Hegseth asks Pentagon to scour service members social media

[iliveonramen]

Weird, almost seems like a right wing cancel culture and this bit

The purge comes after Hegseth, his spokesperson and the secretaries of the army, navy and air force all warned service members to express only the correct political opinions about Kirk and his killing.

Would you call this...political correctness? My have the tables turned.

‘No idea what you’ve unleashed’: Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk’s widow, gives statement after husband’s shooting – follow live

Tyler Robinson, 22, expected to be charged on Tuesday; family friend contacted authorities after being told he had shot rightwing activist

www.theguardian.com

Pentagon to punish service members who mock Charlie Kirk's death on social media – report​

Pete Hegseth, the former Fox weekend anchor serving as Donald Trump’s defense secretary, has ordered Pentagon officials to scour social media for comments by service members that make light of Charlie Kirk’s death and punish anyone expressing dissident views, NBC News reports.

Several service members have been relieved of their jobs already, Pentagon officials told the broadcaster.

The purge comes after Hegseth, his spokesperson and the secretaries of the army, navy and air force all warned service members to express only the correct political opinions about Kirk and his killing.

The officials warned service members, and civilian employees of the Pentagon that “inappropriate comments” including “posts displaying contempt toward” Kirk, or comments that “celebrate or mock the assassination” would be “dealt with swiftly and decisively”.

The effort to root out dissidents in the ranks comes as online activists promised to get Kirk’s critics fired in a range of fields, including the military and academia.

 

[Callen]

This is not right and it certainly isn't American. Wake up Trumpers

 

[Isidore]

"Maximum lethality, not tepid legality. Violent effect, not politically correct." – Pete Hegseth, September 2025

 

[Nickyjo]

"Maximum lethality, not tepid legality. Violent effect, not politically correct." – Pete Hegseth, September 2025

Love it. Hey Pete, was it “tepid legality” that was on display in in Nuremberg after WWII? The Nazis had often displayed “maximum lethality.”

 

[Lycanthrope]

Straight up Orwellian bullshit.

 

[Jetboogieman]

Can't have ANYONE in the Military except the biggest beta cucks on planet Earth that bow down to the Orange Man.

People who think for themselves, need not apply.

 

[bythoughts]

This is absolutely bizarre censorship. The military has a lot of social media stuff to worry about - photos of classified stuff, postings about where people are posted, plans for attack, "fitness trackers" that reveal where their secret bases are in Africa ... lot to worry about. But subjecting soldiers to political purges ... how well did that work for the Soviets? Feels like there's a very Soviet regime in charge now. But they don't even give these soldiers a political officer to help them believe the right things - they just sucker punch and fire them?

But there IS an underlying goal here. They have AI prowling absolutely everything looking for enemies, and they are obviously on a short path to lording it over everyone. Maybe we should all shut up about Kennedy now, because a 50% reduction in the American population might still restore liberty to the U.S. Ya never know.

 

[anatta]

The officials warned service members, and civilian employees of the Pentagon that “inappropriate comments” including “posts displaying contempt toward” Kirk, or comments that “celebrate or mock the assassination” would be “dealt with swiftly and decisively”.

i imagine the Pentagon has rules for behavior. the fact this has to be listed as a no can do is amazing

 

[iliveonramen]

This is absolutely bizarre censorship. The military has a lot of social media stuff to worry about - photos of classified stuff, postings about where people are posted, plans for attack, "fitness trackers" that reveal where their secret bases are in Africa ... lot to worry about. But subjecting soldiers to political purges ... how well did that work for the Soviets? Feels like there's a very Soviet regime in charge now. But they don't even give these soldiers a political officer to help them believe the right things - they just sucker punch and fire them?

But there IS an underlying goal here. They have AI prowling absolutely everything looking for enemies, and they are obviously on a short path to lording it over everyone. Maybe we should all shut up about Kennedy now, because a 50% reduction in the American population might still restore liberty to the U.S. Ya never know.

It's a completely different level. For a group that constantly whined about cancel culture and political correctness, they've taken both to a level where the government is going after people for exercising their speech. Trump has also threatened universities for not targeting people for what they say on their social media account.

The righwing has shown their true colors, to them, speech was saying racists things, but if you dare to not show enough deference to a Youtuber, you're a bad person.

 

[Michael Cole]

"Maximum lethality, not tepid legality. Violent effect, not politically correct." – Pete Hegseth, September 2025

Maximum ABV, not legal BAC. Violent heaving effects, politically disgusting, correct.

 

[Grand Mal]

Weird, almost seems like a right wing cancel culture and this bit



Would you call this...political correctness? My have the tables turned.

‘No idea what you’ve unleashed’: Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk’s widow, gives statement after husband’s shooting – follow live

Tyler Robinson, 22, expected to be charged on Tuesday; family friend contacted authorities after being told he had shot rightwing activist

www.theguardian.com

It certainly is political correctness. The worst kind.

 

[multivita-man]

Well, to be candid, if you work for the feds and hold a clearance, which I assume military members do, it's common sense to watch what you post on social media. Better yet, just delete the apps with your names on it and go anon.

 

[Neue_Regel]

No sense in running from comments now. Stand strong.

 

[multivita-man]

No sense in running from comments now. Stand strong.

Uh, nah. Scrub that shit, and then stop posting. I would advise that regardless of administration or political leanings. It's a judgment issue.

 

[CLAX1911]

Weird, almost seems like a right wing cancel culture and this bit



Would you call this...political correctness? My have the tables turned.

