July 17, 2025 • 40 mins
Warning signals flash while America looks away. Lieutenant General Daniel Bolger—who previously admitted our defeats in Iraq and Afghanistan—now cautions that drone strikes across the Horn of Africa are quietly pulling us into another protracted conflict. Yet this crucial warning receives barely a whisper of attention as media cycles fixate on culture wars and celebrity feuds.
This pattern is deliberate. We escalate military involvement just enough to keep operations off evening broadcasts, creating conflicts by contract rather than declaration. When body bags eventually come home, civilians wonder how we got there. As a veteran myself, I've witnessed firsthand the devastating moral injuries inflicted when troops are deployed into ambiguous conflicts without clear purpose or ethical grounding—a key factor in the epidemic of veteran suicide that plagues our military community.
Meanwhile, the digital realm presents its own subtle dangers as Elon Musk's Grok 3.0 begins censoring content under the guise of "platform integrity." The same figure who championed free speech absolutism now programs algorithms that shape what information reaches your consciousness. This represents something far more insidious than simple content moderation—it's a battle for your imagination and capacity for independent thought.
The Texas voting restrictions targeting "Souls to the Polls" initiatives reveal how power structures feel threatened by faith communities that translate their convictions into civic engagement. When Black churches organize voting after Sunday services, they embody the perfect fusion of community, faith, and democratic participation—precisely what makes certain interests uncomfortable. Biblical faith has always challenged unjust systems, which explains why authentic religious expression that manifests in justice work inevitably faces resistance.
These seemingly disparate issues—military escalation, algorithmic censorship, and voter suppression—share a common thread: the quiet erosion of democratic agency and moral clarity. Yet despite these challenges, you're not powerless. True resistance comes through discernment rather than outrage, through principled action rather than reactive posting. The world needs more people grounded in truth and courageous enough to believe that integrity matters, even when it doesn't trend.
What warning signs are we missing while algorithms feed us outrage? Listen to this episode to understand the connections between endless war, technological control, and the suppression of faith-based civic action.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the Derrell McClain Show.
I'm your host, derrell McClain.
Independent media that won'treinforce tribalism.
You have one planet, nobody isleaving, so let's reason
together.
You happen to be joining metoday on episode 464.
Let's get into the show.
This week, lieutenant GeneralDaniel Bolger the same general
(00:21):
who admitted that we lost inIraq and Afghanistan dropped a
warning that should set offevery alarm in DC and instead
crickets.
Bolgers said that drone strikesin the Horn of Africa are
setting us up for another slowmotion war.
But folks are too busy arguingabout Barbie's wardrobe or where
the AI is frequently racist tonotice we're inching toward
(00:44):
another entanglement.
That's the pattern.
We escalate just enough to keepit off the evening news, and
then, when the body bags comehome, people ask when did this
start?
Let me break this down.
You don't need to be a generalto see the con.
We're using drones and specialops in Djibouti, somalia and
(01:04):
Kenya.
The mission, strategiccontainment Now that's Pentagon
speak for we really don't knowwhat winning looks like, but
what we do know is we need tokeep the military industrial
complex fed Now.
As a veteran, I respect thetroops, but I've also seen the
cost of mission without moralclarity.
(01:25):
We keep sending young men andwomen into morally ambiguous
zones.
And then we wonder why thesuicide rate in the VA is
through the roof.
It's just not PTSD from combat.
It's PTSD from embarrassment,confusion, regret.
It comes from being told tofight, to bleed and to die for
(01:53):
reasons that no one can clearlyexplain.
Bolger, for his credit, tried tosound the alarm.
He knows, like many of us know,that war is no longer declared
as contracted.
And yes, those contracts,they're lucrative.
So don't tell me that this isabout freedom and don't tell me
(02:15):
that this is going to be aboutsecurity.
If that were true, our veteranswouldn't be sleeping in parking
lots while Raytheon celebratesquarterly gains.
What's missing isaccountability.
We need civilian oversight thatisn't bought.
We need politicians who don'tprofit from war and we need
pastors and prophets who remindus that the Bible says blessed
(02:36):
are the peacemakers.
It doesn't say blessed are thewarmongers who slap a flag on a
drone and call it justice.
Let me pivot to the world oftech now.
This week, over at Elon Musk'sspace, he rolled out Grok 3.0.
And if you blinked you mighthave missed it.
(02:57):
But this thing isn't just achatbot anymore, it's a
worldview shaper.
The biggest story Grok startedcensoring Substack articles
under the guise of platformintegrity.
You're right, platformintegrity.
So, yes, the same Elon Musk whoshouted free speech absolutism
(03:19):
just told his algorithm to hidecertain viewpoints.
This is just not hypocrisy,this is control.
I want to say something realclear here, folks, and don't get
caught up in technologyoptimism.
The machine is only as ethicalas the people training it, and
(03:41):
right now Grok is being trainedby elites, not ethics.
It mimics moral language, butit doesn't understand it.
You give it enough data, andsure it can tell you what's
trending, but it can't tell youwhat's actually true.
You see, this isn't just abattle for content.
(04:03):
This isn't just a battle forcontent, it's a battle for your
imagination.
When AI shapes what you see,what you read, what you think,
this is acceptable.
It doesn't just me wrong.
(04:25):
I am, um, I'm actually notafraid of tech.
I'm scared of lazy humans.
I'm afraid of people who stopasking questions because the
algorithm already answered itfor them.
I'm afraid of people who'drather feel informed than to
actually be informed.
That's how empires actuallyfall through passive consent,
(04:50):
not active rebellion.
Noam Chomsky would probablycall it the manufacturing of
consent.
The Bible says be transformedby the renewing of your mind.
That means your mind has to beactive, it has to be vigilant,
it has to be engaged.
Grok is training people toscroll, not to seek, and I got
(05:12):
to tell you that is a dangerous,dangerous trade-off.
Now let's talk about this thingthat happened in Texas.
I'm going to title this Faithin the Ballot, because when they
can't silence you, theyschedule you, and yes, that's a
hint at the book that I wrotecalled Faith in the Ballot that
(05:32):
just came out this year.
So now let's talk about thevoter suppression ruling that
came down this week from theFifth Circuit.
Texas is officially limitingSunday voting, specifically
targeting souls in the polls.
Now, if you don't know, that'swhen black churches organize
after services and head to thevoting booth together.
It's community, it's peaceful,it's civic engagement wrapped in
(05:55):
faith.
So, of course, dot dot dot,they are trying to shut it down.
This isn't about electionsecurity.
This is actually about fear,not fear of fraud, fear of
faithful people.
The system actually doesn'tmind your religion as long as
(06:16):
it's privatized, but the momentyour convictions have
consequences in the publicsquare, now you have become a
threat and you know what's wild.
Of course, you have to knowwhat I'm going to say.
The very same folks who sayAmerica was founded on Christian
values are the ones who aregutting the most Christian
(06:37):
practice.
I can think of Neighborhood,loving, justice, seeking ballot
casting solidarity after worshipservice.
