It’s said that every United States Senator looks in the mirror and sees a president looking back. Mark Kelly, the would-be astronaut and one-time Navy Captain, must have been taking a serious look in that mirror when he convinced himself it was smart politics to engage with half a dozen fellow House members to make a video admonishing active-duty military personnel to refrain from following illegal orders. Kelly no doubt perceived his former military role as justification to defend democracy, a democracy in Kelly’s mind under threat by an authoritarian president bent on using the awesome military power of the United States to achieve some nefarious purpose. The only trouble for Kelly is simply the absence of illegal orders to be disobeyed, and the blatantly seditious conduct of the video he so pridefully involved himself in making.

Mark Kelly, of all people, should know that orders are rigorously reviewed by military lawyers to identify and root out the very thing he’s in such a snit over. Additionally, there was not a single illegal order issued by the president of the United States that Kelly, or for that matter, any of the other bird-brain members of Congress could point to showing how democracy was being taken into the direct fire of an M2.50 Caliber Machine Gun. Presumably, Kelly’s angst purportedly stems from the callous manner in which the United States Navy has been engaged in blowing narco-terrorist fast boats out of the water, boats known to be carrying quantities of drugs capable of killing thousands of Americans. The faux-patriotic Senator from Arizona also seems to have forgotten that Donald Trump, as commander-in-chief, has and can exercise broad plenary power to protect and defend the American people. Perhaps Kelly feels he is untouchable, as do most members of the political establishment who embrace the toxic far left orthodoxy of Trump hatred. One thing, however, is for certain. Kelly, even though retired from active military duty, is still subject to (UCMJ), or the Uniform Code of Military Justice. His position as a United States Senator will not and should not exempt him from being held accountable from a full review and investigation by the Pentagon, with the possibility of being called back to active duty as well as face a court martial. Applicable offences in Kelly’s case focus on “actions intended to interfere with the loyalty, morale, and good order and discipline of the armed forces.”

The time has come to clip the wings of those who believe their future political fortune is tied to the cowardly denigration and questioning of a sitting president’s constitutionally lawful authority. Where was Mark Kelly and his ilk when Barack Obama was droning American citizens to death, or Joe Biden’s criminal abandonment of billions of dollars of military equipment and provisions after the disastrous withdrawal from Bagram airfield in Afghanistan? You guessed it, he was deaf and mute! Mark Kelly may have worn the uniform of the United States Navy but rank partisan politics has proven him to be a charlatan. His actions at attempting to undermine the command structure with his outrageous suggestion of presidential unlawful orders will hopefully result in the severest of repercussions for such irresponsible actions. When someone should clearly know better, making an example of their foolishness should also be seen as necessary for the defense of democracy.