Military commander removed after denouncing neo-Marxist critical race theory

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Military commander removed after denouncing neo-Marxist critical race theory
A commander in the United States Space Force was apparently relieved from his post after appearing on a podcast to promote his book, which asserts a neo-Marxist agenda is transforming military culture and policy. Citing a diversity initiative in which the U.S. is referred to as a “white supremacist nation,” Lohmeier told the Information Operation podcast that the young service members are inundated by a “hyperpoliticized work environment where diversity and inclusion initiatives are being pushed constantly.”
Lohmeier added that conservatives in the military who are willing to voice their opinions are painted as “extremists.”“What you see happening in the U.S. military at the moment is that if you're a conservative, then you're lumped into a group of people who are labeled extremists, if you're willing to voice your views. And if you're aligned with the Left, then it's OK to be an activist online because no one's gonna hold you accountable," he said.

Space Force officer relieved of post after denouncing Marxist ideology and critical race theory in military: Report
 

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Military commander removed after denouncing neo-Marxist critical race theory
A commander in the United States Space Force was apparently relieved from his post after appearing on a podcast to promote his book, which asserts a neo-Marxist agenda is transforming military culture and policy. Citing a diversity initiative in which the U.S. is referred to as a “white supremacist nation,” Lohmeier told the Information Operation podcast that the young service members are inundated by a “hyperpoliticized work environment where diversity and inclusion initiatives are being pushed constantly.”
Lohmeier added that conservatives in the military who are willing to voice their opinions are painted as “extremists.”“What you see happening in the U.S. military at the moment is that if you're a conservative, then you're lumped into a group of people who are labeled extremists, if you're willing to voice your views. And if you're aligned with the Left, then it's OK to be an activist online because no one's gonna hold you accountable," he said.

Space Force officer relieved of post after denouncing Marxist ideology and critical race theory in military: Report

Sad to see it come to this.
 
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iluvatar5150

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"My intent never has been to engage in partisan politics. I have written a book about a particular political ideology (Marxism) in the hope that our Defense Department might return to being politically nonpartisan in the future as it has honorably done throughout history," he told Military.com.


He wrote a book about cultural marxism and its influence on the US military, with a description that hits nearly every cultural/political hot button of the last decade, but didn't intend to engage in partisan politics? If he's being sincere, then he's too clueless to be in command. If he's not sincere, then he's too disingenuous to be in command. Either way, removing him was the right response.
 
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Ana the Ist

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He wrote a book about cultural marxism and its influence on the US military, with a description that hits nearly every cultural/political hot button of the last decade, but didn't intend to engage in partisan politics? If he's being sincere, then he's too clueless to be in command. If he's not sincere, then he's too disingenuous to be in command. Either way, removing him was the right response.

If he had issue with political indoctrination....he should have gone through the whistleblower route.

That's a difficult route for anyone working for the government....but it's the correct route.

He would likely have ended up in the same place....at which point he should have published his book, gone to the media, sought legal action, etc.

Generally speaking (no pun intended) this is a death knell for the military. All military posts and positions should be merit based. No other factors matter.
 
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iluvatar5150

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If he had issue with political indoctrination....he should have gone through the whistleblower route.

That's a difficult route for anyone working for the government....but it's the correct route.

He would likely have ended up in the same place....at which point he should have published his book, gone to the media, sought legal action, etc.

Generally speaking (no pun intended) this is a death knell for the military. All military posts and positions should be merit based. No other factors matter.

In the case of leadership, "merit" would, I think, include the ability to navigate potentially sensitive political, cultural, and interpersonal dynamics of one's subordinates and the institution at large. Like, even though I agree with the gist of the BLM platform, I'm not so clueless as to think that writing a treatise espousing the movement's most extreme arguments wouldn't kick up a partisan political storm. If my job is to be a leader to a wide range of people, then my job includes knowing how be thoughtful and act in public in a manner that treats them and their concerns with a degree of deference and respect. And even absent the additional requirements of leadership positions, any job I've ever had has prohibited me from arguing against company policy in the press.

