Posted on 09/02/2013 9:01:30 AM PDT by Nachum
With the President poised to strike in Syria and the Congress set to vote on the issue the week of Sep. 9, the debate about U.S. military intervention in the two-year-old civil war is already happening amongst the American public.
Some Americans have made their voices known to their representatives, while many others have said the U.S. should stay out of the conflict, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.
In the poll, only 20% said the U.S. should take action, although that was up from 9% last week. Even if it's clear the Assad regime used chemical weapons on civilians, only 29% said the U.S. should intervene.
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
Are we really sure the military garbed with the signs really are military?
Maybe they are "Agent provocateurs".
It’s quite possible...who knows?
“I think it’s a dangerous precident to politisize the military”
I see the military having a public voice as helping to prevent politicizing the military, preventing the President from calling it “his military” as Obama just did. It is OUR military and I want to know when it is being used politically.
Good order and discipline depends on individuals A) Following lawful orders, and B) Not allowing one’s personal views or needs impede readiness or performance. Being politically active while in uniform is counter to federal law and the UCMJ and does nothing to support or maintain readiness or performance. It has the potential to poison important professional relationships and unit cohesion.
So maybe we as a country have to limit power of our president to minimum. Let the congress to authorize even minimal military action.
“Being politically active while in uniform is counter to federal law”
Then you need to read the actual law: DoD Directive 1344.10.
That sounds like a good idea to me.
Any commissioned officer who uses contemptuous words against the President, the Vice President, Congress, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of a military department, the Secretary of Transportation, or the Governor or legislature of any State, Territory, Commonwealth, or possession in which he is on duty or present shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.
The same rules DO NOT APPLY to enlisted:
Any person subject to this chapter who– (1) violates or fails to obey any lawful general order or regulation; (2) having knowledge of any other lawful order issued by any member of the armed forces, which it is his duty to obey, fails to obey the order; or (3) is derelict in the performance of his duties; shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.
If you look closely at the uniforms in the photos, none of these are commissioned officers.
Therefore--while keeping themselves annonymous is smart to keep themselves out of trouble, they are not violating any laws or their oath to support and defend the Constitution.
I believe Article 92 of the UCMJ is used in these cases.
I agree. There are the political and corporate elites who want an end to all privacy so that it will shut down the Jeffersonian instincts that made our country great, but now makes the elites squirm. When everything you say is public it stifles freedom of speech. Had it all been public then our 1776 would have never occurred.
Should commissioned officers have used contemptuous words against McNamara and LBJ who laughed when they misrepresented the aggression of the North Vietnamese in the Gulf of Tonkin incident, so as to falsely justify the need to expand the Vietnam War? My growing concern is the growing lack of institutional ethics.
The youth today have not yet lived long enough to become as cynical of the crooked politics, unethical governmental ambitions and the lack integrity as have many. Hopefully they will.
Those loyal to the crown {Government} saw the Americans revolting as treasonous "Agent Provocateurs".
“And why should that negate his political views? His ONLY obligation is to obey his orders, not become a silent slave.”
Because voicing your political views causes dissension and is bad for unit cohesion. It was NOT allowed when I was serving, lo these many years ago, and should not be allowed now. When you enter service you take the oath and you also sign a contract. You have to follow the rules or suffer the consequences.
I agree with their sentiments but you just can’t do it.
meh, those were the olden days before the US turned communist. Obama does not protect and defend the Constitution, so to ask others to follow him blindly based on the olden days is actually against the Constitution.
No need for people to march themselves over a cliff to support an enemy invader.
But if is OK for the president to send them to die fighting in a civil war and help our enemy.....nope, they didn’t sign up for that and I am glad they are in uniform....just don’t want their faces shown so they don’t have some accident that they will die in by being on some communist eleminate list. But you must think its OK for them to die in uniform helping our muslim enemys that will kill any american if they can. Probably kill the american military sent to help them. You sound like the enemy of the US. thats sad.......
He has been trolling for awhile.. his day will come soon.. :p
The current zotfest of anyone wanting to speak truthfully about eligibility is keeping those who do zotting budy.
When I was an Army officer 40 years ago, my battalion CO had an interesting take. He said that it was normal for NCO’s to gripe. That was part of being an NCO. But if the NCO’s stop griping, you’d better watch out because that means they’re going to take direct action.
We need to kn knock off the SOP all the way back to WWII... If the politicos weren’t involved in Korea/Vietnam/Iraq/Afghanistan, we would have been in and out.. repairing what needed to be repaired.. then Fin
(Reminds me of the Fed. Res. and Tax Codes.. hmm, wonder why).
My Gosh.. you must have been reading my mind (or vice-versa) from my last post to you..
Yes, well, the Clown has a might cult that will rush to do the bidding of their little tin god. 20% sounds about right.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.