Military Personnel Warned on Politics
washingtonpost.com
By Thomas E. Ricks
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, November 30, 2000; Page A35
Two major U.S. military commands, one in the Air Force and the other in the Army, recently warned their personnel that it is a crime for officers to express contempt for the nation's political leaders, either in speech or in e-mail correspondence.
Brig. Gen. Jack Rives, the top lawyer for the Air Force's Air Combat Command, said he acted on Nov. 21 after reading in news stories comments from military officers who were upset by Democratic Party challenges to military absentee ballots cast in Florida. He sent out a message to people in his command, which includes 89,000 troops at 17 major bases, telling them that "this is not the time to send e-mails or otherwise get involved in an improper or unprofessional manner with the continuing controversy over the presidential election."
Col. James Rosenblatt, the staff judge advocate for the Army's Training and Doctrine Command, said he decided to send out his own lengthier message after seeing the Air Force message.
Citing "the swirling political process associated with the presidential elections," Rosenblatt sent an e-mail reminding the command's generals and lawyers that Article 88 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice forbids military officers from using "contemptuous words against the President, 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." (Rives noted that the article forbids officers from being contemptuous of governors and legislatures only of states in which the officers are physically on active duty.)
Rosenblatt, the top lawyer in his command, which has about 67,000 soldiers and civilian employees at 15 major bases, concluded his message by suggesting that the current situation may provide an opportunity for commanders to conduct educational sessions "on the question of civilian control of the military."
With 28 years of service in the Army, Rosenblatt said it was the first time he ever felt it necessary to remind officers that it is against military law to express contempt for political authorities. However, Rives noted that parts of the military have issued similar reminders twice in the past decade after military personnel publicly criticized President Clinton.
A violation of Article 88 can result in dismissal and one year's imprisonment. But prosecutions under the article are rare, and Rives and Rosenblatt said they weren't aware of any in recent decades.
Spokesmen for the Navy and Marine Corps said their services have not issued similar warnings in recent days.
© 2000 The Washington Post Company
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PS: JDN... hope you can understand why most military folks don't feel comfortable being out there protesting physically. Although I've been out for several years now, it's still part of me.
But it is a sign of how angry some folks are getting. Being conservative, we're the ones who are expected to use our heads and not our mouths and fists, logic over irrationalism, order over chaos...
So to see conservatives rallying is near tantamount to what the liberals would refer to as an insurrection. |
