"...do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic..."

"For the good of the Air Force, for the good of the armed services and for the good of our country, I urge you to reject convention and careerism..."
- Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Maxwell AFB, April 21, 2008

"You will need to challenge conventional wisdom and call things like you see them to subordinates and superiors alike."
- Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, United States Air Force Academy, March 4, 2011

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Captain Anonymous and Ron Paul



I've blogged about military personnel taking their political views into the public space several times now. This is perhaps the most interesting example. An Air Force officer and aviator puts on a Guy Fawkes mask, shares his views on foreign policy, fiscal policy, and then recommends a political candidate. He also makes it a point to mention that he took an oath to defend the Constitution, and says that the biggest threat to it today is domestic and not foreign. The Captain then apparently explains why he made the video on the Daily Paul website.

This deserves a much better discussion. I'm too tired to comment right now, so I'll just share the video at this point.

3 comments:

  1. Just because you put a mask on and don't give your name doesn't mean your not pressing against UCMJ Article 134, 18 USC 609, and DoD Directive 1344.10.

    Washington said "when we picked up the soldier we did not lay down the citizen," but using your uniform as a platform for your politics stinks.

    Read history...the Praetorian guard comes to mind.

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  2. Agreed, and he also agrees in the beginning of the video. UCMJ certainly applies.

    I also agree it's a poor practice to use your uniform to bolster politics. Right, wrong, or otherwise on the merits of the candidate it opens up that door you allude to and challenges the idea of civilian control of the military.

    Like the Ron Paul supporter who jumped on stage, what if the service chiefs made YouTube videos saying who they thought Americans should vote for?

    It would be interesting to see if this kind of political engagement is on the rise, or if these kind of episodes have happened as much before in a non-YouTube kind of world.

    Thanks for the great comments.

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