Interview with Jim Mattis

| February 2, 2022


General Jim “Chaos” Mattis, USMC (Ret)

“The first time you blow someone away is not an insignificant event. That said, there are some assholes in the world that just need to be shot.”

“I come in peace. I didn’t bring artillery. But I’m pleading with you, with tears in my eyes: If you fuck with me, I’ll kill you all.”

“Find the enemy that wants to end this experiment (in American democracy) and kill every one of them until they’re so sick of the killing that they leave us and our freedoms intact.”

“Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet.”

Slowly catching up on my emails. LC sends us this interview with Chaos, his actual, enviable call sign. The interview is conducted by Max Raskin, and should be of interest to the three or four of our readers who are students of military history.

Here ‘tis: Interview With Chaos

Thanks, LC.

Category: Guest Link, Marine Corps

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Graybeard

Wonder if he talks about Trump?

I was disappointed that those two didn’t get along.

Anonymous

Concur. As Terminal Lance joyously anticipated:
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2banana

The good General is corrupt to the bone horse’s #ss.

Board of Directors member of Theranos pushing rumors of yuge military contract while pocketing millions.

George V

That’s a good read – particularly the end where he describes just what he did to earn the name CHAOS. I won’t spoil it for you – read it through to the end (or just read the end, I guess!) Too bad we don’t have more generals like him.

bruce kendall

Ceaser’s nickname was “curly”…given by the legions

USAFRetired

There’s an old saying that one measure of a person’s intelligence is how much they agree with you.

I never had the privilege of meeting General Mattis, but he’s a damn genius and a lot more tactful then I am.

Veritas Omnia Vincit

One of several key takeaways for me from the interview was the idea he always understood he wasn’t the most knowledgeable at everything he was responsible for so he kept some people around who would not only cover those areas of weakness but who were empowered to offer constructive dissent to assumptions made in a vacuum.

That is the one area on the civilian private sector I’ve found consistently with successful companies and successful business leaders…trust the right people and leave them empowered to offer constructive dissent. Flexibility in action and thought requires a purposeful mindset to recognize that those you placed in positions of trust need to be trusted when they offer that dissent in an area where the leader’s own skill set doesn’t match up.

Not hard to see why his troops enjoyed working with him in that sort of environment.

KoB

Only three (3) or four (4) that are students of military history? I’d have thought there was at least six (6) maybe nine (9) here.

I guess that Mattis and Trump didn’t get along because they were both Type A Personalities and clashed because of that? Or maybe, each had a trusted staff person that didn’t like the other and poisoned the well, so to speak. Pity. I honestly think that both gentlemen had the best interests of America at heart. Trump seemed to be a bit too trusting and Mattis made you earn his trust.

“…one of the most capable generals of the war, Robert E. Lee.”

Graybeard

I think someone was counting like these were (R) votes and they were (D)…/s

It wouldn’t be the first time an underling put a monkey wrench in the works, but it is a pity. But I think both Trump and CHAOS are too much the gentlemen to air any dirty laundry.

Quartermaster

He was not loyal to Trump, and it showed.

KoB

Yeah, Roger all that QM. Henceforth my wording of the comment. “Specially the pity part. Again, both seemed to try and put America FIRST. Was Mattis still loyal to oblowme? Look how many good officers were cut loose during those years. Was Mattis pushed into that position to be a foil or a burr under Trump’s saddle? IIRC, Trump was led to Mattis by other’s recommendations. Love or hate Trump, he did try to make a spirited attempt to do what he thought was best for our country…and fulfill his campaign promises. Trump’s biggest mistakes were not locking up Hiterly and not kicking over the anthill we know to be the District of Corruption. Love or hate Mattis, at one point in time he seemed to be a Warrior and looked after the troops. Did he turn from being a warrior to a politician?

Another pity at this point in time is we don’t seem to have any true leaders or statesmen(persons?) on a National Level.

Anonymous

And let’s not forget:

Slow Joe

Please.
The guys was a GEN, a political office.
What did you expect?

He learned rule number one of American politics long ago:
Ignore Republitards, never cross DemocRats.

The Stupid Party remains hellbent in losing to the Rats every single election cycle.

xyzzy

Mattis for President 2024!

Slow Joe

I am sure would run on the Democrat ticket.

Trent

Not in a million years would I vote for him. I have friends who served under him in the 90s and 00s. He’s not that guy anymore.

Roh-Dog

Normally I don’t like to disabuse this group of their laudations in regards military members, as that focus is of winning which is binary in it’s outcomes, yet…. here we are.

Get this bastard’s C*CK out your mouth. Typically malinvestments are kept to a small feed back loop, with government appropriation being the hub and the bald theft being so far from the origin that the relation becomes an estranged one. But once and awhile, even THIS PROFESSIONAL GROUP OF THIEVES FUCKS UP SO BAD, WE get the ‘right’ to know (kinda like the F35 debacle).

Enter Theranos

Theranos Board scum copy.jpg