By Shawn Fleetwood | The Federalist
America’s regime-approved media are attacking Missouri GOP Sen. Eric Schmitt for attempting to stop leftist racism from corrupting the U.S. military.
In a seemingly coordinated campaign, several left-wing outlets have published articles in recent weeks smearing Schmitt for holding up the promotion of Air Force Col. Benjamin Jonsson over Jonsson’s embrace of neo-Marxist ideology.
Promoted by President Biden to brigadier general last year, Jonsson penned an article in the Air Force Times weeks after George Floyd’s death lamenting white airmen who don’t go along with leftist talking points about “racial injustice” in the U.S. armed forces.
Colonel Attacks White Soldiers For Their Race
In his lengthy diatribe directed at white service members, Jonsson claimed, “As white colonels, you and I are the biggest barriers to change if we do not personally address racial injustice in our Air Force” and that “[d]efensiveness is a predictable response by white people to any discussion of racial injustice.”
“White colonels are no exception,” Jonsson wrote. “We are largely blind to institutional racism, and we take offense to any suggestion that our system advantaged us at the expense of others.”
After criticizing a fellow airman for suggesting that anyone who joins the service needs to, as Jonsson described, “adopt the culture of the Air Force [and] that [the branch] should not make cultural accommodations,” the Air Force colonel recommended his colleagues craft a “game plan” to break so-called “invisible barriers” in the military by reading Robin DiAngelo’s White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism, a book that promotes divisive and Marxist critical race theory (CRT).
Jonsson also reportedly served as vice superintendent at the Air Force Academy while the institution forced so-called “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) ideology on cadets.
An Air Force veteran officer who worked under Jonsson told The Daily Signal in December: “When Biden was elected, [Jonsson] said elatedly in a meeting with all squadron commanders, ‘Now we can start doing diversity training again.’” The veteran also claimed Jonsson “forced the COVID vaccine and masking harder than any other commander [he is] aware of.”
Jonsson’s promotion was originally halted due to Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s 10-month hold on Biden’s military nominees. The Alabama Republican used this procedural maneuver to protest the Pentagon’s unlawful abortion policy, generating dishonest smears from Biden officials and their legacy media allies.
While Tuberville was all but forced to abandon most of his holds in December due to the fecklessness of his Senate GOP colleagues, Schmitt moved to block Jonsson’s promotion later that month, citing the need to expunge neo-Marxist orthodoxy from U.S. military service.
“It is long past time to root out divisive DEI policies and their advocates from our apolitical military,” Schmitt said in a statement. “Leaders must emphasize unity of mission and purpose, not our immutable differences, if we are to maintain our military as the greatest meritocracy in the world.”
Jonsson’s promotion will expire by May 1 if the Senate does not confirm him by then, according to The Washington Post.
Media Rushes to Defend DEI Racism
With Tuberville’s protest mostly finished, corporate media “journalists” are now directing their fire at Schmitt in an effort to secure Jonsson’s promotion. On March 7, the Post’s Joe Davidson penned an article titled, “A colonel promoted diversity. So a GOP senator is blocking his promotion,” in which he attempted to claim Schmitt’s hold stems from opposition to the existence of racial differences rather than the neo-Marxist “diversity” ideology Jonsson espouses.
“Once upon a time in another America, many considered diversity, equity and inclusion fundamental national values, at least nominally,” Davidson wrote in condescending fashion. “Now those notions are so reviled in much of America that one senator is threatening the promotion of a highly qualified and praised Air Force officer.”
Davidson also highlighted complementary remarks from Jonsson’s former colleagues, an obvious attempt to whitewash his record of promoting DEI racism.
The Military Times’ Nikki Wentling authored a glowing profile of Jonsson on Tuesday, in which she fear-mongered about the “precedent” Schmitt’s hold could have on military promotions moving forward. Wentling — who reports on “disinformation” and “extremism” for the Times — also appeared to downplay Jonsson’s embrace of racialist politics by citing like-minded officers.
One claimed the colonel’s 2020 Air Force Times article was “very much in the same tone and tenor” as what some “senior leaders were saying publicly.” In other words, these officials were arguing that Jonsson’s infatuation with leftist orthodoxy is OK because other senior members fully agree with his embrace of anti-white racism.
Military.com’s Rebecca Kheel also fawned over Jonsson and dismissed criticisms from “conservative media and advocacy groups” in a recent piece.
Leftists ‘Reimagine’ America’s Military
While Jonsson is hardly the only Biden military nominee with a history of championing DEI and affiliated anti-American ideologies, the media-driven effort to get him confirmed encapsulates leftists’ desire to remake the U.S. armed forces in their image.
Since assuming office, Biden and his administration have regularly advanced neo-Marxist policies throughout military ranks. From employing an enlisted drag queen to boost online recruitment for the Navy to hosting LGBT “pride” month events at military bases, the Pentagon’s current leadership has made identity politics a significant focus of its internal governing system, while failing to provide basic necessities to soldiers.
Given these factors, Biden’s failed leadership, and U.S. military failures abroad for decades, it’s not surprising the U.S. military is facing a major recruiting crisis — particularly among white Americans.
Remaking the military into a left-wing social experiment is a dangerous move that threatens U.S. national security and America’s ability to protect its interests throughout the world.
Instead of acknowledging these consequences, America’s corrupt media would rather aim their fire at conservatives trying to prevent them from happening.
Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood
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