About that major

He's more stupid than I thought.


He was, you see, a volunteer. He asked to be deployed. When, you may ask, did he put his name on the list... how long before his "come to Jesus" moment when he realised Obama completely invalidated any order which comes down the pipe.

That, actually, is the crux of his argument. He dresses it up with flashy window dressing about war crimes, but when you strip that nonsense away, the core argument he makes is that Obama not "proving" he is a "native born" citizen invalidates any orders.

That argument means nothing can be done. Any private can refuse to clean the latrines, etc., because the orders aren't lawful. The Army is, in his view, in limbo. No one can tell them to do anything.

So, when did he put his name on the list.

May.

Which means it's, almost certainly, a stunt. It's, sadly, a no-lose situation for him. Since he volunteered, he can back out; right up to the day before he ships out.

So, since he's asked for release, it's been granted. Already the right-wing noise machine has gone into spin mode. The best... he was released because that way the truth about Omama's birth in Kenya can be hidden a little longer. (an example in the wild from Chicks on the Right).

Me... I still think he ought to be cashiered. It's not that he is mad as a hatter, no, it's that he has by his example, commited offense under the Uniform Code of Military Justice

§ 881. Art. 81. Conspiracy

Any person subject to this chapter who conspires with any other person to commit an offense under this chapter shall, if one or more of the conspirators does an act to effect the object of the conspiracy, be punished as a court-martial may direct,

§ 882. Art. 82. Solicitation

(a) Any person subject to this chapter who solicits or advises another or others to desert in violation of section 885 of this title (article 85) or mutiny in violation of section 894 of this title (article 94) shall, if the offense solicited or advised is attempted or committed, be punished with the punishment provided for the commission of the offense, but, if the offense solicited or advised is not committed or attempted, he shall be punished as a court-martial may direct. (b) Any person subject to this chapter who solicits or advises another or others to commit an act of misbehavior before the enemy in violation of section 899 of this title (article 99) or sedition in violation of section 894 of this title (article 94) shall, if the offense solicited or advised is committed, be punished with the punishment provided for the commission of the offense, but, if the offense solicited or advised is not committed, he shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.

§ 888. Art. 88. Contempt toward officials

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 Homeland Security, 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.

§ 894. Art. 94. Mutiny or sedition

(a) Any person subject to this chapter who—
(1) with intent to usurp or override lawful military authority, refuses, in concert with any other person, to obey orders or otherwise do his duty or creates any violence or disturbance is guilty of mutiny; (2) with intent to cause the overthrow or destruction of lawful civil authority, creates, in concert with any other person, revolt, violence, or other disturbance against that authority is guilty of sedition; (3) fails to do his utmost to prevent and suppress a mutiny or sedition being committed in his presence, or fails to take all reasonable means to inform his superior commissioned officer or commanding officer of a mutiny or sedition which he knows or has reason to believe is taking place, is guilty of a failure to suppress or report a mutiny or sedition.
(b) A person who is found guilty of attempted mutiny, mutiny, sedition, or failure to suppress or report a mutiny or sedition shall be punished by death or such other punishment as a court-martial may direct.

§ 933. Art. 133. Conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman

Any commissioned officer, cadet, or midshipman who is convicted of conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.

§ 934. Art. 134. General article

Though not specifically mentioned in this chapter, all disorders and neglects to the prejudice of good order and discipline in the armed forces, all conduct of a nature to bring discredit upon the armed forces, and crimes and offenses not capital, of which persons subject to this chapter may be guilty, shall be taken cognizance of by a general, special, or summary court-martial, according to the nature and degree of the offense, and shall be punished at the discretion of that court.

Throw the book at him.

Part of why I like Jimmy Carter

He lives his truth

I was too young to really appreciate him as a president, and he had a tough row to hoe (the fruits of the Vietnam War, and the economic backsnap from Nixon's price controls: the Defense Industry reacting to the reductions in spendings the both of those made practical, and needed. His willingness to engage in Detente, and the Rights attitude that only because of Nixon was he there at all). But his career post office, working with Habitat For Humanity, taking advantage of his bully pulpit to go out and do good works. It doesn't seem to me he is in it for the money, or the glory.

