Posted on 06/08/2013 4:53:18 PM PDT by markomalley
The government’s war on the rights of conservatives isn’t just being waged by the IRS; the U.S. Army apparently is also participating. According to this report from Fox News, Master Sgt. Nathan Sommers, a 25-year Army veteran and conservative Christian based at Fort Myer in the Washington, D.C. area, has been harassed and persecuted for expressing conservative views and for reading books by Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, and David Limbaugh.
Sommers’ difficulties began last April when he was told by his superior officer to remove pro-Republican, anti-Obama bumper stickers that were on his privately owned car. The stickers read: “Political Dissent is NOT Racism,” “NOBAMA,” NOPE2012” and “The Road to Bankruptcy is Paved with Ass-Fault.” The last of these stickers included the image of a donkey.
According to the report filed by Sommers’ superior officer, these stickers “were creating an atmosphere detrimental to morale and were creating unnecessary workplace tension.” “Even the slightest inference of disrespect towards superiors can have a demoralizing effect on the unit,” the officer explained.
When Sommers pressed the issue, the Army backed away from this ludicrous stance. Sommers was not reprimanded.
But then, Sommers, a member of the Army band, came under fire for his choice of reading material:
Sommers was reading Limbaugh’s “The Great Destroyer” backstage at a U.S. Army Band concert at the U.S. Capitol. A superior officer told him that he was causing “unit disruption” and was offending other soldiers.
“I wasn’t reading aloud,” he said. “I was just reading privately to myself. I was told they were frowning on that and they warned me that I should not be reading literature like that backstage because it was offensive.”
In another episode, he had been caught backstage reading a copy of Levin’s “Ameritopia: The Unmaking of America.”
Sommers said he was told to refrain from reading the book “while in uniform or within sight of anyone from the band.”
The Army’s solicitousness on behalf of band members who might be offended by the sight of a Sean Hannity book is touching. But this is a slippery slope. Some combat troops are offended by sharing living quarters with those whose sexual practices they abhor. Their sensibilities should receive at least as much respect as those of left-wing bandsmen.
Speaking of gays in the military, the issue is closely linked with attempts to trample the rights of Sommers and other Christian military personnel.
Sommers ran afoul of gay colleagues by serving Chik-Fil-A sandwiches at a party he hosted for fellow soldiers, and by then tweeting that he was doing so “in honor of DADT repeal, and Obama/Holder’s refusal to enforce DOMA act.” Fox reports that he was later summoned by a superior officer, who Sommers says is openly gay, and told that unidentified individuals were offended by the tweets and some considered them to be racist (when did gays become a race?).
Sommers was then reprimanded, threatened with judicial action, and given a bad efficiency report. An investigation was also launched.
It appears that Sommers is not an isolated victim of the Arny’s efforts to curb the rights of those who have serious reservations about the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell:
Ron Crews, executive director of the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty said stories like this are becoming commonplace in the military post-repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.
“These stories are the ones that have not been told – about some of the more subtle ramifications of the repeal of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy,” he said.
One service member received a severe reprimand for expressing his faith’s religious position about homosexuality in a personal religious blog.
A chaplain was relieved of his command over a military chapel because he could not allow same-sex weddings to take place in the chapel.
And a chaplain who asked senior military officers whether religious liberty would be protected in the wake of the repeal of the law against open homosexual behavior in the military was told to “get in line” or resign.
The gay rights agenda isn’t just about attacking discrimination. It’s also about “rubbing the noses” of those with religious-based and other reservations about homosexuality “in it.”
Given the past treatment of gays, I think I understand how this became part of the agenda. But it shouldn’t become part of the agenda of the U.S. Army or the U.S. government.
This is the 2nd time I've seen this stated. I respect the remainder of this article, however, as a retired US Army chaplain, I want to point out that the above line will look silly to members of the military.
Chaplains do not have command -- by military regulation -- of anything. They can have administrative control, but they are NEVER commanders. Ever. That line can be used to discredit what is an otherwise good article.
The Pink Gestapo will gradually gain control of the US military. There is no way that a troop can be directed not to read standard, published literature. Perhaps they can be directed not to read leaked, classified documents, but that's about the only thing I can think of that the military might have a legitimate interest in controlling. And I'm not sure even of that.
Members of our military do not lose their rights of free religion, speech, press, assembly, in normal circumstances. (There are certainly modifications necessary in a combat environment.) A free press implies, in my opinion, access to the writings of that free press.
Well then. It is an all volunteer military, and if this country is heading in that direction, I know I wouldn’t fight for it. Let the libs have the military, conservatives stay home. See how long that flies before the LIBS have to institute a draft.
For the current ruling class, being offensive is blasphemy.
And the punishment is rather severe for blasphemy.
If you are in the military, you don’t have the same rights.
