Yes – It is a Duty of All to Disobey the Illegal Orders of Tyrants
Let me be clear – there is lots I disagree with of those US Senators and Congress members that issued the “Public Service Announcement” with the perfectly legal advice that soldiers are not bound to follow illegal orders. There is tremendous question over this matter – with the summary execution of boat passengers and crews off of Latin America based upon AI profiling of the probability that certain kinds of boats in certain waters might be cartel related and thus subjected to summary execution – no evidence, no trial – just an order to commit summary executions. Those orders are in question and the UK has decided to control certain intelligence sharings with the US. Some congress members have been questioning the legality of those kills. A senior Admiral – commander of the Southern fleet actually resigned over the conduct of the operations and the escalation toward war with Venezuela.
Next there was the bizarre rants of Trump in Quantico where before the fully assembled staff of generals and admirals the deranged president ranted about practicing war games in our inner cities and about conducting warfare against an imagined enemy within – presumably referring to American citizens and residents on US soil. There is the National Secutity Presidential Memorandum 7 which attempts to proclaim that we should be added to a secret list of “domestic terrorists” if we dissent from MAGA on 10 specific topics. Attorney General Bondi has stated that those of us who AI categorizes as “domestic terrorists” secretly based upon a preposterous proclamation by psychopath Trump would be subjected to the same treatment as the cartel terrorism AI proclaimed by Trump and designated by AI are being handled – those summary executions off the coast of Latin America and the threat of wholesale warfare against all of Latin America.
One of the leaders of the PSA is Elissa Slotkin. She is pro-Israel and generally hawkish foreign policy wise. But to her credit lately she has been the most outspoken critic, one of the only in congress talking about NSPM-7. She has raised questions about the legality of the Latin American operation, the secret cartel list, the specious NSPM-7 and the use of troops domestically. This editor admits that I welcome that she has spoken up on these issues in spite of other misgivings I have with her stances.
The congress and senators have not said anything bold or illegal or civilly challenging to the injustices. They did say something that apparently has turned into a dangerous stance for them to have taken as the president has literally called for their murder, implicitly and explicitly. Of course this will touch off much grandstanding across the board in defense of their right to quote the consittution and uphold what it says about the right of soldiers to disobey an illegal order.
A soldier asserting to defy an order due to its being illegal will not necessarily result in protections for the soldier. They can and most likely will be brought up on charges. There have been a wide range of results from exoneration and protection to severe penalties for GIs that have attempted to uphold their rights to oppose an illegal order from a commanding officer. Asserting your right does not mean you will prevail legally with the assertion – you will likely be court martialed and your fate will be in hands of internal military justice mechanisms.
That said – I would echo the call of the senators and congress members.
Do not follow an illegal order.
To me I would have a much wider range as to what are illegal orders. Most of what the United States does on the international arena is illegal. That does not mean that an internal military court will decide in your favor. The US has no business invading Latin America, supporting genocide in Gaza or bullying the world for resources and strategic purposes. But a military court would likely decide against you for refusing an order based upon such illegality. Soldiers must weigh the risk and damages to themselves and others of carrying out the illegal order vs. the risk of legal, career, reputational harm for refusing the orders.
This editor’s message to Trump is back off!
You are shooting your mouth off – threatening people who are against fascism, who are opposed to your bloodshed on false pretenses, who oppose your intentional cruelty and totally derpraved indifference, your total lack of empathy, your celebration and relishing in killing human beings and your glib violation of human rights, your celebration of genocide and profit mongering. Your threats to one are being seen as threats to us all. You and your ilk might think you are brave standing behind armed and masked goons coked up on MAGA hatred but the people are turning and the military is not going to listen to your order to slaughter your own people – they are balking at your orders to kill in Latin America and on our own streets and we including a few senators and representatives are encouraging them to consider law over orders of a psyhcopathic tyrant.
To the troops: REFUSE ILLEGAL ORDERS
To NJ Legislators: Reject IHRA Encoding, Vote for Immigration Trust Act
