Are military parades unusual for the US to hold?
Which countries typically hold military parades and are they unusual for the U.S. to hold?
President Trump wants a parade celebrating our military and troops. It’s a great idea, and is a perfect event symbolizing the fact that America is getting back on her feet after eight years of a commander-in-chief who reveled in complaining about America and decimating our military.
The hysteria the proposed parade has provoked among Democrats and leftists provides even more proof that it’s the right thing to do.
Who could argue against a parade that highlights the Americans who defend our freedom and make everything else possible? A military parade would be fun, would honor our vets and would remind the world that America is a superpower and proud of it.
For eight years, President Obama’s administration worked hard to tell the world that America was done. He slashed the military’s budget and withdrew us from the world. Horrifically, on foreign soil he apologized for and chastised his own country.
Maybe President Trump isn’t a puppet, or a tyrant, or Napoleon, or a fascist. Maybe he’s a wildly successful businessman who loves and understands the country and the American people. Along with that love, he shares American appreciation for, and pride in, our military.
President Obama gave the impression, through word and deed, that he thought the U.S. was the problem in the world.
The result was abject chaos, terrorist groups spreading around the world like cancer, economic stagnation, North Korea getting atomic weapons, and a worldwide refugee crisis the extent of which had not been seen since World War II.
Critics of President Trump’s parade idea complain that only tyrants and strongmen want military parades. But President Trump’s inspiration was the Bastille Day celebration and military parade he viewed in France – a Western nation with a democratically elected government that no one could accuse of being an oppressive military dictatorship.
Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., warned in a statement: “A military parade like this – one that is unduly focused on a single person – is what authoritarian regimes do, not democracies.”
Newsflash for Rep. Smith: a military parade celebrating our military is about … our military and the brave men and women who proudly and patriotically defend our country, as their predecessors have done for nearly 250 years.
To say this parade is about President Trump is absurd.
"Donald Trump has continually shown himself to have authoritarian tendencies, and this is just another worrisome example of that," retired Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton, of the group Vote Vets, said in a statement, as reported by the New York Daily News.
What the story doesn’t say is that Vote Vets is admittedly ‘progressive’ and that Eaton is, essentially, a leftist activist.
Rep Jackie Speier, D-Calif., laughably called President Trump “a Napoleon in the making” on CNN. I wish Democrats would make up their minds about the president. Is he a dumb puppet who was installed in the White House by the Russians, or a modern-day Napoleon?
Maybe President Trump isn’t a puppet, or a tyrant, or Napoleon, or a fascist. Maybe he’s a wildly successful businessman who loves and understands the country and the American people. Along with that love, he shares American appreciation for, and pride in, our military.
“Tanks, jets and other killing machines painted olive-drab and tan could be rolling the routes of the nation’s capital later this year for a peacetime parade inspired by President Trump,” barks the first sentence in the New York Times’ coverage of the story.
And that’s the difference, isn’t it? Leftists and their legacy media see the military as a menacing “killing machine” to be isolated and shamed.
The legacy media might be interested in knowing that most Americans view the tanks, jets, and other equipment their loved ones use in service of this nation as part of an entity that helps us keep our country, families, and future, safe and free and worth living in.
You can hear the naysayers’ contempt hiding under a cover of faux respect in the arguments against a parade, but most share one thing: a revulsion at the idea of military hardware being seen and celebrated. For other whiners, it’s being against anything they think will make President Trump even more popular.
Ultimately, the attitude that having a parade is dangerous or bad sends a specific message: that Americans can’t be trusted, that we should be ashamed of ourselves and embarrassed by our strength.
And there is another important reason to have a parade: to signal to the world that America is indeed back, our hands are untied, and we are again standing up.
After eight years of the military being hamstrung and saddled with a commander-in-chief who preferred apology tours to making America great again, it’s time we embrace our strength, and enjoy a celebration of our military and all those great Americans who serve.
Best of Opinion
Get the recap of top opinion commentary and original content throughout the week.
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can opt-out at any time.