Mastodawn

affinityseekingbehavior 2d ago

I watched the parade in all its glory so you don’t have to.
(abc coverage on YouTube)

How bizarre.

It started with what appeared to be a military museum presentation of historical military uniforms.

The fashion show commentary over the loudspeakers was definitely a thing.

If Trump was going for something similar to one of those parades in Moscow or Pyongyang, I’m not sure he hit the mark. For one thing, no flag-waving crowds lining the parade. It looked like a double barricade and a line of police blocking what crowds did show up.

Most participants marching or driving down the street look… ashamed, or disappointed, to be there. It has more of an ancient world feel of a defeated army being paraded before the victor.

The tank parade was a bit more ominous, accompanied by some instrumental guitar rock music.

It didn’t look like many people showed up, with a lot of the shots showing empty space on both sides of the street. When they showed the people who did turn up, they looked bored. The officials looked bored too. Whatever was on their phones was often more important. Trump looked utterly disappointed. Most of the soldiers looked like they just wanted it all to be over.

I noted the Australian AC/DC song played patriotically by the live band.

I’m sure the phone calls to Kim Jong Un and Putin is going to go badly when they ask about the lack of ICBMs on display.

They didn’t even acknowledge The Cold War! (Which makes sense, I suppose. It was “cold”.)

Drones were paraded along with the other vehicles. I’m sure there weren’t any DJI drones. Surely not.

Robots made an appearance in the parade. Robot dogs, unmanned tanks, marching bands… no Atlas units yet. Don’t worry, Boston Dynamics will sell them a Terminator one day.

The fashion show commentary recommenced for a final display of dress uniforms.

Trump had West Point graduates swear their allegiance to him. Prepared propaganda promoting West Point, and an upcoming movie about the Rangers was played.

Some live country music rounded out the end of the two hour display of military patriotism. The singer said “good night” in the middle of the day.

Oh.

And it started raining.

Literally, it rained on his parade.

lol

They say “… and obey the orders of the President of the United States…”.

That’s what I was referring to and it’s probably a normal part of the normal swearing in.

If I gave anyone the wrong impression, apologies, I’m just an ignorant Australian and this is my first televised fascist takeover. I’m not really sure what I’m watching.

The swearing ceremony can be seen at 1:57:00 of this video.

https://www.youtube.com/live/BczMOHucbxM

WATCH | Army 250th Birthday Celebration

YouTube

Kahte🐿️2d ago

@dgar Bisous du dimanche mon Dgar 😘😘😘😘

Simon dē Gulielmō 🐧2d ago

@dgar They swear an oath both to the constitution and the president - which is a problem when the president's orders conflict with the constitution. It does remind me of old footage of the Wehrmacht swearing loyalty to ... you can guess who.

@dgar that's the standard US Oath of Enlistment. Interestingly, their Commissioned Officers take a different Oath that doesn't mention the President. Not sure why

@dgar btw, the ADF just swears to serve the King, his heirs and successors by law. No mention of Australia at all, or our constitution, parliament etc.

HighlandLawyer 2d ago

@Ex_spurt @dgar
So an oath of obedience to all superiors versus an oath of faithful service. Interesting reflection of social attitudes to the masses (commoners) and the elite.

Cathy Jaskiewicz 2d ago

@Ex_spurt Thank you for clarifying!!

HeatherMJ 2d ago

Thanks, @dgar. I'm so glad I don't have to bother now

@dgar "I swear to loyally serve the Federal Republic of Germany and to courageously defend the right and the liberty of the German people, so help me God." - and there were times when even large rituals of giving that oath were controversial. conscripts who didn't give that oath (for them it was without the "so help me god") had severe disadvantages.

so - some tried to learn from the crimes of the wehrmacht, but those lessions are aggressively forgotten.

@dgar there were many jokes how this oath would look like for us concencious objector. "this is my toilet brush, there are many like it …" for example. but they spared us this bs, only gave us a week of indoctrination.

