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Content Warning: This piece contains references to sexual assault, torture, domestic violence, racism, Islamophobia, xenophobia and many other topics. I believe these to be necessary to fully explore John F. Kelly’s history. While this piece attempts to refrain from graphic language, many of the sources may have explicit images or descriptions.

I was delighted to see the recent announcement regarding Colorado State University hosting “one of America’s most distinguished military leaders,” John F. Kelly, Sept. 5. I am incredibly grateful for the rare opportunity to hear from a representative of the less public side of CSU, the underbelly of conflicts of interest and profiteering off suffering. Today, I simply want to share a bit of Kelly’s illustrious past and impeccable character, perhaps best summarized as “a man clearly betting that Hell doesn’t exist,” so that our students may one day achieve the same level of success and infamy.

We must start with the core of his persona: his long military career. Kelly is proud of his service in the Marines and claims to have the utmost respect for his fellow service members. Kelly’s respect apparently could not outweigh his homophobia, as he reportedly vehemently opposed repealing “don’t ask, don’t tell.” While we don’t know his opinions on transgender soldiers, they weren’t positive enough to motivate any action against former President Donald Trump’s ban on them.

There are also his unfortunate views on women, including disbelieving reports of sexual harassment. More recent examples include his untrue claims that caused a series of death threats and nooses to be sent to a Black congresswoman and his alleged repeated sexist comments in the White House.

But perhaps we should not scrutinize Kelly for military matters — he certainly doesn’t think civilians have the right to do so. And who am I to question the judgment of a man who thinks we fought the Iraq War “honorably” and “for the right reason.” One might even assume malice, especially given that Kelly’s own Marine Corps was involved in several atrocities and subsequent coverups in Iraq, with Fallujah being the most infamous but Haditha gaining attention, as photos of the massacre were only released last week. 

Let us then examine his next promotion to head of the Department of Homeland Security while maintaining a few side hustles as any self-respecting American would. He admirably rose above emotional and moral concerns from numerous human rights groups to enact a policy of child separation at the border, even using it to drum up some business for his friends.

Kelly had the foresight to contribute to the same Latin American instability he would later benefit from, as during his time leading U.S. Southern Command, he proudly cozied up to “great guy” and violent drug lord Juan Orlando Hernández in Honduras, employed a Chilean war criminal to teach the next generation of soldiers and viewed past atrocities in Colombia as having “shown us the way” for current operations in the Middle East.

Equally infamous was his help enacting the “Muslim ban,” which he portrayed as essential to prevent extremist violence. He was possibly under the assumption that only individuals as bright as himself could see through his charade that the current travel ban was not targeted at any religion, despite his boss’s constant trumpeting of such a policy during his campaign. Perhaps this is even true, as we have seen Kelly’s horrific treatment of migrants and refugees is extended to many diverse groups.

Some might see hypocrisy between his insinuation of violence by immigrants who have never committed it and defense of the documented domestic violence by “man of true integrity and honor” Rob Porter. But for Kelly, the difference is immediately visually apparent. A similar mindset was applied in Guantánamo Bay, where he viewed prisoners tortured and kept without trial as “defiant and violent” while saying, “I have never been prouder of any troops under my command than I am of the young military professionals who stand duty day and night at Guantánamo,” who beat and sexually assaulted prisoners as a matter of policy. 

All of the above experiences make Kelly an excellent candidate to help promote democracy at CSU. I welcome “perspectives on the complexities of governance, policymaking and national defense,” especially from such an erudite leader whose solutions to these complexities include building a giant wall, banning travel from countries that kind of seem to have a bunch of Muslims and ensuring children of asylum seekers are “put into foster care or whatever.”

He is the perfect man to “elevate democracy and civil dialogue on campus” given his ability to blame anything, even the Civil War, on “the lack of an ability to compromise.” Democracy is, after all, best represented by an unelected strongman who has done his very best to hide his decisions from the general public.

While Kelly’s conservative worldview is certainly “exposing students to diverse perspectives,” there are those who feel CSU’s Democracy Project is focusing on those who wield power rather than those who suffer under it.

At the end of the day, Kelly represents what Americans rarely get: an honest look at the graft, brutality and inhumanity of the military and prison industrial complexes. He is a leader who used his position for personal enrichment. He sees no contradiction in celebrating a ”dedication to freedom for all” while throwing kids in cages. He tries to separate himself from his past work, but he “was always just Donald Trump with better manners.” It is about as close as one can get to an admission of CSU leadership’s actual priorities.

I would once again like to express my deepest gratitude for being deemed worthy to see such an event but would like to put forward a small request if I may. Instead of visiting CSU, we should honor Kelly with a free trip to The Hague, Netherlands, so his many virtues can be extolled in excruciating and uncensored detail. Only in international courts will we hear the unvarnished truth explaining how such a cruel and immoral man can rise to such heights and how we can benefit from his example. Perhaps we might even learn why CSU feels the best representation of democracy is a man actively promoting and benefitting from such naked white nationalism and Islamophobia. 

If we are unwilling to honestly discuss everything he is most famous for, why invite him?

A concerned CSU community member

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