Now here's the deepertheological truth Biblical faith
always offends unjust power.
Read the prophets, read thegospels.
Rome didn't crucify Jesusbecause he taught people to be
(06:58):
nice.
They did it because hethreatened a false peace built
on oppression.
So when we vote out ourconvictions, we organize, not
out of rage but out ofrighteousness, when we are
acting in line with the kingdomof God.
Not partisan politics, butprophetic politics, that kind
that says let justice roll downlike waters and that we have to
(07:25):
do that.
And if that scares the state,maybe the state needs to repent.
I want to start to somewhatland the plane here and I'll say
it like this.
I'll say it like this this week, like every week, I felt like
(07:51):
the world was on fire and it wastempting.
A lot of things happened,personally, this week, so it was
tempting to get overwhelmed.
Between war drums, tech,censorship and voter suppression
, it's actually easy to believethat we're powerless, but that's
the lie.
You are not powerless, you arenot voiceless and your hope is
(08:12):
not in the headlines, it's inthe long arc of truth.
Remember Martin Luther King hasthat beautiful quote.
It may be long, but it sayssomething like the moral arc of
the universe bends towardsjustice.
So listen.
The media profits from ourpanic.
(08:33):
Social media feeds off ouroutrage.
Algorithms serve up what'sdivisive, not what's discerning.
So take your eyes off the screenlong enough to remember who you
are.
You are made in the image ofGod.
That means you got an inherentright to your dignity.
You got a mind that can reason.
(08:54):
You have a soul that candiscern and hands that can build
something better than the worldyou look at every day and the
world that we have inherited.
So no, don't numb out, don'tgive up, but also don't carry
the weight of the world like youalone are its savior.
(09:16):
You're not.
That job actually is alreadytaken.
Do what you can where you are,with what you have, and when you
get weary, rest, just rest.
Don't retreat, because theworld needs more people who are
grounded, not just reactive, whoare principled, not popular,
(09:40):
who are brave enough to believethat truth still matters, who
are brave enough to believe thattruth still matters even if it
doesn't trend.
If you stuck here with methrough all of this, thank you.
I want to start asking that youplease share the show with
(10:04):
someone who needs to be remindeddiscernment is resistance,
faith is powerful and clarity isa gift.
We're going to get into some ofthe I'll just say headlines for
the week from the Hill, fromthe New York Times, from the
Atlantic, from the WashingtonPost, and we're going to talk
(10:27):
about something that affected megreatly this week the death of
somebody that I have admired foryears and that will end it that
way.
There is something surrealabout this particular moment in
(10:55):
my life.
John MacArthur is gone, and ifI'm being real with you, I'm
actually still processing all ofthat.
See, for some people MacArthurwas a lightning rod, for others
he was a lighthouse, but for mehe was a voice, a voice that
showed up in the early morninghours when I was a new Christian
(11:17):
Trying to understand scriptureWithout a road map.
I had one of those Little clockradios Tuned in to Grace, to
you, and that man's voice, clear, measured, unapologetically,
(11:40):
anchored in the world, cutthrough all the chaos.
For me, he taught withprecision, not performance.
He wasn't trying to entertain,he was trying to exposit.
And for someone like me whocame to faith with more
questions than answers.
That mattered no-transcript Tolove the truth without needing
it to be trendy.
(12:00):
Now, don't get it twisted here.
Macarthur had his detractors.
No person is perfect.
He was flawed, stubborn andsometimes culturally tone deaf.
But I never questioned that manand I never questioned that he
(12:23):
loved scripture.
He didn't bend it, he let thescripture speak.
And in a generation obsessedwith personality, he kept
pointing people back to Christ,not himself.
I remember the way he talkedabout the authority of scripture
, the way he handled Romans 8,the way he made even Leviticus
(12:45):
feel weighty and relevant.
That kind of consistency, thatkind of theological backbone,
it's rare.
And, yeah, sometimes it rubbedpeople the wrong way, sometimes
it rubbed me the wrong way, butyou know what, steel sharpens
steel and I needed JohnMacArthur's steel.
(13:06):
There's something else too.
Macarthur believed in somethingmost folks forget today the
power of a slow, faithful life.
He wasn't trying to go viral,he wasn't building a platform.
He was just showing up weekafter week, year after year
(13:26):
behind the same pulpit at GraceCommunity Church.
50 plus years of exposition, nopersonal scandals, no personal
spectacle, just scripture.
I know he caught heat for howhe handled certain issues.
I know he caught heat for race,gender justice and that
criticism isn't off limits, butwe also have to be honest.
(13:51):
Some of the people calling himnames like a white supremacist
today are using a tick-tightsoundbite that hasn't been.
Uh, I'll put it this way theyhaven't listened to a full
sermon from John MacArthur's intheir life.
They haven't listened to a fullJohn MacArthur series in their
life.
That man preached to a global,multi-ethic audience and trained
(14:16):
thousands of pastors on everycontinent, in every color, from
every community.
He wasn't perfect, but hewasn't a character either.
So to those who sat under histeaching, to those who sat under
his teaching close and to thosewho sat under it from afar,
(14:36):
macarthur helped lay afoundation for preaching, for
theology, for pastoral clarity,and, whether you agreed with him
on every point or not, you knewwhat he believed and you knew
why he believed it.
He is with the Lord now.
Maybe he's swapping storieswith RC Sproul, finally finding
(15:00):
out who was right about baptism,or maybe maybe he's just
resting After decades ofpreaching a gospel that was
never his own.
And for me, I'll keep his bookson my shelf.
I'll keep quoting his exegesis.
I'll keep reminding youngerbelievers your ministry doesn't
(15:21):
have to be flashy, it just hasto be faithful.
John MacArthur showed us that,and for one I am grateful for it
.
I wrote some more concise pieceson Substack and Patreon about
(15:41):
this and responded directly to abig gentleman by the name of
talbert swan who made a veryfalse claim about john mccarter,
and I took the time and did apoint by point, uh refutation of
what he said.
Because, flat out, what he saidwas a lie, and I'm not
(16:05):
expecting the so-called bishopto correct the record.
But for the matter of therecord, I did respond and I was
very happy that over 100 peoplehad responded uh, with the full
context and calling it what itactually was slander.
(16:26):
So before I get into the newstoday, I'm just going to make
this one kind of short andpersonal and still and personal
and still Brazilian.
Jiu Jitsu brings people intoyour life that bless you In ways
that you don't realize.
(16:47):
Some people's Presence andsmiles Can be infectious.
It's the spirit that they havethat you just want them to be
around.
A young man that I had thepleasure Of coaching rolling
with, watched him walk in as awhite belt, watched him get
(17:12):
promoted to blue belt, watchedhim dominate in competitions.
He passed away this week fromleukemia.
His name was Roley and he wasonly 26 years old.
I Am pained For the loss.
(17:35):
I am paying for his family, andit led me to do the thing that
everybody does, where you sitaround and you ask these types
of questions why, why, why?
But because I am who I am, Idon't just always ask the
(17:57):
questions why.
