Saw this posted on Facebook yesterday.
Pete Hegseth confirmed and our new defense secretary 
JD broke the tied vote (51-50). Pete deserves this appointment and Iām confident he will do great things for our beloved military members and veterans. These men and women deserve someone that has their back first and foremost.
The U.S. and citizens will be safer because of this man. 2025 will be a great year at this pace.
Sad to see the vote so partisan but not surprised one bit.
Pretty much what I think many MAGAts are thinking and saying. Fed by Fox and the right-wing media, they actually believe this tripe. Most bitter for me, the cited words were written by a nephew.
Here we go, America. FAFO on a huge magnitude. SMFH.
Michael Seidel, writer 
Words fail me
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Hi Michael. I spent five hours making a long heartfelt comment about the service I and my gay friends, including boyfriends gave to the US. I detailed the awards I got and how my unit knew my boyfriend and I were gay and accepting us, even when our unit senior STGs walked in on us making love during an unannounced room inspection. They left, and then once on the other side of the door made a lot of noise and jingling of keys to then walk in, to find me and my boyfriend totally flushed but our pants on. Sgt Emory said “Looks great guys, go back to what you were doing” and they left.
On my way out due to being told by the new ground pounder former infantry officer that I would leave and not reenlist or he would insure I was discharged for being gay, I got the site back on the bird. The satellite site went down due to a power hit and was on the UPS system. Everyone had forgotten the crypto was set not to come back on when the site came back up, it had to be manually reset. I raced from the admin room and did this in civvies before heading to my plane. Long story short after my Warrant tried hard to get me to reenlist I asked if he or any of them could protect me from the new Christian nationalist Major who had blocked my transfer to be with my boyfriend of years and promised if I tried to stay in that he would make sure I suffered for it with him forcing my discharge for being gay.
They admitted they couldn’t … maybe if they did this or sent me there … But I knew the answer. People with the mind set he had wouldn’t let me and my boyfriend stay, nor my gay top sergeant, nor the many other gay people I knew who served. I wrote about when my former E-7 boyfriend came to Berlin and went with me on a trip to take a group of VIPs to East Berlin. I was to be on leave but my command said if I would drive they would pay for both of our meals. It was grand. But on the way back to the West we were the last of three vans and were fired on, our headlights shot out and windows breaking. I was still an E-4 and looked to my former boyfriend and asked what do I do. He calmly said get as close to the other vans as possible and stay with them, he then turned and told our passengers all VIP people to hunker down in their seats as it was going to be a rough ride. We slid in to check point Charley sideways scraping the sides of the van on the S barriers. I noticed the guns and lights all trained behind us and some on us.
I went on my four day pass. When I got back I was told to report to a room, and I did. I expected to be told I had to pay for the van. Instead I was asked to give an oral report of the event, then I was told it did not happen and I shouldn’t talk about it … ever. (But I figure that since that was in the 1980s and the country we are talking about doesn’t exist it is ok to share now.) Not even with my E-7 former boyfriend. Wow, they knew we had once been lovers. WTF. He went on to have a grand career, leaving the service as a well respected E-8.
But Pete Hegseth feels none of us are fit to serve as we were gay. He could be a drunken white supremacist racist misogynist wife abuser alleged female sexual assaulter, but he was a white Christian male. Not one of those gay or trans queers that worked hard to save lives and do our jobs should be able to stay in.
Sorry Michael, this is the condensed version and even then I get upset when writing it. Thanks for letting me have my say. Hugs
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How you were treated sucks to the extreme, Scottie. Hegseth just represents GOTP thinking. Anyone not like them, a CIS white male or female, is suspect and not worthy of trust or respect. Hell, they just re-affirmed that in their ‘resign’ email to Federal employees. Decades of conscientious duty dismissed. As one recipient of the email wrote, “They just treat us like dirt.”
And there it is.
Your tale is as bad, being dismissed as worthy when you obviously are, due to some shallow assholes’ limited thinking and deep bigotry.
It is not you; it’s them. We’ll keep working on it to make it so that all may live and serve and receive the respect and appreciation for who they are. As far as long comments, no apologies are needed. We write to learn what we think. Your comments help me maintain balance and perspective.
Hugs, M
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