Being “political” is a fast track to trouble.
Dad talked about it, and he was in the Army in the early 60’s
One thing to keep in mind that this all took place within the context of the Army Band (as compared, say, to an Infantry unit).
In my limited experience with military bands, they are generally populated by ultra-highly educated troops. Even the enlisted virtually all have a bachelor’s degree, if not master’s degrees. Because of this higher education level they are probably more easily offended by politically incorrect (i.e., non-Marxist) books.
Now, what do we often associate with the “arts?” Face it: Homosexuals.
There are probably more homosexuals per capita in that Army Band unit than in most Army units.
No doubt the Pink Mafia is persecuting the NCO about whom this article is written.
Glad he is not taking it lying down. The Pink Mafia in his unit will have to be a bit less blatant now .... at least, for awhile.
Or, so one can hope.
not sure if you are serious with that post but I hate to take what you were told away but guess what.
During combat we always and I mean always spoke about certain idiot officers, we spoke against elected official and you know what we all said?
We have every right as others to speak up to each other, we know who are the fools who are not and who we respect,.
Respect is earned, not given, and if a CIC is useless then yes he is put down.
Too many then and now won’t say anything because they care about themselves and their careers and follow blindly.
We are taught to think for ourselves and , yes that mans on all aspects. We don’t just give respect to someone who thinks they deserve it.
Officers, or CIC but I do know that every Sgt MJr I have ever known understands the men and gets respect because of it.
We said that we as marines and soldiers can always win a war but those elected will always lose the war because they have no idea how to fight nor does those who have never served.
If you would like to think we’re all zombies who shut up and follow blindly then s be it but the reality is that we do not in combat units, we make fun of our officers who are idiots, we make fun and put down our CIC once in a while and yes we fight for each other not for the CIC.
If you think we should not make fun of queers or even each other then by all means think of us as a cult but to break it to you with all honesty . We do not have PC in many of us
Once the conservative troopers bail out, Obama will have a military that will be more than happy to attack American citizens on American soil. Tea Party folks rerally do have cause for concern, don’t they?
Why? Cause I went to Captains mast for NJP for reading fabulous fury freak brothers. AFter that, all my underground comics and high times and playboy were covered.
I also remember under a J. Carter directive that we were not permitted to use the word “Can’t”, and our talk with our division officer on no matter what we thought or believed we couldn’t talk about Jimmy Carter, politics or proselytize our religion.
Oh, thought they were talking about open homos in the military...never mind.
First of all, I have never been in the military. Everything I have said is based off of second hand knowledge, some of it my Dad, much of it my close friends.
Dad said that they had a guy who was a member of something like the John Birch society (can’t remember what it was now). He was confronted and told he would be booted out of the Army if he didn’t quit the group. This was in the early 60’s
I had a good friend who was in the Army during the Clinton years. He was told by his CO not to read any political books on base, or say anything bad about Clinton. Didn’t stop him (my friend is a bit of a block head), and he got very good at push ups and other punishment details. His opinions weren’t what got him out of the Army though.
I still have a few friends that are active duty. They all have said they have to keep their political opinions under wraps in most situations. If the wrong officer hears you, you can get into a world of trouble. One is thinking about leaving the Marines because of the PC stuff that is going on.
, I am talking first hand knowledge , not second hand and we all talked about how useless certain officers are, we are not sheep, we have views and opinions.
If someone wants to shut up and hide what they read then so be it but in our combat unit we had balls and we can think for ourselves.
We couldn’t give a crap about the CIC, hell we made fun of Clinton and his BJ’s and him cheating, I know still today guys are saying Obama is useless and can’t wait for oabma to leave and take his appointees out too.
We had good CO’s and we had bad ones and the bad ones were called ass holes just as the CIC is called , just as anyone one of us are called.
Hiding a book is pathetic and cowardly, we can read porn, have porn on the walls of our room and I can read Mark Levin
OMG, you actually hide your porn too,, what did you never watch porn video’s either while in, [shakes head, rolls eyes]\???
No wonder the military is being ruined.
Was you in a combat unit or were you support like bedding storeman officer?
I ask because not one of us in combat would shut up about what we thought, if we can die and bleed and see pals die and bleed then we can read and say what we think and not doing so is cowardly, we’re not muppets or sheep and many of us still today sit about talking about how useless many officers are today
This is coming from a former military brat - Dad and Uncles were in the AF and both Grandfathers were in the Army. I have also worked in the Defense Contracting field for 20 years.
thanks, if we can bleed and die and lose limbs and see others have the same then we have a right to speak up and have a sense of humor t get us through hard times even if that humor is non PC and different from civilian life
No, green shirt on the flight deck of an Aircraft Carrier for most of my 6 years. Like I said, "Don't go looking for trouble, it will find you soon enough".
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