Air Force Major Jason Watson—who was arrested on the steps of the U.S. Capitol Building last month while calling for President Trump’s impeachment—has been arrested again.

Watson was detained on Tuesday, just one day after an exclusive CNN interview in which he said the president was “violating the Constitution, breaking the law, [and] engaged in rampant corruption.” Watson is currently in pretrial confinement in Maryland based on “allegations of continued misconduct” according to the Air Force. It did not identify the specific misconduct allegations, although his attorney believes that his recent CNN appearance is to blame.

“What is happening with President Trump is not normal. He has failed us,” Watson told CNN’s Erin Burnett on Monday. “And not only is he a failure as president, he is flagrantly violating the Constitution, breaking the law, engaged in rampant corruption, and is killing Americans. And that is unacceptable to me and it should be unacceptable to all of us.”

...

all 47 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] 93 points 2 months ago (5 children)

Air Force Major Jason Watson

Just a reminder that the enlisted and officer oaths are different, and could be a factor here. Notably that officers do not swear an oath to follow the orders of the President like the enlisted do.

A Major would be an Officer (O-4).

The Oath of Enlistment (for enlisted):
"I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God."

The Oath of Office (for officers):
"I, _____ (SSAN), having been appointed an officer in the _____ (Military Branch) of the United States, as indicated above in the grade of _____ do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter; So help me God."

  • source
  • hideshow 5 child comments
  • [–] 68 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    Enlisted are still oath-bound to engage Trump the same way they do any other enemy of the US.

    They are also obligated to follow his orders, but only if those orders are legal. While fucking bonkers that the same oath requires them to do both, it isn't actually a conflict: they can still follow legal orders while taking measures to depose him. Hell, they can even follow those legal orders posthumously. But that doesn't free them from their duty to defend us against domestic enemies like Trump. Their inaction thus far is a violation of their oath and dereliction of their duty.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 4 points 2 months ago

    Correct reading as to "legal orders": the oath itself, while binding to the president's orders, does not make it unconditional: it explicitly subjects that binding to a limit: "according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice".

    This means that enlisted personnel have the right, and in fact, the obligation, to refuse following unlawful orders.

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 39 points 2 months ago (4 children)

    Only one out of 350k-380k commissioned officers is actually keeping their word and defending the constitution.

    I wonder which of our allies we're going to start bombing first?

  • source
  • hideshow 4 child comments
  • [–] 16 points 2 months ago

    This temu fucking dictatorship I swear to god they're too incompetent to even do fascism right.

  • source
  • [–] 38 points 2 months ago (2 children)

    Vote for your favorite punctuation:

    • U.S. Airman, Arrested Over Call to Impeach Trump, Is Detained Again
    • U.S. Airman Arrested? Over. Call to Impeach: Trump Is Detained Again
  • source
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 13 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    Anyone can get a comment from Musk about total freedom speech or some shit? It looks like they're best pals with Trump again.

  • source
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [+] 43 points 2 months ago (3 children)
  • [–] 2 points 2 months ago

    I thank you for pointing that out. I can't stand looking at images of him for more than a very quick glance at most. Your comment made me look a tiny bit longer, jist enough to see what you've mentioned but not a nanosecond longer, and while that tiny bit longer was horrible it was also nice because you're probably right. Thinking of how much it must hurt his ego to be forced to do that without any control of when and where, which means it's sometimes in situations like this where everyone can see it.

  • source
  • parent
  • [+] 29 points 2 months ago* (6 children)
  • [–] 17 points 2 months ago (5 children)

    Fee*

    Common misunderstanding.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 5 child comments
  • [–] 3 points 2 months ago (4 children)

    Yep. And the home of the depraved*

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 4 child comments
  • [–] 4 points 2 months ago (3 children)

    *sheds a single tear*

     

    ...

     

    *gets arrested for crying on public property without a permit, charged with bioterrorism for assaulting an officer with a biohazardous tear*

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 3 child comments
  • [–] 1 point 2 months ago (2 children)

    Yeah, maybe I shouldn't have ever been hopeful or proud of this country because of its past, but I used to feel like it was getting better and I was hopeful. All gone now... Hoping to get it back some day but not holding my breath.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 3 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    Same boat. It really looked like we were making progress one baby step at a time. Then we threw it in the trash practically overnight.

    One step forward, full sprint until total muscle failure back.

    I'll admit this wave of democratic socialists finding success does have me coming out of that shell a bit, but god damnit I should know better...

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 8 points 2 months ago

    That's what you get for speaking truth in the Kingdom of Lies.

  • source
  • [–] 11 points 2 months ago

    Land of the free. Home of the slave

  • source
  • [–] 2 points 2 months ago

    Any more of that fat bastard, chances of mutiny will grow higher, not just one any individual.

  • source
  • [–] 2 points 2 months ago (4 children)

    hits bong US has an Air Man? What’s his power?

    No shit, FLIGHT?!

  • source
  • hideshow 4 child comments
  • [–] 8 points 2 months ago (3 children)

    You should hear what they call members of the navy.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 3 child comments
  • [–] 5 points 2 months ago

    When I was really bored (everyday that ends with a y) when I was in service, I'd do random searches of the DOD email directory.

    There were more than one person with the last name of Puddle in the US Navy during the 00's. I often wonder what their recruiters were thinking and if everyone was screaming at each other "Don't fucking tell them their title, not yet!"

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] -4 points 2 months ago* (10 children)

    Americans don't have the president they want, but they have the president they deserve.

    Except of course people like this guy, who has actually tried to do something, but apparently nobody or too few are backing him up to make a difference.

  • source
  • hideshow 10 child comments
  • [–] 9 points 2 months ago (2 children)

    No one deserves Donald Trump except the people voted for him.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [+] -6 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    Yes well that's the thing with democracy, it kind of goes for all people whatever the election result may be.
    So Americans seen as a group deserve it, even if the individuals that tried to prevent it don't.
    So USA as a society and a people deserve to get what they voted for, because in a democracy it is the result of what the people decided. And especially since it was so fucking obvious what it was they voted for.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 4 points 2 months ago (6 children)
  • [+] -6 points 2 months ago (5 children)

    Why? So you can dig up some whataboutism?

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 5 child comments
  • [–] 7 points 2 months ago (4 children)

    Because I want to know that there is some wonderful place out there with no issues at all.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 4 child comments
  • [–] -1 points 2 months ago (3 children)
  • [–] 1 point 2 months ago (2 children)

    Until your own house is clean…

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments