President Donald Trump has ordered the Pentagon to start preparing for a military parade to be held on Veteran’s Day, which would be the United States’ first since the end of the Gulf War in 1991, according to a Feb. 6 Washington Post article. While the president and his advisors claim a parade would inspire pride in the armed forces and display the military’s might, detractors suggest that a parade would call to mind totalitarian regimes like North Korea and the Soviet Union. Do you think a military parade in 2018 is a worthwhile endeavor?

Mara Khayter  ’19

I don’t think the funding dedicated to this kind of program is necessary in the slightest. However, within the context of America’s history and our unending militarism, it's not entirely uncalled for, especially in the rest of the world’s eyes. I don’t think it matters whether it’s worthwhile, because it’s not within my power to understand the reasoning behind the actions of the president and his advisors. However, I’m able to make the assumption that the concept itself came from the continuation of the brand of patriotism President Trump espoused during his campaigns. It’s, perhaps, his way of stepping up to a nonexistent plate for which North Korea has been waiting, and his way of establishing “continuity” in his presidency that critics tend to paint him as disrupting. I think the action itself describes the reactionary nature of the U.S. government, usually based on publicized criticisms.
Mara Khayter ’19 is a cartoonist for the Justice.

Miriam Krugman ’20

Flaunting military capability is quite unnecessary, especially in the case of the United States. Over $600 billion of our budget goes toward military expenses, and therefore there is no need to show off our tanks and soldiers when the entire world knows the atrocities we are capable of incurring. The fact that our government spends this much money on the military is very unsettling to me. I have always been an anti-war advocate in the cases where war is preventable, which includes many wars we have been involved in. Holding a military parade, as Trump has ordered, is not only un-American, but it is also a possibly dangerous move as it may spark conflict with countries we are currently at odds with. I see Trump’s desire to hold a military parade as a manifestation of his toxic masculinity, as well as his immaturity and insecurity as a leader.
Miriam Krugman ’20 is vice president of Brandeis Democrats. 

Lilly Hecht ’18 

Under the bombast of this transparently propagandistic, wool-over-America’s-eyes military parade idea lies at best negligible merit. What have we, truly, to gain via decadent displays of our militaristic pride? Have we suddenly money to spare on peacocking our power, or do we still face the same socio-economic predicaments the Trump administration so deftly criticizes while exacerbating? How will international relations benefit from displaying our bullying prowess when we're already perceived worldwide as a threatening menace? What does our hostile domestic socio-political climate stand to gain from the inherent antagonism of military bolstering, when we could just as easily foster benevolence and trust? What kind of message does our president send by disparaging our veterans (remember his attitude toward the Khans, John McCain, the Johnsons, and his own draft evasion) while parading their achievements on our behalf? The potential harm of this parade far outweighs the maximum benefit that this doublethink, self-indulging exhibition could afford our country.
Lilly Hecht ’18 is a Legal Studies Undergraduate Departmental Representative and an associate justice on the Student Union Judiciary.

Lizzie Grossman ’18

While I do believe that those who fight for our country are very dedicated to our country and do deserve to be honored, I am not sure that a military parade is the best way to go about celebrating them. Having armed forces marching with weapons seems to send the wrong message — it seems almost like they are trying to threaten other countries or telling them to back off, rather than simply celebrating the work they do for America. If a parade were going to be held, I do not think that armed forces should be marching in their uniforms and with weapons. It would make more sense to have a parade in which they march as everyday Americans, reminding our country of the work they do while also reminding the country that they are Americans with everyday lives. Marching with weapons just seems to be a way of asking for more conflict and sending threats to those who may be opposed to the U.S. military.
Lizzie Grossman ’18 is an associate editor for the Justice.