So he broke with his church.

I have been a practising Christian all my life and a deacon and Bible teacher for many years. My faith is a source of strength and comfort to me, as religious beliefs are to hundreds of millions of people around the world.

So my decision to sever my ties with the Southern Baptist Convention, after six decades, was painful and difficult. It was, however, an unavoidable decision when th e convention's leaders, quoting a few carefully selected Bible verses and claiming that Eve was created second to Adam and was responsible for original sin, ordained that women must be "subservient" to their husbands and prohibited from serving as deacons, pastors or chaplains in the military service. This was in conflict with my belief - confirmed in the holy scriptures - that we are all equal in the eyes of God...

At their most repugnant, the belief that women must be subjugated to the wishes of men excuses slavery, violence, forced prostitution, genital mutilation and national laws that omit rape as a crime. But it also costs many millions of girls and women control over their own bodies and lives, and continues to deny them fair access to education, health, employment and influence within their own communities.

The impact of these religious beliefs touches every aspect of our lives. They help explain why in many countries boys are educated before girls; why girls are told when and whom they must marry; and why many face enormous and unacceptable risks in pregnancy and childbirth because their basic health needs are not met.

Go, read the whole thing.

This is part of why I detest the previous adminstration

I like to say "they broke my Army" when discussing Rumsfeld, Cheney, and Bush.

This like this are part of the reason why.

A broader investigation of Fort Carson soldiers returning from Iraq found regular use of drugs and alcohol to "self-medicate," a growing number of waivers allowing troubled personalities into the ranks, and an unwillingness to use programs meant to help soldiers cope because of the stigma attached.

The findings represent the conclusion of an exhaustive investigation following a cluster of 11 homicides and two attempted murders committed or alleged to have been committed by 14 soldiers between 2005 and 2008 that led to the formation of an Army task force and a call for inquiry by then-Sen. Ken Salazar.

Using focus groups and a survey that together gathered information from more than 3,000 soldiers, the report goes well beyond the accused soldiers to offer a portrait of the impact of seven years of war on the Army and its soldiers. ...


The report also found that the Army's programs to detect behavioral problems and deal with them early regularly failed. Only 20 percent of the unit's soldiers who tested positive for drug use were enrolled in the mandatory Army Substance Referral Program after 30 days; only 60 percent were enrolled after 180 days.

The pervasive substance abuse among some troops, mental illness already present in recruits and the failure of Army leaders to get soldiers the help they need likely contributed to the violence, said Lt. Gen. Eric Schoomaker, the Army's surgeon general.

"Those three in combination are a really toxic mix," Schoomaker said.

The investigation also highlighted the impact on an Army recruitment program under strain after years of war. Hard-pressed to fill recruitment goals, the Army began issuing a higher number of "moral waivers" between 2004 and 2007 to individuals with criminal records or drug problems, the report found.

Soldiers who entered the Army with those waivers were two to three times more likely to test positive for illicit drugs and significantly more likely to be removed from the ranks for disciplinary problems.

Three of the soldiers accused of homicide wouldn't have made it into the Army without waivers, according to the report.

This is the sort of thing which took the better part of 15 years to get past the hump of after Viet-nam.

We keep being told that morale is high, that the programs for mental health are working, that the Army is being proactive on the subject. I have my doubts. They are born of personal experience. I didn't want to see a shrink when I got back. I probably should have.

I was probably better able than most to buffalo the shrink, but I think he was predisposed to believe I was "ok." I was self-medicating. Self-medication isn't, ipso facto evil. The trick is to avoid developing habit of dependence. I don't know that physician-directed medication has a better record of avoiding that; absent outside help to deal with the underlying problems. I had friends, and a support network. Not everyone has that.

I love the Army. I like soldiers.

They both deserve a lot better than they are getting.