Marine punished for criticizing ‘Dont Ask, Don’t Tell.’
By on May 22nd, 2007 at 3:02 pm
Marine punished for criticizing ‘Dont Ask, Don’t Tell.’
On April 23, Capt. Josh Gibbs wrote an opinion piece in the Marine Corps Times arguing, “It’s time to allow gays to serve openly in the military.” A week later, he was notified that he was relieved of duty due to “loss of confidence.” He is now being reassigned to Okinawa, Japan.
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AT least he didn’t get reassigned to Iraq, or Nam.
May 22nd, 2007 at 3:06 pmI’d lose confidence in the leadership also. Oh wait…
May 22nd, 2007 at 3:07 pmhow ironic, get punished for the very thing you are being paid to die for…..
May 22nd, 2007 at 3:08 pm“Loss of confidence”, all right…loss of confidence that Josh will continue to be a good little tin soldier and toe the line.
From the article:
Nice way to find out about your reassignment…
May 22nd, 2007 at 3:08 pmHow german of us.
May 22nd, 2007 at 3:08 pmServes him right.
May 22nd, 2007 at 3:09 pmI’d take Okinawa over Iraq ANYDAY. Consider him lucky at this point.
May 22nd, 2007 at 3:09 pmI’d take Okinawa over Iraq ANYDAY. Consider him lucky at this point.
Comment by Not Canadian Yet — May 22, 2007 @ 3:09 pm
I’d take Okinawa over Texas anyday.
May 22nd, 2007 at 3:12 pmI’m guessing there’s a HELL of a lot fewer bullets flying in Japan than Iraq or A’stan. If I’m in his shoes, I’d consider this mission accomplished.
May 22nd, 2007 at 3:13 pmAm I the only Liberal that knows this?
Military personnel do not enjoy Freedom of Speech like civilians do.
the American Constitution doesn’t apply to armed forces personnel. The Miliary Code of Justice does.
Not that I would personally know since I ran away from the USA like a coward. I was terrified that my draft number would be called.
May 22nd, 2007 at 3:14 pmI thought Farwell was dead.
May 22nd, 2007 at 3:19 pmDaryll
No, it does not serve him right. Even if you want to call him a sinner for wanting to support homosexual rights, a sinner still has legal rights as an American. You are calling for oppression of not only those who are homosexual but those who seek to have them treated with respect as human beings and citizens. Jesus hung around the despised sinners of his day and did not call for their being further outcasted. You should be ashamed!
May 22nd, 2007 at 3:19 pmNot that I would personally know since I ran away from the USA like a coward. I was terrified that my draft number would be called.
Comment by President Clinton — May 22, 2007 @ 3:14 pm
Ah, another wingnut Limpbutt clone, attacking Clinton – how predictably st*pid.
Funny, but your description is of Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, George Bush and Rush Limbaugh – all cowards that *pretend* to have been Pro-Vietnam and yet refused to go there. At least Clinton had the integrity to not fight in a war he didn’t believe in. You wingnuts always *claim* to be for things, you never have the b*lls to go stand up for. If you really weren’t such a republican coward, you’d be in Iraq right now – hypocrite!
May 22nd, 2007 at 3:20 pmMr. Troll President
Try a different screen name. Your logic, grammar, spelling, and general writing skills are in no way keeping with Clinton’s intellectual level. And your posts are not even funny. You are just verbally masturbating.
May 22nd, 2007 at 3:21 pmU.S. soldiers in Iraq, are you paying attention?
Send in your opinion piece to your military newspaper and get a free trip out of the kill zone in Iraq.
I hear Japan’s nice this time of year.
- Tom
May 22nd, 2007 at 3:23 pmNot that I would personally know since I ran away from the USA like a coward. I was terrified that my draft number would be called.
Comment by President Clinton — May 22, 2007 @ 3:14 pm
Ah, another wingnut Limpbutt clone, attacking Clinton – how predictably st*pid.
Funny, but your description is of Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, George Bush and Rush Limbaugh – all cowards that *pretend* to have been Pro-Vietnam and yet refused to go there. At least Clinton had the integrity to not fight in a war he didn’t believe in. You wingnuts always *claim* to be for things, you never have the b*lls to go stand up for. If you really weren’t such a republican coward, you’d be in Iraq right now – hypocrite!
Comment by ValiantVenusGrewFromUranus — May 22, 2007 @ 3:20 pm
you mean to tell me that I served in Vietnam? you mean to tell me that I did not leave the USA when Vietnam was going on? you mean to tell me that I was more than willing ot serve in Vietnam?
wow, amazing how you know me better than I know myself.
No Valiant, I ran from the USA. I was terrified of being drafted. I praise Cheney and all the conservatives that were smart enough, and connected well enough to receive defermants. I wish I would have gotten one.
Although it didn’t help the fact that I protested against Vietnam in Moscow.
May 22nd, 2007 at 3:25 pmMr. Troll President
Try a different screen name. Your logic, grammar, spelling, and general writing skills are in no way keeping with Clinton’s intellectual level. And your posts are not even funny. You are just verbally masturbating.
Comment by PatrioticLiberalChristian(PLC) — May 22, 2007 @ 3:21 pm
Hmmmm….the problem is that all my speeches and opinion pieces were written by someone else while I was in office.
this is who I am.
Didn’t you know that I am not godly? didn’t you know that I am a failure?
did you know that as President everything was done for me?
but nice to know that I still have sycophant followers like you.
I am flattered, but you are quite pathetic.