I try to wrestle with it andthink about it.
Why do people die?
Why do good people suffer?
Why I try to wrestle with itand think about it.
Why do people die?
Why do good people suffer?
Why do young people pass away?
When I was wrestling with thethoughts, I thought about what
(18:21):
my friend Mitch says often, whatis often the most personal is
also the often the mostuniversal.
So I wrote, just for my friends, a mini post on the Darrell
McLean Facebook page, anexplanation of young death, and
(18:43):
it reads as follows Beloved,when we face the tragedy of a
young person's death, our heartstremble, the loss is grievous,
the questions are many and thepain feels unbearable.
But we must remember God is notabsent in our grief, nor is he
(19:03):
surprised.
Our God is sovereign over everyheartbeat, every breath.
Psalms 139.16 says In your bookwere written, every one of them
, the days that they were formedfor me, when as yet there was
none of them.
This means that no life is cutshort in God's sovereign plan.
(19:27):
Each life, whether long orbrief, fulfills the purpose
perfectly.
Some might ask why would Godallow a young life to be taken?
The answer is not simple, noris it always fully revealed to
us, but we know this God isinfinitely wise and infinitely
(19:48):
good.
Romans 11.33 tells us we grievedeeply.
Yes, jesus himself wept atLazarus's tomb in John 11 35.
(20:11):
But we do not grieve as thosewho have no hope.
1 Thessalonians 4 13.
Christ has conquered death andfor those who are in him, to die
is gain.
Philippians 121.
Young death reminds us of thebrevity of life and the urgency
(20:31):
of eternity.
It wakes us up from ourillusion that we are in control.
James 4.14 warns us you do notknow what tomorrow will bring.
What is your life, for you area mist that appears for a little
time and then vanishes.
God calls us to trust him, tolean into the mystery, to cling
(20:54):
to the cross, to find ourcomfort not in explanations but
in his unchanging character.
He is our rock, our refuge, ourredeemer.
So, yes, let us weep, yes, letus ache and let us worship, for
even in the valley of the shadowof death, he is with us and one
(21:18):
day he will wipe away everytear and death shall be no more.
Revelations 21.4.
Oh, may we say with Job, evenwhen our hearts are shattered.
The Lord gave, the Lord hastaken away.
Blessed be the name of the Lord.
Yes, even in death, blessed bethe center of debate over the
(21:45):
Epstein files.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
After the Justice Department essentially closed
the case in a joint memo withthe FBI, the deputy FBI director
has clashed with AttorneyGeneral Pam Bondi over the issue
and reportedly weighedresigning.
The outrage on the right overthe prospect of Bongino exiting
underscored both his importanceto the base and how central he
had been to fueling thecontroversies and conspiracy
(22:24):
theories that animate many Trumpbackers.
Sources close to the WhiteHouse told the Hill that members
of the MAGA movement viewBongino as one of their own.
He has built a following overthe past decade and is
considered a true outsider witha finger on the pulse of the
base, who was appointed to aposition of power to act on
issues they care about,including the Epstein documents.
(22:45):
Dan is a brand of MAGA that isfiercely loyal to the president,
but he is also somebody who hasmade a heck of a media career.
Going into depth about issuesthat the base cares about,
whether it be things likeEpstein or the assassination
attempt at Butler, said onesource close to the White House.
He is considered a trustedvoice.
The source added I think thisis someone who is honored to
(23:07):
serve the Trump administrationbut also put his brand on the
line when it came to.
We are going to get to thebottom of Epstein.
Bongino is a former New YorkCity police officer and Secret
Service agent who ranunsuccessfully for Congress in
Maryland and Florida.
His media career took offduring Donald Trump's first term
and he has built a largefollowing through his radio show
, his podcast and appearances onFox News over the years.
(23:30):
Bungino has 7 million followerson the social media platform X.
When Trump tapped Bungino assecond-in-command at the FBI, it
was hailed as a win for theMAGA base to have a true
outsider who thought and talkedlike them in a position of power
.
When Dan Bongino speaks, thebase listens, the source close
to the White House said Bonginohas used his massive media
(23:51):
platform to echo Donald Trump'stalking points and rally support
for the president and the MakeAmerica Great Again movement.
But he has also pushedconspiratorial claims about
topics like the 2020 election,the January 6th attack on the
Capitol and the Epstein case.
Bongino was among those whospread allegations that there
was something nefarious aboutDominion voting systems in the
(24:13):
2020 election, a common claimamong Trump supporters.
The voting technology companyand Fox News settled a
defamation case over similarclaims in 2023.
Bongino said on his show in2024 that the government's goal
on January 6, 2021, was to shutdown efforts by Republicans to
(24:34):
question the certification ofthe 2020 election.
He went on to suggest theplacement of pipe bombs outside
the headquarters of theDemocratic National Committee,
and Republican NationalCommittee was part of that
effort.
On Epstein, bongino was amongthose on the right who amplified
claims that there was somethingnefarious the government was
hiding about Epstein'sassociates and his death.
(24:54):
Listen.
That Jeffrey Epstein story is abig deal.
Please do not let that story go.
Keep your eye on this.
Bungino told his listeners in2023.
But as a government official,bungino's role has been more
complicated.
He went on Fox News in May andsaid Epstein died by suicide.
He later posted on X that hewas not asking his followers to
(25:15):
believe him, but that he wasrelaying what the evidence said.
The Justice Department andFederal Bureau of Investigation
issued a joint memo last weekthat stated Epstein did not have
a client list and confirmed hedied by suicide in his New York
City jail cell in 2019.
The findings incensed membersof the Make America Great Again
movement, who have for yearspushed conspiracy theories about
(25:38):
Epstein's death and claims thatprominent Democrats would be
named on a client list.
Epstein accused in several casesof sex trafficking.
Young girls ran in high-poweredcircles, with figures that
included Trump, former PresidentClinton, britain's Prince
Andrew and a number of othercelebrities and ultra-wealthy
individuals.
Epstein's associate, ghislaineMaxwell, has been convicted of
(25:59):
sex trafficking.
Bungino fumed over the decisionto effectively close the case.
According to a source familiarwith the matter, multiple
outlets reported that heconsidered quitting.
Though Bongino has remained onthe job, he has not spoken
publicly or posted on X innearly a week.
His threat to resign raised thespecter of a further revolt
among prominent conservativesCan confirm it is Bongino or
(26:22):
Bondi, and the pick is obviousBondi must go.
Megyn Kelly posted on X lastweek at the peak of Bongino's
frustration.
One pro-Trump operative likenedBongino's influence to that of
Fox News host Sean Hannity orconservative radio host Rush
Limbaugh.
Our base views him as one ofthem, and so the idea of him
walking out of theadministration in this manner
(26:43):
would certainly cause a portionof Trump supporters to feel
dejected.
The operative told the Hill itis less about Bongino
specifically and more about thebroader symbolism him leaving
would represent.
Trump has publicly expressedsupport this week for both
Bongino and Bondi.
