Gary Stein Case: Military Board Recommends Dismissal For Marine Who Criticized President Obama On Facebook

Gary Stein Case: Military Board Recommends Dismissal For Marine Who Criticized President Obama On Facebook:

'via Blog this'


I think military service is not just another job. It is long standing military policy that a soldier’s rights to free speech are limited. Sergeant Stein knew this. He violated his commitment to the service. He was warned that he was in violation of military policy and was ordered to cease lampooning the President... he ignored these direct orders. He should be out of the service... now! We have an all volunteer military after all.

And his “free speech” stand is dishonest and dishonorable. If he wanted to publicly complain about our country's foreign policies he should have resigned and then complained. That would be the military way. If you believe in your cause throw your badge on the table, don't whine about it in the dark.

I notice that Stein is a nine year veteran Marine. I assume that means he has served in Iraq or Afghanistan... two of the most bungled wars in America’s history. The total mismanagement of these two misadventures clearly falls at the feet of the Bush-Cheney Administration and their cadre of incompetent neocons...  people who demonstrably had no idea what they were doing. It does not belong to the Obama Administration.

How is it then that President Obama bears the full burden of Stein's ire? Why is President Obama lampooned by a serving soldier? I suspect it is pretty much because President Obama is black and in the White House. The Sergeant, like his "tea bagger" supporters... Darrell Issa, Duncan Hunter, and the like... cannot stand for that. I believe it is simply racism.

It must be difficult for the many black servicemen and women who fought bravely under Presidents Bush and Obama to tolerate this kind of racism in the military they honorably served.