# US Military Parade **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 7, 2018, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-military-parade/808340 "2018-02-07T01:14:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2018, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-military-parade/808340/141 "2018-02-08T18:26:35Z")
I don’t know if I’d mind the parade that much, but listening to 2 hours of the Marine band playing “Hail to the Chief” while the trumpanzee claps and cheers will be way too much for my stomach to handle. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2018, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-military-parade/808340/142 "2018-02-08T18:28:45Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > W was in there for 8 years, did he ever have a military hardware parade? Because I am not remembering one. He did have Mission Accomplished, if you’ll recall. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2018, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-military-parade/808340/143 "2018-02-08T18:31:13Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Can anyone think of a president since Eisenhower who would have demanded it? [Not Eisenhower either.](https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/02/07/583903933/trump-reportedly-wants-pentagon-to-stage-military-parade-down-pennsylvania-ave) > [@](#): > > Beschloss points to the 1950s, when Dwight D. Eisenhower was president and Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev presided over large military parades showing off the latest in Soviet military might. Beschloss says some in the White House approached Eisenhower, himself a decorated military general, suggesting the U.S. do the same, to show off American might. > > “Eisenhower said absolutely not, we are the pre-eminent power on Earth,” Beschloss says, recalling Eisenhower’s response. “For us to try to imitate what the Soviets are doing in Red Square would make us look weak.” ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2018, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-military-parade/808340/144 "2018-02-08T18:32:19Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > He did have Mission Accomplished, if you’ll recall. I do recall that. It was hilarious, and lamentable, even at the time (my mirth is offset by the greater death toll). But it was a short speech on the flight deck of a carrier. It does not compare to a parade of megatoys. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2018, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-military-parade/808340/145 "2018-02-08T18:34:57Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > Great question. Let’s ask. > > Hey folks, would you be more likely to approve of a military parade if Obama or Clinton had demanded it instead of Trump? > > Here, I’ll go. No. You know what? I’ll buck the trend. I would actually be a bit less bothered by Obama or Clinton doing this. I’d be more _baffled_, but less bothered. Trump has made it quite clear that he’s a childish idiot who views himself as a tinpot dictator, and it’s quite clear that he’s asking for this parade in part because in his moronic view the “big boys” get to play with live-sized toys and so he should too, and in part because he thinks the idea of having a military as his personal hit squad is awesome. These are terrible reasons to have a military parade destroying the streets of DC, and while I’m not freaking out about it (I voted ‘meh’), I definitely recognize that this wasteful idiocy is definitely serving no good purpose whatsoever. On the other hand, Clinton and Obama were _not_ morons, and did _not_ see the presidency as a chance to play petty tyrant. So there would be little reason to see the parade as a moronic emulation of dictators. It would still be astonishing and seem weird and stupid, but I would at least consider the option that there was _some_ rational reasoning behind the boondoggle, maybe. With Trump, of course, rational reasons were taken off the table long ago. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2018, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-military-parade/808340/146 "2018-02-08T18:37:09Z")
George H.W Bush did have a triumph after the first defeat of Iraq and that bothered me too. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2018, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-military-parade/808340/147 "2018-02-08T18:42:17Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > No. Thump would LOVE that. We need to starve his ego, not feed it. I’m pretty sure that seeing a throng of people messing up his Big Boy Playtime would infuriate him, not elate him. Of course we’d need to make sure the disruptive crowd was carrying signs and perhaps wearing attire sufficient to make it unambiguously clear who the obstructing group is and that they outnumber the supporters/looky-loos by an order of magnitude. (I feel I should confess that I wouldn’t be part of that obstructing group. Not only am I 2000 miles away, it would also involve going outside.) ---
**Author:** ![John\_Bredin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2018, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-military-parade/808340/148 "2018-02-08T18:46:37Z")
> [@DWMarch](#): > > I think this parade is a fantastic idea and here’s why: > > We know Trump can’t be bothered with details so he’s not going to bother vetting the units to see which ones may have lost friends in military misadventures since Trump took office. His subordinates have shown themselves to be incomptent and even if they do find concerns there’s a chance Trump won’t listen because of his lack of an attention span. He’s also just the type of guy who would feel that much more of a strongman if the troops going past were carrying live ammunition. > > This is going to make a military coup trivially easy. I’d be more worried\* about a coup in the other direction. If I were a Democratic member of Congress, I’d make a point of not being near the Capitol, or indeed anywhere near the capital, that day. \*Half-jokingly, half-seriously. For any other President, it would have been all-joke, unimaginable in earnest. With this president, it’s completely imaginable that he or one of his advisors would float such an idea in earnest, with the only limitation being finding [del]disloyal to the Constitution[/del] Kaisertreu units for the coup. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2018, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-military-parade/808340/149 "2018-02-08T18:51:00Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > It does not compare to a parade of megatoys. If an aircraft carrier isn’t a megatoy I don’t know what is. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2018, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-military-parade/808340/150 "2018-02-08T19:01:32Z")
> [@John\_Bredin](#): > > I’d be more worried\* about a coup in the other direction. If I were a Democratic member of Congress, I’d make a point of not being near the Capitol, or indeed anywhere near the capital, that day. > > \*Half-jokingly, half-seriously. For any other President, it would have been all-joke, unimaginable in earnest. With this president, it’s completely imaginable that he or one of his advisors would float such an idea in earnest, with the only limitation being finding [del]disloyal to the Constitution[/del] Kaisertreu units for the coup. I want to go on record that I don’t believe for one single second that the US Military would carry out a coup in _either_ direction. Yes, Il Douche thinks he’s a dictator and this stupid parade would let him think he’s even more of one, but (unlike the white house) the US Military isn’t a fascist organization. If they march down that road it’ll be because they were ordered to, not because they think it’s time to end democracy. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2018, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-military-parade/808340/151 "2018-02-08T19:12:43Z")