The attorney general has takenthe brunt of the anger from
conservatives over the Epsteincase, with many arguing she has
(27:05):
overpromised and underdeliveredon providing more documentation.
But the President has alsoshown he is getting frustrated
by the continued focus on theEpstein case, despite it being
something that Bongino, vicePresident Vance and others in
his administration haveperpetuated in the past.
Trump told reporters Wednesdayhe would support Bondi releasing
(27:25):
credible information related tothe Epstein files, but he also
complained the focus on theEpstein documents was taking
away from the administration'ssuccesses on Capitol Hill and
elsewhere.
Certain Republicans got dupedby the Democrats and they are
following a Democrat playbook,trump said, and no different
than Russia, russia, russia andall the other hoaxes.
They are started by theDemocrats and some Republicans
(27:48):
in this case.
I was surprised they got duped.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
That reporting is coming out of the Hill and that
story is called Epstein FilesUproar.
It puts a spotlight on DanBongino and it was written
yesterday.
It puts a spotlight on DanBongino and it was written
yesterday.
Actually, I'm sorry it wasreleased 7-17-2025, so that
(28:19):
would have been at 6 am thismorning.
Speaker 3 (28:25):
And it came out from Brett Samuels.
Hegseth is new dress code ofhonor.
Eyelash extensions and facialhair are out.
Government-funded laser hairremoval is in by Ken
Klippenstein.
Pete Hegseth loves to have hispicture taken doing jumping
jacks, jogging with the troopsand hanging with Buff's special
ops commandos.
In fact, the Secretary ofDefense is all about appearances
(28:49):
, making a constant show ofbeing more virile than anyone
who's ever preceded him.
In the name of warfighting andmilitary readiness, hegseth is
self-appointed commandinggeneral of the War on Wrinkles.
His obsession has provoked aslew of new rules and
regulations about standards ofgrooming and appearance, a
deadly serious effortencompassing everything from
banning eyelash extensions tooffering government-funded laser
(29:11):
hair removal procedures, withan emphasis on rules that most
impact women and minorities.
Hegseth wants to establish hisown wokeness, a campaign that
stresses looks over actualexcellence.
The new grooming standards, onearmy directive says are in
support of army readiness.
Militaries speak for theability to act swiftly and
(29:31):
effectively.
Far from some obscure policy,hegseth believes that
disciplined hair care will leadto a disciplined military,
restoring the warrior ethos heoften laments the armed forces
have lost.
We're looking at overallfitness standards, overall
grooming standards, overallbasic standards across our
formations that we believe haveslipped, certainly under the
(29:52):
previous administration, butover decades.
Hegseth told Congress lastmonth it's almost like the
broken windows theory ofpolicing when you ignore the
small stuff from criminals, itcreates a culture where big
stuff you're not heldaccountable for.
Small stuff from criminals itcreates a culture where big
stuff you're not heldaccountable for.
He pontificated at a town hallmeeting in February.
(30:13):
Here are three new groomingstandards that particularly
caught my eye Shaving,particularly for soldiers who
seek waivers to standardpolicies due to health
complications that daily shavingcan cause.
This is most common for blackand brown folks who have curly
hair, so common, in fact, thatthe directive makes explicit
mention of pseudofolliculitis,barbae or razor bumps, which can
become infected.
The directive enumerates threephase treatment plans
(30:37):
corresponding to mild, moderateand severe cases.
A fourth phase provides theoption of laser hair removal to
soldiers unresponsive to theprevious treatments or with
chronic issues.
Eyelash extensions are nowbanned.
No real justification is given,but I'm sure it's a coincidence
that this also impacts blackand brown people the most.
(30:57):
Similarly, nail polish must nowbe clear, or French or American
manicure only A sacrifice tothe gods of uniformity, which
feels more arbitrary thanpurposeful.
Petty changes to uniforms arebeing directed from a ban on
duty identifier patches toshorter boots 8 to 12 inches to
important contingency plans onhow to wear one's sleeves.
(31:18):
The cuffs will remain visibleand the sleeve will rest at or
within one inch of the forearm.
When the arm is bent at a90-degree angle, though,
commanders may prohibit rollingof sleeves and folding of cuffs.
It is a hodgepodge of newdirectives that are mostly
costly annoyances but overallleave enlisted soldiers I've
talked to feeling like thePentagon and leadership are just
(31:40):
playing a sadistic game ofSimon Says.
Clean-shaven soldiers, however,aren't going to bring the US
military closer to an end to thewar in Ukraine or create
greater security in the MiddleEast.
More CREESes aren't going tohelp tackle the challenges of
drones and artificialintelligence or fight the new
Cold War with China.
(32:00):
In fact, hegseth seems to betaking a page out of the Russian
military playbook, which, uponsuffering over one million
casualties in Ukraine, is alsotrying to stress appearances
over serious failures of policyand humaneness.
Russia's chief of the generalstaff, valery Gerasimov, has
launched his own campaign toimprove troop discipline by
clamping down on non-standardhaircuts, according to British
(32:23):
intelligence, which assessedthat this caused him to be
focused on presentation oversubstance.
In Rush's case.
A laughably undisciplined andcorrupt force indeed needs to
reform, but emulating Gerasimovis more of an insult to the men
and women of the US armed forces.
But this is more about Hegseth,for whom presentation over
(32:43):
substance seems like his entireworldview.
Here he is posing on thePentagon lawn while signing an
order on drone production apiece of paper that was
delivered by drone.
The contents of the orderdidn't get much attention, but
the image of the smartly dressedsecretary plucking the paper
from the drone instantly becamea meme.
Since his first appearance atthe Ukraine Defense Contact
(33:05):
Group in February, when Hegsethmistakenly got ahead of
President Trump's negotiationsby declaring Ukraine's intent to
regain its territory asunrealistic, prompting criticism
from his own party's chair ofthe Armed Services Committee,
senator Roger Wicker, who calledit amateur.
Trump's secretary has not had ahair out of place.
In every photo I can findHegseth's hair seems
(33:27):
painstakingly coiffed, rightdown to the occasional
ostensible cowlick.
He looks like Christian Bale'sdepiction of Bruce Wayne, but
with a Moab-sized helping ofhair gel.
The irony is that, amid all thechaos of his alleged sexual
misconduct, to the mass firingof his staff to Signalgate, and
on and on, the man is alwaysperfectly manicured.
(33:48):
One has a sense that Hegsethwill be more pleased in being
named best dressed of 2025 thananything else.
This newsletter is 100% readerfunded.
To receive new posts andsupport my work, please become a
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Edited by William M Arkin.
Speaker 1 (34:15):
So that was by Ken Kiplingstein over at Substack
and it was called Hexeth's NewDress Code of Honor.
So again, ken Clippingstein,I've been trying to write a lot
on the new substack that I havecome up with, because I do
(34:39):
consume a lot of books.
I just got finished with a bookcalled Bad Law by a Harvard
graduate and lawyer, ellieMustall, and so on Substack, I
wrote a review of the book.
It's titled 10 ScathingInsights that Expose Bad Law a
(35:05):
fearless review by yours truly.
