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[Tawa]

Can you provide a non-tabloid source for this?

I know Murdoch press (New York Post, FOX News) is rubbish, but if they are producing an anti-Republican story then it's hard to state that it's liberal press bias.

The Post has been criticized since the beginning of Murdoch's ownership for sensationalism, blatant advocacy, and conservative bias.

It's kind of ironic that conservatives label the conservative press fake news whenever it tells a story they don't want to hear

I can't tell if that last sentence is directed that at me or not, but I want to say that I'd love to believe that it's true; rather, I couldn't find any non-tabloid, non-news.au sources reporting on it.

[Reelya]

What's with Trump and military parades?
https://thinkprogress.org/trump-military-parades-make-america-great-again-d20078cf06e9#.h4c4mcf3s

the Washington Post’s Karen Tumulty asked the president-elect about how “greatness” can be measured. What does he mean by “great”?

Trump responded by citing the sort of spectacles that were commonplace in autocracies like Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia — military parades.

“Being a great president has to do with a lot of things, but one of them is being a great cheerleader for the country,” Trump told the Post. “And we’re going to show the people as we build up our military, we’re going to display our military.”

“That military may come marching down Pennsylvania Avenue. That military may be flying over New York City and Washington, D.C., for parades. I mean, we’re going to be showing our military,” he added.

I mean, this isn't really normal for a democracy. Sure, we have veteran's parades to commemorate the end of specific wars, but those aren't really about showing of military might. You don't see tank divisions going down the street in veteran's marches.

It really is normally military dictatorships that have regular parades of tank platoons down the street with rent-a-crowds cheering for the cameras.

[smjjames]

What's with Trump and military parades?
https://thinkprogress.org/trump-military-parades-make-america-great-again-d20078cf06e9#.h4c4mcf3s

the Washington Post’s Karen Tumulty asked the president-elect about how “greatness” can be measured. What does he mean by “great”?

Trump responded by citing the sort of spectacles that were commonplace in autocracies like Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia — military parades.

“Being a great president has to do with a lot of things, but one of them is being a great cheerleader for the country,” Trump told the Post. “And we’re going to show the people as we build up our military, we’re going to display our military.”

“That military may come marching down Pennsylvania Avenue. That military may be flying over New York City and Washington, D.C., for parades. I mean, we’re going to be showing our military,” he added.

I mean, this isn't really normal for a democracy. Sure, we have veteran's parades to commemorate the end of specific wars, but those aren't really about showing of military might. You don't see tank divisions going down the street in veteran's marches.

It really is normally military dictatorships that have regular parades of tank platoons down the street with rent-a-crowds cheering for the cameras.

Given his love for spectacle, it's not surprising, and yeah, it really isn't normal to do that around here.

Crossposted from the NK thread:
North Korea may be readying a missile test, possibly as early as Friday.

As with anything NK, it pretty much boils down to "Activity spotted!", but yeah, Trump is going to get tested pretty quick. Pretty audacious on NKs part, though it's completely unknown whether they are whacking a honeybee hive, a hornets nest, or a hive of hornets that are supercharged with whatever hormone that insects use which heightens aggression*.

*or maybe demon hornets or hornets crossed with africanized honeybees, or something.

[Reelya]

Well that would be on the Trump level, if there's a war with North Korea next week.

The thing is, starting a war with someone really puny but unpopular is kind of like a right of passage for a Republican president. And it's almost always someone small who later on we're like "meh, did that war really make any difference?" Nixon bombed Cambodia, Reagan had Grenada (among others), Bush I had Panama, Bush II had Afghanistan.

One common trait is that many of those events seems like live training exercises, Panama was basically a trial run for doing Iraq is my guess. Afghanistan was a trial run for Iraq II.

So what would be a likely double-whammy for Trump? North Korea => Iran would be one possible pattern, but also ISIS => North Korea could be viable. North Korea puts pressure on China, so Trump might like that.

if anyone remembers, there's a transcript in which the American ambassador said that Arab-Arab wars were none of America's business, specifically in relation to Iraq vs Kuwait:

We have no opinion on your Arab-Arab conflicts, such as your dispute with Kuwait. Secretary Baker has directed me to emphasize the instruction, first given to Iraq in the 1960s, that the Kuwait issue is not associated with America.

Basically, they set Iraq up. They signaled that the Secretary of State had given the OK on the invasion (and remember they'd encouraged Iraq to invade it's neighbors before this). At the end of the Cold War, Noriega in Panama and Saddam in Iraq (two of the nastiest US client states) both became liabilities, thus they had to be gotten rid of. So the first two invasions after the Cold War ended were of allies, not enemies.

[smjjames]

What's also problematic is that the Trump admins readyness is being questioned and his staffing levels (other than top positions) are pretty barebones. So, NK doing it so early also makes it a rather difficulr time for Trump to respond appropriately, or not-so appropriately.

@reelya on Iraq, Afghanistan, Grenada, etc: The main difference between those and NK is that those countries didn't have another major power that might intervene, while China might end up doing something if they felt threatened enough by an invasion of NK.

[smjjames]

What's with Trump and military parades?
https://thinkprogress.org/trump-military-parades-make-america-great-again-d20078cf06e9#.h4c4mcf3s

the Washington Post’s Karen Tumulty asked the president-elect about how “greatness” can be measured. What does he mean by “great”?

Trump responded by citing the sort of spectacles that were commonplace in autocracies like Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia — military parades.

