What are your overall thoughts about the Sgt. Gary Stein circus?

As long as you don’t advertise your active military status you can be active politically. However it is bad policy to disrespect your commanders. The President is the Commander in Chief of the armed forces.

Sgt Stein violated that policy, he was made aware of this from boot camp. IMHO Sgt Stein did this with full knowledge of the possible repercussions.

If I had an employee who stated, publicly at that, that he would not follow my orders… he would no longer be my employee.

He showed remarkable courage, but could have used better judgement about his method of displaying it.

From the article: “According to Pentagon directives, military personnel in uniform cannot sponsor a political club; participate in any TV or radio program or group discussion that advocates for or against a political party, candidate or cause; or speak at any event promoting a political movement. Commissioned officers also may not use contemptuous words against senior officials, including the defense secretary or the president.”

So, he was obviously in the wrong. He shouldn’t be surprised by the consequences. @CaptainHarley I am surprised to hear you, of all people, say that a Facebook page was showing “remarkable courage”... if he had such remarkable courage, why not simply say all of this to his commanding officer’s face, instead of posting on a forum of individuals that he approved? It’s not particularly brave to surround yourself with yes men.

Also, I wonder if he would have been ok with carrying out these “unlawful orders” while he was serving under Bush. Methinks he would not have thought twice about it.

There is a time and a place for political activism and political discourse and IMO active military duty is not one of them. He directly violated Pentagon directives plus he clearly stated he would not follow certain orders from our President. In the military you follow orders no if’s and or but’s and if you don’t you will endure consequences. Pretty cut and dried.

Steins apparent fear, that the President is on the verge of issuing widespread unlawful orders and instituting martial law and a dictatorship, has been a mainstay of the paranoid right since the 60s.

It’s most enthusiastic promoters are the “militia” groups and white supremacists and Tim McVeigh was a product of that atmosphere.

Interestingly, their numbers surge when Democrats are in the White House, rather than the more authoritarian Republicans.

Some reading on the subject:

‘Nullification’ Conference Attracts Far-Right Extremists

Here’s a birther who was trying to arrest the President
Oath Keeper Convicted on Weapons Charge, Attempted ‘Citizen’s Arrest’

Meanwhile, your conservative-leaning supreme court has just decided that anyone can be strip searched on arrest, without any suspicion of contraband… yeah, it’s really the democrats you need to worry about in the “taking away my freedoms” department. <shakes head>

The bottom line while serving in the military is you are not allowed to support political agendas or otherwise publicly question the President. Here is what he swore to when he took oath; ”...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.”
It’s difficult when your ethics conflict with your position. There are other ways of dealing with that conflict. Starting with his chain of command.
You don’t have to like the military or the policies of whatever party is in power at any given time. That’s a freedom that we all have, and we also, as thinking adult citizens,are obligated to question those above us and the decisions they make sometimes.
He went about it the wrong way and knew that when he made that decision. He can take whatever consequences the military dishes out to him.

I haven’t read what he actually posted on his website, but the description in the article showed me nothing that I thought he shouldn’t be allowed to do. It is laudable, in fact, that he promises not to obey unlawful orders. I wish more marines would stand up for that. I hope he doesn’t pick and choose the “unlawful” orders, though.