Bad Law is a blistering, funnyand urgently necessary takedown
of 10 US statutes that throttleliberty.
So I do encourage everybody toturn to be vociferous readers,
like I am, but if not, at leastgo and read my review of LA
(35:30):
Mistal's Bad Law on Substack.
I have now moved on to a book byRoland Martin, the host of
Roland Martin Unfiltered, thehost of Roland Martin Unfiltered
(35:53):
, and that book is called WhiteFear and it is how the browning
of America is making white folkslose their minds.
And again, that's the book byRoland Martin, that's the one
I'm on now, and so be waitingfor a review of that book, and
if you um are interested in moreof those people's works, well,
martin, not Ellie, miss Stahl.
They are regulars on the TVshows and the internets.
(36:15):
So, at any rate, thank you fortuning into the episode.
We'll be traveling to Floridathis week for my grandmother's
75th birthday and I'm going topost a short sometime I'll be
having my equipment.
Uh, till then, uh, love you alland see you on the next episode
(36:38):
.
Welcome to the Derrell McClain Show.
I'm your host, derrell McClain.
Independent media that won'treinforce tribalism.
You have one planet, nobody isleaving, so let's reason
together.
You happen to be joining metoday on episode 464.
Let's get into the show.
This week, lieutenant GeneralDaniel Bolger the same general
(00:21):
who admitted that we lost inIraq and Afghanistan dropped a
warning that should set offevery alarm in DC and instead
crickets.
Bolgers said that drone strikesin the Horn of Africa are
setting us up for another slowmotion war.
But folks are too busy arguingabout Barbie's wardrobe or where
the AI is frequently racist tonotice we're inching toward
(00:44):
another entanglement.
That's the pattern.
We escalate just enough to keepit off the evening news, and
then, when the body bags comehome, people ask when did this
start?
Let me break this down.
You don't need to be a generalto see the con.
We're using drones and specialops in Djibouti, somalia and
(01:04):
Kenya.
The mission, strategiccontainment Now that's Pentagon
speak for we really don't knowwhat winning looks like, but
what we do know is we need tokeep the military industrial
complex fed Now.
As a veteran, I respect thetroops, but I've also seen the
cost of mission without moralclarity.
(01:25):
We keep sending young men andwomen into morally ambiguous
zones.
And then we wonder why thesuicide rate in the VA is
through the roof.
It's just not PTSD from combat.
It's PTSD from embarrassment,confusion, regret.
It comes from being told tofight, to bleed and to die for
(01:53):
reasons that no one can clearlyexplain.
Bolger, for his credit, tried tosound the alarm.
He knows, like many of us know,that war is no longer declared
as contracted.
And yes, those contracts,they're lucrative.
So don't tell me that this isabout freedom and don't tell me
(02:15):
that this is going to be aboutsecurity.
If that were true, our veteranswouldn't be sleeping in parking
lots while Raytheon celebratesquarterly gains.
What's missing isaccountability.
We need civilian oversight thatisn't bought.
We need politicians who don'tprofit from war and we need
pastors and prophets who remindus that the Bible says blessed
(02:36):
are the peacemakers.
It doesn't say blessed are thewarmongers who slap a flag on a
drone and call it justice.
Let me pivot to the world oftech now.
This week, over at Elon Musk'sspace, he rolled out Grok 3.0.
And if you blinked you mighthave missed it.
(02:57):
But this thing isn't just achatbot anymore, it's a
worldview shaper.
The biggest story Grok startedcensoring Substack articles
under the guise of platformintegrity.
You're right, platformintegrity.
So, yes, the same Elon Musk whoshouted free speech absolutism
(03:19):
just told his algorithm to hidecertain viewpoints.
This is just not hypocrisy,this is control.
I want to say something realclear here, folks, and don't get
caught up in technologyoptimism.
The machine is only as ethicalas the people training it, and
(03:41):
right now Grok is being trainedby elites, not ethics.
It mimics moral language, butit doesn't understand it.
You give it enough data, andsure it can tell you what's
trending, but it can't tell youwhat's actually true.
You see, this isn't just abattle for content.
(04:03):
This isn't just a battle forcontent, it's a battle for your
imagination.
When AI shapes what you see,what you read, what you think,
this is acceptable.
It doesn't just me wrong.
(04:25):
I am, um, I'm actually notafraid of tech.
I'm scared of lazy humans.
I'm afraid of people who stopasking questions because the
algorithm already answered itfor them.
I'm afraid of people who'drather feel informed than to
actually be informed.
That's how empires actuallyfall through passive consent,
(04:50):
not active rebellion.
Noam Chomsky would probablycall it the manufacturing of
consent.
The Bible says be transformedby the renewing of your mind.
That means your mind has to beactive, it has to be vigilant,
it has to be engaged.
Grok is training people toscroll, not to seek, and I got
(05:12):
to tell you that is a dangerous,dangerous trade-off.
Now let's talk about this thingthat happened in Texas.
I'm going to title this Faithin the Ballot, because when they
can't silence you, theyschedule you, and yes, that's a
hint at the book that I wrotecalled Faith in the Ballot that
(05:32):
just came out this year.
So now let's talk about thevoter suppression ruling that
came down this week from theFifth Circuit.
Texas is officially limitingSunday voting, specifically
targeting souls in the polls.
Now, if you don't know, that'swhen black churches organize
after services and head to thevoting booth together.
It's community, it's peaceful,it's civic engagement wrapped in
(05:55):
faith.
So, of course, dot dot dot,they are trying to shut it down.
This isn't about electionsecurity.
This is actually about fear,not fear of fraud, fear of
faithful people.
The system actually doesn'tmind your religion as long as
(06:16):
it's privatized, but the momentyour convictions have
consequences in the publicsquare, now you have become a
threat and you know what's wild.
Of course, you have to knowwhat I'm going to say.
The very same folks who sayAmerica was founded on Christian
values are the ones who aregutting the most Christian
(06:37):
practice.
I can think of Neighborhood,loving, justice, seeking ballot
casting solidarity after worshipservice.
Now here's the deepertheological truth Biblical faith
always offends unjust power.
Read the prophets, read thegospels.
Rome didn't crucify Jesusbecause he taught people to be
(06:58):
nice.
They did it because hethreatened a false peace built
on oppression.
So when we vote out ourconvictions, we organize, not
out of rage but out ofrighteousness, when we are
acting in line with the kingdomof God.
Not partisan politics, butprophetic politics, that kind
that says let justice roll downlike waters and that we have to
(07:25):
do that.
And if that scares the state,maybe the state needs to repent.
I want to start to somewhatland the plane here and I'll say
it like this.
I'll say it like this this week, like every week, I felt like
(07:51):
the world was on fire and it wastempting.
A lot of things happened,personally, this week, so it was
tempting to get overwhelmed.
Between war drums, tech,censorship and voter suppression
, it's actually easy to believethat we're powerless, but that's
the lie.
You are not powerless, you arenot voiceless and your hope is
(08:12):
not in the headlines, it's inthe long arc of truth.
