Davis Malm’s Post

Regarding the Admiral's (a fellow Ole Miss alum) post below i offer some food for thought .... https://lnkd.in/ec99FZ5k 1) As I have seen in the last fifty years American citizens confidence in their military continues to decline meanwhile retired Flag Officers have become more politicized -- perhaps a direct correlation? When i joined the Navy in 1970 many senior officers did not vote in presidential elections so that they would not demonstrate allegiance to one candidate or the other. My how times have changed .... 2) As the article referenced points out "When retired officers speak out it increases the public’s demand for politicization, and the military’s willingness to supply it. 3) Retired officer commentary also shapes demand for military politicization because of its effects on politicians’ incentives to seek out allies within the military. As they observe retired generals endorsing or critiquing an opponent or her policies, politicians may solicit their own retirees to provide testimonials of their leadership or the merits of their policy positions. 4) Politicians also face fewer inhibitions in violating the military’s nonpartisan status if they witness norm violations by their opponents. This is apparent with the competing lists of retired officer endorsees compiled by presidential campaigns. 5) Retired officers’ dissent, however, raises questions about the norm’s resilience and therefore whether the active-duty officers with whom a president interacts are indeed fully committed to it. The president might fear that a military leader will not just bias his advice, but perhaps actively work to promote a partisan agenda, by for example leaking vital information to the public, or courting allies to oppose the president in Congress. They may simply marginalize them as a result, degrading the consultation process essential to healthy civil-military relations. " If service members and their families should not political props perhaps then perhaps neither should be those who the average citizen perceives perceive to still represent the United States Military .... thoughts ....

Ros Poplar, you raise some very interesting insights. We share in a strong belief that our Military, Intelligence Community, and Law Enforcement Agencies should be unbiased, apolitical organizations.  Rear Admiral Barnett is entitled to his opinion, and the two of us agree on this, “The world is getting more dangerous and more in need of level-headed, thoughtful, bold American leadership.” That said, our opinions differ in at least two major areas. First, my recollection of the past eight years is apparently much different than the Admiral’s. For four years we had no new wars, a secure border, a strong economy, energy independence (& more). For the past four years, we’ve had none of those things (& less). Secondly, if the Admiral is implying that Kamala Harris and Tim Waltz would provide the “level-headed, thoughtful, bold American leadership” that he mentioned, the historical facts support quite the opposite.   In the four years that Kamala Harris has been Vice President, we’ve had the disastrous Afghan withdrawal, record levels of illegal border crossings, the loss of U.S. energy independence, inflation, rising crime, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Hamas terror attack on Israel, thousands of Hezbollah missile attacks on Israel, Houthi attacks on allied vessels in international waters, Iranian proxy attacks against US forces and US maritime vessels, and more.  There is an unambiguous distinction in the results of the leadership of both Harris and Trump. I fear the dangers to our Nation have increased exponentially in the last four years.

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Tomorrow is Armed Forces Day and Butash Law Group would like to recognize service members, both past and present, in all six branches of the US military: the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Air Force, and Space Force. Thank you for your service! #ButashLawGroup #ArmedForcesDay #BoutiqueFirm #BoutiqueLawFirm #LegalSupport #PersonalizedExcellence #LegalAdvice #PersonalInjury #PersonalInjuryAttorney #CriminalDefenseLawyer #CriminalDefenseAttorney #FloridaAttorney #MichaelButash #CarAccident #CarAccidentLawyer #CarAccidentAttorneyNearMe #DUIAttorney #DUIAttorneyNearMe #FamilyLaw #FamilyLawAttorney #Attorney

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Now available! The 2024 Military Commander and the Law, by the Air Force Judge Advocate General's School: https://lnkd.in/gdmtAYSn This publication serves as a helpful reference guide for United States Air Force and United States Space Force commanders, directors, and senior enlisted leaders, providing general guidance to help clarify issues and identify potential problem areas. As with any publication of secondary authority, this deskbook does not serve as a substitute for legal advice from any judge advocate and should not be used as the basis for action on specific cases. Primary authority, much of which is cited in this edition, should first be carefully reviewed. #jag #military #law #lawyer #attorney

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With some reluctance, I continue to post the warnings from our most esteemed military #leaders who have had first-hand experience with Trump and the debacle of the Trump administration. Many of my colleagues who worked in or with the U.S. military are appropriately concerned about such leaders speaking out about political figures even after they have left military service. There is no doubt that the representations about Trump by retired military leaders is extraordinary if not frankly shocking. In disagreement with my friends, however, I don't believe this is a #precedent for our future politics as long as our political parties avoid the self-destructive bargain that the GOP has made with a man who violates our common sense of decency as well as the tenets of almost all faith traditions in the United States. That such military leaders have spoken up in pointedly #extraordinary ways emphasizes that these are extraordinary times. Even people who support Trump recognize that he is unlike any POTUS/candidate in history. So, I don’t necessarily see any persistent danger in the precedent, especially if we are continually reminded of the need for constitutional separation of military and civilian national leadership. Avoiding the precedent will be facilitated by the only thing we call can agree on, that Trump is an exception. Hopefully he shall remain so in #infamy. Trump can serve as an enduring example of the need for limits on neutrality and silence from those who otherwise provide a role model for leadership above the political fray.   I will continue to believe in separation of civilian and military leadership. By all means, there should be no #commingling of these statutory leadership roles. Beyond that constraint, it would be counterproductively draconian to keep military expertise out of politics and government. People with such expertise are some of the best role models and vetted experts amongst us. We need them. We need their perspective in a well-informed democracy.

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