“I think even Mr. Robinson made clear the other day that following orders is the foundation of military discipline. The statutory authority by which orders must be obeyed is well-established and derives directly from the Constitution. It’s not new, and Judge Lind articulated it correctly. It’s willful ignorance to deny the clear letter of the law obvious to anyone versed in it.”
Of course following orders is the foundation of military discipline. You state the obvious. Where Lind is wrong is circumventing the truth that the ultimate authority for all military orders are derived from the POTUS via the constitution. A tainted POTUS taints all. This has been discussed over and over. The plain truth is that when I was reappointed a commissioned officer in the reserve several years ago, under President Bush, my appointment orders were in the name and authority of the POTUS. When I was subsequently promoted, the orders were in the name and authority of the POTUS. The person sitting in that chair cannot be excluded from accountability of legitimate status anymore than I can.
This is the political corollary of the Donatist Heresy, and is non-viable for the same reasons. By this "reasoning", soldiers serving under GWB could refuse to obey orders because "he stole the election", soldiers serving under Bill Clinton could refuse to obey orders because "he fixed the impeachment vote", . . . , soldiers serving under George Washington could refuse to obey orders because "the suppression of the Whiskey Rebellion was illegal".
The fact that you don't understand the statutory authority by which you legally give orders and require others to obey them doesn't change what that authority is. Lind stated it correctly. You can choose to believe she is wrong, that the earth is flat, or that the moon is made of green cheese. What you can't expect is for any of those positions to be respected by serious people.
The fact that people who don't know what they are talking about, who have a fetish-like emotional fixation on the President as the golden calf from which all meaning flows, discuss that over and over doesn't make it mean anything. You are allowing your emotional sensibilities to define "truth" for you. Outside of the basic question of who do you personally love and value, those sensibilities are generally a poor guide.
See my post #390. The authority of a commissioned officer in the military comes from Congress in Section I of the Constitution, not from the President in Section II. It’s part of the balance of powers where Congress creates and governs the military, and the President is commander in chief.