‘No idea what you’ve unleashed’: Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk’s widow, gives statement after husband’s shooting – follow live

Tyler Robinson, 22, expected to be charged on Tuesday; family friend contacted authorities after being told he had shot rightwing activist

www.theguardian.com

The article you linked was about Tyler Robinson

 

[Neue_Regel]

Uh, nah. Scrub that shit, and then stop posting. I would advise that regardless of administration or political leanings. It's a judgment issue.

Anybody dumb enough to post as they do on social media deserves what they get. Common sense isn’t that common, I guess.

 

[iliveonramen]

The article you linked was about Tyler Robinson

It has various snippets of news blurbs about the shooting. I think it's like three or four boxes down with the Hegseth news that I clipped.

 

[CLAX1911]

It has various snippets of news blurbs about the shooting. I think it's like three or four boxes down with the Hegseth news that I clipped.

I saw something about Tyler Robertson and Erica Kirk. And it was really kind of interesting that part of this article referred to Charlie Kirk as far right so it's definitely biased

I'm so absolutely nothing in this link about Pete Hegseth

 

[iliveonramen]

i imagine the Pentagon has rules for behavior. the fact this has to be listed as a no can do is amazing

Kirk wasn't in government and he wasn't in the chain of command. You sign away most of your rights when you join, but this is extreme.

 

[Isidore]

I saw absolutely nothing in this link about Pete Hegseth

Link to Pentagon story entry:

‘No idea what you’ve unleashed’: Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk’s widow, gives statement after husband’s shooting – follow live

Tyler Robinson, 22, expected to be charged on Tuesday; family friend contacted authorities after being told he had shot rightwing activist

www.theguardian.com

@iliveonramen, you can use the 'Share' button on that site to link to a specific entry.

Difference in URLs...

Share link:

ht tps: //www .theguardian. com/us-news/live/2025/sep/12/charlie-kirk-shooter-suspect-latest-news-updates-donald-trump-utah?CMP=share_btn_url&page=with%3Ablock-68c48a778f086519d32711b2#block-68c48a778f086519d32711b2

Link from OP:

ht tps ://www .theguardian. com/us-news/live/2025/sep/12/charlie-kirk-shooter-suspect-latest-news-updates-donald-trump-utah

 

[iliveonramen]

I saw something about Tyler Robertson and Erica Kirk. And it was really kind of interesting that part of this article referred to Charlie Kirk as far right so it's definitely biased

I'm so absolutely nothing in this link about Pete Hegseth

‘No idea what you’ve unleashed’: Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk’s widow, gives statement after husband’s shooting – follow live

Tyler Robinson, 22, expected to be charged on Tuesday; family friend contacted authorities after being told he had shot rightwing activist

www.theguardian.com

 

[iliveonramen]

@iliveonramen, you can use the 'Share' button on that site to link to a specific entry.

Ty, I just figured that out like two seconds ago

 

[bythoughts]

Well, to be candid, if you work for the feds and hold a clearance, which I assume military members do, it's common sense to watch what you post on social media. Better yet, just delete the apps with your names on it and go anon.

You think the AI built into the phone of the next person at the water cooler isn't busy identifying your voice and logging everything it overhears of your comments? I mean, this level of technology is untenable with this level of disregard for human rights. It all will fall.

 

[Loulit01]

Pete Hegseth, the former Fox weekend anchor serving as Donald Trump’s defense secretary, has ordered Pentagon officials to scour social media for comments by service members that make light of Charlie Kirk’s death and punish anyone expressing dissident views, NBC News reports. Several service members have been relieved of their jobs already, Pentagon officials told the broadcaster.

The purge comes after Hegseth, his spokesperson and the secretaries of the army, navy and air force all warned service members to express only the correct political opinions about Kirk and his killing. The officials warned service members, and civilian employees of the Pentagon that “inappropriate comments” including “posts displaying contempt toward” Kirk, or comments that “celebrate or mock the assassination” would be “dealt with swiftly and decisively”.

‘No idea what you’ve unleashed’: Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk’s widow, gives statement after husband’s shooting – follow live

Tyler Robinson, 22, expected to be charged on Tuesday; family friend contacted authorities after being told he had shot rightwing activist

www.theguardian.com

There was of course no way of knowing whether you were being watched at any given moment. How often, or on what system, the Thought Police plugged in on any individual wire was guesswork. It was even conceivable that they watched everybody all the time. But at any rate they could plug in your wire whenever they wanted to. You had to live-did live, from habit that became instinct-in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every movement scrutinized.

The thought police would get him just the same. He had committed – would have committed, even if he had never set pen to paper – the essential crime that contained all others in itself. Thoughtcrime, they called it. Thoughtcrime was not a thing that could be concealed forever. You might dodge successfully for a while, even for years, but sooner or later they were bound to get you.
George Orwell

Campuses that were once havens of free speech are now patrolled and regulated by thought police. Intellectual dishonesty has become a job requirement for university administrators.
Michael Barone

We live in oppressive times. We have, as a nation, become our own thought police; but instead of calling the process by which we limit our expression of dissent and wonder ‘censorship,’ we call it ‘concern for commercial viability.
David Mamet

There must be renewed recognition that societies are kept stable and healthy by reform, not by thought police; this means there must be free play for so-called subversive ideas - every idea subverts the old to make way for the new. To shut off subversion is to shut off peaceful progress and to invite revolution and war.
I. F. Stone

 

[CLAX1911]

‘No idea what you’ve unleashed’: Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk’s widow, gives statement after husband’s shooting – follow live

Tyler Robinson, 22, expected to be charged on Tuesday; family friend contacted authorities after being told he had shot rightwing activist

www.theguardian.com

Sean Parnell is right.