Respect Our History

October 23, 2026 (Vol.20 No. 38) - Pete Hegseth wanted it for its symbolism. Instead, it has become a metaphor for his and his president's incompetence.

When former Fox News commentator and current tattooed-freak Pete Hegseth was appointed Secretary of Defense, he felt he needed to project an image of strength. So right after he spent your tax dollars for a make-up room for his all-too-often television appearances and just before he unilaterally decided to rename his agency "The War Department," he decided to steal a real hero's valor by having Dwight David Eisenhower's office globe (above) shipped to his office. After all, if Ike (sans make-up and eyeliner) looked so masculine standing beside it, just think of how it could burnish Pansy-Ass Pete's image. According to NBC News: "The historic American artifact is cataloged and kept by the U.S. Army Center of Military History (CMH) but displayed in the Pentagon. The globe was kept in a senior Army office in the Pentagon, the officials said. Rather than wait for Army historians or CMH to move the globe, several staffers from Hegseth’s office tried to do so themselves, dropping it, creating a hole in the lower part of it and damaging another area, the officials said."

Oops!

Isn't that the perfect metaphor for the Trump Administration? In an attempt to project an image of strength, they demonstrate how impulsive, clumsy and weak they really are and, in the process, create global chaos. The gang that couldn't shoot straight has shown us once again their total disregard for customs and traditions most American hold dear.

As you can no doubt discern, this incident with the Eisenhower globe angers me. First, I am an admirer of Eisenhower, one of the greatest Americans in our history. To callously damage a historically significant artifact is unforgivable. As a historian, I am repulsed by this Administration's total disregard for American customs and traditions. As I have noted in this space before, history doesn't necessarily repeat itself, but it often rhymes. There is much the Trump crowd can learn from Eisenhower's calm and measured leadership. Instead, Trump's Band of Bozos carelessly used artifacts from Ike's life to wrap themselves in a greatest that they will never achieve.. Finally, as an American, I am offended by Trump'a and Hegseth's thoughtless and reckless attempt to reshape the Nation's Capitol. From the East Wing of the White House, to the Reflecting Pool, to the golf course at East Potomac Park and now to the iconic Eisenhower globe, everything this crowd touches dies.

Fortunately, most scars do heal. When Trump is gone - and Lord, what a happy day that will be - much of the physical damage he has done can be removed and repaired. I don't know whether the Eisenhower globe can be fixed, but at least it will be back into the hands of responsible adults who appreciate its historical significance. And, if we are lucky, there will be new historical artifacts from the prison cells from which members of the Trump crowd were incarcerated. That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.