For weeks, President Trump has threatened to destroy civilian infrastructure in Iran as retribution for the Iranian government’s refusal to open the Strait of Hormuz.
This issue is at the heart of the No Kings protests. Just because Trump, a tyrant, yells and beats his chest doesn't mean the laws don't or shouldn't apply. America is bigger than one man or one office.
The U.S. violated international law in its invasion of Iraq based on a lie. Trump is more overt about it and does not employ fig leaves. In the domestic realm, he violates the Constitution on a daily basis by accepting foreign and domestic emoluments, by usurping the power of the purse - moving money out of appropriated categories to where he wants it. His DOGE team violated every privacy law. The Republican Congress tolerates and even encourages this behavior, and the Supreme Court delays ruling on the vast majority of his illegal and unconstitutional acts. But Trump may have overplayed his hand with the historically unpopular Iran invasion.
Against the law means nothing to mobsters. That's their brutish MO. Against the "Ma", any notion of the divine feminine, 45's poor mother went insane and was sent away?
Before Trump began rage posting his way into genocide charges the Strait was open & gas was 40% less.
As Jamelle Bouie put it recently “Forcing others to submit through the indiscriminate use of force does not really sound like war. That does sound like something else. It sounds like rape.” He concluded that the ideology of Trump and Hegseth is “the ideology of the rapist.”
Resist MAGA gangster grifter authoritarianism! Vote Sane. #VoteBlue!
If I had to guess this is one of the reasons Hegseth fired the Army Chief of Staff a few days ago. He is probably a man of principle and honor and pushed back on this strategy. Hegseth being bereft of both characteristics, was offended and fired him.
This military is not full of bloodthirsty killers and they were probably relieved Taco didn't follow through. As a veteran I am pissed off that this administration is putting our military in this position where they have to consider the legality of the order.
Mike, I'm a pissed off veteran too. We're not alone. You're right when you say that the military is not full of bloodthirsty killers and they were probably relieved Taco didn't follow through. The vast majority of servicemembers are people of principal and honor. What "support our troops" means to me thes days is support servicemembers who refuse to follow illegal orders.
I'm pissed that the commander in chief is a convicted felon without a moral compass who dodged the draft. I'm pissed that the secretary of war is a Christian jihadist whose nomination for the post should never have been confirmed. I'm pissed that their self-serving lunacy has caused needless misery and bloodshed. And I'm pissed that they're not both making little rocks out of big rocks at Leavenworth.
Katy, I was out walking the dog after I wrote my rant when it occurred to me that there was something else that pissed me off: That even one cent of the taxes I pay are spent on Trump's and Hegseth's illegal and immoral military misadventures.
I was an officer in the Air Force. I can't imagine what it would be like to serve under the current regime. My heart and my thoughts are with you and your father, and the rest of your family.
Yes, our tax dollars are killing young children at their school desks. That is what Twump and Hogsbreath have done to us: made all of us culpable in their murder sprees. But I did not vote for this, I did not pay for this, I want my money back and I want my country back.
So, looking back, a lot of WWII was a giant war crime - think fire bombings of Dresden, Tokyo etc. not to mention the atomic mass killings of Hiroshima & Nagasaki
The difference is Trump's war is a war of choice, for no reason, without an existential threat to the U.S.
Yes, WWII was replete with war crimes on both sides. But the victors sought to establish the UN and enact international laws of warfare to avoid repeating these atrocities. This is all the more critical in view of the potential to destroy all of human civilization in a full-scale nuclear war. One reason that the scheme is falling apart is that the UN Security Council gives the US and the other 4 members disproportionate power. Huge countries like India, Indonesia, Brazil, Nigeria are treated the same as Vanuatu. Africa and Latin America have disproportionately little power.
Senator Mark Kelly is among the greatest of heroes because he's dedicated to protecting and defending the Constitution, and the rule of law. President Donald Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth are among the lowest of villains because they're dedicated to protecting and defending themselves, and placing themselves above the rule of law.