Remember Martin Luther King hasthat beautiful quote.
It may be long, but it sayssomething like the moral arc of
the universe bends towardsjustice.
So listen.
The media profits from ourpanic.
(08:33):
Social media feeds off ouroutrage.
Algorithms serve up what'sdivisive, not what's discerning.
So take your eyes off the screenlong enough to remember who you
are.
You are made in the image ofGod.
That means you got an inherentright to your dignity.
You got a mind that can reason.
(08:54):
You have a soul that candiscern and hands that can build
something better than the worldyou look at every day and the
world that we have inherited.
So no, don't numb out, don'tgive up, but also don't carry
the weight of the world like youalone are its savior.
(09:16):
You're not.
That job actually is alreadytaken.
Do what you can where you are,with what you have, and when you
get weary, rest, just rest.
Don't retreat, because theworld needs more people who are
grounded, not just reactive, whoare principled, not popular,
(09:40):
who are brave enough to believethat truth still matters, who
are brave enough to believe thattruth still matters even if it
doesn't trend.
If you stuck here with methrough all of this, thank you.
I want to start asking that youplease share the show with
(10:04):
someone who needs to be remindeddiscernment is resistance,
faith is powerful and clarity isa gift.
We're going to get into some ofthe I'll just say headlines for
the week from the Hill, fromthe New York Times, from the
Atlantic, from the WashingtonPost, and we're going to talk
(10:27):
about something that affected megreatly this week the death of
somebody that I have admired foryears and that will end it that
way.
There is something surrealabout this particular moment in
(10:55):
my life.
John MacArthur is gone, and ifI'm being real with you, I'm
actually still processing all ofthat.
See, for some people MacArthurwas a lightning rod, for others
he was a lighthouse, but for mehe was a voice, a voice that
showed up in the early morninghours when I was a new Christian
(11:17):
Trying to understand scriptureWithout a road map.
I had one of those Little clockradios Tuned in to Grace, to
you, and that man's voice, clear, measured, unapologetically,
(11:40):
anchored in the world, cutthrough all the chaos.
For me, he taught withprecision, not performance.
He wasn't trying to entertain,he was trying to exposit.
And for someone like me whocame to faith with more
questions than answers.
That mattered no-transcript Tolove the truth without needing
it to be trendy.
(12:00):
Now, don't get it twisted here.
Macarthur had his detractors.
No person is perfect.
He was flawed, stubborn andsometimes culturally tone deaf.
But I never questioned that manand I never questioned that he
(12:23):
loved scripture.
He didn't bend it, he let thescripture speak.
And in a generation obsessedwith personality, he kept
pointing people back to Christ,not himself.
I remember the way he talkedabout the authority of scripture
, the way he handled Romans 8,the way he made even Leviticus
(12:45):
feel weighty and relevant.
That kind of consistency, thatkind of theological backbone,
it's rare.
And, yeah, sometimes it rubbedpeople the wrong way, sometimes
it rubbed me the wrong way, butyou know what, steel sharpens
steel and I needed JohnMacArthur's steel.
(13:06):
There's something else too.
Macarthur believed in somethingmost folks forget today the
power of a slow, faithful life.
He wasn't trying to go viral,he wasn't building a platform.
He was just showing up weekafter week, year after year
(13:26):
behind the same pulpit at GraceCommunity Church.
50 plus years of exposition, nopersonal scandals, no personal
spectacle, just scripture.
I know he caught heat for howhe handled certain issues.
I know he caught heat for race,gender justice and that
criticism isn't off limits, butwe also have to be honest.
(13:51):
Some of the people calling himnames like a white supremacist
today are using a tick-tightsoundbite that hasn't been.
Uh, I'll put it this way theyhaven't listened to a full
sermon from John MacArthur's intheir life.
They haven't listened to a fullJohn MacArthur series in their
life.
That man preached to a global,multi-ethic audience and trained
(14:16):
thousands of pastors on everycontinent, in every color, from
every community.
He wasn't perfect, but hewasn't a character either.
So to those who sat under histeaching, to those who sat under
his teaching close and to thosewho sat under it from afar,
(14:36):
macarthur helped lay afoundation for preaching, for
theology, for pastoral clarity,and, whether you agreed with him
on every point or not, you knewwhat he believed and you knew
why he believed it.
He is with the Lord now.
Maybe he's swapping storieswith RC Sproul, finally finding
(15:00):
out who was right about baptism,or maybe maybe he's just
resting After decades ofpreaching a gospel that was
never his own.
And for me, I'll keep his bookson my shelf.
I'll keep quoting his exegesis.
I'll keep reminding youngerbelievers your ministry doesn't
(15:21):
have to be flashy, it just hasto be faithful.
John MacArthur showed us that,and for one I am grateful for it
.
I wrote some more concise pieceson Substack and Patreon about
(15:41):
this and responded directly to abig gentleman by the name of
talbert swan who made a veryfalse claim about john mccarter,
and I took the time and did apoint by point, uh refutation of
what he said.
Because, flat out, what he saidwas a lie, and I'm not
(16:05):
expecting the so-called bishopto correct the record.
But for the matter of therecord, I did respond and I was
very happy that over 100 peoplehad responded uh, with the full
context and calling it what itactually was slander.
(16:26):
So before I get into the newstoday, I'm just going to make
this one kind of short andpersonal and still and personal
and still Brazilian.
Jiu Jitsu brings people intoyour life that bless you In ways
that you don't realize.
(16:47):
Some people's Presence andsmiles Can be infectious.
It's the spirit that they havethat you just want them to be
around.
A young man that I had thepleasure Of coaching rolling
with, watched him walk in as awhite belt, watched him get
(17:12):
promoted to blue belt, watchedhim dominate in competitions.
He passed away this week fromleukemia.
His name was Roley and he wasonly 26 years old.
I Am pained For the loss.
(17:35):
I am paying for his family, andit led me to do the thing that
everybody does, where you sitaround and you ask these types
of questions why, why, why?
But because I am who I am, Idon't just always ask the
(17:57):
questions why.
I try to wrestle with it andthink about it.
Why do people die?
Why do good people suffer?
Why I try to wrestle with itand think about it.
Why do people die?
Why do good people suffer?
Why do young people pass away?
When I was wrestling with thethoughts, I thought about what
(18:21):
my friend Mitch says often, whatis often the most personal is
also the often the mostuniversal.
So I wrote, just for my friends, a mini post on the Darrell
McLean Facebook page, anexplanation of young death, and
(18:43):
it reads as follows Beloved,when we face the tragedy of a
young person's death, our heartstremble, the loss is grievous,
the questions are many and thepain feels unbearable.
But we must remember God is notabsent in our grief, nor is he
(19:03):
surprised.
Our God is sovereign over everyheartbeat, every breath.
Psalms 139.16 says In your bookwere written, every one of them
, the days that they were formedfor me, when as yet there was
none of them.
This means that no life is cutshort in God's sovereign plan.
