Among the first things I taught my new students at the beginning of every new school year was the difference between deference and respect. One defers to others because of their position of authority, regardless of whether they are honest, honorable, decent and capable. Respect, however, must be earned every day. We defer to others because of their positions and to a lesser degree, their accomplishments. We respect others because of who they are, because they’ve proved themselves worthy of our respect regardless of their positions of authority.

In the military, you defer to rank, but you respect those who don’t trade on it, or who don't fling their accomplishments in your face. If you’re good, everyone knows it. If you’re compelled to brag, all you’ll get is deference, and cold deference at that.

I speak of Senator Mark Kelly of the Seditious Six.

Their video encouraging service members to disobey orders under the guise of disobeying “unlawful” orders, none of which they could identify, was part of a plot not only to damage the Commander in Chief and our military, but to encourage a military coup. They willingly followed in the footsteps of General Mark Milley, who told his Chinese counterpart he’d warn him in advance of any US military move against China.

Stung when they couldn’t come up with a single illegal order by Trump or SecWar Pete Hegseth, the Seditious Six hatched the “you can’t shoot narco-terrorists again if you miss the first time or it’s a war crime” hoax. When that blew up in their faces, Sen. Mark Warner took the next step and actively encouraged a military coup:

Graphic: Social Media Post

Kelly, a retired Navy Captain—O6—had a distinguished career. A fighter pilot, he flew 39 Gulf War combat missions and he was an astronaut. We honor his service no less and no more than we honor the service of every honorably discharged veteran of any rank. But honorable service in the past doesn’t necessarily equate to personal honor and to a person worthy of respect in later years.

So fierce has been the backlash against the Seditious Six and so lame their attempts to justify their color revolution video, Elissa Slotkin has recently claimed they made the video because so many members of the military personally spoke with them about their fear of illegal orders. That’s a revelation none of the Six trotted out until weeks later, when they’d had time to concoct that narrative. Were that true, a military man like Kelly, still subject to the UCMJ, surely would have known the proper way to handle their concerns would have been to contact those in charge of the military branches and their military lawyers to ensure military members fully understood their obligations. Instead, they chose to undermine our CiC and the military.

Kelly also knows he’s in potential legal and career trouble:

Graphic: Social Media Post

Rather than wisely remain quiet, he has chosen to continue to attack President Trump:

Graphic: Social Media Post

Kelly should know better. Military service has never defined patriotism, nor does lack of service prevent one from understanding “what it is to be an American.”  Circa 2023, only about 6.1% of adults 18 and older had served. This is a particularly insidious, deceptive thing to say as anyone who has served knows the constitutional necessity and sanctity of civilian control of the military. Of our 46 presidents, 26 have served. Kelly’s implication that members of a man’s family who have not served have any bearing on his patriotism or fitness to be CiC is at once stupid and insulting.

Service members know who truly cares about them, and they have no doubt about Donald Trump’s feelings for and dedication to them. His restoration of the warrior ethos by doing away with DEI and other social pathologies has seen recruitment shoot to record levels in only a few months.

Graphic: Social Media Post

Just as the Seditious Six cannot identify a single illegal order made by Trump, Kelly cannot identify anything Trump has done to violate the Constitution. On the other hand, I suspect the military can specify Kelly’s multiple violations of the UCMJ.

Whether Kelly will face recall and court martial will be largely a political and legal question. If he does not, it will be largely because Donald Trump has greater concern for the good of our military and America than for punishing a man who manifestly deserves it. That, unlike Kelly, is worthy of deference and respect.

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Mike McDaniel is a USAF veteran, classically trained musician, Japanese and European fencer, life-long athlete, firearm instructor, retired police officer and high school and college English teacher. He is a published author and blogger. His home blog is Stately McDaniel Manor.