Return Flynn To Active Duty And Court Marshal Him

We don't claim to know what tripped the switch in dangerously unhinged retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn's fevered mind to turn him into a Kremlin serving, insurrection supporting, lowIQAnon faithful, but it must have been potent. President Obama famously cautioned the malignant former guy not to hire Flynn as National Security Advisor, given his foreign entanglements and other compromising facts. Aside for being a convicted felon for lying to the FBI about his secret contacts with the Russian Ambassador to the U.S., Flynn recently suggested that a Myanmar-style coup should happen here, and participated in a ceremony where he pledged allegiance to the warped and sinister QAnon cult. 

Flynn again stepped over the line on July 16 when accepting a military-style weapon from a right-wing Trumpist "church" -- ironically named "Church of Glad Tidings" -- saying "maybe I'll find someone in Washington, D.C." to the applause and laughter from the audience. The implicit threat to shoot "someone" (e.g., President Biden or Speaker Nancy Pelosi) should be taken seriously, not that Flynn has the stomach to do it, but someone in that audience or listening to him might.

There are legal issues involved in enforcing the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) on a retired military officer (see here and here), but Flynn's increasingly violent messaging needs to be addressed somehow. Allowing him to hide behind his civilian First Amendment rights while collecting a fat military pension is unconscionable. Veterans groups line VoteVets.org have called for his court martial.  He's voiced what his cult leader wishes would happen: a violent "coup" against the Government. If that's not promoting sedition, contempt toward officials, and conduct unbecoming an officer, then there's no justice under the UCMJ.

(photo: George Frey / Getty Images)