Pete Hegseth's use of Canadian character Franklin the turtle in post about boat strikes prompts anger, mockery (www.cbc.ca)
from MicroWave@lemmy.world to world@lemmy.world on 02 Dec 2025 04:35
https://lemmy.world/post/39603952

Franklin the turtle is a Canadian creation beloved by generations of children, so when U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth turned him into a bazooka-wielding soldier in a social media post Sunday, many people were alarmed.

Hegseth’s post featured a mock cover of a Franklin children’s book titled “Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists.” The image shows a smiling Franklin wearing a military helmet and vest and an American flag on his arm. He’s standing in a helicopter, firing a weapon toward a boat carrying packages and a man holding a gun.

“For your Christmas wish list,” he wrote above the post, an apparent attempt to make light of deadly U.S. military strikes on suspected drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean.

#world

threaded - newest

random_character_a@lemmy.world on 02 Dec 2025 10:52 next collapse

Kinda underlines what kind of people the current cabinet is. “Fun” people from the TV that have a “wonderful” 4chan mentality to global politics.

kbobabob@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 02 Dec 2025 11:34 next collapse

And half of the US gobbles this up like Trump did to Bubba.

gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works on 02 Dec 2025 11:36 next collapse

“Big Beautiful Bill” means something rather different than what anybody expected

Tollana1234567@lemmy.today on 03 Dec 2025 09:07 collapse

blew a HORSE.

Tollana1234567@lemmy.today on 03 Dec 2025 09:07 collapse

trying to be edgy, with gen-z people.

BurntWits@sh.itjust.works on 02 Dec 2025 12:55 next collapse

Wait, that was real? I only saw the screenshot on Lemmy and assumed it was a shitpost.

VerilyFemme@lemmy.blahaj.zone on 02 Dec 2025 21:18 collapse

Oh, it was a shitpost. Directly from the DoD.

qarbone@lemmy.world on 02 Dec 2025 21:41 collapse

I’m just so tired…

[deleted] on 02 Dec 2025 23:58 collapse
.
FordBeeblebrox@lemmy.world on 03 Dec 2025 02:20 collapse

Quietly stacking courts and gerrymandering in Alabama or Oklahoma isn’t front page news, but will affect the lives of countless people in the future

Big bomb go boom distracts from the machinations. Anyone who still has a shred of respect for their oath of enlistment should put a round through Hegseths forehead as punishment for war crimes.

puppinstuff@lemmy.ca on 02 Dec 2025 13:41 next collapse

Every new low in casual cruelty sets back the date when America will be trusted on the world stage a decade further out. I’m confident I’ll be dead before an American leader would be held in the same regard as other leaders on the world stage.

My kid is growing up in this reality and distrust will be their generation’s default sentiment.

NotSteve_@piefed.ca on 02 Dec 2025 16:48 collapse

I don’t think the US will ever be trusted or respected again; they were already really pushing it before the last decade happened.

lechekaflan@lemmy.world on 03 Dec 2025 00:27 collapse

Coming end of an empire, setting up for collapse.

lechekaflan@lemmy.world on 03 Dec 2025 00:25 next collapse

Whatever, a fucking punchable face.

AlphaOmega@lemmy.world on 03 Dec 2025 01:07 next collapse

The next installment is “Franklin is brought up on war crimes”… put it on your Christmas list!

goldfndr@lemmy.ml on 03 Dec 2025 08:11 collapse

Hegseth got the US flags oriented such that Franklin appears to be retreating.