I love how this got zero coverage in my news space out in the UK. That's how pathetic it was.

I got to tell a friend who is a member of a party on the very left, that the parade was sponsored by cryptobros from Coinbase, I will forever cherrish that memory

Top one is DPRK, just FYI, but your joke is still funny. Thank you.

It was all already so sad and pathetic, and then came the cherry

Don't worry. I'm sure the US government will offer the Trump Organization a no-bid contract to fix those roads right up.

I'm sure the roads were still proper fucked by the end of it. And I fully expect to see Congressional hearings over why the DC city government allowed potholes to get this bad.

Surely the us military can march better

Soldiers are generally very reluctant about being part of a parade. To put it mildly. That's even true for nations where they're common so in a country where people signed up assuming they'll never have to perform for dear leader the result looks like this.

Remember the time Trump walked onto Air Force 1 with toilet paper stuck to his shoe?

The people who take orders directly from him despise him. The Army has plenty of crack units that could put on a great display; the folks in charge put on the weakest show they could.

This looks like malicious compliance to me.

They were probably given a list of things that the parade had to have and they went down the list. Marching in formation (doesn't say in step anywhere), check. Tanks (from 1980), check. Soldiers with drones (from Best Buy), check. Music, check.

So, poorly executed, yes. Honestly, they're not really great at marching, nor should they be. Outside of ceremonial units like Honor Guard, the US military sucks at marching. It's not a bad thing. Marching isn't relevant to combat anymore, so competent militaries don't invest much in it. Most world leaders know this and don't lean hard on parades for propaganda if they have an effective military, or if not, they at least spend an absurd amount of resources training soldiers to perform well enough to impress the public. What we're seeing here is the head of an organization fundamentally ignorant of the goals and methods of a modern military, and also too inexperienced to know how to put on a good show as an alternative. Yes, marching bands get more practice marching and have higher standards for marching than most of the US military. That's the way it should be. The problem here is that this guy doesn't know what militaries are for, how to use them, or even how to put on a decent show.

They could be. But then they would be a dictator’s military - all about looks and shitty at everything else. The kind that gets conscripted to be thrown at enemy combatants as cannon fodder to die for the glory of their leader. The US military is a logistical fighting force, that’s what they’re good at. Not dressing up and goose-stepping polished and pretty for nationalistic display.

Generally, yes. And only the reeeally shitty ones do it for their birthday.

only shitty competent leaders organise a military parade.

this one was so bad i got second hand embarrassment

Would disagree, authoritarian ones does

The No Kings March in many individual cities outnumbered the crowd at the birthday boy's battledress burlesque; you're correct.

Alliteration artfully amplifies amusement and adds alluring appeal.