J.M. Phelps’ main function as a WorldNetDaily contributor is to push right-wing military narratives and to fret that the military is becoming too “woke” (whatever that means). He complained in a May 21 article:
It was just one more sign that Marxist “woke” ideology has infiltrated the U.S. military and its service academies.
Last month, a sign directing United States Air Force Academy cadets to a “Gender Neutral Restroom” could be found in the hall of one of the nation’s most esteemed military service academies. Prior to this story’s publication on WND, the sign, provided to WND by a cadet, was removed.
Of course, the sign points to a much larger, systemic problem that continues to plague the nation’s military: The Marxist policies of the far Left. WND spoke with Air Force Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Rod Bishop, chairman of Stand Together Against Racism and Radicalism in the Services, Inc., or STARRS – an organization standing against “woke” ideology in the U.S. military and its service academies.
In conversation with some of the U.S. Air Force Academy cadets, Bishop notes that on the one hand, many are “too scared to speak up,” but on the other, some cadets are growing increasingly determined to stop “the push of leftist ideologies.”
So while he praises the courage of cadets willing to confide in him and share their stories, Bishop told WND, “Our military needs a real cultural change.” For him, there is “no question that neo-Marxist ideology has captured the minds” of many of today’s military leaders.
Neither Phelps nor Bishop explained how, exactly, the mere existence of a gender-neutral restroom is inherently “Marxist” or “woke.” But their job is to push narratives, not support facts:
The retired Air Force general explained, “Washington D.C. civilian political ideologues have forced divisive Critical Race Theory and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion upon the military.” As a result, he told WND, “many uniformed leaders have themselves drank the Kool-Aid and honestly believe that supporting this ideology is the road to go down to build a more ‘inclusive’ force.”
“Instead of listening to the large majority of their own people who are saying the way in which DEI is implemented is divisive, discriminatory, demoralizing, demeaning and creates resentment,” Bishop explained, “leadership seems laser-focused on ensuring it is – as the superintendent of the United States Air Force Academy once stated – ‘pushed into every nook and cranny’ of the organization under their command.”
According to Bishop, leaders like USAFA Superintendent Lt. Gen. Richard Clark and other “military leaders seem to be blind to the Marxist roots of DEI,” adding that they “have failed to realize the intent of the ideology is to divide – and as an instrument of division, it is meeting with success.”
[…]Yet, he warned, “our military is under the thumb of the political ideologues who are wedded to the ideology.” And as a result, “Change has to come from the top,” alluding to “a new administration and some ‘house cleaning’ within DOD or from Congress, which has the authority granted to it from our Constitution to legislate the change so badly needed.”
Even if this were to occur, he said, “the indoctrination is embedded in DOD faculties, schools, training centers and more. So for the change to be complete, it will take years”
No evidence of this purported “indoctrination” is provided beyond boilerplate whining about DEI initiatives.
Phelps served up more evidence-free narrative-pushing in a June 2 article:
With ever-increasing reports that America’s military readiness is degrading at an alarming rate, thanks to leftist ideologues imposing wokeism, radical diversity and sensitivity training up and down the ranks, one decorated Navy veteran and congressional candidate is loudly sounding the alarm.
Jerrod Sessler, candidate for the Republican seat in central Washington’s 4th congressional district – endorsed by President Donald Trump, Gen. Michael Flynn, the House Freedom Caucus and other conservatives – spoke to WND candidly about his concerns.
Considering himself a constitutionalist, Sessler unapologetically affirms that “America is inspired by God, and when you look at our Constitution, it would not exist without our God-given natural rights.”
[…]The increasingly troubled state of America’s armed forces, Sessler said, is directly connected to “military leaders’ acceptance of woke ideology and ‘Diversity, Equity and Inclusion’ policy.” A recent example he cited was the LGBTQ+ community promoting “sensitivity training” within the Air Force. And recently, WND published photographic proof of “gender neutral restrooms” in U.S. military academies.
