Marine charged for criticizing Obama on Facebook
On Wednesday Marine Sgt. Gary Stein was notified by the Marine Corps that he was in violation of the Pentagon’s policy for blatantly condemning President Obama and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. - Stein’s actions could now lead to his dismissal and a possible downgrade in ranking. The Marine who is based in Camp Pendleton, California, created a Facebook page called “Armed Forces Tea Party,” which currently has approximately 19,000 likes and has photos showcasing slogans such as “NObama” and “One Nation, under Obama, with poverty and unemployment for all,” has been under the microscope since 2010. Stein was first warned by his superiors two years ago after he launched the social media page on Facebook critiquing Obama care. Stein offered to remove the page while he revised the rules at the bidding of his superiors. According to Stein, after the revision of the rules he determined he was not in violation.
Earlier this month the Marine Corps released a statement alleging Stein's commanding officer ordered a preliminary inquiry of the social media page after hearing allegations that Stein posted controversial political statements about the Commander in Chief on Facebook. The remarks made by the sergeant were in reference to an online debate regarding NATO permitting US troops to be put on trial for burning copies of the Quran in Afghanistan. The statement that got the Marine into this predicament was he claimed he would not follow orders from the president if the orders meant he had to detain US citizens, disarming them or doing anything that would violate their constitutional rights.