Joseph Sabino Mistick: Keeping up with Michael Flynn and the rest of the news

Some of us have not been glued to cable news for a few months now, and it has been a welcome break. No matter where you are on the political spectrum, the years leading up to and through the last presidential election were spirited but exhausting, as CNN, Fox and MSNBC played the controversies for all they were worth.

But maybe it’s time to start paying closer attention to political news again. On Memorial Day weekend, when local veterans paraded down Main Street and Americans placed their hands over their hearts as taps was played, retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn endorsed a coup against the same government that our soldiers and sailors died to protect.

While speaking at a Texas conference that was called the “For God & Country Patriot Roundup,” Flynn was asked why a military overthrow of our government, like the one that recently occurred in Myanmar, can’t happen here. “No reason,” he replied. “I mean, it should happen here.” And the crowd cheered wildly.

The video of Flynn’s remarks is as clear as a bell, but he quickly claimed it was all “a boldface fabrication.” His bald claim that you did not see and hear what you actually saw and heard is now a standard tactic of cornered scoundrels.

Flynn must have quickly realized that he had jeopardized the safe place he has enjoyed since his 2020 presidential pardon for lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russia. His “get out of jail free” card does not apply to anything after the pardon. And even retired generals can face charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

Retired four-star Gen. Barry McCaffrey — the recipient of three Purple Hearts, two Silver Stars and two Distinguished Service Crosses — told MSNBC, “This is harmful. This is putting the country at risk. I have never heard anything like this, probably in the last hundred years.”

Two days before Flynn’s conference appearance, Senate Republicans blocked creation of a bipartisan commission to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrectionists’ attack on the Capitol. The vote was 54-35 to create the commission, but 60 votes were needed.

Six Republican senators — Bill Cassidy, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Rob Portman, Mitt Romney and Ben Sasse — voted with the Democrats. Nine Republicans and two Democrats did not vote. As reported by Fox News, some claimed family obligations while others offered no explanation.

For now, we still have no accounting for the role of those who planned and orchestrated the attack. And we need to know if the insurrectionists were helped by anyone who was or still is inside our government, because they are a present danger.

West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat who sometimes votes across the aisle, said putting “politics and political elections above the health of our Democracy is unconscionable.”

“I am sorry that my Republican colleagues and friends let political fear prevent them from doing what they know in their hearts to be right.”

But that’s where we are. It would be a mistake to let our guard down until the next election, because this is still a time of loose talk about military takeovers and free passes for insurrectionists. And it’s not the time to ignore the news.