Lt. Col. Terrence Lakin is either very resolute for his cause, or he is really ignorant. I propose the latter. Link it:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/16/terrence-lakin-sentence_n_797906.html
A commissioned Army officer who posts videos challenging the authority of his Commander In Chief by nature of the status of the president’s birth certificate, then defies a deployment order issued under the authority of same Commander In Chief deserves what he was sentenced to: six months in prison then a discharge. So you’re going to put all the 17 years of work, time, and sacrifice that it took to raise your career to the rank equivalent to a Battalion Commander on the line for some conspiracy theory belief that Obama isn’t a naturalized citizen.
You’re also going to go so far as to say that you’re “inviting your own court martial” on a YouTube video.
Then you’re going to say that you’d like to push the reset button and start over. It’s a little late to wait for direct examination by your attorney to say that the Army was the wrong place to air his version of the president’s qualifications.
Really?
The right to your opinion is one not to be taken lightly. We as Americans are incredibly blessed and fortunate to have the right to express your opinion without fear of reprisal from the state. That is, unless you decide to express your views in highly questionable circumstances and situations. Like, for example, If you are a youth group pastor on a field trip, wearing a t-shirt promoting hardcore pornography may not be a good idea.
Okay, he’s not a protected American, but it still shows the point of context. If he wore the shirt while housecleaning or hanging out with close, like-minded friends, nothing would have come of it. Same with Lakin. If he was expressing himself in a room full of his fellow “Birthers”, nothing would have come from expressing his position.
Take the cases of Charles Schenk and Benjamin Gitlow. The Supreme Court overruled their right to free speech when during World War I Schenk publically told draftees to resist service and Gitlow in a written pamphlet advocated the violent overthrow of the government. During a time of war is not the time to tell people that the government should be shaken and overturned. Lakin’s situation here probably wouldn’t have made so much of a stink if he wasn’t being ordered to deploy in a time of war.
Sorry, Dr. Lakin. Your service to our country is over. You made the conscious decision to make a claim about your commander very public, and now you need to leave the armed forces and go into private practice. I’m sure there’s a hospital somewhere that would be happy to have a man of your talents and beliefs on staff.
Chip Grefski
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