"It's treason, then!"

So, once again, America is thrown into the depths of Donald Trump’s fascism. (I know, I'm not a fan of the word, but I just don't know what else to call it.)

Earlier this week, a group of six Democratic lawmakers, all veterans of the military or intelligence community, released a video reminding service members and intelligence personnel that they should not follow illegal orders and that their oath is to the Constitution, not to any one man. 

I have to say, while I agree with their sentiment and intent, especially since we seem to be carrying out airstrikes on small boats off Latin America that the administration labels drug-smuggling vessels without presenting much in the way of public proof (and when did that become an executable offense, to be honest?), I did not agree with the way it was presented. They should have stressed that all servicepeople are trained about legal and illegal orders during basic training. They should have also stressed the importance of the chain of command, and that such refusals should only happen in the clearest of circumstances. Not all such situations are as easy to define as, say, the My Lai Massacre. To expect low-level enlisted and even officers to make distinctions that our legal eagles haven’t even clearly defined is problematic at best.

But draft-dodger Trump’s response is absolutely insane. To label what these lawmakers did as “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” and to amplify supporters calling to “HANG THEM” simply for reminding servicepeople of what they’re already taught during basic training is just about as fascist as you can get.

As always, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt lied over and over in her press conference, insisting that these Democrats told the military to disobey “lawful” orders. That is a flat-out lie, and one that the right-wing media is dutifully repeating. Even if I don’t 100% agree with the way the lawmakers presented their message, they stressed that they were talking about illegal orders. And of course, when reporters kept reminding Leavitt of the actual wording, she doubled down, then abruptly ended the conference and stormed off in a huff.

But the question is, why? If Trump is in the right, why, as always, do his rabid mouthpieces need to lie about it? If, as she insists, every order given by Trump is 100% legal, then what is the problem?

And even more importantly, why do we just accept that this is just another abnormal day in Trump's America?

TTFN

-Tony