Mastodawn

Here’s a list of things the US military has actually done in the course of its history:

- invaded Canada
- killed Americans
- killed unarmed protesting Americans
- prosecuted wars of imperial conquest
- prosecuted wars of crass commercial interest
- fought wars that were blatantly illegal under international law
- killed civilians
- committed war crimes
- fought white people
- fought people who speak English

Here’s a list of things the US military has, to the best of my knowledge, never done:

- refused or been unable to prosecute an operation directed by a lawful authority

A lot of people resting their hopes on the idea that the US military would refuse en masse to carry out Trump’s orders to invade Canada or Greenland or wherever. But this is a fantasy version of the US military.

HeavenlyPossum Mar 9, 2025

“They wouldn’t do it, they would just throw down their weapons and go home” completely misses that

- these are working class people who need paychecks too, and

- they could individually face imprisonment or even execution if they refuse orders, and

- most people, just like you, are risk averse and apt to keep their heads down and do their jobs rather than resist, and

- military operations are vastly complex phenomena that entail many discrete actions, the vast majority of which are or could plausibly be interpreted as completely innocuous.

HeavenlyPossum Mar 10, 2025

Sure! There might be individuals who would refuse to participate. There always are. There were Nazi German soldiers who refused to participate in genocide.

But they did not stop that genocide through their refusal.

Jargoggles Mar 10, 2025

@HeavenlyPossum
Not only is there no record of a single German being executed for refusing to kill civilians, there doesn't seem to have been any punishment whatsoever for it. Nobody was beaten or sent to jail for opting out.

And yet virtually all of them participated in it.

I'm with you - I have no hope that the US military would be any different.

Edit: I worded this too broadly. There were no penalties for Germans who refused to *execute* civilians.

Insecurity Princess 🌈💖🔥Mar 10, 2025

@jargoggles @HeavenlyPossum
This is not accurate

Jargoggles Mar 10, 2025

@saraislet @HeavenlyPossum
You're right, I worded that way too broadly and added a correction.

There were no penalties for soldiers refusing to straight up execute civilians.

scott f Mar 10, 2025

@HeavenlyPossum I think maybe a few steps have been skipped here, though. They haven't manipulated Americans to hate, fear, and dehumanize Canadians yet.

peter (not the famous one)Mar 10, 2025

@scott @HeavenlyPossum The day isn't over yet.

punIssuer Mar 10, 2025

@HeavenlyPossum and I guess the army has a habit of either selecting people who, or molding people to, not question orders too much

GT The Fae Mar 10, 2025

@HeavenlyPossum It's that Stargate SG1 type of propaganda getting to people. It's that idea, carefully placed in the public consciousness by DoD grants given to movie makers, that the only bad guys are the "top brass," not the "real soldiers." Pisses me off to no end

Cassandrich Mar 10, 2025

@HeavenlyPossum I don't have any delusions that they'd do it, but we should be creating doubts in the minds of those in power, that they might do it. Flooding military bases with messaging that makes it look like there are strong inside resistance threats. Etc.

Cassandrich Mar 10, 2025

@HeavenlyPossum "What's your plan for fragging your CO when you're ordered to fire on civilians?"

Ω 🌍 Gus Posey Mar 10, 2025

@HeavenlyPossum Not to mention the fact that most soldiers simply do what the soldier next to them is doing.

EMC2 Mar 10, 2025

@HeavenlyPossum
Unfortunately, we agree with you 🇨🇦
Most of our family/friends think we are overreacting. Check out Charlie Angus. He's a Punk Rock Member of Parliament from Ontario!

TobiWanKenobi Mar 10, 2025

@HeavenlyPossum

Dictatorships, and especially fascist ones, often need foreign conflicts to dazzle internal conflicts.

I wrote it somewhere else as well, but Canada should start working on its border security.

Jonathan Mar 10, 2025

@HeavenlyPossum I agree. We should be on a war footing right now.

Crystal_Fish_Caves Mar 10, 2025

@HeavenlyPossum well thanks for that.

Here is me having a war within my self with alcoholism, 9 days sober and not gonna make it to 10 😂

The way the news is lately, looks like I picked the wrong year.

HeavenlyPossum Mar 10, 2025

@Crystal_Fish_Caves

You can make it! I quit more than a year ago and don’t regret it, even with all of this.

MegatronicThronBanks Mar 10, 2025

@HeavenlyPossum

And lost against Arab desert dwellers and Vietnamese forest people.

Fahri Reza 🍉Mar 10, 2025

@HeavenlyPossum

I heard that Trump's ideology is longterism and eugenics, I do agree with the less wars which is a fortunate side effect.

His ideology which also shared by billionaires, think that instead of sending money to places like Africa they should be sent to billionaires who could utilize it more, trickle down economics.

Him invading Canada/Mexico is unlikely.