Military cadets are barred from Indiana tea party rally

Military officials are prohibiting cadets in a high school training program from providing a color guard for an upcoming tea party protest rally in Indiana.

The decision from the Marine Corps JROTC headquarters in Washington to the Portage High School group came Wednesday, just before the district's school board was to have a special meeting to discuss objections to the students' participation.

The tea party event appeared to be a political rally and the military must remain unbiased, said 2nd Lt. Brian Villiard, a spokesman from the JROTC headquarters.

"We want to avoid the appearance of the military leaning towards one side or another, whether it is a conservative or liberal group," Villiard said.

Northwest Indiana Patriots founder Faith Jones, an organizer of the April 14 rally in Valparaiso, said she disagreed.

"We are not a political party," she said. "We are about educating concerned citizens on their constitutional rights. We are nonpartisan."

Jones said veterans would be invited to stand in for the cadets during the rally and called the decision "a missed opportunity for these kids."

School board member Cheryl Oprisko, who objected to the cadets taking part in the rally, said she was "elated" by what she called a common sense decision by the military. She said allowing the students, on a school-sanctioned basis, to participate would put the district in a "bad light."

The cadets were aware of the controversy but "are nonpartisan about these things," said Senior Marine instructor Maj. John Johnston, who leads the Portage High School program.

Yes, attending a political rally in uniform on your own is not allowed and in violation of the Hatch Act.

If they are there as a military detail to post the colors, then they are NOT there to show support of a political rally.... it is a detail for the sole purpose of postng the colors.

Now, the commander can certainly determine whether or not he wants to support this event. Evidently, the JROTC commander felt it would be in keeping with military cutoms to support the DNC.

This JROTC commander made the call that for the Tea Party rally, it would not be in keeping with custom (probably because of the negative media attention).

I could go either way on the issue. So long as they are just being used to post the colors, not a problem. If they are going to be props (for any faction) then I take issue with it. The problem lies of where to draw the line..... ie a GLBT requesting JROTC color guard.

The RNC also uses a military color guard......

http://www.worthcountyrepublicans.com/HTM_FOLDERS/2008%20National%20Convention.htm

The 934th Airlift Wing Air Force Reserves Joint Color Guard of Minn

I imagine so long as they post the colors at the RNC and DNC favoritism or actual support cannot be claimed.

I would not see a problem with the request of Reserve Unit, JROTC, VFW, Police/Fire from a local area to post colors for events.... so long as the events were determined to be in keeping with good order and discipline and available equally. IE, Dem rallies, Repub rallies as ostensibly these are civic functions.

Gay rallies, KKK, Black Panthers, etc are not in keeping with military custom and are specifically agenda driven; they should NOT be supported by the military/police/fire etc.

Mostly, it falls on the commander.

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