Marine Discharged Over Facebook Anti-Obama Rants

NBC Miami ^ | Thursday, Apr 26, 2012 | Barbara E. Hernandez

[nickcarraway]

A Marine sergeant was discharged from the military Wednesday for repeated Facebook posts about President Obama.

Marine Sgt. Gary Stein, 27, a meteorologist at Camp Pendleton near San Diego, posted anti-Obama comments and photos on his Facebook page, the "Armed Forces Tea Party." Stein's posts ranged from "Screw Obama and I will not follow all orders from him," to calling the president "an economic and religious enemy."

The American Civil Liberties Union and other groups told reporters they will fight the decision they say violates Stein's first-amendment rights, but military prosecutors said that Stein's comments violated a Pentagon policy that limits political speech while a service member is in uniform, according to Reuters. Stein also was repeatedly warned by superior officers about his Facebook postings.

Still, lawyers from the ACLU and the conservative U.S. Justice Foundation said Thursday that they will continue to fight the discharge.

"I don't believe Sgt. Stein did anything other than engage in political speech," the ACLU's David Loy told the Los Angeles Times. "Since the days of Valley Forge, I seriously doubt that there haven't been members of the armed forces who haven't complained about their government."

Stein, a nine-year veteran who served in Iraq, will be stripped of his stripes and demoted to lance corporal. His discharge will make him ineligible for most federal veterans benefits. The decision to discharge Stein was unanimous by the administration separation board who found that Stein's comments about Obama were "detrimental to good order and discipline and violated military law."

What we find interesting is that at first, Stein seemed to be filled with self-righteous indignation about facing a discharge, including calling his "Armed Forces Tea Party" a place for casual Marine rap sessions. But his comment, "As an active-duty Marine, I have sworn to defend the Constitution against all enemies fo reign and domestic. Obama is the economic enemy, the religious enemy, the domestic enemy," wasn't only on Facebook, but also posted on the military's internal network for meteorological and oceanographic information, according to Reuters.

As one commenter, royboy361 wrote on CNN.com:

As a retired military member myself I don't feel a bit sorry for this guy. The president is his commander and chief. You don't say anything that puts the President in an unflattering light no matter who is President. If that was the case I would have said things about George Bush. Show this guy the door and don't let it hit you on the way out. You should have known better!

[mylife]

That is a huge breach of etiquette.

Obama is a VERY PETTY man.

[garjog]

Obama Complained About Taking Pictures With Troops During Trip to Baghdad — http://www.theblaze.com/stories/new-book-claims-obama-complained-about-taking-pictures-with-troops-during-trip-to-baghdad/

OK, so here is the story that reveals Obama’s contempt for our soldiers.

“The following excerpt describes Obama’s visit to Baghdad and subsequent irritation at a request to take additional photos with soldiers and embassy staffers:

After the talk, out of earshot from the soldiers and diplomats, he starts to complain. He [Obama] starts to act very un-Obamalike, according to a U.S. embassy official who helped organize the trip in Baghdad.

“He’s asked to go out to take a few more pictures with soldiers and embassy staffers. He’s asked to sign copies of his book. “He didn’t want to take pictures with any more soldiers; he was complaining about it,” a State Department official tells me. “Look, I was excited to meet him. I wanted to like him. Let’s just say the scales fell from my eyes after I did. These are people over here who’ve been fighting the war, or working every day for the war effort, and he didn’t want to take f*cking pictures with them?”

[mylife]

Grrrr!

[HANG THE EXPENSE]

I wouldnt serve under the resident of the whitehut.Serving under carter was bad enough due to his eneptness. This guy is downright criminal. I hope this former Marine makes out ok in all he does. I would have no problem hiring him and I think there are more people that would do the same than not.

[BIGLOOK]

In years past, griping was a give and take matter usually one that never came to the surface. If it did, a stern warning would be issued by one's division officer or worse yet, one's LCPO or Sgt. Major. So WTH is this, coming from command?

Not saluting I'll let go just because CIC is a sand bagger, narcissistic interloper and worthless REMF (and I don't mean Rear Echelon) court martialing a critic, I won't.

[mylife]

The Marine clearly violated his oath, but he is just a small potatoes guy like me.

Obamas vehement prosecution of this guy while Nidal Hassan and Shiek Kalid Mohhamed get coddled will hurt his narrow ass.

Obama is a fool.

[Big Horn]

Obama is the first president I do not consider as the CIC.

[mylife]

You’re correct.

His stuff was handled at a lower level

[BIGLOOK]

I, (NAME), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.

Where? There's nothing there that says one must politically support a politician or refrain from criticism.

But you are right, Obama is a fool.

[mylife]

Obama never even took his oath of allegiance to the constitution.

He flubbed it in public then the gave the oath in private when we complained.

FUBO!

[mylife]

IMHO opinion Obama does not believe in the constitution or the country.

Then he busts some marines ass to make a point?

Yeah, keep it up chucklehead.

FUBO!

[mylife]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1Yff-_9MZs

[BIGLOOK]

Good one, My, but you know he blamed that whole FUBAR recitation on Chief Justice Roberts.

It has since become the theme of his maladministration to screw up and blame someone else.

[trebb]

The standards are clear, but military is not prohibited from demonstrating and such on their own time and out of uniform. Having folks know you are a military warrior is not supposed to infringe on your right to exercise free speech.
<p.The military email system is already carrying the story to ensure that nobody else chances the consequences of criticizing “Beloved leader”.

[SgtBob]

That’s quite a website, Mister Cunningham. Might have hunt up some compatriots.

In my defense, I was a scout observer, so, naturally I default to artillery meteorology ;-)

By-the-by, are you a pilot?

[Godwin1]

Throw him out, OK: but the other than honorable discharge is too much. If he gave a decade of honorable service, he should not have his life ruined because the current president happens to be a particularly divisive figure. If this had happened under George Bush, this guy would be a media hero,featured in cloyng interviews on every network news show. The handful of military sexual deviants who demonstrated, in uniform, for homosexual “rights” were treated as media heroes.

[coldflamingo]

The key words that I see, and understand are “To Obey...according to regulations and the “Uniform Code of Military Justice” I take that to mean, NO Illegal orders have to be obeyed, the p-resident is not eligible to give orders to a dog catcher,. much less a Military Member”.

I am a twenty year (plus) Veteran, served in Korea and VN and we were always reminded about the Illegal Orders Trap, especially in the politically charged VN Conflict.
Airborne, All The Way

[garjog]

"The military email system is already carrying the story to ensure that nobody else chances the consequences of criticizing “Beloved leader”."

Soon we will all be singing Praise of Glorious Leader!

YES WE CAN BELIEVE IN GLORIOUS LEADER! PRAISE OBAMA!

_________________________

The Song of General Kim Il-sung

So dear to all our hearts is our General's glorious name,

Our own beloved Kim Il-Sung of undying fame.

Tell, blizzards that rage in the wild Manchurian plains,

Tell, you nights in forests deep where the silence reigns,

Who is the partisan whose deeds are unsurpassed?

Who is the patriot whose fame shall ever last?

So dear to all our hearts is our General's glorious name,

Our own beloved Kim Il-Sung of undying fame.

He severed the chains of the masses, brought them liberty,

The sun of Korea today, democratic and free.

For the Twenty Points united we stand fast,

Over our fair homeland spring has come at last!

So dear to all our hearts is our General's glorious name,

Our own beloved Kim Il-Sung of undying fame.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjbOJf11voU