Even if you give this guy the benefit of the doubt and treat him as entirely well-meaning and sincere, addressing a concern that he sees as totally legitimate - if he can't see that what he wrote is both over the top and likely to offend a considerable number of people under his command, then he's pretty thick and probably ought not be in command.

Alternately, he could know very well what he's doing and be using this controversy as a way of ginning up book sales.
 
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Ana the Ist

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In the case of leadership, "merit" would, I think, include the ability to navigate potentially sensitive political, cultural, and interpersonal dynamics of one's subordinates and the institution at large. Like, even though I agree with the gist of the BLM platform, I'm not so clueless as to think that writing a treatise espousing the movement's most extreme arguments wouldn't kick up a partisan political storm. If my job is to be a leader to a wide range of people, then my job includes knowing how be thoughtful and act in public in a manner that treats them and their concerns with a degree of deference and respect. And even absent the additional requirements of leadership positions, any job I've ever had has prohibited me from arguing against company policy in the press.

The military has a method in place for this already....

Boot camp serves as the jumping off point for the indoctrination of military culture....as well as the teaching of basic skills, and physical conditioning.

The goal of military culture is aligned with the telos of the military by necessity.

The telos is obviously waging war.

To achieve this, individual identity is broken down to the point of being nearly meaningless....and that identity is replaced with a group identity....aka part of a unit/division/corps/branch.

I cannot even imagine how a military would successfully function as a group of individuals all trying to respect their own myriad identities. It's a bizarre experiment that's either a total farce with no real significance (best case scenario) or a recipe for disaster.


Even if you give this guy the benefit of the doubt and treat him as entirely well-meaning and sincere, addressing a concern that he sees as totally legitimate - if he can't see that what he wrote is both over the top and likely to offend a considerable number of people under his command, then he's pretty thick and probably ought not be in command.

I don't know the content of what he wrote. As such, I'll admit I could be completely wrong here. I'm accepting that he sincerely believes what he wrote.

Could you pull an example or two of what you consider "over the top" or offensive?

Alternately, he could know very well what he's doing and be using this controversy as a way of ginning up book sales.

Certainly a possibility.
 
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In the case of leadership, "merit" would, I think, include the ability to navigate potentially sensitive political, cultural, and interpersonal dynamics of one's subordinates and the institution at large. Like, even though I agree with the gist of the BLM platform, I'm not so clueless as to think that writing a treatise espousing the movement's most extreme arguments wouldn't kick up a partisan political storm. If my job is to be a leader to a wide range of people, then my job includes knowing how be thoughtful and act in public in a manner that treats them and their concerns with a degree of deference and respect. And even absent the additional requirements of leadership positions, any job I've ever had has prohibited me from arguing against company policy in the press.

Even if you give this guy the benefit of the doubt and treat him as entirely well-meaning and sincere, addressing a concern that he sees as totally legitimate - if he can't see that what he wrote is both over the top and likely to offend a considerable number of people under his command, then he's pretty thick and probably ought not be in command.

Alternately, he could know very well what he's doing and be using this controversy as a way of ginning up book sales.

When I read bits of it, I picture General Jack D. Ripper.
 
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Military commander removed after denouncing neo-Marxist critical race theory
A commander in the United States Space Force was apparently relieved from his post after appearing on a podcast to promote his book, which asserts a neo-Marxist agenda is transforming military culture and policy. Citing a diversity initiative in which the U.S. is referred to as a “white supremacist nation,” Lohmeier told the Information Operation podcast that the young service members are inundated by a “hyperpoliticized work environment where diversity and inclusion initiatives are being pushed constantly.”
Lohmeier added that conservatives in the military who are willing to voice their opinions are painted as “extremists.”“What you see happening in the U.S. military at the moment is that if you're a conservative, then you're lumped into a group of people who are labeled extremists, if you're willing to voice your views. And if you're aligned with the Left, then it's OK to be an activist online because no one's gonna hold you accountable," he said.

