Military Leaders Speak Out: Politics and the Military Don't Mix

Some lawmakers with military backgrounds made a video. They told soldiers to ignore orders they think are wrong. They said the government is turning soldiers against regular people. They did not say which orders are wrong. The former president saw this video. He got very angry. He called the lawmakers traitors. He said they should be punished. Some people thought this was scary. They said it could put the lawmakers in danger. Some military lawyers were upset. They said the former president was wrong. They said he was using big words like "treason" in the wrong way. They said the people who tried to overthrow the government on January 6, 2021, were the real traitors. But the former president pardoned them. One lawyer said the government is doing illegal things. Like blowing up boats in Venezuela. He said this is not combat. It is murder. He said the law is not being followed. Another lawyer said the former president's words were very wrong. He also criticized a senator. The senator did not say the former president was wrong. The lawyer said the senator knows the law. He should say the former president is wrong. But one professor said the lawmakers' video was not clear. She said orders can be wrong without being obviously wrong. She said soldiers should not just ignore orders. They should get advice first. She said more retired generals should speak out. They should talk about the problems with how the former president used the military. She said the lawmakers' video was a political message. It was not helpful for soldiers. A former air force attorney said soldiers should not ignore orders without thinking. They should ask for help. They should talk to their superiors. They should talk to chaplains or military lawyers. But she said many military lawyers are leaving. This is a problem. The military needs good lawyers. They need people who will ask questions. A marine captain said the former president's words were dangerous. He said soldiers should not follow orders based on politics. He said every order is legal. Unless it is obviously illegal. He said the public should be worried. The military should not be political. Soldiers should represent all of America. Not just one political party.