General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsDUers, we need to ask who these combat troops with NO INSIGNIA are. Senators, Congresscritters
Please take some time out tonight and tomorrow to write and/or call your Senators and Congressional Representatives. I'm going to include some of our heroes of the impeachment for good measure -- Adam Schiff, Eric Swallwell, Ted Lieu and others. Maybe Mme Speaker of the House as well. Don't forget: if yours are GOP, they need to hear from concerned freedom-loving citizens just as much.
These men are all dressed up in combat gear in our nation's Capitol and there's no indication of who they "belong" to and who they answer to. They were included in yesterday's Lafayette Park debacle and here's more "guarding" the Lincoln Memorial. I've expanded the photo on my iPad and could only see a couple of blurry patches. Who the heck are they if not US military?
Lincoln Memorial, copied from DU posts:
Link to tweet
/photo/1
MontanaMama
(23,219 posts)who is paying for them? Someone wrote a check.
Hekate
(89,977 posts)MontanaMama
(23,219 posts)their uniforms bear no insignia or military branch affiliation. This isnt good.
DENVERPOPS
(8,640 posts)them.....especially their friends and neighbors!!!!!!!!
WASF.
If they are U.S. Military, the top officers in the Military should be fighting Trump for using U.S. Military personnel.......
Soldiers are only required to follow any LEGAL order, and, and an order to attack your own citizens is atrocious......if not treasonous.....
Cha
(295,543 posts)Retweeted & KR!
Hekate
(89,977 posts)Let's kick it tomorrow, too!
Cha
(295,543 posts)in that thread, too.
I asked one.. ".. Just how ******* BRAINWASHED Are you?!!!"
roamer65
(36,738 posts)Hekate
(89,977 posts)roamer65
(36,738 posts)I thought I heard yesterday or day before that they were supposed to send some. Are Princes goons there because of that?
sarisataka
(18,145 posts)I do not see any sort of weapon or riot control gear. Just the body armor.
If someone storms the monument are they going to 'rassle?
Hekate
(89,977 posts)Ultimately at least 3 types of weapons were used against the peaceful protestors across from the White House: rubber bullets, tear gas, and flash-bang grenades.
Just because these guys aren't toting AK whatevers doesn't mean they aren't armed.
sarisataka
(18,145 posts)that fire the rubber, pepper capsules, various grenades and thrown/personal use devices as well. I cannot see any of those on them
Hekate
(89,977 posts)sarisataka
(18,145 posts)There are people wearing Air Force insignia- the far right one in the military police vest and the one in the front row with the bright green at the waste have enlisted rank insignia. About 1/3 of the people have the same camo pattern but are positioned wrong or the distortion is too great to clearly see their insignia
The closest man in the photo has no shoulder insignia but appears the have a rank insignia of an Air Force First Sergeant at the top of his armor, by his neck. He has a different camo pattern matched by several others. One group may be active duty and the other Air NG.
The second front the right in the front has a shield shaped patch on the soldier. It can be seen on several others in the photo. They are army or NG. It is difficult to make out but might be one of the Security Force Assistance Brigades (active army) Edit> I found some AF insignia that are close. That makes more sense if they are all AF personnel.
While I cannot account for everyone, all who have some identifiable insignia are US.
I also noticed on the left edge of the photo what appears to be legs and plexiglas which resemble a portable podium. Was this picture taken today? If it was someone giving an interview or speech at the memorial that would explain the variety of units and lack of actual weapons. It would be troops waiting for a dog and pony show to start.
That would also account for the two in the rear smoking and joking looking at a cell phone.
>Edit- I stand corrected. It was from today. If you click on the photo from the front you can see they are a cobbled together group, not exactly Spetsnaz
Link to tweet
Hekate
(89,977 posts)Aside from the ambient paranoia generated by Trump and his enablers, I have to say lately he's been ratcheting it up practically hourly. His rant to the 50 governors of the USA was a choice example -- "Dominate! Heavily armed troops! Joint Chiefs of staff Gen. Milley is in charge! He's a warrior, never lost a battle, I can tell you that!" -- followed by his entire made-for-tv Rose Garden/Lafayette Park/St. John's Church episode, has me far more suspicious than I usually am.
He has always told us who he is, and he tells us what he wants to do. Then he goes and tries it. He wants to be a strongman, like those he admires so much, and he wants American carnage. He's a psychopathic sadist. He has a lot of enablers with their own agendas who benefit from him. We are in a moment of real chaos -- I so want the Pentagon to tell him NO. But so far it's been nearly 4 years and no one from anywhere has rescued us.
sarisataka
(18,145 posts)That gave cleaner images than my ability could do.
These are stressful times as he seems to want to push us to our greatest crisis in 140 years.
Even so I always try to look first for the simplest answer, though I too fall short at times.
I pray my brothers and sisters who still serve take their oath to the Constitution as seriously as they did when I served with them. There is a point when the oath will demand you say "No sir, I will not"
KY_EnviroGuy
(14,480 posts)Please see my post on another thread regarding a CPB deployment....
Link: https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=13533279
Looks like they redressed them all with the same riot gear.
Indykatie
(3,687 posts)Hekate
(89,977 posts)Beartracks
(12,754 posts)American soldiers shouldn't even be deployed against American citizens. But if these guys are not even American soldiers, they may as well be a foreign power, for where do their loyalties lie?
======
Hekate
(89,977 posts)...and not just speculate.
Jamastiene
(38,187 posts)Of course, we don't know for certain this is remnants of Blackwater. That is only speculation. I say remnants of Blackwater, because the name has changed a couple of times since back then. Someone did mention Glock mags and said it did look like them to them, but still, just speculation.
But, it would not hurt to remember Blackwater later became Xe, then later Academi. So, if you see Xe or Academi mentioned, it still just a newer version of Blackwater.
That is who I think it is, but that is only speculation right now. I want to know for sure too. So, I will ask.
StTimofEdenRoc
(445 posts)Hekate
(89,977 posts)Newest Reality
(12,712 posts)Brother Buzz
(36,127 posts)They appear to be an MP unit, but I can't ID them. All I know, is it's not Jack Reacher's old unit, the venerable 110th MP unit.
Jamastiene
(38,187 posts)According to the NYT, it is the DC National Guard.
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/protests-george-floyd-police-06-02?smtyp=cur&smid=tw-nytimes#a-show-of-force-at-the-lincoln-memorial
Link to tweet
?s=20
Hekate
(89,977 posts)And why no insignia?
Thekaspervote
(32,491 posts)Captain_New_York
(161 posts)The closest guy has E9 rank on his chest the next one has Air Force Unit patch. Being army I dont know the details. Another point, based on the motley collection of cammo and things like missing gear ( like no Kevlar cover) I will say most definite reserve or air guard
Hekate
(89,977 posts)Celerity
(42,446 posts)OCP Patch
sarisataka
(18,145 posts)but hair catches fire easily. This is the third if fourth thread on this. It doesn't help that only one picture was retweeted, but I suspect that was intentional.
SheltieLover
(57,073 posts)AntiFascist
(12,792 posts)marybourg
(12,531 posts)The first ones looks like a sergeants patch. The second one has a shoulder patch as well. They are not completely unidentifiable.
Response to Hekate (Original post)
geralmar This message was self-deleted by its author.
C_U_L8R
(44,872 posts)More likely Erik Prince's idiot cosplay kkkomando$$$. Anything for a profit.
greyl
(22,990 posts)jorgevlorgan
(8,197 posts):p
Captain Zero
(6,687 posts)here ya go. they brought some of their boys.