Today’s blacklisted American: Space Force officer fired for criticizing Marxism and condemning bigotry
Show trials: What America’s Space Force apparently wants.
Blacklists are back and the military’s got ’em: Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier, a fourteen year veteran of the Air Force who became one of the first officers in the Space Force, has been fired by his superiors because he wrote a book criticizing Marxism and compounded that sin by repeating the criticisms, along with criticisms of the undeniable bigotry of critical race theory, on a public podcast.
From a military pr officer:
“This decision was based on public comments made by Lt. Col. Lohmeier in a recent podcast,” a Space Force spokesperson said in an email. “Lt. Gen. Whiting has initiated a Command Directed Investigation on whether these comments constituted prohibited partisan political activity.”
Lohmeier’s temporary assignment in the wake of his removal was not immediately clear. [emphasis mine]
In addition, Amazon has decided to shadow ban Lohmeier’s book, Irresistible Revolution.
Irresistible Revolution has debuted in a strong position and as of this writing, it is #2 and #3 in military policy on Amazon, despite the fact that within hours of Lohmeier being relieved of his command, the book was no longer searchable on the publishing giant’s website. Only a direct link to the book’s page works at this time. It is available at Barnes & Nobles and other online booksellers such as Hudson and AbeBooks.
Lohmeier notes that he wrote the book entirely on his own time. He also informed the military of its existence and offered to have them review it before publication. The Pentagon said such a review was not required.
So what exactly did Lohmeier say that made his superior, Lt. Gen. Steven Whiting, believe he was participating in “partisan political activity”? From the Military.com come article:
Lohmeier sat down last week with L. Todd Wood of the podcast “Information Operation,” hosted by Creative Destruction, or CD, Media, to promote the book. He spoke about U.S. institutions, including universities, media and federal agencies including the military, that he said are increasingly adopting leftist practices. These practices — such as diversity and inclusion training — are the systemic cause for the divisive climate across America today, he said.
From his perspective as a commander, Lohmeier said he didn’t seek to criticize any particular senior leader or publicly identify troops within the book. Rather, he said, he focused on the policies service members now have to adhere to to align with certain agendas “that are now affecting our culture.”
Regarding Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, he said, “I don’t demonize the man, but I want to make it clear to both him and every service member this [diversity and inclusion] agenda, it will divide us, it will not unify us.”
While it could be argued that Lohmeier was breaking military rules by criticizing policies of his top supervisor, the secretary of defense, military rules have always allowed its members great latitude to express their opinions, under the premise that the Bill of Rights and its first amendment is the supreme law of the land and the military is required to honor it. Lohmeier here appears to have been very careful to criticize the political policies of the defense secretary rather than the secretary himself.
What has always happened when a nation’s military
adopted Marxism and bigotry as its policy.
Moreover, has our military now adopted as its policies Marxism and racial bigotry? Is it now considered “partisan political activity” for an American military officer to condemn such things in public? Are these now the political policies of the Biden administration and the Democrats? Lohmeier’s firing because he expressed opposition to such policies surely suggests that these policies are exactly what our military now promotes.
It also proves the very point Lohmeier was trying to make in his book. Our military is being taken over by Marxists and race hustlers, who will tolerate no dissent. And woe to us all if this is what the military is becoming, because it means that we now have a military that is increasingly likely to not only ignore the first amendment, but the entire Constitution. Instead, it will be there to serve the violent and bigoted political agenda of those in charge, and do whatever they order.
Readers!
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. Your support allows me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Only now does it appear that Washington might finally recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
Show trials: What America’s Space Force apparently wants.
Blacklists are back and the military’s got ’em: Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier, a fourteen year veteran of the Air Force who became one of the first officers in the Space Force, has been fired by his superiors because he wrote a book criticizing Marxism and compounded that sin by repeating the criticisms, along with criticisms of the undeniable bigotry of critical race theory, on a public podcast.
From a military pr officer:
“This decision was based on public comments made by Lt. Col. Lohmeier in a recent podcast,” a Space Force spokesperson said in an email. “Lt. Gen. Whiting has initiated a Command Directed Investigation on whether these comments constituted prohibited partisan political activity.”
Lohmeier’s temporary assignment in the wake of his removal was not immediately clear. [emphasis mine]
In addition, Amazon has decided to shadow ban Lohmeier’s book, Irresistible Revolution.
Irresistible Revolution has debuted in a strong position and as of this writing, it is #2 and #3 in military policy on Amazon, despite the fact that within hours of Lohmeier being relieved of his command, the book was no longer searchable on the publishing giant’s website. Only a direct link to the book’s page works at this time. It is available at Barnes & Nobles and other online booksellers such as Hudson and AbeBooks.
