Is treason no longer punishable?

September 17, 2021 By Rajan Laad

Once upon a time, the sole motivation for joining the armed forces was patriotism. The fervor for the well-being of the nation was such that individuals were willing to make supreme sacrifices including laying down their lives.

Now for the General Mark Milley story that hit headlines a day ago, the following is an extract from Bob Woodward’s recent book, "Peril":

Twice in the final months of the Trump administration, the country’s top military officer was so fearful that the president’s actions might spark a war with China that he moved urgently to avert armed conflict. In a pair of secret phone calls, Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, assured his Chinese counterpart, Gen. Li Zuocheng of the People’s Liberation Army, that the United States would not strike. . .........Milley went so far as to pledge he would alert his counterpart in the event of a U.S. attack, stressing the rapport they’d established through a back channel..........

President Donald Trump’s secretary of defense Christopher Miller said that he did not sign off on a call from Milley to his Chinese counterpart. Miller added that Milley’s action  “represents a disgraceful and unprecedented act of insubordination by the nation’s top military officer.”...................In a functioning democracy, Milley would have been summarily dismissed and be court-martialed for attempting to subvert attempting to subvert democracy..............We hence have a new rule, acts bordering on treason are no longer punishable, however, walking down the street without a mask is most certainly a grave offense...........To Read More....

My Take - Because he had a "rapport" with a evil dictator's cat's paw General he felt it was "good policy" to warn one of the most evil governments on the planet about a potential attack?  Did I get that right?  Since when did generals make policy?  They carry out policy, and that's the law of the land, and to institute his own policy over that of the President of the United States is treason, or at the very least a conspiracy to commit treason.  Why is that so hard to get?  Perhaps I missed something? If this isn't punishable by military court martial, why isn't it?    

Here's a thought.  The dictatorial Chinese government's threshold for treason is far lower than it is in the United States.  What would have happened if this Chinese General had done what Milley had done? Not only would he have been court-martialed, he'd have been shot!   Post haste!  They know treason when they see it, and don't monkey around with lesser charges such as a conspiracy to commit treason.