(19:27):
Each life, whether long orbrief, fulfills the purpose
perfectly.
Some might ask why would Godallow a young life to be taken?
The answer is not simple, noris it always fully revealed to
us, but we know this God isinfinitely wise and infinitely
(19:48):
good.
Romans 11.33 tells us we grievedeeply.
Yes, jesus himself wept atLazarus's tomb in John 11 35.
(20:11):
But we do not grieve as thosewho have no hope.
1 Thessalonians 4 13.
Christ has conquered death andfor those who are in him, to die
is gain.
Philippians 121.
Young death reminds us of thebrevity of life and the urgency
(20:31):
of eternity.
It wakes us up from ourillusion that we are in control.
James 4.14 warns us you do notknow what tomorrow will bring.
What is your life, for you area mist that appears for a little
time and then vanishes.
God calls us to trust him, tolean into the mystery, to cling
(20:54):
to the cross, to find ourcomfort not in explanations but
in his unchanging character.
He is our rock, our refuge, ourredeemer.
So, yes, let us weep, yes, letus ache and let us worship, for
even in the valley of the shadowof death, he is with us and one
(21:18):
day he will wipe away everytear and death shall be no more.
Revelations 21.4.
Oh, may we say with Job, evenwhen our hearts are shattered.
The Lord gave, the Lord hastaken away.
Blessed be the name of the Lord.
Yes, even in death, blessed bethe center of debate over the
(21:45):
Epstein files.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
After the Justice Department essentially closed
the case in a joint memo withthe FBI, the deputy FBI director
has clashed with AttorneyGeneral Pam Bondi over the issue
and reportedly weighedresigning.
The outrage on the right overthe prospect of Bongino exiting
underscored both his importanceto the base and how central he
had been to fueling thecontroversies and conspiracy
(22:24):
theories that animate many Trumpbackers.
Sources close to the WhiteHouse told the Hill that members
of the MAGA movement viewBongino as one of their own.
He has built a following overthe past decade and is
considered a true outsider witha finger on the pulse of the
base, who was appointed to aposition of power to act on
issues they care about,including the Epstein documents.
(22:45):
Dan is a brand of MAGA that isfiercely loyal to the president,
but he is also somebody who hasmade a heck of a media career.
Going into depth about issuesthat the base cares about,
whether it be things likeEpstein or the assassination
attempt at Butler, said onesource close to the White House.
He is considered a trustedvoice.
The source added I think thisis someone who is honored to
(23:07):
serve the Trump administrationbut also put his brand on the
line when it came to.
We are going to get to thebottom of Epstein.
Bongino is a former New YorkCity police officer and Secret
Service agent who ranunsuccessfully for Congress in
Maryland and Florida.
His media career took offduring Donald Trump's first term
and he has built a largefollowing through his radio show
, his podcast and appearances onFox News over the years.
(23:30):
Bungino has 7 million followerson the social media platform X.
When Trump tapped Bungino assecond-in-command at the FBI, it
was hailed as a win for theMAGA base to have a true
outsider who thought and talkedlike them in a position of power
.
When Dan Bongino speaks, thebase listens, the source close
to the White House said Bonginohas used his massive media
(23:51):
platform to echo Donald Trump'stalking points and rally support
for the president and the MakeAmerica Great Again movement.
But he has also pushedconspiratorial claims about
topics like the 2020 election,the January 6th attack on the
Capitol and the Epstein case.
Bongino was among those whospread allegations that there
was something nefarious aboutDominion voting systems in the
(24:13):
2020 election, a common claimamong Trump supporters.
The voting technology companyand Fox News settled a
defamation case over similarclaims in 2023.
Bongino said on his show in2024 that the government's goal
on January 6, 2021, was to shutdown efforts by Republicans to
(24:34):
question the certification ofthe 2020 election.
He went on to suggest theplacement of pipe bombs outside
the headquarters of theDemocratic National Committee,
and Republican NationalCommittee was part of that
effort.
On Epstein, bongino was amongthose on the right who amplified
claims that there was somethingnefarious the government was
hiding about Epstein'sassociates and his death.
(24:54):
Listen.
That Jeffrey Epstein story is abig deal.
Please do not let that story go.
Keep your eye on this.
Bungino told his listeners in2023.
But as a government official,bungino's role has been more
complicated.
He went on Fox News in May andsaid Epstein died by suicide.
He later posted on X that hewas not asking his followers to
(25:15):
believe him, but that he wasrelaying what the evidence said.
The Justice Department andFederal Bureau of Investigation
issued a joint memo last weekthat stated Epstein did not have
a client list and confirmed hedied by suicide in his New York
City jail cell in 2019.
The findings incensed membersof the Make America Great Again
movement, who have for yearspushed conspiracy theories about
(25:38):
Epstein's death and claims thatprominent Democrats would be
named on a client list.
Epstein accused in several casesof sex trafficking.
Young girls ran in high-poweredcircles, with figures that
included Trump, former PresidentClinton, britain's Prince
Andrew and a number of othercelebrities and ultra-wealthy
individuals.
Epstein's associate, ghislaineMaxwell, has been convicted of
(25:59):
sex trafficking.
Bungino fumed over the decisionto effectively close the case.
According to a source familiarwith the matter, multiple
outlets reported that heconsidered quitting.
Though Bongino has remained onthe job, he has not spoken
publicly or posted on X innearly a week.
His threat to resign raised thespecter of a further revolt
among prominent conservativesCan confirm it is Bongino or
(26:22):
Bondi, and the pick is obviousBondi must go.
Megyn Kelly posted on X lastweek at the peak of Bongino's
frustration.
One pro-Trump operative likenedBongino's influence to that of
Fox News host Sean Hannity orconservative radio host Rush
Limbaugh.
Our base views him as one ofthem, and so the idea of him
walking out of theadministration in this manner
(26:43):
would certainly cause a portionof Trump supporters to feel
dejected.
The operative told the Hill itis less about Bongino
specifically and more about thebroader symbolism him leaving
would represent.
Trump has publicly expressedsupport this week for both
Bongino and Bondi.
The attorney general has takenthe brunt of the anger from
conservatives over the Epsteincase, with many arguing she has
(27:05):
overpromised and underdeliveredon providing more documentation.
But the President has alsoshown he is getting frustrated
by the continued focus on theEpstein case, despite it being
something that Bongino, vicePresident Vance and others in
his administration haveperpetuated in the past.
Trump told reporters Wednesdayhe would support Bondi releasing
(27:25):
credible information related tothe Epstein files, but he also
complained the focus on theEpstein documents was taking
away from the administration'ssuccesses on Capitol Hill and
elsewhere.
Certain Republicans got dupedby the Democrats and they are
following a Democrat playbook,trump said, and no different
than Russia, russia, russia andall the other hoaxes.
They are started by theDemocrats and some Republicans
(27:48):
in this case.
I was surprised they got duped.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
That reporting is coming out of the Hill and that
story is called Epstein FilesUproar.
It puts a spotlight on DanBongino and it was written
yesterday.
It puts a spotlight on DanBongino and it was written
yesterday.