Lohmeier notes that he wrote the book entirely on his own time. He also informed the military of its existence and offered to have them review it before publication. The Pentagon said such a review was not required.
So what exactly did Lohmeier say that made his superior, Lt. Gen. Steven Whiting, believe he was participating in “partisan political activity”? From the Military.com come article:
Lohmeier sat down last week with L. Todd Wood of the podcast “Information Operation,” hosted by Creative Destruction, or CD, Media, to promote the book. He spoke about U.S. institutions, including universities, media and federal agencies including the military, that he said are increasingly adopting leftist practices. These practices — such as diversity and inclusion training — are the systemic cause for the divisive climate across America today, he said.
From his perspective as a commander, Lohmeier said he didn’t seek to criticize any particular senior leader or publicly identify troops within the book. Rather, he said, he focused on the policies service members now have to adhere to to align with certain agendas “that are now affecting our culture.”
Regarding Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, he said, “I don’t demonize the man, but I want to make it clear to both him and every service member this [diversity and inclusion] agenda, it will divide us, it will not unify us.”
While it could be argued that Lohmeier was breaking military rules by criticizing policies of his top supervisor, the secretary of defense, military rules have always allowed its members great latitude to express their opinions, under the premise that the Bill of Rights and its first amendment is the supreme law of the land and the military is required to honor it. Lohmeier here appears to have been very careful to criticize the political policies of the defense secretary rather than the secretary himself.
What has always happened when a nation’s military
adopted Marxism and bigotry as its policy.
Moreover, has our military now adopted as its policies Marxism and racial bigotry? Is it now considered “partisan political activity” for an American military officer to condemn such things in public? Are these now the political policies of the Biden administration and the Democrats? Lohmeier’s firing because he expressed opposition to such policies surely suggests that these policies are exactly what our military now promotes.
It also proves the very point Lohmeier was trying to make in his book. Our military is being taken over by Marxists and race hustlers, who will tolerate no dissent. And woe to us all if this is what the military is becoming, because it means that we now have a military that is increasingly likely to not only ignore the first amendment, but the entire Constitution. Instead, it will be there to serve the violent and bigoted political agenda of those in charge, and do whatever they order.
Readers!
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. Your support allows me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Only now does it appear that Washington might finally recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
#19 WHAT MEN CAN NOT DO? AND SAY?
Twitter suspends Spanish politician’s account for saying: “A man cannot get pregnant”
Deputy of Spain’s Vox Party Francisco José Contreras was locked out of his Twitter account for 12 hours. Twitter informed him he had violated its policies on “hate speech”.
This is all a part of the same “Progressive”, alternate / preferred reality, anti Judeo / Christian oppressive paradigm agenda package.
And if you dare disagree with Twitter, one of the Social Media arbiters of what you are allowed to see, hear and say on its platform? Then what? Banishment?
What do you think about these kinds of issues?
Is what the Spanish politician said “hate speech”? Or is what the Spanish politician said a statement of fact? What is now a fact in Twitters opinion?
Are you as an American comfortable with a private company having such a say over what is essentially your Free Speech on their private platform and what your ability to know and communicate can be?
Are Twitter and the other Silicon Valley tech giants Social Media platforms still really private entities even though they have become ubiquitous in the world much like a utility company delivering your electricity?
What do you think the end game is here? JGL 5/17/21
“What has always happened when a nation’s military
adopted Marxism and bigotry as its policy.”
These are SS troops rounding up Jews in Warsaw.
http://100photos.time.com/photos/jewish-boy-surrenders-warsaw
I think they would have been astonished to learn they were Marxists. The Nazis thought they were anti-Marxists.(If you had called Hitler a “Marxist” to his face he would have thrown a fit (might have been worthwhile)). What they were, was like the Communists, different types of fascists (as Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn claimed in the The Gulag Archipelago) and totalitarians.
That doesn’t ignore your point about a politicized military and that the SS was a bunch of bigots – that was central to its self-identification and creed, they were hyper-bigots.
BTW, the SS-mann with the machine pistol to the upper right of the photo was identified and prosecuted after the war.
“While it could be argued that Lohmeier was breaking military rules by criticizing policies of his top supervisor, the secretary of defense, military rules have always allowed its members great latitude to express their opinions, under the premise that the Bill of Rights and its first amendment is the supreme law of the land and the military is required to honor it.”
Bob, tell that to the ghost of Billy Mitchell
“How Ordinary Men Became Nazi Killers”
Prof. Jordan Peterson 2017
[excerpted from: “2017 Maps of Meaning 4: Marionettes and Individuals (Part 3)”]
https://youtu.be/JM2o9e-pwoE
2:49
Looks like we’ve found President Trump’s Secretary of Defense in Trump’s 2024 term.
