This is a statement by 36 doctors (by my count, but I only counted once) from the April 30, 2026 U.S. Senate Congressional Record. Sure, it’s political, did I mention this is the SENATE?
Objectively observable signs of serious medical concern include…Escalating violence that threatens national and global stability. As Commander in-Chief of our military—more than 5,000 nuclear warheads in inter-continental missile silos, on submarines, and in bombers around the world, are ready for launch solely upon his order, and no one now has the authority to countermand his order.
On August 7, 1974, as President Richard Nixon’s impeachment loomed, White House Chief of Staff, General Alexander Haig, was so alarmed by Nixon’s wandering the halls of the White House at night, sleepless, distraught, and heavily intoxicated, talking out loud to portraits of past presidents on the walls, that he alerted Defense Secretary James Schlesinger. Equally alarmed, Schlesinger directed Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General George S. Brown, that any military orders from Nixon—especially nuclear ones—first be cleared through him or Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. It has been reported that the nuclear ‘‘football’’ that contains the codes for a nuclear launch was then quietly removed from Nixon’s control.
The public and those with the power to address such potentially catastrophic conditions must ask themselves if they—and we— are confident that officials such as Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio would do the same.
Well, my first thought is this may have technically been a military coup. My second thought is that no single person should have the power to order a violent attack, nuclear or otherwise. Ideally, you’d like a Congressional vote. Realistically, there have to be some sort of emergency provisions for a quick decision. Granted, the decision might need to happen fast, but there should be ways in the modern age for say at least three people to confer quickly and make a decision. I suppose the decision makers should probably be elected civilians. Our current system puts us at the mercy of Mad King Donald with his finger on the trigger (although on the subject of the playground name calling our political discourse has devolved to, I am warming to Lame Duck Donald or Lame Donald Duck).
