As the folks at Daily Kos scramble to explain what transpired at their convention in Chicago Friday morning when a soldier in uniform tried to speak at a breakout session called "The Military and Progressives: Are They Really That Different," it has been revealed that Markos Moulitsas supports such attired military members attending anti-war rallies.
In fact, so do many Kossacks.
Quite fortuitously, Moulitsas posted on this very subject on June 2, 2007 (emphasis added, h/t Charles Johnson):
So they'll prosecute me if I wear my Army uniforms to an anti-war protest? Really?
But that's not the point. As we've seen time and time again, we see military personnel, in uniform, all the freakin' time as backdrops to Republican pro-war events -- including with Mr. 28% -- and there haven't been any prosecutions of those folks.
Marine Cpl. Adam Kokesh has already been discharged. He has every right enshrined under the Constitution, including those of free speech and peaceful assembly.
And anyone that thinks otherwise, quite frankly, is legitimately and objectively un-American.
Well, Markos, if that's the case, then John Soltz, the gentlemen who wouldn't let the soldier in question continue to speak during your convention's breakout session Friday morning is legitimately and objectively un-American.
And, so is the representative of his group VoteVets.org who posted this explanation at Daily Kos Sunday morning (emphasis added):
Many civilians may not understand that, but it's important to those who serve and who have served in the military. Do we get stern with rule breakers? Yep. Do we value discipline? Yep, we do. And we do it for a reason. So Jon may have gotten a little "excited" over the whole thing, but regardless, he was correct: The soldier is not allowed under military law to do what he was attempting to do.
So, it appears it's okay to the Kossacks for soldiers to wear their uniforms at anti-war rallies, but not at their own convention if they are going to defend what's going on in Iraq.
Dontcha just love it?
In fact, if you look at the comments after Markos' June post saying that Kokesh had the Constitutional right to protest in his uniform, the Kossacks were all behind him. For instance:
The laws are written, many become outdated, but, they can (and have been) trotted back out to selectively enforce persecuting people. This military law is no different.
Yet, two months later, when this issue came right into their own living room, the comments changed dramatically:
Clarity, self-discipline, respect for institutions larger than oneself. We are desperate for these traits, traits which are undermined and even ridiculed by the self-indulgent, self-righteous, self-justifying rantings of the rightwing wurlitzer. And in these lying times, it's crucial to set the record straight. Thanks so much.
Exquisitely delicious hypocrisy, wouldn't you agree?
Finally, for those that are interested, the name of the mystery soldier has been revealed. Rick Moran of Pajamas Media interviewed Sgt. David D. Aguina this morning.