Space Force officer relieved of post after denouncing Marxist ideology and critical race theory in military: Report
Someone was fired for saying, “All lives matter.” https://awfulannouncing.com/nba/former-kings-announcer-grant-napear-im-not-sorry-for-saying-all-lives-matter.html

Federal workers are not supposed to do political activities at work. It is part of the Hatch Act.
https://www.ethics.usda.gov/science/docs/HatchAct-SocialMedia.pdf
 
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iluvatar5150

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Could you pull an example or two of what you consider "over the top" or offensive?

I haven't read the book, but I have read the summary on Amazon (which I assume the author wrote):
https://www.amazon.com/Irresistible...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=9R7SCY3406FV7VZADBRB

The whole summary suggests an over-the-top approach to the subject, but this paragraph makes it explicit:

After becoming aware of the Marxist conquest of American society, you will never again look at things in the same way. Mainstream media, social media, the public education system (including universities), as well as federal agencies have all become vessels of various schools of thought that are rooted in Marxist ideology - an ideology bent on the destruction of America's history, of Western tradition, specifically Judeo-Christian values, and of patriotism and conservatism. Marxism's sinister and dark agenda has led the country into what some have called a cold civil war. The problem has become systemic, a tragedy considering that the defeat of Marxist-communist ideology was the very cause against which our nation spent great treasures of blood and iron during much of the twentieth century.
 
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I haven't read the book, but I have read the summary on Amazon (which I assume the author wrote):
https://www.amazon.com/Irresistible...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=9R7SCY3406FV7VZADBRB

The whole summary suggests an over-the-top approach to the subject, but this paragraph makes it explicit:

I know. It is hard to fathom a solidly controlled Marxist country would elect Trump and let him do whatever he wants. Or did we magically become a solidly Marxist controlled country after Trump lost? It is getting hard to follow.
 
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I know. It is hard to fathom a solidly controlled Marxist country would elect Trump and let him do whatever he wants. Or did we magically become a solidly Marxist controlled country after Trump lost? It is getting hard to follow.

Solidly Marxist?

The paragraph quoted mentioned seeing "Marxist ideology" everywhere. That's not the same as saying Marxist controlled.
 
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He said something to antagonize someone and is whining about it.
https://awfulannouncing.com/nba/for...im-not-sorry-for-saying-all-lives-matter.html
20160707_allhousesredux.png


Why did I get fired for callously ignoring someone's house being on fire! :(
 
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iluvatar5150

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And I'm guessing you're saying that's an "over the top" view of Marxism? The so called "culture war"? Or....

Is that offensive in some way?

I wouldn’t say that that passage, on its own, rises to the level of being offensive. But yes, it’s a pretty over-the-top, arguably hysterical, reading of marxism, the threat marxism imposes, the influence marxism has, and the culture war more broadly.
 
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I wouldn’t say that that passage, on its own, rises to the level of being offensive. But yes, it’s a pretty over-the-top, arguably hysterical, reading of marxism, the threat marxism imposes, the influence marxism has, and the culture war more broadly.

I wouldn't necessarily disagree. It's over the top.

I don't know if it's hysterical. There's definitely a vocal group of Neo-Marxists whether or not they realize that is the origin of their ideas. Marxist theory is centered on dialectic materialism...which for obvious reasons doesn't take hold in western civilization very well. Neo-Marxism therefore attempts to find oppression elsewhere, either with minorities (religious or racial) or in feminism as an impetus for revolution.

So...for the sake of discussion...obviously he can't be endorsing political views explicitly or implicitly as a service member (I'm pretty sure they have a rule against that).

On the flip side though....he also can't adopt Neo-Marxist ideas while upholding his oath either (regardless of which branch, I'm pretty sure there's a line about protecting the Constitution from enemies without and within the states). The military is ethically obligated to remain politically nuetral (though arguably it's core ideology is inherently Nationalistic just like any other military).

So I suppose this puts him at a sort of rock vs hard place situation in the event that Neo-Marxist ideas are actually being introduced into the military.

I don't know if they are, of course, but if they are....I don't know exactly what he should do.
 
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