Quote:
Originally posted by Vick@Sep 5 2003, 10:04 AM
Hmmmmm
While I can sympathize with the soldiers plight
Since when did soldiers make negative statements about higher ranking officials and policy publicly?
Are these the same American soldiers who used "time out" cards in boot camp?
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I'm suprised that folks would allow their names to be used when being critical of the Secretary of Defense ... there is a good possibility that there will be reprecussions for the servicepeople who have family going public back home, so you can imagine what might happen to a servicemember who did it themselves.
I didn't see anything in the quoted article that was personally critical of Rumsfeld, or qualified as "bringing discredit on the service." Members of the Armed Forces are still citizens and have the right to free speech - including the right to bitch, which they exercise quite frequently. Comments like this fall into a gray area.
I don't know what a "time out card in bootcamp" is, but I can tell you this - bitching about a mission in no way implies that someone won't carry it out to the absolute best of their ability. Having nothing but utter contempt for the assholes up the chain of command - whether it's topped by Bill Clinon, George Bush, or whoeverthefuck - doesn't really impair your ability to carry out whatever orders are issued or accomplish any mission you are assigned.