PETE HEGSETH
Just about everything you see about Donald T****’s Defense Secretary-nominee Pete Hegseth has to do with the fact that he paid off a woman (women?) for her silence after having sex with her. It’s easy to understand why Republicans aren’t concerned about this. Hell, their Lord and Master got busted for it and it didn’t matter a whit.
However, I am a lot more concerned with who he is that what he’s done, especially since a whole lot of other guys up there have probably done the same, or worse. So just who is Pete Hegseth? The answer is in his body art. Etched into his skin, Hegseth has self-defining tattoos associated with Christian nationalism, white supremacy and neo-Nazis
First. there is the Jerusalem Cross, a large cross with four smaller crosses in its quadrants, predominantly displayed across his entire right chest; The symbol dates back to the 13th century and was used by the Crusaders as the emblem for the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Hegseth’s claims it’s just a religious symbol and he likes it. But critics note its obvious political implications in far-right circles, and Hegseth’s refusal to acknowledge this is disingenuously pathetic.
Second, “Deus Vult.” On his bicep, this Latin phrase means “God wills it,” and was the rallying cry for the First Crusade. Deus Vult was the battle-cry of the Crusaders as they went onto battle to massacre Muslims. The phrase has been adopted by the far-Right and white supremacist groups to justify their beliefs and causes. Hegseth most certainly knows it, and the fact that he wears it on his body advertises his belief in what it stands for.
Third, “Cross and Sword”. This phrase refers to Matthew 10.34 in the Bible, a verse where Christ brings a sword rather than peace. Hegseth has also added “Yeshua” to this. Yeshua was Jesus’ given, Hebrew name. It means Joshua. (Interesting to note here that there was no-one called “Jesus” running around ancient Palestine some 2000 years ago. The word Jesus is a Latin word.)
The white supremacist’s connection to the Crusades is based on a fundamental misunderstanding and deliberate misrepresentation of history, and is used to promote a false narrative of white Christian superiority. They portray the Crusades as a struggle between a “pure” white, Christian Europe and a threatening non-white Islamic world. This narrative ignores the historical reality of a diverse medieval Europe and the complex nature of the Crusades, which cannot be reduced to a simple conflict between religions or cultures.
This distorted view of history is used to justify and inspire contemporary acts of bigotry and violence. Christian nationalists and white supremacists use this conspiratorial fabrication as a rallying cry against perceived threats to Western civilization, including Muslims, immigrants, and other groups deemed “anti-Christian”.
Interesting to note, Hegseth was one of twelve National Guard members who were removed as guards for President Biden’s 2021 inauguration over his extremist ties.
So while everyone seems focused Hegseth’s sexual picadillos, the truth is that T****’s nominee for Secretary of Defense is a far-Right Christian Nationalist, white Supremacist neo-Nazi. And we know this because he wears the proof proudly etched into his body. T**** knows it, too, and is clearly OK with it,. And so will all the cult-following MAGA Republican Senators who will conform him as the new Secretary of Defense.
In truth, Hegseth can deny any knowledge of any of this if he so choses. But since the connections are clearly established in the ultra-Right, Christian nationalist and white supremacist culture, and since he wears his tattoos proudly, he would, of course, be lying through his teeth.
#Progressive-commentary
#OnePathForward
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