The Generals et al
We can’t know how September 30, 2025, will play in the history books years from now, but today is the first day. Pay close attention and get, and stay. in action.
My first thoughts this day go back to Union staff days where, on infrequent occasions, we “Union Thugs” were asked to help a local union planning to strike. (One time I was President of the Union staff for the state teachers Union that employed us. Now, that did make the news. That strike lasted only a few days. It was 1979, if I remember correctly.)
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The Government Shutdown started at midnight Sep 30, 2025,
The shutdown has all the earmarks of a labor-management conflict. Without going into the weeds, I have one observation (among many) unresolved disputes often have something in common: at some point matters came to a head, and there is a walkout. It’s always the other sides fault….
In my experience then, which was only from the labor side, walking out was the easy part. Getting back in, and back to normal, was the hard part, and the prudent local and the opposing management considered this fact.
I only knew the Labor side over 50 years ago; but Management had exactly the same problem – just “the other side of the same coin”. Regardless of the issues, ultimately there had to be an agreement to settle, which required compromise, whether the walk-out was one day or a month or even more….
I can’t remember any local going on strike more than once. This is not to say that there were no frustrations, or threats in subsequent negotiations. The prospect for both sides was too dismal to reprise. Best to eat crow in essentially private arguments in bargaining, rather than enter into a public spectacle over which both sides had little control.
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Which brings me to “The Generals”, the title of this post.
Also on September 30 was street theatre day at Quantico Marine Base in Virginia. Fox News personality Pete Hegseth and guest star of “The Apprentice” (aka “Management”) came to wow a gaggle of generals (aka Labor) from all over creation. The Big Show was obviously made for TV where management could be in the spotlight as “star”.
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This is not to make light out of what are two hugely significant events which not coincidentally happened on the very same day.
We will be well advised to not only follow this carefully, but also become active participants. The stakes are immense.
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As for the Generals, I think one of the problems the Public has is that relatively few adults have actually been in the military and make their judgements based on TV/Radio, movies, social media and print news: chaos and blood. As the old saying goes “if it bleeds its leads”. The President wanted a big show; he got it, with no applause…. In the theater it was a big dud.
I am not naive about the military, both from personal and family experience.
I was in the U.S. Army voluntarily for a tour as an enlisted man in 1962-63, I didn’t realize it at the time, but the “Vietnam era” had begun about a year earlier, and we were being trained for future service in Southeast Asia. I declined the opportunity to go for officer training; and ended up as Company Clerk in an Infantry Company which, a few years later, saw heavy action and lots of losses in Vietnam. I and my colleagues were the lucky ones. But we safely experienced in training what our later colleagues had experience in person.
Dog Tags. U.S. Army 1962-63
Never have I regretted my experience in the military. Those Generals who have risen to the top of their respective pyramids are generally very strong and effective leaders, as are their subordinates, down to the most basic level.
I have absolutely no idea what those Generals were thinking yesterday, as they sat obediently in a theatre where doubtless legions of Marines have sat in the past for one lecture or another (one of my grandsons approaching his 7th year as an active duty Marine, though not at Quantico.)
As for the Generals, the stark fact is that we, all of us, every one of us, have to be the “Generals” in the days ahead. We are the one who decide who or how we’ll be governed, and we do this by our actions (or lack of same).
POSTNOTE: For historian Heather Cox Richardson’s view of September 30, 2025: here. Also, Robert Reich, today short video.
In regard to the speeches of Trump and Hegseth about reinstituting manly virtues and killer instincts in combat troops I have a one word answer: Drones.
In a sad way we are seeing 2 versions of warfare among developed countries right now, one is the Ukraine-Russia War which effectively points toward the technologicization of warfare with the leading impacts being drones, guided missiles, and high tech anti missile and aircraft systems. These are all based on coding and high level technological learning and operation. It’s not General Patton’s war any more. The other version is much sadder and that is small area physical and human destruction in pursuit of limited goals by Israel in Gaza, i.e. killing and injuring scores of civilians in pursuit of killing or capturing a handful or even one or two enemy combatants. And then there is the destruction of civilian homes, businesses and civil infrastructure at an unprecedented level. Perhaps Trump/Hegseth are exhorting our military (besides wanting to use it on American citizens and residents) to follow the current Israeli method?
I was a company clerk at the same time. Your article was right on. I do however have a comment. Both sides have Generals. And both sides have to be blamed for these rediculous shutdowns.
Dictator approach to generals:
In his interview with The Atlantic, Kelly recalled that when Trump raised the idea of needing “German generals,” Kelly would ask if he meant “Bismarck’s generals,” referring to Otto von Bismarck, the former chancellor of the German Reich who oversaw the unification of Germany. “Surely you can’t mean Hitler’s generals,” Kelly recalled asking Trump. To which the former president responded, “Yeah, yeah, Hitler’s generals.”
As a five time draft dodger and as the man who refused to visit a military cemetery when he had the chance because there were only suckers and losers buried there, Trump must be just enjoying the heck out of being able as their Commander-in-Chief being able to dress the military leaders down in prime time. Trump is clearly an insecure, arrogant and narcissistic man child who would be king.