Actually, I'm sorry it wasreleased 7-17-2025, so that
(28:19):
would have been at 6 am thismorning.
Speaker 3 (28:25):
And it came out from Brett Samuels.
Hegseth is new dress code ofhonor.
Eyelash extensions and facialhair are out.
Government-funded laser hairremoval is in by Ken
Klippenstein.
Pete Hegseth loves to have hispicture taken doing jumping
jacks, jogging with the troopsand hanging with Buff's special
ops commandos.
In fact, the Secretary ofDefense is all about appearances
(28:49):
, making a constant show ofbeing more virile than anyone
who's ever preceded him.
In the name of warfighting andmilitary readiness, hegseth is
self-appointed commandinggeneral of the War on Wrinkles.
His obsession has provoked aslew of new rules and
regulations about standards ofgrooming and appearance, a
deadly serious effortencompassing everything from
banning eyelash extensions tooffering government-funded laser
(29:11):
hair removal procedures, withan emphasis on rules that most
impact women and minorities.
Hegseth wants to establish hisown wokeness, a campaign that
stresses looks over actualexcellence.
The new grooming standards, onearmy directive says are in
support of army readiness.
Militaries speak for theability to act swiftly and
(29:31):
effectively.
Far from some obscure policy,hegseth believes that
disciplined hair care will leadto a disciplined military,
restoring the warrior ethos heoften laments the armed forces
have lost.
We're looking at overallfitness standards, overall
grooming standards, overallbasic standards across our
formations that we believe haveslipped, certainly under the
(29:52):
previous administration, butover decades.
Hegseth told Congress lastmonth it's almost like the
broken windows theory ofpolicing when you ignore the
small stuff from criminals, itcreates a culture where big
stuff you're not heldaccountable for.
Small stuff from criminals itcreates a culture where big
stuff you're not heldaccountable for.
He pontificated at a town hallmeeting in February.
(30:13):
Here are three new groomingstandards that particularly
caught my eye Shaving,particularly for soldiers who
seek waivers to standardpolicies due to health
complications that daily shavingcan cause.
This is most common for blackand brown folks who have curly
hair, so common, in fact, thatthe directive makes explicit
mention of pseudofolliculitis,barbae or razor bumps, which can
become infected.
The directive enumerates threephase treatment plans
(30:37):
corresponding to mild, moderateand severe cases.
A fourth phase provides theoption of laser hair removal to
soldiers unresponsive to theprevious treatments or with
chronic issues.
Eyelash extensions are nowbanned.
No real justification is given,but I'm sure it's a coincidence
that this also impacts blackand brown people the most.
(30:57):
Similarly, nail polish must nowbe clear, or French or American
manicure only A sacrifice tothe gods of uniformity, which
feels more arbitrary thanpurposeful.
Petty changes to uniforms arebeing directed from a ban on
duty identifier patches toshorter boots 8 to 12 inches to
important contingency plans onhow to wear one's sleeves.
(31:18):
The cuffs will remain visibleand the sleeve will rest at or
within one inch of the forearm.
When the arm is bent at a90-degree angle, though,
commanders may prohibit rollingof sleeves and folding of cuffs.
It is a hodgepodge of newdirectives that are mostly
costly annoyances but overallleave enlisted soldiers I've
talked to feeling like thePentagon and leadership are just
(31:40):
playing a sadistic game ofSimon Says.
Clean-shaven soldiers, however,aren't going to bring the US
military closer to an end to thewar in Ukraine or create
greater security in the MiddleEast.
More CREESes aren't going tohelp tackle the challenges of
drones and artificialintelligence or fight the new
Cold War with China.
(32:00):
In fact, hegseth seems to betaking a page out of the Russian
military playbook, which, uponsuffering over one million
casualties in Ukraine, is alsotrying to stress appearances
over serious failures of policyand humaneness.
Russia's chief of the generalstaff, valery Gerasimov, has
launched his own campaign toimprove troop discipline by
clamping down on non-standardhaircuts, according to British
(32:23):
intelligence, which assessedthat this caused him to be
focused on presentation oversubstance.
In Rush's case.
A laughably undisciplined andcorrupt force indeed needs to
reform, but emulating Gerasimovis more of an insult to the men
and women of the US armed forces.
But this is more about Hegseth,for whom presentation over
(32:43):
substance seems like his entireworldview.
Here he is posing on thePentagon lawn while signing an
order on drone production apiece of paper that was
delivered by drone.
The contents of the orderdidn't get much attention, but
the image of the smartly dressedsecretary plucking the paper
from the drone instantly becamea meme.
Since his first appearance atthe Ukraine Defense Contact
(33:05):
Group in February, when Hegsethmistakenly got ahead of
President Trump's negotiationsby declaring Ukraine's intent to
regain its territory asunrealistic, prompting criticism
from his own party's chair ofthe Armed Services Committee,
senator Roger Wicker, who calledit amateur.
Trump's secretary has not had ahair out of place.
In every photo I can findHegseth's hair seems
(33:27):
painstakingly coiffed, rightdown to the occasional
ostensible cowlick.
He looks like Christian Bale'sdepiction of Bruce Wayne, but
with a Moab-sized helping ofhair gel.
The irony is that, amid all thechaos of his alleged sexual
misconduct, to the mass firingof his staff to Signalgate, and
on and on, the man is alwaysperfectly manicured.
(33:48):
One has a sense that Hegsethwill be more pleased in being
named best dressed of 2025 thananything else.
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Edited by William M Arkin.
Speaker 1 (34:15):
So that was by Ken Kiplingstein over at Substack
and it was called Hexeth's NewDress Code of Honor.
So again, ken Clippingstein,I've been trying to write a lot
on the new substack that I havecome up with, because I do
(34:39):
consume a lot of books.
I just got finished with a bookcalled Bad Law by a Harvard
graduate and lawyer, ellieMustall, and so on Substack, I
wrote a review of the book.
It's titled 10 ScathingInsights that Expose Bad Law a
(35:05):
fearless review by yours truly.
Bad Law is a blistering, funnyand urgently necessary takedown
of 10 US statutes that throttleliberty.
So I do encourage everybody toturn to be vociferous readers,
like I am, but if not, at leastgo and read my review of LA
(35:30):
Mistal's Bad Law on Substack.
I have now moved on to a book byRoland Martin, the host of
Roland Martin Unfiltered, thehost of Roland Martin Unfiltered
(35:53):
, and that book is called WhiteFear and it is how the browning
of America is making white folkslose their minds.
And again, that's the book byRoland Martin, that's the one
I'm on now, and so be waitingfor a review of that book, and
if you um are interested in moreof those people's works, well,
martin, not Ellie, miss Stahl.
They are regulars on the TVshows and the internets.
(36:15):
So, at any rate, thank you fortuning into the episode.
We'll be traveling to Floridathis week for my grandmother's
75th birthday and I'm going topost a short sometime I'll be
having my equipment.
Uh, till then, uh, love you alland see you on the next episode
(36:38):
.
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