Shaula Walko 1d ago

@dgar
Ah, okay. I can see that, lol. Above all though, thanks for watching it for us, and for the commentary. I boycotted watching it so I’m glad to have been given a non-media account of it! Cheers! 🤗

Ivey Janette McClelland 2d ago

@dgar It wasn't the Rose Parade.

Simon dē Gulielmō 🐧2d ago

@dgar They haven't learned to fake enthusiasm that much yet.

@dgar It's a military anniversary that co-incides with Trump's birthday. Hence all the historical stuff.

Next year if he tries again it'll be more like the dictator parades. Though he looked on the verge of crying while watching this one. He might be too butt-hurt to try again.

Bob Tregilus 2d ago

@dgar Thanks so much for the report! So tell me the military personal, as they marched passed the stand where the president was, that they didn't turn and salute him, did they?

@elaterite some did, many didn’t, and that made it obvious that many didn’t.

There was no snap in the step. It didn’t look like marching. It looked like an unwanted walk.

Bob Tregilus 2d ago

@dgar Ha, interesting. Yup, looks like it rained on Trumpy Pants' parade in more ways than one. Thanks for the report!

Caiotekit Creations 2d ago

@dgar What is really disturbing is Trump making the graduates swear allegiance to him...they're supposed to swear allegiance to the constitution.

C. R. Collins 2d ago

Yes! I was about to comment WTF? Is that binding?

Mastokarl 🇺🇦2d ago

@Caiotekit @dgar Just what Hitler did back then here in Germany. So scary. Why is this not big news?

Caiotekit Creations 2d ago

@Mastokarl @dgar
@crcollins

I did a little reading on it and they repeated an oath, but it was to the constitution and not to him.

Mastokarl 🇺🇦2d ago

@Caiotekit @dgar @crcollins phew

Caiotekit Creations 2d ago

@Mastokarl @dgar @crcollins
yeah

@Caiotekit @Mastokarl @dgar @crcollins still the symbol of taking an oath facing a person, isos close to taking an oath to the person that it is discomforting

ideaPDish 2d ago

@dgar
Wait, Are you saying that the crowd was Yuge?
or Yugily?

ideaPDish 2d ago

So, the rumor that Puttie, hurt himself when he fell off his desk laughing, is not true?

@ipd 🤭

ideaPDish 2d ago

@dgar
I'm absolutele sure it is not true.

Heather Evans 2d ago

@dgar
My niece watched some of it & said it was laughable & that those marching weren’t even in step & more like a walk down the street.
Personally I think it’s hilarious.

Mensch, Marina 2d ago

@dgar Thank you for doing this. I couldn't watch, I rather slept.
The show of force became a show of farce like expected. 👍

Droppie [infosec] 🐨

firefox_nightly

@dgar I believe Obama's military parade was bigger. 🤭

D. G. Marshall 2d ago

@MsDropbear42 @dgar

The Orange Overlord is very sensitive about the size of his...parade.

Anthony 🐨🦘🪃🇦🇺🕯🌟🧙‍♂️2d ago

@dgar well it looks like that fell flat on its face! A total failure, but not unexpected!

Thanks for watching this so we don’t have to… reading your account & the comments, it sounds dire! “Most participants marching or driving down the street look… ashamed, or disappointed, to be there. It has more of an ancient world feel of a defeated army being paraded before the victor.” 😐

Dźwiedziu 2d ago

@dgar
> (…) lack of ICBMs on display.

This one is easy, AFAIK. USA doesn't have mobile ICBM launchers. The USA nuclear doctrine has enough mobility already.

That said the professional name for such mobile wheeled ICBM launcher is called an “erector”.
And I think that it is a heck of a missed opportunity.

Gray Rockin' #NoKings Evelyn 2d ago

@dzwiedziu @dgar So if you had a group of mobile wheeled ICBM launchers, you’d have an Erector Set?

Dźwiedziu 2d ago

@Gorfram
(☞ﾟヮﾟ)☞

Martin Vermeer FCD 2d ago

> It has more of an ancient world feel of a defeated army being paraded before the victor.

