“We are dividing into hostile tribes cheering against each other, fueled by emotion and a mutual disdain that jeopardizes our future, instead of rediscovering our common ground and finding solutions,” he said.
LA Times
"Former Defense Secretary James N. Mattis is warning of bitter political divisions that threaten American society, echoing themes he often cited before he resigned from the Trump administration in protest.
"The retired Marine general, who quit in December 2018 amid policy disagreements with President Trump, says he is concerned about the state of American politics and the administration’s treatment of allies.
"“We all know that we’re better than our current politics,” Mattis wrote in an essay adapted from his new book and published Wednesday by the Wall Street Journal. “Unlike in the past, where we were unified and drew in allies, currently our own commons seems to be breaking apart.”
"Mattis said the problem is made worse by this administration’s disregard for the enduring value of allies, which he alluded to in his resignation letter to Trump on Dec. 20.
" 'Nations with allies thrive,” he wrote in the Wall Street Journal, “and those without them wither. Alone, America cannot protect our people and our economy. At this time, we can see storm clouds gathering.”
"In an apparent reference to Trump, Mattis added: “A [polemist’s] role is not sufficient for a leader. A leader must display strategic acumen that incorporates respect for those nations that have stood with us when trouble loomed.”
"Mattis is breaking months of public silence as he promotes his new book, “Call Sign Chaos: Learning to Lead,” which is scheduled to be published Tuesday. Next week, he is to discuss the book in an appearance at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York.
"Without citing Trump by name, Mattis suggested the administration and its strongest critics are engaged in destructive politics. He said he worries more about internal divisions in American society than about external threats." . . .
Mattis resigned shortly after Trump announced he was pulling all U.S. troops from Syria. In Mattis’ view this amounted to betraying the Syrian Kurdish fighters who had partnered with American troops to combat the militant group Islamic State. Trump later backed away from his decision, allowing a portion of the U.S. force to remain in Syria in what the Pentagon sees as an effort to prevent a resurgence of Islamic State.
"California’s decades-long affair with liberal politics has brought disease—literally. Rats are overrunning parts of the state. It’s only amplified by the rising homelessness crisis. For a region of the country that is smug, wealthy, and condescending to no end about how great they are—they do have a lot of bums in the street, fecal matter in the street, and hypodermic needles in the street. San Francisco is covered in crap. And the solution is quite simple: clean up the damn cities. But that would mean be mean to homeless people or something. Well, they’re ground zero for the rat infestation, which has brought back diseases we haven’t seen on such a daily basis since medieval times. Typhus has broken out. Police stations in Los Angeles were forced to pay fines that soared into the thousands of dollars due to the unsanitary conditions. City hall is running wild with rats. And now the state EPA office in Sacramento was forced to close its outdoor playground due to their rat problem; they were worried about kids getting sick. And what is the state proposing now? Oh, they want to ban rat poison (via WSJ):" . . .
