Rep. Chris Deluzio, let me start with something simple and sincere: Thank you for your service to this country. Your time in uniform matters, and nobody can take that away from you. Americans respect that — I respect that.

But respect for your service does not mean giving you a free pass when your words go off the rails. And your recent video, along with the group of Democrats who joined you in it, was not a patriotic civics lesson. It was a political stunt — and a dangerous one.

You and your colleagues released a short, dramatic video telling U.S. troops and intelligence officers that they must be ready to “refuse illegal orders.” Those words carry weight. In the military, those words can change attitudes, trigger doubt and raise alarms. But here is the biggest problem: None of you ever explains what “illegal orders” you are talking about. Not one example. Not one specific threat. Not one clear situation.

Instead, the message floats out there like a warning flare without a target — and everyone is left guessing who you are referring to. And guess what? The public is not stupid. Your meaning is not subtle. You aimed that message squarely at the current elected president of the United States.

If you are going to tell the military to brace itself to disobey orders, you (expletive) well better be able to say which orders, why they would be illegal and what law they violate. Otherwise, you’re not protecting the Constitution — you’re undermining the very structure it created.

And that’s where this crosses the line from ordinary political rhetoric into something reckless and destabilizing.

Because here’s what you, as well as anyone who’s served, should know: In America, the military follows civilian leadership. Period. That’s the bedrock of the republic.

You do not “plant questions” in the ranks unless you have rock-solid evidence that something is wrong. You do not hint that they may need to resist a democratically chosen leader unless you can prove the danger. And you don’t toss around talk of “illegal orders” without substance, unless the goal is to stir doubt … not uphold the Constitution.

And let’s talk about oaths, because you brought that up too.

Every service member swears an oath to defend the Constitution — absolutely. But so do you, Rep. Deluzio. So do your Democratic colleagues. Every elected official in Washington swears “to support and defend the Constitution of the United States … and to bear true faith and allegiance to the same.”

That oath is not a spotlight — it is a responsibility. And telling the troops to start wondering whether their commander in chief might issue “illegal orders” — with zero specifics — is not honoring that oath. It’s bending it into a political tool.

Here is what everyday, hard-working Americans see:

You did not defend the Constitution. You just exploited its language.

You did not clarify the law to the military. You muddied it.

You did not calm the situation. You escalated it.

And now you are claiming that criticism of your video somehow endangers democracy. No. What endangers democracy is telling the armed forces to doubt the president before presenting any wrongdoing.

If you honestly believed there were illegal orders on the table, you would name them. You would cite the statute. You would bring the evidence. You would point to the specific abuse of power. Instead, you offered none of that — just a warning without a reason, a threat without a target, a slogan without substance.

That is why many Americans see your message as borderline treasonous in spirit — not legally, but morally. Encouraging the military to question the president’s legitimacy without evidence can significantly undermine the nation’s stability.

Rep. Deluzio, I respect the uniform you once wore.

But that respect doesn’t shield you from criticism now.

If we’re going to talk about oaths, loyalty and defending the Constitution, here’s some moral clarity for you: Politicians who tell the military to question the president — without naming a crime or illegal act — are not defending democracy. They’re undermining it.

You say you “won’t be intimidated.” Fine. Neither will the American people, and they see exactly what you were trying to do.

Jason Lias is a blue-collar worker from Ford City with a degree in education, communications and media and a minor in political science.

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