A Country That Confuses Justice With a Mood Swing
Every now and then, this country tests whether the roof beams of the republic can handle one more weight they were never designed to carry. November 2025 delivered exactly that kind of structural stress test.
Senator Mark Kelly — astronaut, veteran, man who has seen the planet from a vantage point usually reserved for gods and weather balloons — reminded active-duty service members that they are required to refuse illegal orders.
That isn’t rebellion.
That’s U.S. Military Ethics 101, laminated and stapled into every training manual from Parris Island to the National Guard armories where I learned Drill and Ceremonies.
Kelly (and the other Members of Congress in the video) were exactly right when they said soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines (and spacemen?) have a duty to question illegal orders. It is instructive, I think, that while the Enlistment Oath includes a promise to obey orders, the Officer’s Oath pointedly does not.
Then Donald Trump opened his mouth on Truth Social and the nation promptly remembered why antacids exist.
“Seditious,” he said.
“Punishable by DEATH,” he added — the way a man might add a side of fries.
And right on cue, the Pentagon launched a “review” of Kelly under military law, because nothing says “civilian oversight” like reactivating a Senator’s commission whenever it becomes politically convenient.
So yes — we’ve entered the portion of the American experiment where a civics reminder gets treated like a firing squad audition.
What Happened: A Timeline for People Who Like Their News With Guardrails
Nov 18 — Kelly posts the video reminding troops to disobey illegal orders.
That’s not sedition.
That’s the Law of War briefing in a nutshell.
It has been nearly 40 years since my first UCMJ lecture, but there are a few things I remember very clearly:
“Your oath is to the Constitution, not a man.”
So when the Cheeto Bandito throws a tantrum because you questioned his status as Generalissimo, that’s all it is: a tantrum.
Nov 20 — Trump declares Kelly’s message “seditious” and muses about the death penalty.
Every authoritarian starts this way — treating loyalty to the Constitution as betrayal of the leader.
Nov 21–24 — Pentagon announces a review under the UCMJ because Kelly is technically a naval officer.
Except he’s a sitting Senator, and active officers can’t serve in the Legislative Branch.
They cannot just reactivate him. At least not simply.
This is the kind of legal technicality you only dust off when someone powerful wants a headline.
If the military wanted to apply this rule consistently, half the retired brass who go on cable news would be lined up for inspection.
Nov 25 — Kelly responds calmly, saying he’s unafraid and will continue defending the Constitution.
That’s the quiet confidence of a man who knows his oath (and the law) better than some folks know their passwords.
The Constitution is supposed to outlast presidents, tempers, and social media posts — especially the dangerous ones.
Historical Echoes: Because America Rarely Invents New Mistakes
- Billy Mitchell (1925) — Court-martialed for criticizing military leadership. History later apologized by naming half the Air Force after him.
- Nuremberg Principles — The world agreed that “I was just following orders” is not a moral refuge; it’s an indictment.
- No modern precedent — Investigating a sitting Senator for reminding troops of their legal duty is a first. Not the good kind of first — more like “first raccoon to chew through the electrical wiring” kind of first.
Final Thoughts from the Porch Swing of Democracy
You can tell a lot about a country by who it chooses to call a traitor. And lately, America seems deeply confused about the difference between:
- Defiance of unlawful authority, and
- Loyalty to the Constitution
— which, for the record, is the only loyalty a uniform requires.
When a leader demands obedience above law, ethics, or reality itself, that’s not patriotism.
That’s a middle-management coup with delusions of Rome.
The Cult of Brighter Days may be a joke that isn’t a joke, but our filing cabinets are dead serious about this:
If we start threatening death for constitutional reminders, we aren’t debating politics anymore.
We’re auditioning for history’s list of cautionary tales.
