Posted on 06/06/2013 7:31:50 AM PDT by markomalley
A soldier who served Chick-fil-A sandwiches at a party he threw to honor the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and his promotion to Master Sergeant has received a letter of reprimand.
The soldier received his promotion last summer, and since "it coincided with national controversy surrounding Chick-fil-A's support of traditional marriage," he decided to serve their sandwiches and celebrate DOMA while he was at it.
According to a Fox News report, the invitation to the soldier's party read: "In honor of my promotion and in honor of the Defense of Marriage Act, I'm serving Chick-fil-A sandwiches at my promotion party."
In response, the military went so far as to put a letter of reprimand in the soldier's file and "an investigation was initiated to see if he had violated any policy." Chaplain Alliance Executive Director Ron Crews said there was even "talk of bringing judicial punishment against" the soldier for a time.
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
Since General Mattis was pushed out, I would say it’s all now.
What would have happened if he had noted his promotion ceremony was also in honor of the repeal of DADT? Or the 2nd Amendment? Hell, or the 1st Amendment?
There is WAAAAY too much intgervention with all of our PERSONAL lives.
There should be no way that these kinds of information are put out into the world.
Either people need to refrain from Facebook and everything else and go back to written invitations for their functions or they should be able to sue when their rights of privacy are attacked.
IF my employer got into my face about what kind of food I served at my private party, they would be scrambling for another full charge bookkeeper within the space of a few sentences.
This reminds me of how we felt during the clinton administration - childish behavior by those who felt they had the power to do anything they wanted, instead of following laws. If you recall we had IRS targeting those the administration didn’t like then too. As much as the media hated President Bush, we would have definitely heard if his administration had been targeting liberals...
There is zero basis for a letter of reprimand based on the facts presented in this article.
A promotion party is a private affair, not a military ceremony. There is no requirement to have one. There isn’t even a requirement to have a promotion ceremony.
If the party is private, then the food is private, the invitation is private, and the wording is private.
Nor is there any restriction from handing out invitations while on duty. It’s done all the time, the same as any other job.
The only thing I can think is that this soldier used his government email account to forward invitations, but even that should be no problem. The government recognizes that some (but minimal) personal actions will be conducted on government computers.
There is no basis. Either we’re not getting all the facts, or this soldier has come up against a radical pro-gay commander (or an idiot) somewhere in his chain of command.
Army Brass, were a bunch of PC TURDS!!
“In a land of freedom we are held hostage by the tyranny of hypocrisy, fraud, and treason.”
—me
Sounds to me you don't know the difference between a promotion "ceremony" and a promotion "party".
The other possibility, and IMO more likely, is the top of his local chain of command received a telephone call of "concern" from a known WH operative.
Similar to one's CEO saying, "I really hope you will be able to find time to..."
Less intimidated military heads probably prevailed by pointing out there was no way to predict what other types of normal behavior would require punishiment.
Unfortunately, in this administration’s oversight of the military, it is allowing all kinds of crazy stuff, promoting lawlessness, and prosecuting the righteous.
Military members march for San Diego gay pride - July 6, 2011
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/17/us-gay-parade-military-idUSTRE76G00M20110717
“A group of U.S. service members marched in a San Diego gay pride parade on Saturday, in a demonstration organizers touted as an unprecedented step for gay and lesbian military personnel under the Pentagon’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.”
“Marine Corporal Will Rodriguez-Kennedy is on active duty and said he looks forward to next year’s parade, when he believes it will be possible to march in “dress blues.””
“The march came a day after a three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily reinstated the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy on gays, but blocked the Pentagon from penalizing or discharging anyone for being openly gay. The decision marked a reversal from an earlier order to immediately end the policy.”
-————————A YEAR LATER
Military marchers wear uniforms in gay pride parade - July 22, 2012
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/military/story/2012-07-22/military-gay-pride-parade/56419032/1
“Last week, the Defense Department gave a one-time exception to a longstanding policy that bars military troops from wearing uniforms in public, non-partisan parades.”
“With the DADT repeal, more troops are feeling the freedom, and personal relief, of being able to be comfortable discussing their personal life or even having their partners join in unit activities, but it’s not always easy.”
(Yeah, for instance Heterosexuals are not allowed the same freedom as Homosexuals. Homos can appear IN UNIFORM, get on their knees and PROPOSE to their homo boyfriend, and kiss him on national TV, but Hetero Soldiers can’t have a PLAYBOY magazine in the barracks.)
(from the first article linked)
“Navy Senior Chief Dwayne Beebe, crisply dressed in his bright white Navy uniform, stood out among more than 350 service members cheered on by the rainbow-bedecked crowds that lined six-deep Saturday along the San Diego parade route.”
“When Beebe stopped at an intersection and got down on one knee to propose to his boyfriend, the parade nearly came to a stop as other sailors and military troops surrounded the couple as Jonathan Franqui said yes.”
“Beebe, a 20-year veteran and experienced culinary specialist now stationed in Pensacola, had notified his boss, an admiral, the night before that he would be marching in the parade. It was more a courtesy than a requirement, however.”
See post #51. Apparently the MILITARY actually CONDONED wearing uniforms in a GAY PRIDE PARADE where a NAVY man IN UNIFORM proposed marriage to another GAY NAVY MAN.
While at the same time they outlawed PINUPS of 'women' in the BARRACKS.
Pinups of barely clothed or naked WEIGHT LIFTERS are not prohibited.
DADT. Don't ask, don't tell. He was telling everyone at the party that he was a heterosexual. That gets you brought up on charges.
Well he did screw up mixing politics with the military. He’s welcome to have a DOMA party or an abortion party, but mix it with his promotion and it can be seen as crossing the line.
NO, It’s called Free Speech.
See post #51.
They did celebrate the temporary stay of DADT at a GAY PRIDE PARADE in Nancy Pelosi's district in 2011, and for 2012 they wore their UNIFORMS. (which the BOY SCOUTS were NOT ALLOWED to do by the same 'people' who arranged for the MILITARY to wear theirs.)
Not only were there NO REPERCUSSIONS, but the NAVY CHIEF who proposed to his gay boyfriend on national TV only notified his 'superior' as a COURTESY.
Which is undoubtedly why (well... he actually stated it was why) he was serving CHIK-FIL-A.
In otherwords,IT wasn't really about his celebrating the DOMA, but about the CHIK-FIL-A.
I know exactly what the difference is...that’s why I predicated the paragraph you cited with a big ‘if’ it was a ceremony.
And the article doesn’t specify with clarity what it was.
Yuri Bezmenov. Former KGB agent told us this was a long term plan over TWENTY years ago, and that they (the Russian government) were surprised HOW EASILY and QUICKLY the plan was working. Even if we start TODAY, it will take THIRTY YEARS to counteract what has already been accomplished.
Obama and Nancy Pelosi would have shown up at the party bringing gifts.
The problem was that he ordered CHIK-FIL-A and stated that he did it because the CEO backed DOMA.
This made several politicians very mad. They then passed on their objection to the military, and you know the rest of the story.
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