MCPO NYC USN (Ret.) sends us a link to the story that Oathkeeper/Ron Paulian Michael Stein is being discharged for the Marines for his inability to stop posting his thoughts about the President and the upcoming election on a Facebook presence entitled “Armed Forces Tea Party” despite warnings from his leaders. From Fox News;
“I love the Marine Corps, I love my job. I wish it wouldn’t have gone this way. I’m having a hard time seeing how 15 words on Facebook could have ruined my nine-year career,” he told The Associated Press.
Gary Kreep, an attorney for Stein, said he would pursue administrative appeals within the Marine Corps but anticipates the effort will be denied. He said he planned to file an amended complaint in federal court.
“As long as he wants to pursue this, we will be supporting him,” said Kreep, who is executive director of the United States Justice Foundation, an advocacy group.
He can say he loves the Marine Corps, but apparently he doesn’t love it so much that he’ll follow directions. You can say anything you want, as long as you don’t use your uniform to say it. That’s two who’ve been punished this year for making statements in uniform – Jesse Thorsen and Michael Stein. Both of them were Paulians – and both thought the rules didn’t apply to them and their actions have resulted in more Power Point presentations for the rest of us. Yeah, I got one, too, a few weeks ago.
And, yeah, his unfortunately named lawyer, Mr. Kreep, will continue to drag this through the courts as long as Stein has the means to pay…which might not be much longer.
Good riddance.
The minute this clown stopped following orders from higher up in the chain of command, is the minute his attention seeking arse lost any credibility with me, not that he really had any to begin with.
This ain’t an order to gun down civilians in cold blood, this is a simple order to get a cold mug of STFU and conduct yourself in a proper military bearing, like you are being told to.
Hope the door doesn’t hit his ass on the way out.
The wars are over and standards are going up while the .mil is cutting troops….so I’m going to repeatedly piss off higher? What makes sense about these thoughts?
The USMC takes discipline seriously. It’s funny that Stein, as an Oathkeeper, preaches personal responsibility, yet his defenders are all making excuses for him. Oh, so now you want a bailout? How “un-American” and “big government” of you, Mr. Stein, former US Marine.
This screams of, “When Keepin’ it real goes horribly wrong…”, but I have a feeling this isn’t going to be the last we will hear of him. I think the Marines have created a martyr for the oathkeeper movement.
By the way I am glad I can say Obama is a shitbird…
IMHO this kinda crap wouldn’t be happening now if recruit training was still conducted as it was 35+ years ago. They pounded into you, literally, immediate obedience to orders. His superiors told him to STFU and he didn’t. I feel no pity, no empathy, no SHIT for him. He had his chance and he didn’t take it. To forkin’ bad. I hope the Corps gives him his favorite meal, a Big Chicken Dinner!?
As a Tea Party supporter, and a former member of the “Armed Forces Tea Party” (I liked them on Facebook in the beginning), I can say that like all good things, it eventually went too far, and I quickly “unliked” them.
Do I disagree with his comments about the current administration, and their policies, I even still have questions about the “birth certificate” that was provided, but it is not my place to say “I will NOT follow orders from this President.” (I will, but like most infantrymen, I will bitch about it, to my peers, make jokes about it, and move on.
DAMN IT!!!
Meant to say
“I do NOT disagree” instead of “Do I disagree”
Sorry, my bust.
As others have said before on TAH: “Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.”
An order must be followed so long as it’s not an order to do something obviously illegal, like shoot an unarmed POW. And an order from one’s chain-of-command to cease political activities while in uniform or while publicly parading oneself as a member of the military is NOT an illegal order. Rather, it is merely a reminder of what Federal law (the Hatch Act) and the UCMJ require all Federal employees, military or civilian, to do: refrain from political activity while on duty or while in any capacity acting as an employee of the US government. Making public political statements while also publicly stating you hold an official position with the Federal government, either military or civilian, is a huge NO-GO.
This guy is an idiot, and got what he deserved for failing to cease and desist. Frankly, he’s lucky he didn’t get a court-martial for disobeying orders.
Simply stated … the oath covers it all. Including following the orders of the PRESIDENT (whether you agree with his politics or not):
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In summary, the former SGT failed to honor his agreement, contract, and oath to his Nation. He stated that he would not obey the orders of the President of the United States. Therefore, he was properly removed from service and issued an Other Than Honorable Discharge.
More on the Military Oath of Enlistment:
Federal law requires everyone who enlists or re-enlists in the Armed Forces of the United States to take the enlistment oath. The oath of enlistment into the United States Armed Forces is administered by any commissioned officer to any person enlisting or re-enlisting for a term of service into any branch of the military. The officer asks the person, or persons, to raise their right hand and repeat the oath after him. The oath is traditionally performed in front of the United States Flag and other flags, such as the state flag, military branch flag, and unit guidon may be present.
In the Armed Forces EXCEPT the National Guard (Army or Air)
I, (NAME), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; 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. So help me God.
In the National Guard (Army or Air)
I, (NAME), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the State of (STATE NAME) against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the Governor of (STATE NAME) and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to law and regulations. So help me God.
Guide Note: There has been some controversy about whether the phrase “So help me God” is mandatory. I have seen officers allow enlistees to omit these words, if they choose, according to their religious preference and beliefs. While federal law does not appear to make any part of the oath optional (see Title 10, Section 502 of the United States Code), military regulations often do. For example, the Army enlistment regulation (see Army Regulation 601-210, paragraph 6-18) makes the portion “So help me God” optional.
History of the Oath of Enlistment
During the Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress established different oaths for the enlisted men of the Continental Army.
The first oath, voted on 14 June 1775 as part of the act creating the Continental Army, read:
I _____ have, this day, voluntarily enlisted myself, as a soldier, in the American continental army, for one year, unless sooner discharged: And I do bind myself to conform, in all instances, to such rules and regulations, as are, or shall be, established for the government of the said Army.
The original wording was effectively replaced by Section 3, Article 1, of the Articles of War approved by Congress on 20 September 1776, which specified that the oath of enlistment read:
I _____ swear (or affirm as the case may be) to be trued to the United States of America, and to serve them honestly and faithfully against all their enemies opposers whatsoever; and to observe and obey the orders of the Continental Congress, and the orders of the Generals and officers set over me by them.
The first oath under the Constitution was approved by Act of Congress 29 September 1789 (Sec. 3, Ch. 25, 1st Congress). It applied to all commissioned officers, noncommissioned officers and privates in the service of the United States. It came in two parts, the first of which read: “I, A.B., do solemnly swear or affirm (as the case may be) that I will support the constitution of the United States.” The second part read: “I, A.B., do solemnly swear or affirm (as the case may be) to bear true allegiance to the United States of America, and to serve them honestly and faithfully, against all their enemies or opposers whatsoever, and to observe and obey the orders of the President of the United States of America, and the orders of the officers appointed over me.” The next section of that chapter specified that “the said troops shall be governed by the rules and articles of war, which have been established by the United States in Congress assembled, or by such rules and articles of war as may hereafter by law be established.”
The 1789 enlistment oath was changed in 1960 by amendment to Title 10, with the amendment (and current wording) becoming effective in 1962.
Much of the above information courtesy of the Army’s Center for Military History.
Steins an idiot craphouse lawyer. I know several “hooah” type guys that were very good NCOs and soldiers that fell into that idiocy in 2003-04 regarding deployment lengths.