Illegal Orders and Sedition
U.S. Senator Mark Kelly is trading barbs with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. The spat follows Sen. Kelly’s participation in an online video encouraging members of the military and intelligence community to “ignore illegal orders.” Secretary Hegseth responded to the video by announcing an investigation into Kelly’s actions.
Analysis and eternal perspective: Talk about a prime example of the competing viewpoints discussed in our last story! On one side, Sen. Kelly and his colleagues believe the administration is giving unconstitutional commands and they are encouraging servicemembers and intelligence personnel to defy those orders, and on the other side Sec. Hegseth believes Sen. Kelly is violating military law and should be prosecuted.
There appears to be no common ground here. Even so, there is a common dependence on the rule of law. Both Sen. Kelly and Sec. Hegseth are utilizing provisions of the law to support their position (Sen. Kelly by appealing to the servicemembers’ oath to uphold the Constitution above all else, and Sec. Hegseth by invoking the continuing jurisdiction of military law for retired servicemembers such as Sen. Kelly).
It is messy. It is hard. It is also by design. (Have you heard that before?)
Sen. Kelly has a First Amendment right to speak his mind and is correct the Constitution is the highest law in the land.
Sec. Hegseth has a duty to protect “good order and discipline” in the military and is correct that Sen. Kelly remains subject to military law.
Each man has protections under the law to utilize. This fact does not necessarily make the current spat a productive one, but it does underscore the brilliance of America’s adversarial system.
As for you as a Jesus follower, there will be every temptation to take a default position in favor of whichever official you are more naturally inclined. Instead, proactively decide to walk out Proverbs 18:17. Consider the substance of the video in question and the responsive investigation. As always, remember to aim for flourishing and ask yourself how to personally achieve an impact toward that end.