific attempt by Team Trump to (at least even off the record) deploy this excuse. Actually I think the reason it’s out there is that some ‘double secret probation’ chats in which trusted reporters promised to not even acknowledge had taken place the ‘Barron’s too tall’ was suggested. In some sort of journalistic deal a stealth trial balloon would be floated in exchange for other information that could at least be attributed to ‘anonymous sources.’
As I said I believe the article is worth your time to read. It delves into how and why height requirements/limits came about in the first place. It also deals with waivers (people both too short and too tall have gotten them) and of course the issue of whether Barron is actually the 6’9″ now claimed is true. Hey, it’s not like lying including and especially about height is something new for Trump. Or his family including Barron who is already scamming and grifting proving he really is his (P.O.S.) father’s son.
Even with lifts in his shoes Donald stands at most 6’1″ or perhaps a bit more. Take away the poofy combover hairdo when you see current pics of him and Barron side-by-side and Barron seems about six inches taller. Maybe a bit more but mommy might have gotten Barron, who only now seems to get photographed dressed up in a suit like his sperm donor dad might be wearing extra thick soled shoes or even lifts. Perhaps Melania anticipated Trump would start an actual war that would require many thousands or even tens of thousands of troops and the issue of college age Barron not being in uniform would come up!
The thing is as the linked article explains even IF Barron is an inch too tall and would require a waiver it wouldn’t preclude him from service – only certain Military Occupational Specialties. It cites Naval Academy Grad (and eventually Hall of Fame NBA player) who was 6’7″ when he started plebe year but kept growing and was seven feet tall by the time he graduated. Then SecNav John Lehman wound up creating a two-year (instead of the usual five years) active duty term of service serving in an engineering role. The Navy got a return on its investment but the point is that if someone over seven feet tall can get a height exemption someone only an inch (vs. six inches in Robison’s case) over maximum height can serve!
Again, that assume Barron is actually at tall as they claim he is. Being taller than average myself (6’4″) I’ve routinely had people overestimate my height. My dad was a full three and a half inches taller but that didn’t prevent him from serving in bombers in the skies over Europe during WWII and damned near dying of wound sustained on a mission. So I NEVER lied/exaggerated my height but I played ball against a lot of guys introduced during the pregame stuff as being 6’5″ or even 6’6″ who the same height as me. Or shorter!
Let’s just say I’d love to get on an old school scale that not only allows them to check your weight but also has a height measurement scale. They lower that thing on the top of your head and the true measure of your height is there for anyone to see. I’ll believe Barron is as tall as he claims after stepping on one of those scales and seeing my own height accurately noted and THEN Barron following right behind me.
Well, the point is that there are many jobs Barron could do, including some that would allow him to serve in a combat zone. For example artillery, or with an anti-aircraft battery. But even if it’s something well away from anything close to harm’s way (unless a rear area gets hit) he could serve. Perhaps someone could remind Trump of his admiration for the late Queen Elizabeth and that SHE served during WWII – as a mechanic in a motor pool in England! That alone meant she spent time at a place German planes might try to bomb, or aim one of their V-2 rockets at although those suckers were wildly inaccurate and killed as many civilians as soldiers.
However while for different reasons Melania and Donald Trump wouldn’t allow Barron to serve. If the draft came back and they used the lottery again I guarantee whatever they write the calendar dates on won’t have the item with HIS date of birth in the drum! If somehow the person tasked with removing Barron’s birthday from the the thing screwed up they’ll find some ridiculous deferment like being over the height limit. However since he’s already grifting staying safe in the cocoon mommy has created for him it’s clear they’s no way in hell he’d put his ass on the line. Just like his dad be thinks he’s special. Too “good” for such plebian stuff as serving his country and for damned sure not in a war.
Conservatives will of course be “outraged” over the mocking of Barron Trump. Ask them about their comments about Chelsea Clinton when she was a young adult and they will go all “Chelsea Clinton? Who she? Never heard of her!” However Barron is spending HIS college years creating his own bitcoin scam and who knows what else. So as far as I’m concerned he’s fair game.
That small spec op teams are operating in Iran is a given. Of course they would be and while I don’t like that they’re in harm’s way over a stupid war that Trump shouldn’t have started in the first place it’s to be expected. However if we start deploying actual combat units thousands strong all bets are off and the mocking of Barron Trump should get dialed up to rock concert levels. As should the highlighting of the Trump family history of NOT serving. I’ll leave you with a video pulled from the linked article. If it’s too nauseating to listen to thirty seconds or so of Trump’s monotone blather you can skip ahead to the good stuff which is well worth watching:
Friends, I know everyone begs you for money. I promise, among all those asking for spare change, we are the smallest and the hardest working. We’re a group of old, disabled people, except for one writer in his mid-50s. The rest of us are in our sixties and seventies, and this is a labor of love. All we’re asking for is the chance to keep telling the truth about Trump and help ensure democracy survives. If you can help, please do. Thank you. Ursula
Huh. This was fascinating about the height. And here I’d had some hope of him being a quasi-normal person. He stays out of the news well. My rose colored glasses have not only broken, but shattered. Oh, well. The “Trump” will come out, no matter what I was hoping.