This is exactly the kind of story that I would love to see the old 60 Minutes dig into. The problem at this point is whether or not Bari Weiss has so dismantled the investigative reporting arm of CBS News that its effectivity has become badly compromised.
Certainly there may be some seed of truth to the reports Mikey Weinstein is delivering. The question is how much, and who would be best prepared to do a full, thorough, and proper investigation.
And as they say in the news business, no -30- on this one. This story needs a lot more follow up.
Put John Oliver on it. He does some damn good investigative journalism, and the end result is guaranteed to pull a few laughs no matter how fucked up the subject is.
Thank you, Hemant, for going through this as you did. These are not questions that I would think to ask, but you did.
The story, if true, is a damning indictment of what Christian nationalism has done to our military, and the danger it poses to the entire world.
The story, if not true, would simply discredit every criticism of what Christian nationalism has done to our military, and the danger it poses to the entire world.
The problem is, if the latter case is true, was it put out by someone who was hoping to discredit Christian nationalism, or was it put out by a pro Christian nationalist to discredit the anti- Christian-nationalist movement?
I referenced this story in my comment for the Hagee article. I did trust the claims by Weinstein that I saw online. I did not spread it around outside of that one comment. I know not to share things I can’t verify, but I also can believe the claims.
One of the reasons I really dislike Matt Walsh, well not the biggest reasons, is because when he was the cocky shitface writing his blog he was so very clearly writing the letters he responded to. The writing was so consistent between the letter writers and his response that I would not be able to tell when it switched from question to advice. It could be that Weinstein was rewriting the emails in his own style to protect anonymity, but they a,so might be him creating a narrative. It bothers me that they do all sound alike. I’m going to continue to be skeptical.
Speaking of watching the movie Spotlight again recently. Though we haven’t got time for that!
I don’t think we should ever read too much into what any individual like Hegseth so-called believes in or doesn’t believe in as any indicator of what they might or might not do or are capable of. I’m so incredibly exhausted from this country, mainstream (state) media, and this administration.
It’s like when Trump supporters like to point out that he isn’t religious or necessarily Christian, or might be an atheist. I don’t give a fuck what he says he believes in or doesn’t. I’ll form my opinions based on his actions.
I hope the concern turns out to be unwarranted, because this is exactly the kind of thing we've come to expect from the Trump regime, and if it hasn't actually happened already then it definitely will soon... but I'm not going to let confirmation bias rule me. The MRFF has done incredibly important work, and it would suck all kinds of ass for their head honcho to have a fall from grace- 𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 at this particular moment in time- 𝘣𝘶𝘵... our willingness to ask these kinds of questions is what sets us apart from the average propaganda-slurper. The truth, no matter how uncomfortable, must always come out.
Thanks for providing context. I was one of those who shared this and I've seen it from friends -- because, frankly, it fits our preconceptions. But I'd rather be skeptical -- otherwise we're playing into Hegseth's hands.
Naming anyone involved is a huge risk. If you’re in the military, your commanding officers essentially own your ass. And there’s zero doubt in my mind anyone who had no problem forcing religion on subordinates would have no qualms about retaliating.
I think your questions are fair. I'd add a few things to consider. One is that the Pentagon worship services and propaganda videos do present the framework for this in naming God as a "God of War" and casting the U.S. military as carrying out God's mission. So at the very least, the missions are being blurred. Another is that many Christian nationalists do believe they can hasten the end times (Ron Luce, Mike Bickle, etc.). So with that framework in place, this story can make sense. But what doesn't make sense is that Pete Hegseth follows Doug Wilson, who doesn't believe in the rapture or in a nearing Armageddon. Wilson believes the kingdom will be fully realized a long time from now. He's specifically mentioned as much as 500 years from now. So if Hegseth is really following Wilson, he wouldn't be trying to hasten the rapture to today. There's also a chance Hegseth doesn't understand Wilson's theology that well, that other lower ranking officials could be saying these things, or that miscommunication is happening somewhere, given all the blurred lines.
Thank you for this-I immediately shared the story as soon as I saw it because it wouldn’t have surprised me at all if it were real, but this is important skepticism. If the story is true, it’ll be corroborated-if not I don’t want to amplify misinformation just because it fits my opinion of the scary stuff happening out there, so I immediately checked myself with the people I shared it to, and will wait to see wider reporting the next time something like this comes out!
Considering what happens to those who do not please Trump and his loyal supporters in the cabinet like Hegseth, I can understand the requests for anonymity. Ask the FBI agents who lost their jobs because they worked on the Trump probe. I think that the lack of a response from Hegseth says a lot.
Excellent piece, helping express why I haven't shared that story today. Thanks!
This is exactly the kind of story that I would love to see the old 60 Minutes dig into. The problem at this point is whether or not Bari Weiss has so dismantled the investigative reporting arm of CBS News that its effectivity has become badly compromised.
Certainly there may be some seed of truth to the reports Mikey Weinstein is delivering. The question is how much, and who would be best prepared to do a full, thorough, and proper investigation.
And as they say in the news business, no -30- on this one. This story needs a lot more follow up.
