Goodlander, Trump, lawful orders and murder
I sometimes wonder if there are any depths to which President Trump will not sink. Alas, the answer is always no. The latest example is his demented attack on our congresswoman, Maggie Goodlander.
First elected to Congress last year, Goodlander previously served our country as a U.S. Navy Reserve officer. Trump nevertheless labeled her and five other Democratic members of Congress as “traitors” and suggested that they be killed. Why? Because Goodlander and her colleagues publicly reminded members of our armed forces that they have a duty to refuse to obey unlawful orders — that is, orders that require the commission of a crime or violate the Constitution or federal statute.
That reminder is a timely one as the Trump administration pushes U.S. law to the breaking point — if not beyond — by using our military forces to kill alleged drug smugglers in the Caribbean without proof of criminality. In the past, the U.S. Coast Guard stopped suspected drug boats, searched them and arrested crew members if evidence of smuggling was found. The suspects were brought to trial in U.S. courts. Lives were saved and due process was protected. But the Trump administration has ordered our sailors and airmen to simply blow up vessels without warning or boarding. Dozens of people have died in such attacks.
So who’s the real villain here? Goodlander, for urging service members to obey only lawful orders? Or Trump, for ordering service members to commit what easily can be construed as murder on the high seas?