Again, Phelps offered no evidence that gender-neutral bathrooms are evidence of anything. Still, he allowed Sessler to rant on:
Sessler can’t understand why senior military leadership has ignored the decline in military strength and not taken a stand against woke ideology and DEI training. He suggested, “It has to do with mental toughness, as weak leaders are afraid to do what’s morally right if they have to risk their career.” While he respects military chain of command, he said that when it comes to following orders related to adopting woke ideology, “boldness will yield heightened security for the American people and it should be pursued, even if it means challenging the chain of command and risking your career.”
According to Sessler, the troubling current state of America – and America’s military – boils down to two things: “ignorance and apathy.” People need to be aware that this nation and its military are “weaker than ever,” he told WND. And it’s equally important for political and military leaders to show some heightened concern about the current state of affairs – even if they must risk their career to do the right thing.
Phelps closed with a little commercial: “Jerrod Sessler’s official congressional campaign website is JerrodForCongress.com.”
For a June 11 article, Phelps found another ex-military man to rant that the military doesn’t hate gay people like it used to:
Recently, in celebration of June being “Pride Month,” the Pentagon presented the 13th Annual LGBTQI+ Pride Ceremony. Hosted by the DOD Association of LGBTQI+ Service Members, Employees, and Allies, the “Pride event” featured several speakers, including Navy Rear Admiral Mike Brown, division director for Operations in the Information Environment.
Brown, described as “a long-time member of DOD pride,” began his talk (at 33:57), declaring “Happy Pride!” in an attempt to fire up the audience. In 2014, he talked publicly about his struggle “coming out” as a gay man who, at the time, had a wife and children. Since overcoming his “shame, guilt and self-loathing,” Brown now makes it a point to “make [himself] visible to sailors and civilians in the Navy.”
However, many service members are horrified by such spectacles, as well as by the movement behind them, holding that the imposition of so-called “diversity, equity and inclusion” and LGBT ideologies on the nation’s military promotes immorality, advances perverse priorities and seriously weakens and undermines America’s military readiness.
One of them is John Frankman, a former captain and U.S. Army Green Beret, who told WND the forces behind the LGBT and DEI ideology are “pushing a new set of moral standards and values on the military.” He fears that the acceptance and participation in Pride events by service members is “virtue signaling” and nothing more than “someone trying to get ahead in the military that’s moving in a very liberal direction.”
“It’s showing someone’s loyalty to the Democratic Party, attempting to control the direction that the federal government and other federal agencies are going,” said Frankman. “It’s a religion to these people, but what they need is a moral theology.”
[…]“For anyone to spend any time trying to prioritize the praising of a mental disorder is ludicrous,” Frankman told WND. In the end, he added, it does nothing more than take away from the force readiness of the nation’s military.
No evidence is provided to back up any of Frankman’s rants or why members of the military must be forced to be loyal to the Republican Party and not Democrats. Phelps then added another one of his favorite subjects, hating COVID vaccine mandates:
While Diversity, Equity and Inclusion ideology is “pushing the wrong priorities,” Frankman argues that an even greater impact to readiness was Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s now-rescinded 2021 military COVID-19 vaccine mandate. He points out that there were 8,600 service members separated from the military for refusing to take the injection. What’s more, tens of thousands of others elected to leave the service rather than be subjected to the unlawful mandate.
“Whether it be against DEI or the tyrannical enforcement of an unlawful vaccine,” Frankman told WND, “what we need most are moral people who make moral decisions to fight against these kinds of things.” For senior military leaders and others in government who disagree, he said, simply, “They need to be held accountable.”
For this reason, Frankman is one of the 231 signatories to the Declaration of Military Accountability that pledges to hold military leaders accountable for enforcing the once-mandated COVID-19 injection, which has caused – and continues to cause – harm to the nation’s service members. Service members and veterans like Frankman agree that Congress and the Department of Defense must acknowledge that the COVID-19 shot was both unlawful and harmful to thousands.
Neither Phelps nor Frankman explained why a organization that’s based around following orders should suddenly let people not follow them without consequences.