Frontline. I doubt that 60 minutes could get away with it. This is starting to resemble blackberry bushes.
Frontline is a good choice. They don't fool around, any more than 60 Minutes has in the past.
Put John Oliver on it. He does some damn good investigative journalism, and the end result is guaranteed to pull a few laughs no matter how fucked up the subject is.
Not a bad concept at all!
John Oliver insists he's not a journalist, he just employs them. But yeah. His show could certainly take this on.
Thank you, Hemant, for going through this as you did. These are not questions that I would think to ask, but you did.
The story, if true, is a damning indictment of what Christian nationalism has done to our military, and the danger it poses to the entire world.
The story, if not true, would simply discredit every criticism of what Christian nationalism has done to our military, and the danger it poses to the entire world.
The problem is, if the latter case is true, was it put out by someone who was hoping to discredit Christian nationalism, or was it put out by a pro Christian nationalist to discredit the anti- Christian-nationalist movement?
I’ve seen this story as well and given the track record of the regime it would not surprise me but I want to know more.
I referenced this story in my comment for the Hagee article. I did trust the claims by Weinstein that I saw online. I did not spread it around outside of that one comment. I know not to share things I can’t verify, but I also can believe the claims.
One of the reasons I really dislike Matt Walsh, well not the biggest reasons, is because when he was the cocky shitface writing his blog he was so very clearly writing the letters he responded to. The writing was so consistent between the letter writers and his response that I would not be able to tell when it switched from question to advice. It could be that Weinstein was rewriting the emails in his own style to protect anonymity, but they a,so might be him creating a narrative. It bothers me that they do all sound alike. I’m going to continue to be skeptical.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/c542c450eb8aef41e312a14e1745277c6c133c5084dd8ac1a7b4737993530dc0.jpg
Speaking of watching the movie Spotlight again recently. Though we haven’t got time for that!
I don’t think we should ever read too much into what any individual like Hegseth so-called believes in or doesn’t believe in as any indicator of what they might or might not do or are capable of. I’m so incredibly exhausted from this country, mainstream (state) media, and this administration.
It’s like when Trump supporters like to point out that he isn’t religious or necessarily Christian, or might be an atheist. I don’t give a fuck what he says he believes in or doesn’t. I’ll form my opinions based on his actions.
I hope the concern turns out to be unwarranted, because this is exactly the kind of thing we've come to expect from the Trump regime, and if it hasn't actually happened already then it definitely will soon... but I'm not going to let confirmation bias rule me. The MRFF has done incredibly important work, and it would suck all kinds of ass for their head honcho to have a fall from grace- 𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 at this particular moment in time- 𝘣𝘶𝘵... our willingness to ask these kinds of questions is what sets us apart from the average propaganda-slurper. The truth, no matter how uncomfortable, must always come out.
Thanks for providing context. I was one of those who shared this and I've seen it from friends -- because, frankly, it fits our preconceptions. But I'd rather be skeptical -- otherwise we're playing into Hegseth's hands.
if it looks like a duck and walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's a duck. Weinstein sounds like a grifter.
https://youtu.be/B5xGPU1QWok?si=4UEIEbFor4E1wEoi
Mr. Carlin....
Naming anyone involved is a huge risk. If you’re in the military, your commanding officers essentially own your ass. And there’s zero doubt in my mind anyone who had no problem forcing religion on subordinates would have no qualms about retaliating.
I think your questions are fair. I'd add a few things to consider. One is that the Pentagon worship services and propaganda videos do present the framework for this in naming God as a "God of War" and casting the U.S. military as carrying out God's mission. So at the very least, the missions are being blurred. Another is that many Christian nationalists do believe they can hasten the end times (Ron Luce, Mike Bickle, etc.). So with that framework in place, this story can make sense. But what doesn't make sense is that Pete Hegseth follows Doug Wilson, who doesn't believe in the rapture or in a nearing Armageddon. Wilson believes the kingdom will be fully realized a long time from now. He's specifically mentioned as much as 500 years from now. So if Hegseth is really following Wilson, he wouldn't be trying to hasten the rapture to today. There's also a chance Hegseth doesn't understand Wilson's theology that well, that other lower ranking officials could be saying these things, or that miscommunication is happening somewhere, given all the blurred lines.
One quibble. Mikey and the MRFF have created more change for individuals in the Xtian military than any mainstream reporter.
Thank you for this-I immediately shared the story as soon as I saw it because it wouldn’t have surprised me at all if it were real, but this is important skepticism. If the story is true, it’ll be corroborated-if not I don’t want to amplify misinformation just because it fits my opinion of the scary stuff happening out there, so I immediately checked myself with the people I shared it to, and will wait to see wider reporting the next time something like this comes out!
I shared it too because I trusted Mikey but maybe I shouldn't have.
Considering what happens to those who do not please Trump and his loyal supporters in the cabinet like Hegseth, I can understand the requests for anonymity. Ask the FBI agents who lost their jobs because they worked on the Trump probe. I think that the lack of a response from Hegseth says a lot.