If Trump’s Rage Brings ‘Civil War,’ Where Will the Military Stand?

The Daily Beast ^ | October 6, 2019 | Patricia Ravalgi

[2ndDivisionVet]

The moment may come when soldiers have to choose between the Constitution and Donald Trump. No doubt most will embrace the Constitution. But some will see that as a tough call.

Earlier this week Donald Trump, commander in chief of the U.S. armed forces, tweeted that his impeachment “will cause a Civil War” from which the country might never recover. Picking up on remarks made by an evangelical pastor on Fox News, Trump did not just say his removal would lead to a huge electoral defeat for the Democrats, or even mass demonstrations. He said “civil war”. Americans taking up arms against other Americans in his name.

“Civil War 2” started trending on Twitter. So, for a time, did #CivilWarSignup.

In the modern era, real civil wars have been the great affliction of Third World countries—conflicts that split nations and societies along political, ethnic or religious fault lines. They are very often accompanied by martial law and resolved by military intervention. Is this what the president has in mind? Where would the U.S. military stand in such a situation? A view from the inside indicates the armed forces are as divided as the rest of the country—and divided is a dangerous place for the U.S. military to find itself.

After spending 19 years in Washington with intelligence jobs in Congress, at the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security (focusing on counterterrorism and counterintelligence), I had the opportunity to join the commander’s Red Team at U.S. Central Command in Tampa, Florida.

Within a few years, however, CENTCOM’s senior leadership told us Red Team’s “alternative analysis” was “confusing” the commander. (Truth was, they really didn’t want any competing analysis contradicting what the traditional intelligence analysts were selling.)

[Flick Lives]

The ‘civil warfare’ at this point in in a ‘cold war’ status.
The small time skirmishes by antifa needs serious squashing before skirmishes cause big time ignition.

—

A 2nd Civil War would lack the geographic split of the 1st Civil War. The boundaries if anything are more urban vs rural. Fighting would probably be more on the order of targeted assassinations and sabotage instead fo massive engagements.

[353FMG]

The military will do what it is told and they take orders from whoever pays their salary.Their first responsibility is their families.

[bk1000]

I doubt the military will even get involved. Civil war will not be like the Left imagines. After a very few democrat politicians, bureaucrats and judges “get the message” it will be all over.

[Leaning Right]

> And per the Constitution, it’s not up to the Speaker of the House to impeach, it’s the whole House. <

Right. And if Pelosi is serious here, she will eventually put it up to a House vote. But I am still hoping (maybe foolishly) that Pelosi knows how wrong an impeachment would be, and she is just maneuvering to keep the far left happy for awhile.

[setter]

CWII will not happen anytime soon. People have lots of jobs, pay is good and food is plentiful.

Get away from the computer and you will find out people are getting along good.

[GOPJ]

It's a yawn. If we can't ‘get along’ we'll get a divorce.

Liberals hate us - we hate them.

Split the country peacefully and they can have EVERYTHING they want. Reparations, all the illegals they can stuff into their borders, abortions up until a month after birth, schools as indoctrination centers, gun control laws up the wazoo, etc etc etc.

Why would white liberal 'elites' (and their pets) want to fight with us when they CAN HAVE IT ALL?

All they have to do is agree to build a wall between our two countries (we'll pay for half) so in a few years when they're citizens are trying to escape they CAN'T come to our half...

[GOPJ]

It's a yawn. If we can't ‘get along’ we'll get a divorce.

Liberals hate us - we hate them.

Split the country peacefully and they can have EVERYTHING they want. Reparations, all the illegals they can stuff into their borders, abortions up until a month after birth, schools as indoctrination centers, gun control laws up the wazoo, etc etc etc.

Why would white liberal 'elites' (and their pets) want to fight with us when they CAN HAVE IT ALL?

All they have to do is agree to build a wall between our two countries (we'll pay for half) so in a few years when their citizens are trying to escape they CAN'T come to our half...

[GingisK]

The military will split, just like it did in the first Civil War.

[353FMG]

What tribunal? We have heard about tribunals for so long it is becoming ridiculous. We seem to be living in la-la land. Hillary is free, Comey is free and Taqiyya John Brennan is free. Please get real.

[DarthVader]

That is changing. Army, USMC and Navy have hard chargers again, New Chairman of JCOS Mark Milley is the real deal.

[mel]

There ain’t going be a civil war

[antidemoncrat]

Hopefully all of the snowflake military leaders Obama elevated to the upper levels of command have left and been replaced with leaders that still honor the constitution and love this Republic.

[libertylover]

I’ll say this: If they manage to oust Trump and that bitch is still walking around free, then it’s like sitting on a powder keg with a lit fuse.

[jospehm20]

It is not Trump who is trying to start a civil war.

[moovova]

It would be difficult for many to remain on the front lines if they thought their families were in danger back home. I think there’d be the problem of troops deserting (with their weapons) to protect their families. Can’t blame them.

[PapaBear3625]

The active-duty military is a relatively minor worry.

There are more military combat veterans in the civilian population, than in the active-duty military.

[353FMG]

Trump’s support is cult-like among those who were formerly unemployed and who now enjoy the happiness of a paycheck.
God bless DJT.

[OldMissileer]

He hinted but didn’t make clear how Obama gutted senior ranks of any hint of conservatism.

The Clintons did the same thing. They gutted the senior ranks then the senior ranks gutted the junior ranks.

I watched as real warriors, great leaders and great officers, were passed over for promotions while some of the worst junior officers, many with "paper" in their Jackets, were promoted.

This made those worthless people loyal to the administration and to politicking over war fighting. I watched one even get his fourth star (I knew him when he was a 1Lt and he was a worthless, backstabbing "box checker."

[damper99]

Plenty of SJWs in the military will open fire and throw people like us in mass graves.

Don't trust the military leadership. A vast majority of the officers are leftest, and would gladly exterminate the folks "like us" that you refer to. All the field grade and general officers were moved up by and during the Obama administration.

[robowombat]

Any sitting President faced with an uprising of any sort that had the potential for or was becoming a real challenge to the feds would invoke the Insurrection Act and if he could get away with it declare martial law in ‘certain insurrectionary areas’ and suspend Habeus Corpus. Sadly much of the armed forces would salute and obey. Much of the officer corps reflect what public screwels have been peddling for decades and are left lib statists.