Dark Times

Can I stay home this Friday? Sure, it’s the least I can do. I’ll go one better and stay off social media as well. If you haven’t heard, here’s what’s going on:

A UK-based defense industry/military aviation blogger I’ve collaborated with in the past, Joe Coles, asked me a question a few hours before Trump fired the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, USAF General C.Q. Brown:

Hi Paul, how’s life? With the US being in such a bad way, I’m interested in the subject of the responsibility of service people to push back against orders, and generally what serving aircrew can and should do in response to a bad regime. Would it interest you to share some musings on this topic?

My initial response was a short one.

Joe, I’ll have to think hard about this one. In my day, 30+ years ago, I’d have said to look to USAF leadership and follow their example, but these days? It’s hard to quantify, but my impression is that leadership, and the officer corps in general, is more right-wing now. Also, I hesitate to put myself into another’s shoes, let’s say some middle-ranking squadron pilot, married with a mortgage & car payments, kids who before you know it will be headed off to college, totally dependent on that monthly paycheck … one would have to be a principled person indeed to stand up to bad orders from bad leadership.

My thoughts turn to possible worst-case scenarios. Would A-10 units be ordered to strafe migrants crossing the southern border? Would fighter, bomber, and tanker squadrons be forward-based in in Poland to support Russia in a final push against Ukraine? Might we be ordered to participate in Israeli strikes into Lebanon and possibly Iran? In extreme cases like these, standing up to one’s oath would be a clear choice and I like to think I’d be one of the ones who’d refuse to follow orders. But what if it’s something more subtle? Interdiction flights into Mexico to bomb drug-related infrastructure, with a likelihood of collateral civilian casualties? Or strikes against other neighbors, like Canada or Greenland? Honestly, who knows what Putin might order Agent Krasnov to do?

That was, as noted, before Putin’s puppet sacked the woke black chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, the primary military advisor to the commander in chief. I followed up my first response to Joe with this brief note, sent this morning:

I really don’t have much more to say. I can’t put myself in an active duty pilot’s shoes for the reasons stated in my initial response. With the sacking of General Brown and the planned appointment of a yes-man Trump loyalist replacement, Lt Gen Caine, the likelihood that military leadership will go along with whatever Trump tells them to do is, well, pretty much a sure thing. So it will be up to lower-ranking officers to resist or refuse, and I just don’t think that’ll happen in enough numbers to change the course of history. A few brave souls will resign their commissions and that’ll be it. Dark times.

Turning to the home front, I’m disappointed to be wearing a heart monitor again, even if only for five days. During yesterday’s routine cardiology checkup my heart rate was higher than it ought to have been, a possible sign the AFIB is coming back, so they taped a pair of sensors to my chest and gave me a recording device to lug around. They’ll read it when I turn it in next week and we’ll go from there. I don’t think the AFIB is coming back, not that it won’t eventually … I’m feeling fine.

Two guys showed up Friday and stacked our replacement shingles on the roof. The work crew, five or six guys, showed up this morning. The job’ll take two to three days and the really bad part is we’re going to have to keep the dogs locked up inside. Good thing we have a stockpile of puppy pads in the garage.

Remember, stay home Friday, and while you’re at it … stay fresh, cheese bags!