In a way that's what it was

@dgar
Wait, "West Point graduates swear their allegiance to" what?

Mastokarl 🇺🇦2d ago

@dgar Thanks for sharing. Here's the all-important question 🙂 - before the parade, the Guardian showed an overview of participants. Thousands of soldiers, hundreds of vehicles etc etc, and two mules. And one dog.

Who was the dog, why was it there? And the mules?

Paul Schoonhoven 🍉 🍋2d ago

@dgar thanx for watching and writing!

It really was a glorious day for millions out there. Nice act from weather people to make it rain there. 😉

Shaula Walko 2d ago

@dgar
Thank you for this. Your description of the affair brings me hope. Except for the part about the West Point grads, but hopefully they didn’t really mean it. 😐

@dgar the emperor’s old clothes were on display lol

@dgar very soon it'll all be modified by ai

Alice Dubiel 🔬💉🦠😷🌬☮️2d ago

@dgar pithy summary of the unspectacle. Very merry unbirthday Mr Real Estate conman?

VHG 🇪🇺🇺🇦2d ago

@dgar the pictures of the “no kings” protests I saw showed good weather, so I assume god was on their side 😝

Trump had West Point graduates swear their allegiance to him.

Really?

Cuz that would be the tipping point fir the German equivalent of 2nd Amendment (Art. 20 Abs. 4 GG) to start rebelling:

'No soldier or civil servant shall swear allegiance to any individual, but only to the tennants of the constitution and to protect it'

#USpol #Trump #Parade #Facism #Allegiance

🇨🇦🇩🇪🇨🇳张殿李🇨🇳🇩🇪🇨🇦2d ago

@dgar There was a parade?

@dgar You're a hero for watching this and taking one for the team. I am so glad it went well...lol

Alexa Devreux-Swift 2d ago

@dgar God pissed on his parade, a golden shower all over his golden dome.

@dgar 🏆 for forcing yourself to watch and providing a summary.
Thank you.

Kévin ⏚2d ago

@dgar even the street they were on was totally unimpressive 😂

Will 🇯🇵2d ago

@dgar thank you for you service. A richly deserved wash out by the sound of it. I saw some Sherman tanks and half-tracks on the TV news. It looked like a rather lack luster gathering of WWII re-enactors.

@dgar Will AC/DC sue him?

@dgar
So leaving aside everything else, and I still can't get over the choice of Fortunate Son as a song, I think this actually brought home something that I think he's been trying very hard to ignore-

The fact is, he has more people who dislike him, than like him.

I know, we know this, but I think really he has failed to see it. But teh side by side 'millions marching in every city' vs 'very small parade'..I think even he noticed.

Does it matter? I don't know. We'll see, I guess?

Hugs4friends ♾🇺🇦 🇵🇸😷2d ago

@Oggie Will CCR sue for the use of Fortunate Son? Although it fits the draft-dodger perfectly...the Fortune-ate One. Maybe they gave permish?🤔 @dgar

Steve's Place 2d ago

@Oggie @dgar I think it matters what the Republicans who have been propping him up think. They're tied to him politically. If he is this unpopular, they are this unpopular, too. Will they impeach him? Doubtful. But it might change their approach to his mania. They might not go along with him quite as easily as they have been.

Also, if he's been told he's immensely popular because of his policies, he now realizes he's been lied to, and who has been doing the lying.

I think a cabinet shuffle is possible, even likely. I hope the senate stops carrying water for him. Many senators, even in usually reliably Republican states, will go down with him otherwise.

Satan - Paul 2d ago

@dgar even the sky took the piss outta the parade lol

Mark Wyner Won’t Comply

@dgar thanks for sharing this. The media by and large coveted way more of the protests than his parade. I couldn’t find much info. That made me happy. This post makes me even happier.

purpletwiglet 🇬🇧 🐾2d ago

@dgar Just wanted to thank you for your service.