To the editor: The last year has been filled with as much political incompetence at the highest levels of government as I can remember in my lifetime. But perhaps the most obviously backward example of thinking and behavior is in the censure of Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and his possible demotion to follow (“Hegseth censures Sen. Kelly after warning about following illegal orders,” Jan. 5).
Back in 1972, Jim Croce sang in “You Don’t Mess Around With Jim,” “You don’t tug on Superman’s cape.” On its own, that line could tell you not to mess with heroes. Kelly is a true hero and patriot — not the kind of “patriot” who storms the U.S. Capitol. If the administration wants to flex its muscles and make an example, this is not the guy to do it with.
Kelly is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. He flew 39 combat missions in the Gulf War. If that wasn’t enough, he then went on to be on four space shuttle flights, serving as commander on two of them.
Going after Kelly is like pulling on Superman’s cape. You just don’t mess with combat heroes who are also former astronauts.
It doesn’t take my 50 years of experience as a clinical psychologist to know which way the topsy-turvy psychological winds are blowing. This move won’t have the effect the administration intends. In fact, it may very well get Kelly the kind of overwhelming popular sympathy that propels him to run for president.
Steven Hendlin, Newport Beach
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To the editor: When any person enlists in the U.S. armed forces, they are required to take an oath swearing to protect our Constitution. If that person is given an order that they deem is illegal under our Constitution, they are required by that same oath to not carry out that order.
That commitment to defend the Constitution serves as a critical check on military authority and ensures adherence to legal and ethical standards. Kelly and the five other Democratic lawmakers were merely reminding service members of their sworn duty to our Constitution and should not be punished for pointing that out.
Fred Shaw, Carpinteria
