Rebecca Walker Donaldson

Rebecca Walker Donaldson, BSN, MA, JD is a former registered nurse, appellate attorney, and teacher. She has been a freelance journalist and writer for more than eight years. She writes nonfiction and concentrates her writing on topics such as the U.S. constitution, law, education, and current events.

Articles by Rebecca Walker Donaldson

• The risk of obeying an unlawful order

  Monday, June 29, 2020

  A month ago, protests erupted across the nation over the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. On May 31, 2020, President Trump warned that if state and local governments did not take actions that he deemed appropriate, then he would "deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them." The president’s threat prompted a broad discussion about whether the president has the legal authority to deploy the military to quell unrest in such a situation.

• President Trump calls on the National Guard to help fight COVID-19

  Wednesday, March 25, 2020

  A few days ago, President Trump activated the National Guard in California, Washington, and New York, the three states that have the most documented cases of the virus. They are the states that are the most overwhelmed in dealing with this pandemic and in need of help. These states have insufficient supplies and equipment. They do not have enough hospital beds or adequate numbers of medical personnel. Some people have expressed fear that calling out the Guard means martial law is coming. That is not what is happening.

• Purple Heart recipient Sen. Tammy Duckworth proposes law to prevent deportation of veterans

  Monday, February 24, 2020

  In early February 2020, U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., a wounded Iraq War veteran who was awarded a Purple Heart in 2004, introduced legislation to assist military members who, following their service and honorable discharge, face deportation. The new bill, called the Strengthening Citizenship Services for Veterans Act, would require Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officers to allow deportees to attend appointments at ports of entry, consulates or embassies without having to make their case for advance parole, a complicated process that ensures reentry to noncitizens who leave the U.S.

• F-35’s problems continue with the gun that won’t shoot straight

  Thursday, February 06, 2020

  It should not come as a surprise that the Lockheed Martin Corporation’s $428 billion F-35 aircraft, which has been fraught with problems for years, has a gun that won’t shoot straight. There are three F-35 models that are equipped with the 25 mm gun. While there seems to be no problems with the gun on the Navy and Marine Corps versions, the Air Force model has "unacceptable" accuracy when hitting ground targets. Recently, Bloomberg defense reporter Anthony Capaccio had an advance look at the Defense Department’s anticipated report on the progress of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.