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THE VIEW FROM HERE - Secretary of Defense Pig Hegseth has censured Sen. Mark Kelly for his accurately repeating the Uniform Code of Military Justice, i.e., that service members have no duty to follow illegal orders. The Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) 10 USC 892: Art. 92 states that is a violation not “to obey any lawful general order or regulation.” Because the code uses the adjective “lawful,” an unlawful order need not be followed. Due to its this issue’s importance, one should read the verbatim service members’ oath.
"I, (state name of enlistee), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God."
Their oath is to the US Constitution and not to a person. The oath requires service members defend the Constitution from the Commander in Chief and the Secretary of Defense as well as from Vladimir Putin. The law is supreme and no person is above the law.
The known instances where unlawful orders were given are limited: (1) My Lai Massacre (1968) – US soldiers were ordered to kill unarmed Vietnamese civilians, (2) Abu Ghraib Scandal (2003) – Military personnel were ordered to use abusive interrogation techniques on detainees.
Due to many statements by the Trump administration and the increasing violations of law, it has become clear that Trump was grooming Americans to accept the military intervention into civilian life, especially with the November 2026 elections. Thus, six former members of the US military including Sen. Mark Kelly made a public service video reminding the US military that they may not follow unlawful orders. Their announcement’s exact wording was:
"Our laws are clear: You can refuse illegal orders. You must refuse illegal orders. No one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our Constitution."
In light of Truman’s asking his prior Secretary of Defense Mark Esper about US military’s shooting US civilians to stop protests, it was prudent for respected persons to make a public service announcement summing up the oath of office and duty of every American including service members not to violate the law. It is sad that after Nazi Germany, Americans have to be reminded that “I was just following orders is not a defense.” In case anyone had any doubt about the need for the law to be re-stated, this morning, Wednesday January 7, 2026, one of Trump’s ICE agents murdered an innocent US citizen in Minneapolis. Focus on the first few seconds to see that she posed no threat to anyone. ICE agent’s Murder of Innocent Citizen ICE has been routinely attacking US citizens and then falsely claiming that they had attacked an ICE agent.
After this morning’s murder of the Minneapolis woman, Kristi Noem, noted dog murderer, and Secretary of Homeland Security falsely told that world that the innocent woman had weaponized her car and her action was "an act of domestic terrorism." The video, however, proves Noem’s statement to be materially false in all respects. Noem’s statement is part of the Trump Administration’s grooming pattern to habituate Americans to accept the end of the rule of law, allowing Trump’s whims to be supreme.
Pig Hegseth Censures Sen. Mark Kelly
Hegseth’s censure of Sen. Mark Kelly is another step in our grooming. When pedophiles groom children and adolescents, fear and intimidation are part of the grooming process so that the victim comes to believe that the abusers is in the right. If the victim has any doubt, then he is terrorized not to speak out. This is particularly true with child sex traffickers where punishment of one serves to intimidate the others. Two US Senators have been selected to instill fear and conformity into US military and civilians. The first was when Secretary Noem allowed California Senator Alex Padilla to be attacked, dragged from the room, and wrestled to the floor and handcuffed. What did Sen. Padilla do? NOTHING! That is exactly what predators want – a public victim who is too cowardly to fight back, setting the example that one must acquiesce in physical abuse. Sen. Padilla had a duty to himself, to the institution of the US Senate, and to the American public to take strong action against physical intimidation of a citizen, let alone a US Senator. All he did was lamely complain. Everyone knows that Noem saw what was happening and then afterwards lied; the exact same pattern she followed to day with the Minneapolis. Each time someone like Sen. Padilla, who has a duty to fight decides to surrender makes the bullies that much stronger.
Sen. Mark Kelly Will Fight Back and Win
Unlike the effete Sen. Padilla, Sen . Kelly will not back down as Pig Hegseth tries to bully and abuse Sen. Kelly into silence. The Right Wing in the form fo the Heritage Foundation and its Unitary Executive Theory have strong supporters including the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John G. Roberts, who gave Trump absolute immunity to violate all criminal laws including murder, and Sen. John Thune, who intimidated US Senators to approve the worse kiss ass Trump nominees like Hegseth, Pam Bondi, Kash Patel. Just as Sen. Padilla sold out America by not fighting back after being physically attacked, each US Senator who caved into Trump’s, Musk’s, and Thune’s intimidation to approve the atrocious nominations disgraced themselves and the US Senate.
Sen. Kelly is defending the foundation of Western Civilization, by asserting that the Rule of Law is supreme and all persons are equal under the law. Pig Hegseth is saying the opposite. Hegseth believes everyone is to do what Trump wants and anything less is treason.
The true evil is that Trump has many policies far superior to Wokeism, but Trump has reverted to barbarism, where the rule of law is dead. As Stephen Miller even stated: “Might is Right.” We Americans face a horrible dilemma in that Wokeism is just as lethal as Trump’s attack on the Rule of Law. Each of us, however, has the power and the duty to speak out against Trump’s excesses and against the far Left’s support of Hamas’ goal to exterminate all Jews.
(Richard Lee Abrams is a former Los Angeles-based attorney, an author, and political commentator. A long-time contributor to CityWatchLA, he is known for his incisive critiques of City Hall and judicial corruption, as well as his analysis of political and constitutional issues. Abrams blends legal insight with historical and philosophical depth to challenge conventional narratives. A passionate defender of civic integrity and transparency, he aims to expose misuse of power and advocate for systemic reform in local government. You may email him at [email protected])
