Board recommends discharge for Marine who disparaged Obama

A Marine who wrote disparaging comments about President
Obama on Facebook faces dismissal from the Marine Corps after a review board
recommended that he be discharged.

The board recommended that Sgt. Gary Stein, who said he would not follow unlawful orders and
called Obama the “domestic enemy,” be given an other
than honorable discharge, which would cost him his benefits, according to news reports
from Camp Pendleton.

Stein, who ran the Facebook page “Armed Forces Tea Party,” appeared
at his administrative separation hearing Thursday, one day after a federal
judge would not allow the proceedings to be delayed.

{mosads}At the hearing, military prosecutors said Stein superimposed
Obama’s face on the movie poster “Jackass” and on “The Incredibles,” which he
changed to “The Horribles,” according to The Associated Press.

The prosecutor said Stein’s conduct violated the military’s
policy that restricts political speech while in uniform.

Stein has argued that his First Amendment rights have been
violated, and his lawyers say they aren’t ruling out going forward with his
lawsuit in federal court if he is discharged.

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) has taken up Stein’s case,
writing a letter to the Marines this week urging them drop the dismissal proceedings.

The board’s recommendation now goes to a commanding general
where Stein was stationed, who will decide his fate.