He needs to head up the USAF to get CRT true belivers out of the cockpits where they can do no damage-that or make sure a patriot throws a grenade in the ammo dump come the next war between the states. De-fang the snake.
And here I thought the Left supported Speaking Truth To Power,
@Wayne Re: “How Ordinary Men Became Nazi Killers”
During my last academic tour, I took a course on how good people become bad actors. Generally, it appears that people become ‘mission-oriented’, ‘Target-fixation’ is, I believe, another manifestation of the same thing. Focused on a goal, and oblivious to consequences. Would appreciate your professional observation.
Blair-
Fortunately, I have only encountered a very small set of the truly-evil among us. (It gets into circular-reasoning & explanatory-fictions, at some point.) “Sociopaths,” by definition, are the quintessential evil-(expletive). Finding and ID-ing them before they get into positions of power is very problematic.
– If I can find some specific Jordan Peterson stuff for you, I’ll post the link(s). He spent like’ 20 years specifically studying the question of Evil as it relates to totalitarian regimes, Germany and Soviet Russia in particular.
That (‘mission oriented,’ ‘group-cohesion,’ etc.) certainly explains some dimension of it.
Let me ponder further (I’ve been up working all night) and I’ll be in a better position to clearly articulate some factoids.
Jordan Peterson / John Anderson (2018) –
“History Describes You”
https://youtu.be/Vknhe2CbvmI
11:25
bkivey – fixation on a cause (such as environmental purity) is one way the good become bad.
The other way is via Pournelle’s Iron Law of Bureaucracy:
https://www.jerrypournelle.com/reports/jerryp/iron.html
Latest example: the Congress on 06 Jan 2021, when even nominal “conservatives” put the “integrity of the institution” over respect for the right of their fellow citizens to a trustworthy election.
‘Target-fixation’
I saw a USAF aircraft fly into the target during a fire power demonstration at Eglin AFB’s Hurlburt Field
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurlburt_Field
when I was attending Air Ground Operations School
https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/call/call_95-1_agos.htm
“Target fixation is an attentional phenomenon observed in humans in which an individual becomes so focused on an observed object (be it a target or hazard) that they inadvertently increase their risk of colliding with the object. It is associated with scenarios in which the operator is in control of a high-speed vehicle or other mode of transportation, such as fighter pilots, race-car drivers, paragliders, and motorcyclists. In such cases, the observer may fixate so intently on the target that they steer in the direction of their gaze, which is often the ultimate cause of a collision. The term target fixation was originally used in World War II fighter-bomber pilot training to describe pilots flying into targets during a strafing or bombing run.”
I urge people to buy LtCol Lohmeier’s self published book. I bought a paperback copy at Barnes & Noble to lend out and an electronic copy at Smashwords ($9.99). Might note that self publishing authors get a slightly better rate at Smashwords than on Amazon. I see that Amazon has now released a Kindle version for $9.99 because (I suspect) they smell money.
I’m not completely through it yet, but the first 3 chapters out of total of 7 in a 420+ page book have a very academic tone discussing first the American Revolution and then the birth of Marxism and it’s evolution in Europe through pre-cursors in late 1700’s and through mid 1800’s until Marx & Engle took over. At least to my old retired Navy 20+ year career eyes, the discussion about the American Revolution seems unremarkable and it is difficult to see why someone would object to an active duty officer singing the patriotic praises of their country. Even the discussion of pre-cursor and actual Marxism seems fairly dryly academic.
One thing I noted is that he never denigrates the chain of command, only asking if the training and orientation will help the USAF and US Space Force meet their mission goals. As a reader of Navy Proceedings, which has a policy of allowing criticism of policy, not leaders, it seems to fit the bill. I’m not sure what the traditions of the USAF and USSF are in that regard.
In Chapter 2 he discusses his 2020 attendance at a Space Force “virtual wingman day” and watching 2 videos, the first (He says) stating that the US Constitution codified a racist social order and that white supremacy was the official policy of the US. The second video portrayed Republicans as racist, claiming that the election of George Bush (which one?) was facilitated by causing white Americans to fear black Americans. President Trump (then the sitting President) was denigrated as a black oppressor.
If true, this astounds me and I would urge people to read the book and then contact their Senators and Representatives to get to the bottom of it. 20 years in the Navy and no training ever disparaged the sitting CinC.
All that said, I am sure that young LtCol L (2006 USAF Academy graduate) will never get to his 20th anniversary in the Space Force even if he is willing to spend 5 years passing out basketballs at the Space Force galactic gym. I just hope he is prepared for that.
Buy the book, read it you decide.