May 22nd, 2007 at 3:27 pmTo the comment that the military code of justice applies–you can’t seriously be arguing that making an editorial remark in the military newspaper about rules governing the military is a violation of that code! That is the purpose of the editorials. No, some second lieutenant got his undies in a bunch because he was worried that someone in the military doesn’t hate fags enough.
May 22nd, 2007 at 3:29 pmComment by PatrioticLiberalChristian(PLC) — May 22, 2007 @ 3:19 pm
Remember, that Capt Gibbs is held to a different standard that Joe Civilian. Part of his job as the QA Officer in 8th Marine District is to ensure that the standards currently on record and approved by the Congress are applied to all those from the 8th MCD that apply for Enlistment of Commissioning. If he disagrees with the standard and has become a vocal opponant of the standard then his Commander is within his rights to relieve him for “No Confidence”, and the Capt knows this. That is why he is not fighting it.
The job of the military member is not to make or criticize publicly policy. It is to enforce the policy.
May 22nd, 2007 at 3:30 pm#4 ~ There’s a lot to be said for toeing the line as a soldier. If the Corps decided in this case that he’s now going to be more of a problem than an asset, he’s gone. That’s it. No appeal.
May 22nd, 2007 at 3:42 pmTo the comment that the military code of justice applies–you can’t seriously be arguing that making an editorial remark in the military newspaper about rules governing the military is a violation of that code! That is the purpose of the editorials. No, some second lieutenant got his undies in a bunch because he was worried that someone in the military doesn’t hate fags enough.
Comment by candideinnc — May 22, 2007 @ 3:29 pm
yes I am. As a military personnel you don’t have freedom of speech, or press.
as a military personnel you enforce policy, you don’t question it.
if you want to question military policy become a civilian.
simple as that.
That is why i told chealse, you join the military, and I will disown you. Hillary just grabbed my balls and told me that if disowned my daughter she would cut them off. I couldn’t let Hillary cut the family jewels you know.
so I sat back and I am glad chealse didn’t join such a piece of crap organization.
May 22nd, 2007 at 3:43 pmWow, fake clinton you are a total idiot, and by the way you are not funny, you think you are sitting in your mom’s basement posting crap, keep your bagging job at the supermart, you would not do well as a comedian.
Hating inbreed repukian idiots daily
May 22nd, 2007 at 3:49 pmhacker bob
There are higher standards than the military code. “Don’t ask don’t tell” is wrong. I think a military person should be able to say so, while simultaneously agreeing to abide by the policy until it is changed.
May 22nd, 2007 at 3:54 pmPresident Clingon, how interesting that 60 years after the War against Japan the USA still has troops in Japan.
I take it you did read that the British, who don’t have any problem with Gays in the military, report that it’s not even an issue any more.
Daryll, I trust you read the interview with Dr Rev Cheri DiNovo: Does the Bible condemn homosexuality?
May 22nd, 2007 at 3:57 pmAT least he didn’t get reassigned to Iraq, or Nam.
Comment by RUCerious —
But he already did tours in Iraq.
May 22nd, 2007 at 4:03 pmComment by PatrioticLiberalChristian(PLC) — May 22, 2007 @ 3:54 pm
Don’t tell me, tell Congress. They are the ones that establish DADT and the UCMJ.
The problem that many fail to realize is that it is not the Military that established DADT and the UCMJ. It is Congress. Congress also dictates that military Officers are not allowed to make contemptuous statements about a sitting President or to publicly comment on policy set forth by Congress.
Don’t like it, Tell them.
May 22nd, 2007 at 4:06 pm#16 Clinton was released from his student deferrment once he returned from being a RHODES SCHOLAR and got a high draft number. He was eligible for the draft until the war ended.
Where was your boy W? Oh, that’s right, drugging and drinking in Alabama. And let’s not forget 5 deferment Cheney.
My G-d, you really need to pick better heros, man.
May 22nd, 2007 at 4:23 pmFighting to preserve our freedom of… speech?
May 22nd, 2007 at 4:25 pmJust to clarify – in case anybody believes the posts above that claim:
“As a military personnel you don’t have freedom of speech, or press.”
This is totally untrue. The U.S. Constitution is not some optional document that can be overriden by the UCMJ. The Bill of Rights applies to all of us, including soldiers.
Yes, soldiers have freedom of speech. But just like any government employees, their employer can take job-related measures to restrict or punish their job-related speech. If a DA makes a silly legal argument in court, he can be demoted for it, because his legal argument is job-related speech. Similarly, if a military spokesman who’s job it is to support military policy makes a speech while on the job criticizing that policy, he can be demoted or reassigned for it.
But if Joe Infantryman writes a letter to the editor saying that military policy is stupid, his speech is totally protected by the 1st amendment because he didn’t make the statement as part of his job duties.
May 22nd, 2007 at 4:39 pm#29 ~ Yes, freedom of speech, etc. etc. But the fact is when you sign up to be a soldier, you voluntarily waive many of your personal freedoms for the duration of your service (sometimes longer).
That’s part of the sacrifice. It’s not just being there, and it’s not just being under fire. It’s also holding back your personal feelings in favor of supporting organizational values.
May 22nd, 2007 at 5:16 pmIf the US troops had any sense they’d all start having sex with each other – get kicked out and go home. Hell, they can’t throw them all in Leavenworth.
May 22nd, 2007 at 8:26 pmpuuhhhh-LEASE DON’T Fro Me In Dat Dere Bryah Patch!@
chuy!
okinawa is the closest thing to heaven in the USMC itinerary.
cheap rents, servants, lots of easy pussy…
there are more retired marines on Okinawa than just about anywhere else in the world…The Band did a song about it…
May 23rd, 2007 at 8:21 am.