More Mocking of the Washington Post

Its often difficult to choose the most mockable column in the Washington Post, and today was no exception. But since I only have patience to do one of these every day or so, I chose todays missive highlighting “extreme” right politicians (e.g., not Democrats) in America and world wide are using comparisons to ancient Sparta in their communications. And Sparta was bad bad. So the extreme right is even worse than you thought.

The author, Ishaan Tharoor, spends many words describing ancient Sparta, primarily in a negative light. Can’t really disagree with him there; it was a very weird place by my reading. Having established that Sparta was awful, he then tries much logical gymnastics to tie various political actors to it. People such as Netanyahu, an obscure Greek political party, and of course, the Trump administration. Since a few yahoos who support Trump used Spartan imagery or in a stray paragraph of prose published, he implies that they in fact believe in creating a Spartan oligarchy, or something.

As an example of this obfuscatory logic is our Secretary of War Pete Hegseth insisting that our military leaders lead by example in personal fitness; i.e. not be flabby tubs of lard. And a focus on our soldiers and sailors and pilots being battle ready warriors. Rather than, possibly, giving transvestite shows in military schools.

HEre is the author quoting an historian of doubtful authority sliming Hegseth and saying that he wants the US military prone to atrocity. And implying that Trump might (gasp!) direct the activities of the US military. Imagine, the person specifically known as the Commander and Chief should be so empowered. Rather than the shield of a free country, whatever this implies. Yes, Trump is clearly doing that. I guess. Thousands of atrocities committed by the US military so far.

“Hegseth’s approach, warned Bret Devereaux, a historian of ancient armies, jeopardizes a more democratic civil-military tradition. “Hegseth’s ideal army is one quite a bit more like those of Russia or Belarus: focused on the pageantry of physical fitness, prone to atrocity, and ultimately the tool of one man’s power rather than the shield of a free country,” Devereaux writes.”

The pageantry of physical fitness? I never heard of serious military leaders advocating a flabby and out of shape fighting force. Ever heard the phrase, “fighting trim”? Imaging the spectacle of our troops waddling into the trenchs or fighting house to house with their bellies proceeding them as they enter rooms? Physical fitness is a REQUIREMENT to win the battle. Didn’t this guy see the ripped Spartan 300 in the movie? No fatties in that historically accurate flick; (I know, it was fiction).

So there you are, a few scattered references to Sparta (btw known for their fierce militaristic and disciplined governance and resistance to Persian rule) by a few people means that right wing politicians world wide intend on siccing the military in their citizenry and committing atrocities. And hence, the right wing is really, really evil.

I wonder if the students at Michigan State, and innumerable high schools, would agree that having adopted Spartans as their school mascots, are actually advocating military oligarchic rule and the commitment of atrocities? Shouldn’t they be forced to rename their teams after something less fascistic such as, I don’t know, fuzzy lambs or the butterflies or something?

So the ComPost dedicated half a page to this illogical, poorly written, and unfair column. Just another day in “journalism” for the TDS obsessed paper. Its rot and mean, and unfair.

Highly misleading and dubious conclusions should be masthead of the Post.