It is so clear that this man has so much wrong in him. He is amoral and so does and threatens things normal people know are immoral. Do we understand that if 100% of the people in the US aren't against his insane posts and orders that there is something wrong in the country? Too many people self-impretzeling (nod to Sarcastic Prophet) in order to hold their cognitive dissonance at bay.
Todays fairytale: Once upon a time there was a little boy who yelled Fire! in a theater. He was bored. He saw with glee the chaos he caused. But the resulting stampede caused injury. How could he know what would happen? asked his babysitter, BB Gunn. He’s only seven. But someone must be held responsible for this horrible crime! yelled many in the town, so they punished the two ushers who failed to open the doors in time. Two weeks later, it happened again, this time in a school. This time, children died, and again, much of the town demanded accountability for the crime. But he didn’t mean it, testified his friend Em B. Ess. Two female teachers lost their job. (They weren’t very good at their jobs anyway). Two weeks later, he walked into a grocery store and opened his mouth to yell, but nothing came out. Terror ensued. And then he left. Planning is hard, but chaos is easy. The End
I would agree that "just following orders" is not a defense. However, the regime of Bush Junior allowed this defense in the torturing of prisoners for years. Hard to change course at this point.
If military members "obey" an illegal order they are headed down a path we witnessed at Nuremberg. Just one more example of anyone who gets caught up in the Trump - I do not give a damn, I am going to do whatever the hell I want and I dare anyone to stop me and if you do not like it tough sh*t - stop me, I dare you.........
This issue is at the heart of the No Kings protests. Just because Trump, a tyrant, yells and beats his chest doesn't mean the laws don't or shouldn't apply. America is bigger than one man or one office.
The U.S. violated international law in its invasion of Iraq based on a lie. Trump is more overt about it and does not employ fig leaves. In the domestic realm, he violates the Constitution on a daily basis by accepting foreign and domestic emoluments, by usurping the power of the purse - moving money out of appropriated categories to where he wants it. His DOGE team violated every privacy law. The Republican Congress tolerates and even encourages this behavior, and the Supreme Court delays ruling on the vast majority of his illegal and unconstitutional acts. But Trump may have overplayed his hand with the historically unpopular Iran invasion.
Against the law means nothing to mobsters. That's their brutish MO. Against the "Ma", any notion of the divine feminine, 45's poor mother went insane and was sent away?
Before Trump began rage posting his way into genocide charges the Strait was open & gas was 40% less.
As Jamelle Bouie put it recently “Forcing others to submit through the indiscriminate use of force does not really sound like war. That does sound like something else. It sounds like rape.” He concluded that the ideology of Trump and Hegseth is “the ideology of the rapist.”
Resist MAGA gangster grifter authoritarianism! Vote Sane. #VoteBlue!
Huh, funny how they've both been plausibly accused of rape. Quite a coincidence
Vote Sane. #VoteBlue!
If I had to guess this is one of the reasons Hegseth fired the Army Chief of Staff a few days ago. He is probably a man of principle and honor and pushed back on this strategy. Hegseth being bereft of both characteristics, was offended and fired him.
This military is not full of bloodthirsty killers and they were probably relieved Taco didn't follow through. As a veteran I am pissed off that this administration is putting our military in this position where they have to consider the legality of the order.
Mike, I'm a pissed off veteran too. We're not alone. You're right when you say that the military is not full of bloodthirsty killers and they were probably relieved Taco didn't follow through. The vast majority of servicemembers are people of principal and honor. What "support our troops" means to me thes days is support servicemembers who refuse to follow illegal orders.
I'm pissed that the commander in chief is a convicted felon without a moral compass who dodged the draft. I'm pissed that the secretary of war is a Christian jihadist whose nomination for the post should never have been confirmed. I'm pissed that their self-serving lunacy has caused needless misery and bloodshed. And I'm pissed that they're not both making little rocks out of big rocks at Leavenworth.
