Forget about the hefty brass. The Boomer Liberal associated with Ben & Jerry’s is looking to make some waves, albeit with a chainsaw.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth gained attention this Tuesday when he spoke about the supposed conflict between an overweight general and an admiral in the Pentagon. He’s issued a new order requiring all military personnel, no matter their rank, to pass two fitness tests a year. It seems he’s also tightening restrictions on personal grooming.
“It’s unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon. They lead the world. It’s a bad look, and it’s not who we are!” he declared.
The optics are interesting, but, I wonder, would leaner troops really translate into better fighters? It’s a valid question. After all, generals aren’t the ones on the front lines, and many military personnel spend their time at bases away from actual combat. Does one need to be at Navy SEAL-level fitness just to manage drone strikes?
On another note, Ben Cohen from Ben & Jerry’s has a slightly different perspective. He’s digging into what he sees as the rotten core of excessive waste and military spending that drains taxpayer dollars.
Cohen recently introduced his initiative, the Pentagon Overdue Ministry (DOPE) – a rather direct commentary on government inefficiency.
To make his point, he brought an electric chainsaw to the Capitol steps, spilling out a mock $1,882 bill engraved on a pentagon-shaped sign.
From what I see, the website accompanying this initiative highlights absurd examples of military waste—like a $1,300 coffee cup and a leather chair costing $9,341. Then there’s that staggering figure of $6.5 trillion that seemingly vanished, noted in a 2016 report due to messy accounting.
“Our mission is simple. Get your money back from the military industrial scam, as Eisenhower warned, and return it to the American people,” the site states. This amounts to around $300 billion annually, which could help families with housing, healthcare, and other essential needs.
This situation points more to systemic inefficiencies than to the fitness levels of individual generals. It’s not about a general who can’t manage a few push-ups; it’s about the cozy relationships between defense contractors and Congress that allow for rampant price gouging.
Defense contractors have no real checks to negotiate fair prices, and with taxpayer money flowing freely, they often charge exorbitant amounts to the Pentagon. A troubling cycle emerges, lining the pockets of executives while taxpayers foot the bill.
The Pentagon has failed its audits repeatedly—seven times, in fact. The latest round took place in November 2024. So while slimming down the brass is all well and good, if the administration were genuinely committed to reforming the Pentagon and tackling the waste, they wouldn’t be pushing a trillion-dollar military budget.
And, of course, it’s left to the Boomer hippie from Vermont to remind us about all this while also creating delicious ice cream.
