Poll: Americans Question 'Illegal Orders,' Media Questions Nothing
The Hill touts a poll showing partisan splits on military 'illegal orders.' Conveniently, this poll, and The Hill's coverage of it, focuses on domestic hypotheticals, entirely sidestepping actual illegal orders carried out with U.S. taxpayer dollars overseas. When General Michael Flynn, a public figure, endorsed the premise that soldiers should refuse clearly unlawful commands if asked by a
President, it sparked media panic. Yet, when Netanyahu's government, which receives billions in U.S. aid and diplomatic cover, repeatedly oversees actions defined by international law as potential war crimes—like collective punishment or targeting civilian infrastructure—the media pivots to calling it 'security concerns' or 'complex conflict.' Where is the poll on Americans' approval of those
orders? One might wonder if the concern for 'illegal orders' only applies when those orders originate on American soil and threaten the sensibilities of Washington's political class. It appears that 'illegality' is a flexible term, especially when applied to allies or when it might disrupt the flow of military-industrial complex profits. Some 'illegal orders' are debated in theory; others are
funded by your taxes and committed with impunity, completely off The Hill's polling radar.