This is in response to an article written on Military.com about how the Marine Corps should handle what Congresspeople deem to be inappropriate material on social websites. Read the entire article by clicking here.
Yeah, trying to douse this fire is like trying to extinguish a house fire with a cup of water. Does anyone condone this kind of stuff? No, but that isn't the point. Having been a Marine in a leadership position, you cannot dictate that someone not be bad. Do we like the fact that our Marines act like kids? No, but that's not the point either. The bottom line is that unless something is done illegally, you really can't do anything at all.
With respect to freedom of speech in the Marines, or in the military for that matter, the only restrictions involve not being able to make derogatory statements about the chain of command. Everyone else is fair game when it is on your personal time in your own personal space.
I would like to mention that there is a biological thing called "hormones" which are extremely prevalent in young males of age 18, 19, and 20. If I could have run my Marines' lives for them, they would have been morally, financially, and physically better off, but I learned early on that when not working, they were untouchable. Civilians seem to think the military runs like a police state which is an utterly ridiculous concept. It's this kind of witch hunting that makes people not want to stay in the military at all, and good Marines leave the service because they don't want to deal with the BS rules that Congress puts out.
When you cut to the chase, these politicians say they want to curb sexual abuse, and they point to these multiplying platforms of expressive freedom as the culprits. Do you have any idea how widespread pornography actually is and how many men peruse it? It doesn't equate to them all being sexual predators. Again, not condoning it, but get real. Did it ever occur to the morality police that predators may be attracted to such things but not necessarily created from such things?
As a leaders of Marines, my ultimate concern was for the welfare of my Marines which would have included prosecuting to the fullest extent of the UCMJ any sexual predator that attacked one of my female, or male, Marines. Beyond that, I cannot and will not control every element of their private lives, but what I will do is encourage them to live right, treat people right, and conduct themselves with the professional decorum of a Marine both in and out of uniform. That is my purpose as a leader. Beyond that, our job is to stay alive.
Politicians need to keep their noses in their own business. The military is not your little social experiment, there to do what you intend to try because it is your flavor of the day. Politicians demand accommodation and seek behavior contrary to human nature, yet they get angry when it does not work. Here's a lesson: Let it be, you control freaks. There's this thing called the First Amendment, and yes, contrary to your assumptions, it still applies to those in uniform.
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