Me too. Daughter of an USAF officer.
Katy, I was out walking the dog after I wrote my rant when it occurred to me that there was something else that pissed me off: That even one cent of the taxes I pay are spent on Trump's and Hegseth's illegal and immoral military misadventures.
I was an officer in the Air Force. I can't imagine what it would be like to serve under the current regime. My heart and my thoughts are with you and your father, and the rest of your family.
Yes, our tax dollars are killing young children at their school desks. That is what Twump and Hogsbreath have done to us: made all of us culpable in their murder sprees. But I did not vote for this, I did not pay for this, I want my money back and I want my country back.
So, looking back, a lot of WWII was a giant war crime - think fire bombings of Dresden, Tokyo etc. not to mention the atomic mass killings of Hiroshima & Nagasaki
The difference is Trump's war is a war of choice, for no reason, without an existential threat to the U.S.
Yes, WWII was replete with war crimes on both sides. But the victors sought to establish the UN and enact international laws of warfare to avoid repeating these atrocities. This is all the more critical in view of the potential to destroy all of human civilization in a full-scale nuclear war. One reason that the scheme is falling apart is that the UN Security Council gives the US and the other 4 members disproportionate power. Huge countries like India, Indonesia, Brazil, Nigeria are treated the same as Vanuatu. Africa and Latin America have disproportionately little power.
And mass extermination of over 6 million and ambition for more?
Judd, Thank You! I hope every military soldier sees this article.
Everyone has presented great points that will help guide them too! It’s wrong that the Congress enablers are not held accountable!
Senator Mark Kelly is among the greatest of heroes because he's dedicated to protecting and defending the Constitution, and the rule of law. President Donald Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth are among the lowest of villains because they're dedicated to protecting and defending themselves, and placing themselves above the rule of law.
It is so clear that this man has so much wrong in him. He is amoral and so does and threatens things normal people know are immoral. Do we understand that if 100% of the people in the US aren't against his insane posts and orders that there is something wrong in the country? Too many people self-impretzeling (nod to Sarcastic Prophet) in order to hold their cognitive dissonance at bay.
Todays fairytale: Once upon a time there was a little boy who yelled Fire! in a theater. He was bored. He saw with glee the chaos he caused. But the resulting stampede caused injury. How could he know what would happen? asked his babysitter, BB Gunn. He’s only seven. But someone must be held responsible for this horrible crime! yelled many in the town, so they punished the two ushers who failed to open the doors in time. Two weeks later, it happened again, this time in a school. This time, children died, and again, much of the town demanded accountability for the crime. But he didn’t mean it, testified his friend Em B. Ess. Two female teachers lost their job. (They weren’t very good at their jobs anyway). Two weeks later, he walked into a grocery store and opened his mouth to yell, but nothing came out. Terror ensued. And then he left. Planning is hard, but chaos is easy. The End
Blueprint for Justice: Nuremberg Trials Show How To Hold Trump Regime Accountable
https://thedemlabs.org/2026/01/18/blueprint-for-justice-nuremberg-trials-accountability-trump-regime/
Professor Timothy Snyder has given us a roadmap:
https://snyder.substack.com/p/the-president-speaks-genocide?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=2rctb
More voices should say what you’ve said. It’s the truth&it’s the law
25th NOW!! THIS IS A CRIMINAL REGIME!!
I would agree that "just following orders" is not a defense. However, the regime of Bush Junior allowed this defense in the torturing of prisoners for years. Hard to change course at this point.
If military members "obey" an illegal order they are headed down a path we witnessed at Nuremberg. Just one more example of anyone who gets caught up in the Trump - I do not give a damn, I am going to do whatever the hell I want and I dare anyone to stop me and if you do not like it tough sh*t - stop me, I dare you.........
Not "Secretary of War" please. Thank you!