Unlawful orders are unlawful — saying so isn’t
Ormond Beach, Fla.: The latest political stunt is for Democratic politicians like Sen. Mark Kelly to warn our troops not to follow unlawful orders. When questioned, they can’t name any unlawful orders that have been given or any of their constituents who have been directed to do something unlawful.
They know they have to be careful not to tell troops to refuse to follow specific orders that are lawful or they would be prosecuted for sedition, so they are throwing out this garbage to create dissension and further grist for the Trump Derangement Syndrome mill. Our troops know not to follow unlawful orders. They’re indoctrinated in this throughout their careers. You may as well tell them not to be insubordinate or to commit crimes of violence or acts of treason.
What those Democrats are doing, however, is not sedition, and those on the right who are saying this know they’re wrong to suggest that it is. I was first told not to follow unlawful orders as a cadet at West Point in my mandatory law course, and those instructors were not committing sedition by telling me this.
One of the greatest lessons of the Second World War was that following orders does not excuse one of crimes. Abraham Lincoln suspended habeas corpus to arrest those who directed soldiers not to follow their lawful orders during the Civil War. This is not rocket science. It’s just politicians doing another reprehensible thing that many of them do. Charles Michael Sitero
Good publicity
Swarthmore, Pa.: As seems to so often be the case with President Trump, his unwarranted and misguided attempts to demonize someone, in this case Sen. Mark Kelly, are predictably having the opposite effect. Trump has railed against him for repeating the obvious truth that members of the U.S. military should not and can’t follow illegal orders. Trump seems to believe that any order he delivers must be followed, and that his giving it automatically makes it legal. The primary consequence of bashing Kelly seems to be boosting Kelly’s profile and national stature into the stratosphere. In fact, Trump has so raised Kelly’s profile that he’s helping to catapult Kelly into being a leading Democratic contender for their 2028 nominee for president. Sen. Kelly, I think you owe Trump a thank you. Perhaps a bouquet of red roses is appropriate. We all know the president loves the color red. Ken Derow
Pointless deployment
New Rochelle, N.Y.: To state the obvious, those unfortunate members of the National Guard (“2 Guardsmen critically hurt in shooting near White House,” Nov. 27) would’ve been safe and sound enjoying their Thanksgiving dinners at home if they hadn’t been in D.C. And they were in D.C. because the commander in chief and his chief Pentagon military genius think it makes them look macho as they treat real live people like tin soldiers on some gameboard to quell an uprising that exists only in their fevered minds. Richard Rodrigue
Acceptable clemency
Massapequa, L.I.: Finally, a Trump pardon that I can agree on — the turkeys he pardoned on Wednesday. Ron Boehning
A just peace
Park Ridge, N.J.: Regarding the war in Ukraine — not a war, an unprovoked invasion. The U.S. has taken it upon itself to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine while Russia continues to bomb cities and towns, apartment buildings, schools and medical facilities, indiscriminately killing men, women and children. The peace plan being proposed gives Russia about one-fifth of Ukraine’s land, limits Ukraine’s armed forces and requires a pledge by Ukraine that it will never join NATO. What kind of peace plan is that? Here’s mine: Russia gets out of Ukraine and pays reparations for the damage it’s done. Those responsible for the invasion are held accountable. Ukraine joins NATO and NATO defends its members from further aggression, as is its purpose. It’s completely unfathomable to me why Russia should gain anything from a peace plan that should never have been needed in the first place. Still the world has learned nothing. Steve Ostlund
Overseas shipbuilding
Edgewater, N.J.: The president appears to be concerned that we don’t engage in enough shipbuilding in this country and seems to think it’s because we neither have the talent nor the drive. But could it be because American capitalists don’t want to pay American workers decent wages and benefits to build ships here, as it’s more profitable and therefore more fun to have them built overseas for slave wages? What if this were true for all manufacturing? Perhaps our president and his new party of the working class could get their capitalist buddies to build here so American workers can thrive. Sure, the investor class might suffer a bit, but wouldn’t that show those socialists that we don’t need them after all? Jay K. Egelberg
Bad hombres
Oriental, N.C.: Not only is Trump aiding in the protection of child-rapers by not immediately releasing the Epstein files and moving Ghislaine Maxwell to a country club prison, but he also aided in the deaths of 600,000 people, 400,000 being children! He gave Elon Musk carte blanche to stop USAID to the world’s starving people. Then these idiots (Trump and Musk) pay $10,000 a day to store these aid resources. He’s making millionaires richer and killing the poorest and neediest. This administration is not only inept in governing our country but is just plain evil! Hurry up, November 2026! Beth Larsen
Who are public funds for?
Bronx: The moralizing debate surrounding “welfare” in America is intellectually lazy and misleading. It’s time we acknowledge a fundamental truth: Virtually every American at every income level benefits from some form of government assistance. Farmers receive crop subsidies, students rely on federal loans, homeowners benefit from the mortgage interest deduction (a cash subsidy), and billionaires benefit from tax abatements labeled “economic development.” The moment we replace the loaded term “welfare” with the more accurate “government subsidy,” the hypocrisy of our national conversation becomes glaring. This semantic shift isn’t just about language, it’s about forcing an honest reckoning with how deeply interwoven public funds are in our private lives and our entire economy. Let’s stop judging recipients of one type of aid while celebrating others. It’s time to discuss who benefits and how rather than clinging to a divisive label that obscures our collective reliance on government support. Donnell B. Russell
Let her rise
Forest Hills: An open letter to Rep. Eric Swalwell: I really admired you for your bravery and behavior during the Jan. 6 Committee hearings. That said, why are you running against Katie Porter for California governor? What do you bring to the table that she doesn’t? She is a force. Adam Schiff ran against her and we lost a great champion of consumer rights. What is it about you white men running against talented and competent women who you probably agree with on everything? What’s the point? A sense of entitlement? Why? There is another way you can serve, thank you. But stop. Put your ego on hold and support Katie. What a powerhouse. Stew Frimer
At risk of injury
Omaha, Neb.: Get rid of Giants General Manager Joe Schoen before Jaxson Dart sustains another concussion — four this year alone! Tom Dahulick
Trickster accounting
Brooklyn: PPL CEO Miki Kapoor claims his company is saving New York taxpayers money (“CDPAP is protecting care and taxpayers,” op-ed, Nov. 23). The math doesn’t add up. We know that private equity firms — like PPL’s part owner, Linden Capital Partners, where Kapoor is a partner — extract money from every place they can, and rely on costly debt to run their businesses. Yes, PPL charges lower administrative fees than the local providers it replaced. However, we have little insight into the rest of their financials, like how much debt is on their books, the amount PPL is paying to its private equity owners in costly fees each year, and other things they’re financing instead of care. We do know PPL forces workers into health insurance plans so bare-bones that they don’t cover hospital visits, then call it a benefit. This isn’t efficiency. It’s accounting tricks that look good on paper while costs balloon elsewhere. Aditi Sen
