Dwight David Eisenhower was a supremely exceptional American.
After serving as Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe in World War II, the Draft Eisenhower movement resulted in Ike serving two terms as a Republican President (1954-1960).
On his way out the door in 1961, Eisenhower gave his famous Military-Industrial-Complex speech. In which (in part) he warned:
“We have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions….
“In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence …by the Military-Industrial-Complex….
“Our military organization today bears little relation to that known of any of my predecessors in peacetime….
“We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes….
“The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists. And will persist.
“Only an alert and knowledgable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals. So that security and liberty may prosper together.”
This is Eisenhower – predicting the Deep State Swamp. Which is some serious Nostradamus-esque shot calling.
Unfortunately, government schools led We the People to drop the ball. Rather than heed Eisenhower’s warning, we have instead spent the last half-century-plus in utter, Complex-expanding complacency.
As a result, “the disastrous rise of misplaced power” has continued to “persist.” Times a billion.
All the way up to now – during the presidency of Donald Trump. A man who ran in part on ending the endless wars for which the M-I-C is famous – and of which it is so fond.
The Left has spent decades targeting for takedown the Defense Department (DoD). And that long march has borne much fruit.
Liberal Generals Beclowning the Military
When Leftist military leaders aren’t bad-mouthing Trump – they’re advancing terrible M-I-C policies against Trump’s expressed wishes.
This is prototypical Deep State Swamp stuff – of which Eisenhower long ago warned. Please do not allow our affinity for the military rank-and-file to cloud our vision here.
What these rogue officials are doing – is no different than the rogue officials of any other government department, agency, commission or board undermining the will of We the People expressed in our election of presidents.
To wit: There have for many, many months now been rumblings beneath the surface of the fetid, festering Swamp – of yet another really terrible idea:
“The Pentagon’s recent Request for Information resurfaces a costly and unfeasible idea that the Trump administration has considered in the past: a government-built and operated 5G network.
“Calls for a nationalized 5G network are motivated both by a national security and an economic component.
“Besides the obvious and concerning fact that it would require billions of new tax dollars to deploy, there are some serious security implications that deserve further consideration.”
The Deep State Swamp has kept this terrible idea alive. Via people Trump should have long ago fired.
Trump Team Mulls Nationalized 5G Network to Counter China:
“National security officials working for President Donald Trump are considering building a superfast 5G network….”
Pentagon Awards $600 Million to Spearhead 5G Experiments Across Five Military Bases
They even snuck it into Trump’s reelect platform.
Trump Campaign Proposes ‘National’ 5G
These Deep State clowns – are actually working against the actual “Trump Team.”
Donald Trump Team Idea to Nationalize 5G Network to Counter China is Rejected
“White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said….”
Trump Says He Opposes Nationalizing U.S. 5G Network
Trump Puts Kibosh on Nationalized 5G Network
National 5G Network: FCC Chairman Ajit Pai Opposes
Kudlow Says Trump Administration Opposes Government Intervention in 5G
About two years ago, I personally saw National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow give a speech in which he said a government 5G attempt is stupid.
But this Walking Dead dumbness won’t die. How dumb is it? The opposition is…<GASP>…bipartisan.
GOP to Trump: Please Don’t Nationalize 5G
Democrats Launch Inquiry into Pentagon’s Moves on a National 5G Network
Why a Nationalized 5G Network Is a Bad Idea:
“It would harm America in the long run, not help Washington compete with Beijing….
“The Department of Defense appears to be making an unpopular move to develop a national 5G network, an idea that seemed dead on arrival following near-universal opposition in 2019. Among those opponents is President Donald Trump….”
But the Deep State Swamp awfulness shambles on.
Here’s the thing: We don’t need the government.
The US private sector has already spent many years and tens of billions of dollars developing the US private sector 5G network. And we’re just about universally there.
The government is S…L…O…W…. And inept. It is patently absurd to pretend government is capable of playing catch-up to the private sector’s many years and tens of billions of dollars’ head-start. Especially on something as technologically sophisticated as 5G.
“The U.S. is maintaining its leadership in 5G, and the nation’s carriers are already far into their respective deployments of secure 5G networks.
“The DOD’s recent request for information for a single, nationwide wholesale network will not lead to a tangible solution to the race to 5G, rather it will lead to a solution in search of a problem.
“Driving a DOD-centric, or a DOD proxy-centric, solution is a fool’s errand. It is founded on a belief that the federal government can move faster and more effectively than the private sector. This has not been true for decades.
“This assumption ignores the great strides that have been made by the existing American players on the 5G field already. These private sector companies are the repositories of the expertise and experience in the telecom field, not the government.
“Thinking that the government or a jerry-rigged organization with political connections will somehow pull together the expertise out of thin air is nonsense.”
Indeed it is nonsense. All of this is.
But the Deep State Swamp remains steadfastly impervious to facts.
The Deep State Swamp is a huge, multi-tentacled organism. And just like any other organism, its top two priorities are survival – and expansion.
No matter how stupid its survival and expansion are.
And the Swamp’s prospective national 5G network is really, REALLY stupid.
Eisenhower was exactly right. I still like Ike.
This first appeared in Red State.