“Being a great president has to do with a lot of things, but one of them is being a great cheerleader for the country,” Trump told the Post. “And we’re going to show the people as we build up our military, we’re going to display our military.”

“That military may come marching down Pennsylvania Avenue. That military may be flying over New York City and Washington, D.C., for parades. I mean, we’re going to be showing our military,” he added.

I mean, this isn't really normal for a democracy. Sure, we have veteran's parades to commemorate the end of specific wars, but those aren't really about showing of military might. You don't see tank divisions going down the street in veteran's marches.

It really is normally military dictatorships that have regular parades of tank platoons down the street with rent-a-crowds cheering for the cameras.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/315184-trump-team-wanted-tanks-missile-launchers-in-parade-report

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_58811f4ae4b096b4a23091f7/amp

Some further clarification on this, he wanted the tanks and missile launchers in his inaugural parade of all freaking things. There are going to be some flyovers though, which are themselves rather uncommon.

So, to reiterate, what the heck is with Trump and authoritarian military parades?

We should let Japan do the invasion of NK. See how that goes.

Do they even have the manpower to do that? Also, it definetly likely won't go over well, considering what happened during the first half of the 20th century. If they were part of a coalition, that'd be a different thing, though I don't know whether it'd still be taken well even then.

[Reelya]

Some further clarification on this, he wanted the tanks and missile launchers in his inaugural parade of all freaking things. There are going to be some flyovers though, which are themselves rather uncommon.

Holy crap, I had Soviet-era parades with missile launchers pictured in my mind, but I didn't write it because that would be going too far. It reminds me of the Morgan Freeman thing. How I was joking about Trump attacking Morgan Freeman, but then I googled it and found out it was a real thing.

The writers of The Onion are going to have to dig deep to find things that will actually stay a parody of Trump.

[Strife26]

Well that would be on the Trump level, if there's a war with North Korea next week.

The thing is, starting a war with someone really puny but unpopular is kind of like a right of passage for a Republican president. And it's almost always someone small who later on we're like "meh, did that war really make any difference?" Nixon bombed Cambodia, Reagan had Grenada (among others), Bush I had Panama, Bush II had Afghanistan.

One common trait is that many of those events seems like live training exercises, Panama was basically a trial run for doing Iraq is my guess. Afghanistan was a trial run for Iraq II.

So what would be a likely double-whammy for Trump? North Korea => Iran would be one possible pattern, but also ISIS => North Korea could be viable. North Korea puts pressure on China, so Trump might like that.

if anyone remembers, there's a transcript in which the American ambassador said that Arab-Arab wars were none of America's business, specifically in relation to Iraq vs Kuwait:

We have no opinion on your Arab-Arab conflicts, such as your dispute with Kuwait. Secretary Baker has directed me to emphasize the instruction, first given to Iraq in the 1960s, that the Kuwait issue is not associated with America.

Basically, they set Iraq up. They signaled that the Secretary of State had given the OK on the invasion (and remember they'd encouraged Iraq to invade it's neighbors before this). At the end of the Cold War, Noriega in Panama and Saddam in Iraq (two of the nastiest US client states) both became liabilities, thus they had to be gotten rid of. So the first two invasions after the Cold War ended were of allies, not enemies.

That's an interesting interpretation of international politics, to say the least.

[Baffler]

Yeah, only authoritarian shitholes have military parades. Look at these dictators showing off their strength.

Honestly, how much kool-aid are you drinking?

[smjjames]

Yeah, only authoritarian shitholes have military parades. Look at these dictators showing off their strength.

Honestly, how much kool-aid are you drinking?

I notice no American ones in there. Independence day is one thing, and it's not a typical thing to do here as far as the tanks and missile launchers, especially for inauguration (the tanks would be too heavy for the roads anyway, ditto the missile launchers).

[Strife26]

Most well-built roads will handle a tank without very much trouble.

[Reelya]

South Korea only stopped being a military dictatorship in 1988. They don't really count.

And that parade was in 2013. What exactly happened in 2012? The daughter of one of the dictators was elected as President.

[Baffler]

Yeah, only authoritarian shitholes have military parades. Look at these dictators showing off their strength.

Honestly, how much kool-aid are you drinking?

I notice no American ones in there. Independence day is one thing, and it's not a typical thing to do here as far as the tanks and missile launchers, especially for inauguration (the tanks would be too heavy for the roads anyway, ditto the missile launchers).

On mobile so no videos, but look at Fleet Week, or how the USAF does air shows and flies over sports stuff all the time. The army doesn't turn out too often but this really is making something of nothing.

South Korea only stopped being a military dictatorship in 1988. They don't really count.

Yeah it's totally still a dictatorship. It's only been 30 fucking years. And how about the other 14? Are France and the UK authoritarian states?

[hector13]

Right-wing media is going mental over CNN "encouraging people to assassinate Trump", after they aired an ill-advised segment on the line of succession between administrations, with the tag "developing news" during which they concluded that if Trump, Pence and the congressional leaders all die, Obama gets to appoint the next president.

[Reelya]

South Korea only stopped being a military dictatorship in 1988. They don't really count.

Yeah it's totally still a dictatorship. It's only been 30 fucking years. And how about the other 14? Are France and the UK authoritarian states?

The dictator's daughter got elected at the end of 2012, she was inaugurated in february of 2013 and immediately threw that huge unprecedented military parade. That's a pretty strong link.

In that French one for example, you see men on horseback, traditional garb etc. not the tanks a rocket launchers that Trump wants to send on parade.