Trump removes senior defense officials & installs loyalists

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Perhaps by being on the wrong side of the fence. Being on what's considerd the correct side can afford one all sorts of leeway.

Actually, there is something we can do, at least on a small scale: Study up on the history of grand conspiracy ideology, learn the relevant real history, and thus become better able to refute QAnon and related conspiracy claims. If enough of us do this, we won't be able to convince true believers, but we might be able to help slow down QAnon's spread, at least among the people we know, either in person or online.


Either an outright coup attempt or, at the very least, some serious civil unrest on the part of at least some of those QAnon believers who are also members of "militia"-type groups.

Mona, here is something else for you to consider.

If.

That very unlikely case would not cause an outright civil war because the vast majority of leftists and left-leaning folks do not have guns.

You then embedded this video, which appears to be satirical -- and seems to hint at a grand conspiracy behind both Biden and the mass media.

It's not entirely clear to me whether the video is intended to satirize just the current mass media narrative, in favor of grand conspiracy ideology, or whether it is intended to satirize grand conspiracy ideology as well. The former seems more likely. Looking at the comments on YouTube, many of the commenters appear to be grand conspiracy believers taking the video as an endorsement of their worldview.

From the BBC: Biden transition: Why US spy world is feeling uneasy right now

I meant it as a joke.
It is also amusing, to me, to think Trump is going to try and create a coup.
It is ridiculous, to an outsider.
I will archive this post and we can talk about in on the 22nd of January.

There will be no civil war in the US anytime soon.

Spoken like a true Spartan.

Evidence?

Yes, he's legally allowed to make these changes. That's not the issue.

One issue is that, under Trump, there has been an extraordinarily high turnover in the top ranks of both the Defense Department and the Justice Department, and the in the intelligence agencies. Most Presidents don't repeatedly hire and fire officials, or have so many high-ranking officials quit on him, anywhere nearly as often.

Why would Trump have such an extraordinarily high turnover?

At the very least, it suggests that Trump has been a generally incompetent manager. Given Trump's personal history, that is almost certainly at least part of the explanation.

Trump also has a history of prizing personal loyalty above professional competence. A recent one of many examples: A DHS agency said America’s elections were secure. So Trump fired its leader.

Another concern is this: Ever since the post-WWII Nuremberg Trials (wherein "just following orders" was not accepted as an excuse for Nazi atrocities), it has been an accepted doctrine that government officials, including military officers, have both the right and the duty to disobey unlawful orders. Many people are now concerned that Trump is now making a last-ditch effort to surround himself with people who will not be mindful of the duty to disobey unlawful orders.

We have a discussion scheduled for the 22nd Jan, 2021.
Be there, or be square.