Please accept this Special Edition with an open mind………..

When Spectacle Turns Into Bullying — And Governing Stops

Three stages. Same show.

Act I: The United Nations — public shaming as foreign policy.
At UNGA, the president swung at allies and institutions, boasting and berating in equal measure. He told world leaders their countries are “going to hell,” pushed to narrow asylum protection, and framed migration and climate cooperation as weakness. That’s not negotiation—it’s humiliation-as-strategy, meant to cow rather than persuade. European officials read it as exactly that. (Reuters)

Act II: Quantico — bullying the chain of command.
Nearly 800 generals and admirals were summoned to hear a “warrior ethos” sermon that devolved into body-shaming, loyalty tests, and threats. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth mocked “fat generals” and “beardos,” told dissenters to resign, and vowed to kill DEI; the president followed with talk of a “war from within” and floated U.S. cities as military “training grounds.” The room stayed disciplined. The tactics—ridicule, public threats, forced conformity—are classic bully moves, not standards-based leadership. (Reuters)

And here’s the quiet part out loud: ending shaving waivers isn’t just “tidy grooming.” Pseudofolliculitis barbae disproportionately affects Black men. Tighten waivers + scrap DEI, and you send a message about who belongs. That’s exclusion by policy design. (Stars and Stripes)

Act III: Shutdown theater — the bully’s favorite hostage.
While the cameras roll, Washington did the thing it does when adults leave the room: a shutdown. Republicans set the stage; Democrats chose cliff over bridge. Different plays, same outcome: furloughs, strained airports, paused services, reputational damage. Everyone owns a piece of this one. Bullying doesn’t solve budgets; it just takes the public hostage. (Reuters)

Call the behavior what it is

• Public ridicule (body/appearance slams) to assert dominance.

• Loyalty tests and threats (“resign,” “fire on the spot”) instead of standards and due process.

• Scapegoating institutions and minorities to avoid accountability.

• Spectacle over substance—performing strength while eroding trust and readiness. (Reuters)

This isn’t strength. It’s control theater. Real strength is calm, lawful, and focused on outcomes—alliances kept, troops ready, government funded.

What competent leaders do instead

1) Lead standards, not vendettas.
Fitness, grooming, readiness—fine. Make the standards mission-linked, apply them fairly, and publish the data. Don’t use the podium to humiliate your own generals. (The Washington Post)

2) Treat inclusion as combat power.
Retention across demographics is a readiness metric. If a policy predictably pushes out a protected group, it’s a risk, not a virtue. Measure it like one. (Military Times)

3) Negotiate like adults.
Fund the government on time. Use regular order. Stop governing by cliff and camera hit. (Reuters)

What we—you and I—can do this week

• Inside institutions: Document coercive or unlawful directives; elevate through proper channels. Protect apolitical norms. Quiet courage counts. (The Washington Post)

• In public: Call your reps for a clean, time-bound funding fix and a path to full appropriations. No more hostage politics. (Reuters)

• At the ballot and in donations: Reward competence; starve performers of attention and money.

Bottom line

I am all in for Authenticity. Unfortunately, Mr. Trump and Mr. Hegseth displayed their authenticity (again!). What I cannot accept is outright hostility, bullying, and disrespect for military leadership, our global leaders and partners, and human beings in general. The arrogance, ego, and inaccuracies are staggering.

Bullies mistake volume for power.

Leaders earn trust, build capability, and leave people stronger. United Nations, Quantico, the shutdown—same diagnosis:

Performance has devoured governance.

Time to flip the script.

We are in this together, Jim