There is a story making the rounds of Marine who is being other than honorably discharged from the Corps for criticizing Obama on Facebook.
As much as I would love to criticize the Obama administration for another speech stifling overreach, I don’t think that is what is happening.
The Marine Corps decided Wednesday to discharge a sergeant who made comments critical of President Obama on Facebook.
Sgt. Gary Stein is being given an other-than-honorable discharge for violating the Pentagon’s rules limiting the speech of members of the armed forces, the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego said in a statement.Stein drew the military’s attention for a Facebook post from March in which he wrote: “Screw Obama. I will not follow all orders from him.” He was quickly alerted that he might have violated the Uniform Code of Justice with his comments and quickly revised them to say that he wouldn’t follow unlawful orders from the commander-in-chief.
Stein later defended himself on Facebook, writing that “the words that I used were tasteless and I could have articulated my point more clearly. I am man enough to admit my mistakes which I did from the beginning.”
I don’t believe that by serving in the military you forfeit all rights to commentary on policy matters. You fight for these rights, you should get to use them. But that is not what this is.
Sgt. Stein publicly stated, even if for a short time, that he would not follow the orders of his Commander-in-Chief. You can’t do that. For military discipline to hold, they cannot allow such a thing to stand. Sgt. Stein calls his statement tasteless and inarticulate. Maybe. But it is something more than that.
While I do not doubt that Obama might have a soldier discharged unfairly for exercising his free speech rights, that is not what happened here. The whole thing is unfortunate and maybe Sgt. Stein didn’t mean it. But he said it.
April 26, 2012 at 3:57 am
In the City of God, St. Augustine argues that Christians are not only not a threat to the Roman government, but make the best citizens because they live by a moral system that is higher than the law. If – and that is a big if – in this case that the Sgt had said only that he would not follow unjust orders, would he be penalized? I say this not to impugn this administration (for there are enough other reasons for this). But I simply would like to know whether in our military's own understanding of chain of command and military discipline, to what degree is this conformable with traditional Christian morality?
Or is it simply that as a Christian you are free to follow your conscientious understanding of the truth and face a dishonorable discharge?
April 26, 2012 at 5:33 am
Whenever it involves the military, I tend to defer to… well, the military.
There's no draft right now, and folks are voluntarily signing up for a way of life and discipline that is frankly a lot different than that which the average citizen faces.
Rights are (necessarily) different on the inside.
And perhaps more importantly, Facebook seems like a lame reason to be less-than-honorably discharged. To lose a lifetime of benefits for something so silly?
April 26, 2012 at 1:25 pm
These regulations have been in place since almost the beginning of the military. They are in place not only to preserve a respect for the chain of command, but also it is forbidden to make disrespectful or pejorative comments about the President and other elected officials to preserve the civilian control of the military.
April 26, 2012 at 5:49 pm
@Athanasius contra mundum: I hadn't considered that side of it before. Of course we forget that a bunch of seemingly-odd rules in our military are designed to prevent a military coup.
Although if any military was going to set up a junta, ours would be the one you'd want to do it—but mainly because they'd never do it.
Which is one of those paradoxes.
April 26, 2012 at 11:38 pm
As long as this law is enforced fairly, that is, equally among all soldiers, then it is just.
Is it, I wonder? Were there any Facebook comments about Bush that were inappropriate, or do we just spazz out when our progressive gods are besmirched? Clean up your Facebook, Sergeant Lefty. You're next.
April 27, 2012 at 3:00 am
1. In the military there is — or was back in my day, when Fred Flintsone and I were in the same platoon — much, much, much b-wording about the intellectual and moral failings (cough) of our superiors, but it was kept within the barracks. Every sworn serviceman knows to stay out of politics.
2. Sgt. Stein's intemperate comments coulda / shoulda been handled at the company level. Why this one man was outed at this time is curious.
3. But, still, a soldier doesn't make public statements about the C in C.
4. I can, though — to me, Dear Leader seems to be a bad man. I highly disapprove of him, and wish him a happy retirement.
April 27, 2012 at 4:13 am
Speaking of paradoxes, Sophia…
The military take a vow to protect this country's Constitution from enemies BOTH foreign and DOMESTIC.
This man's leader, who took the same oath is attacking that constitution….
we look to be in a rotten barrel of pickles.
Now I know what it would have been like to be a colonist at the founding of America.
At what point do we revolt?
Kim C
April 27, 2012 at 9:26 am
@Anonymous at 10:57: If the Sgt had onlynsaid he wouldn't follow unjust orders, he'd be in line with everything he's been taught since boot camp. Recruits (and officer candidates) are taught the basics of the Geneva Convention, and the principle that they are bound to follow lawful orders, and bound to resist and report unlawful ones. Sgt Stein pretty blatantly disrespected the president in saying "screw Obama." Disrespect for officials is forbidden by Article 88 of the UCMJ. Pretty simple. I feel bad for his OTH discharge, because he's losing his job and benefits that he's worked to earn, and a career he's 8 years into, that he might've taken to retirement. But I'm sure he'll land on his feet, maybe have a successful political career, who knows. Bottom line is that he was found to have broken the law, and he has to pay the price – not unlike Bradley Manning, who also broke the law, and is paying a price. If Manning had taken his whistleblowing to the IG, after his chain of command allegedly blew him off, he could have done the right thing with respect to the war crime he believed he witnessed via drone feed, without getting himself into the kind of trouble he's in.
April 27, 2012 at 9:29 am
Anonymous 4:26 AM, following up my own comment – forgot to sign my real name: S. Murphy
PS – I'm a Marine reservist, currently serving on orders with MARCENT.
April 29, 2012 at 2:15 pm
Yep. My husband always answers, he is the Commander in Chief. That's it. He won't verbalize his opinion. I'm sure after he retires, it'll all come spewing out. 🙂
April 29, 2012 at 11:17 pm
As a former marine, I think they did the right thing in canning him. I don't like Obama either, but your free speech is naturally more limited when you volunteer to serve in the armed forces. For reasons of discipline, order and morale which is paramount to the success and well-being of everyone involved.