The left has a real problem with intersectionality and excusing American imperialism. Platner should have never had the support he did to begin with and it’s incredibly disheartening to see others on the left argue that he was going to be our Leftist Saviour when this is his past:

• He talks about ignoring US orders to stop firing explosive devices at Iraqi civilians. He brags about how his unit came up with a way to rig up their equipment so they could shoot grenades at them. I want to be clear the US military ordered them to stop shooting mortars in densely populated civilian areas because they were killing so many people.

• He brags about fighting to defend Abu ghraib against Iraqi freedom fighters that were trying to liberate the torture and rape facility

• He jokes about urinating on dead bodies in Afghanistan.

We can also examine some of his claims and opinions on social media.

• He talks about how he’s regretful he did not participate in the American Indian wars (the US conducted genocide against the indigenous population of the area nowadays referred to as the mainland United States) and the Haitian intervention.

• He talks about how to defeat Isis American needs to kill millions of people in the Middle East and that America should do it, even if it takes decades of killing.

I don’t believe for a second that this man had no idea what a totenkopf was. MAYBE when he first got it, but the years after? No way.