Can we stop normalizing the bizarre and childish rename of the us defense department?
tombert•45m ago
I find it amusing that Trump ran with the promise of "no new wars", and then immediately tries to change the Department of Defense to the Department of War.
I guess I shouldn't be surprised by a hollow promise from Trump at this point.
panarky•33m ago
I find it amusing that Franco ran with the promise of "justice for those with clean hands," and then immediately enacted the Law of Political Responsibilities to institutionalize the summary execution of tens of thousands of his political opponents.
I guess I shouldn't be surprised by a hollow promise from Franco at this point.
logicchains•4m ago
>I find it amusing that Franco ran with the promise of "justice for those with clean hands," and then immediately enacted the Law of Political Responsibilities to institutionalize the summary execution of tens of thousands of his political opponents.
Maybe they didn't have clean hands?
nnkk8•30m ago
why. unlike with the gulf of mexico, in this case they have full naming rights.
mslt•24m ago
Because they used millions of dollars of American citizens’ tax revenue to make a meaningless edgelord gesture, amongst a myriad of other reasons why it’s a bizarre and childish thing to do. Stopping there because this isn’t Reddit
Sniffnoy•24m ago
Ah, but who's "they"? Names of departments are determined by Congress, and Congress has not renamed the DoD. The executive branch does not normally determine the names of its own departments. If you imagine the American government to be a single coherent entity, one might say "they have full naming rights", but it isn't, and in this case, the part doing the rename isn't the part that properly has the power to do so!
knome•22m ago
no they don't. "department of war" is a "secondary title" of the DoD.
> why. unlike with the gulf of mexico, in this case they have full naming rights.
They actually don't. The official name is still the Department of Defense and only Congress can approve a real name change.
The Trump Executive Order just gives the department permission to use the Department of War name without actually changing the name of the department from the Department of Defense.
That said, despite being anti-Trump I'm fine with calling it the Department of War, it seems a lot more honest.
defrost•15m ago
His naming of the Bored of Peace was also foot forward and eerily prescient.
dragonwriter•19m ago
No, the President does not have “full naming rights” over entities defined and named in statute law. The President is bound to faithfully execute that law, but to change it (even if that change is merely to the name of a department or title of an officer specified within it) requires a bill to that effect to be passed by a majority of each house of Congress, which the President may then sign into law, effecting the change.
dijit•20m ago
I think its rather apt.
I welcome the de-1984-ification of governmental functions.
Its clear that Trump wants to be at war, with their interventions, so, why not?
mslt•14m ago
It’s fine that a secondary consequence is them showing their foolish hand; I’ll give you that, but this not normal and should not just be absorbed as though it’s normal and that’s just what we call it now
kubb•14m ago
Is there anything interesting in there? I skimmed and it seems like reporting on Twitter posts, and news about the 2 leading LLM providers that have been extensively covered on HN.
mslt•53m ago
tombert•45m ago
I guess I shouldn't be surprised by a hollow promise from Trump at this point.
panarky•33m ago
I guess I shouldn't be surprised by a hollow promise from Franco at this point.
logicchains•4m ago
Maybe they didn't have clean hands?
nnkk8•30m ago
mslt•24m ago
Sniffnoy•24m ago
knome•22m ago
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/09/rest...
only congress can change the name.
georgemcbay•21m ago
They actually don't. The official name is still the Department of Defense and only Congress can approve a real name change.
The Trump Executive Order just gives the department permission to use the Department of War name without actually changing the name of the department from the Department of Defense.
That said, despite being anti-Trump I'm fine with calling it the Department of War, it seems a lot more honest.
defrost•15m ago
dragonwriter•19m ago
dijit•20m ago
I welcome the de-1984-ification of governmental functions.
Its clear that Trump wants to be at war, with their interventions, so, why not?
mslt•14m ago