- cross-posted to:
- news@lemmy.world
- cross-posted to:
- news@lemmy.world
Two Illinois National Guard members told CBS News they would refuse to obey federal orders to deploy in Chicago as part of President Trump’s controversial immigration enforcement mission — a rare act of open defiance from within the military ranks.
“It’s disheartening to be forced to go against your community members and your neighbors,” said Staff Sgt. Demi Palecek, a Latina guardswoman and state legislative candidate from Illinois’s 13th District. “It feels illegal. This is not what we signed up to do.”
Someone still needs to say it publicly. You could have half the people in the deployment feeling that what they’re doing is wrong, but it’s not really an environment that encourages open discussion, let alone questioning orders. The person you speak to in confidence may share your feeling. Or they could be a closet murder hobo excited at the chance to hunt people for real. Is it worth finding out when you have bills to pay? A family to feed (and protect from harassment)?
Public dissent lets people know that they’re not alone. And hopefully outs the murder hobos when they go into an impotent rage.
Every act of resistance is important.
I don’t disagree. But the people speaking publicly and trying to change things should be the commanding officers.
A general refusing to deploy troops, or even better, actively siding with local citizens, would have a far greater and significant impact than what these two have done.
General staff resigning achieves nothing. They are the ones who should be resisting the attack against the American people.
“I was only following orders” is not a valid legal defence
if the people at the bottom are brave enough to speak out, it puts alot of pressure on the people at the top to be brave as well.