I wonder if Trump will take a look at the parade in North Korea today and think that teaching American troops how to goose step would be a great idea. ---
**Author:** ![Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tired_and_Cranky)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2018, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-military-parade/808340/152 "2018-02-08T19:16:31Z")
The irony is that as someone who hates essentially every action Trump has taken, I just can’t get worked up about this. Republicans making a show of loving the military is nothing new. Sure, totalitarian nations have big military parades to show off how menacing they are but do you know where Trump most recently saw such a parade? From one of our closest allies, the left-wing, socialist republic of France. Yes, it will cost some money, but so do national parks. Spending a little to give people something they enjoy is a perfectly acceptable national goal. That said, I think the parade is being used to distract from Trump’s horrendous unpopularity. He will offer us bread and circuses to win us over. This may also be a measure to project strength but instead it’s making us (and him) look insecure. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2018, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-military-parade/808340/153 "2018-02-08T19:20:36Z")
> [@begbert2](#): > > I want to go on record that I don’t believe for one single second that the US Military would carry out a coup in _either_ direction. Yes, Il Douche thinks he’s a dictator and this stupid parade would let him think he’s even more of one, but (unlike the white house) the US Military isn’t a fascist organization. If they march down that road it’ll be because they were ordered to, not because they think it’s time to end democracy. I don’t think the US military would stage a coup d’etat (sp?) if ordered to do so by anyone. Who fired Mussolini? I can’t remember, but I believe it was “his” government. Was he executed by the government or a mob? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2018, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-military-parade/808340/154 "2018-02-08T19:22:06Z")
> [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](#): > > The irony is that as someone who hates essentially every action Trump has taken, I just can’t get worked up about this. Republicans making a show of loving the military is nothing new. Sure, totalitarian nations have big military parades to show off how menacing they are but do you know where Trump most recently saw such a parade? From one of our closest allies, the left-wing, socialist republic of France. Yes, it will cost some money, but so do national parks. Spending a little to give people something they enjoy is a perfectly acceptable national goal. > > That said, I think the parade is being used to distract from Trump’s horrendous unpopularity. He will offer us bread and circuses to win us over. This may also be a measure to project strength but instead it’s making us (and him) look insecure. The difference is that France is celebrating an important day in their history. Trump wants this so he can revel in HIS military saluting HIM. Hoping all the other countries can see HIS big, beautiful, powerful military saluting HIM. “Those are MY tanks, MY artillery, MY missile launchers. Those are MY soldiers all saluting ME”. ---
**Author:** ![Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tired_and_Cranky)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2018, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-military-parade/808340/155 "2018-02-08T19:26:31Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > To be fair he got the idea when he watched the military parade in France which is hardly a fascist country. The news keeps reporting that Trump got the idea in France but it had earlier been reported that Trump wanted a military parade for his inauguration. The military refused. They aren’t in a position to do so now. > **[Military refused Trump’s bid to parade missile launchers at inauguration](https://nypost.com/2017/01/20/military-refused-trumps-bid-to-parade-missile-launchers-at-inauguration/)** > > The US military shot down President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration team’s bid to have tanks and missile launchers rolling down his parade route Friday, according to a report. “They were le… ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2018, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-military-parade/808340/156 "2018-02-08T19:27:15Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > I wonder if Trump will take a look at the parade in North Korea today and think that teaching American troops how to goose step would be a great idea. That day will come. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2018, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-military-parade/808340/157 "2018-02-08T19:32:28Z")
Meh. It’s a waste but I don’t have any real issue with it other than to shake my head at the stupidity. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2018, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-military-parade/808340/158 "2018-02-08T20:40:18Z")
> [@begbert2](#): > > I’m pretty sure that seeing a throng of people messing up his Big Boy Playtime would infuriate him, not elate him. Of course we’d need to make sure the disruptive crowd was carrying signs and perhaps wearing attire sufficient to make it unambiguously clear who the obstructing group is and that they outnumber the supporters/looky-loos by an order of magnitude. > … I beg(bert) to differ. 🙂 Thump THRIVES on conflict. He LOVES it when groups fight over him. He will consider it a triumph that he got the libruls to turn out in big numbers and weep bitter tears. MUCH better if his big ol’ honkin’, dick wavin’ parade is greeted by the sound of "crickets.\* ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2018, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-military-parade/808340/159 "2018-02-08T20:45:14Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I beg(bert) to differ. 🙂 Thump THRIVES on conflict. He LOVES it when groups fight over him. He will consider it a triumph that he got the libruls to turn out in big numbers and weep bitter tears. MUCH better if his big ol’ honkin’, dick wavin’ parade is greeted by the sound of "crickets.\* As he has expressed his desire on several occasions that he not need see protestors, I don’t know that I would agree to his request. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2018, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-military-parade/808340/160 "2018-02-08T20:47:09Z")
> [@XT](#): > > Meh. It’s a waste but I don’t have any real issue with it other than to shake my head at the stupidity. The DC taxpayers who will have to pay to fix the streets after the tanks roll in, and the US taxpayers who have to pay for all of the troops movements and the tanks and flyovers, SHOULD have an issue with it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-military-parade/808340.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-military-parade/808340.md?page=9)