Wouldn't a law require an explanation/concrete definition of "racism"? And wouldn't that "explanation" be TERRIBLY subjective?
Printable View
And what does that mean?
Oh, I know, that I'm a lib so I should expect to have all my rights taken away, right?
I've been in since I was 17, almost ten years, and in the military you're not allowed to be a member of hate groups, participate in rallies in uniform, or even speak your mind politically in a public setting while giving the appearance that you stand for the AF on an issue. The only approved political affiliation/endorsement that is allowed, AFAIK, is being able to place a bumper sticker on your car.
When you've lived 10 years with that atmosphere, doesn't it seem a bit natural that you think OTHER places would be similar?
Of course, if you've never actually put on the uniform and given up some of those rights, I guess it's tough to understand.
I can't say as to what's allowable or not, but here's the reg on it...(note: it's pretty long)
3. Prohibited Activities.
Air Force members may not:
3.1. Use official authority or influence to interfere with an election, to affect its course or outcome, to
solicit votes for a particular candidate or issue, or to require or solicit political contributions from others.
3.2. Be a candidate for, or hold civil office, except as authorized in paragraphs 5. and 6.
3.3. Participate in partisan political management, campaigns, or conventions, or make public
speeches in the course of such activity.
3.4. Allow, or cause to be published, partisan political articles signed or authorized by the member for
soliciting votes for or against a partisan political party or candidate.
3.5. Serve in any official capacity or be listed as a sponsor of a partisan political club.
3.6. Speak before a partisan political gathering of any kind for promoting a partisan political party or
candidate.
3.7. Participate in any radio, television, or other program or group discussion as an advocate of a partisan
political party or candidate.
3.8. Conduct a political opinion survey under the auspices of a partisan political group, or distribute
partisan political literature.
3.9. Perform clerical or other duties for a partisan political committee during a campaign or on election
day.
3.10. Solicit or otherwise engage in fund-raising activities in federal offices or facilities, including
military reservations, for a partisan political cause or candidate.
3.11. March or ride in a partisan political parade.
3.12. Participate in any organized effort to provide voters with transportation to the polls, if the effort
is organized by or associated with a partisan political party or candidate.
3.13. Attend, as an official representative of the Armed Forces, partisan political events, even without
actively participating.
3.14. Engage in the public or organized recruitment of others to become partisan candidates for nomination
or election to a civil office.
AFI51-902 1 JANUARY 1996 3
3.15. Make campaign contributions to a partisan political candidate.
3.16. Make campaign contributions to another member of the Armed Forces or an officer or
employee of the federal government for promoting a political objective or cause.
3.17. Solicit or receive a campaign contribution from another member of the Armed Forces or from a
civilian officer or employee of the United States for promoting a political objective or cause.
3.18. Use contemptuous words against the office holders described in Title 10, United States Code,
Section 888.
3.19. Display a large political sign, banner, or poster on the top or side of a member's private vehicle
(as distinguished from a political sticker).
3.20. Sell tickets for, or otherwise actively promote, political dinners and other such fund-raising
events.
4. Permitted Activities.
Air Force members may:
4.1. Register to vote, vote, and express a personal opinion on political candidates and issues, but not
as a representative of the Armed Forces.
4.2. Make monetary contributions to a political organization or political committee favoring a particular
candidate or slate of candidates, subject to limitations under Title 2, United States Code, Section
441a and Title 18, United States Code, Section 607.
4.3. Attend political meetings or rallies as a spectator when not in uniform.
4.4. Join a political club and attend its meetings when not in uniform.
4.5. Serve as an election official, if such service is not as a representative of a partisan political party,
does not interfere with military duties, is performed while out of uniform, and has the prior approval
of the major command commander or equivalent authority. This approval authority may be delegated,
but not below the level of installation commander.
4.6. Sign a petition for specific legislative action or a petition to place a candidate's name on an official
election ballot, if the signing does not obligate the member to engage in partisan political activity
and is done as a private citizen and not as a representative of the Armed Forces.
4.7. Write a letter to the editor of a newspaper expressing the member's personal views concerning
public issues, if those views do not attempt to promote a partisan political cause.
4.8. Display a political sticker on the member's private vehicle, or wear a political button when not in
uniform and not on duty.
4.9. Write a personal letter, not for publication, expressing preference for a specific political candidate
or cause, if the action is not part of an organized letter-writing campaign on behalf of a partisan
political cause or candidate.
5. Candidacy for Elective Civil Office.
Air Force members:
5.1. May not campaign as a candidate for nomination or as a nominee for civil office. Where the circumstancesschooling or training wholly or partly at US expense.
justify, and when request is made through channels to, and approved by, HQ USAF/JAG,
a member may be permitted to file evidence of nomination or candidacy for nomination as required by
law. Such permission will not authorize activity while on active duty that is otherwise prohibited by this instruction. Absent compelling reasons, a request will normally not be approved, unless the member
is likely to separate from active duty or active duty for training at least 30 days before the scheduled
election.
5.2. May not become a candidate for any civil office while serving an initial tour of extended active
duty or a tour of extended active duty that the member agreed to perform as a condition to receiving
As far as determining what's 'racist' or 'extremist' or not, it's probably down to your supervisor. If you think it's not racist, you could try to fight it, but no way you don't get shot down first for being insubordinate, or for not following orders, or some other thing.
You don't usually get to hedge those type of things in the military.
My god how watered down this society is becoming.
Drama drama drama drama Drama drama drama dramaDrama drama drama dramaDrama drama drama dramaDrama drama drama dramaDrama drama drama dramaDrama drama drama dramaDrama drama drama dramaDrama drama drama dramaDrama drama drama dramaDrama drama drama dramaDrama drama drama dramaDrama drama drama drama im offended im offended im offended im offendedim offended im offendedim offended im offendedim offended im offendedim offended im offendedim offended im offendedim offended im offendedim offended im offended cry cry cry cry cry cry cry crycry cry cry crycry cry cry crycry cry cry crycry cry cry crycry cry cry crycry cry cry cry someone owes me something someone owes me something someone owes me something someone owes me something someone owes me something perfect world
His post qualifies as drama.
Ethnic politics is a plank of the democrat party and has been since the time of Tammany hall.Al sharpton, Jesse jackson democrats the only member of the KKK in congress Byrd from W.Va. a democrat... ethnic politics helped the democrat party survive after the civil war when almost all Blacks voted for the party of Lincoln the republicans even Martin Luther King voted for Esienhower and Nixon.
His logic makes perfect sense in moderen america where the democrat party must balkanize the nation to maintain political power.
I think that today it has almost as much to do with oppression of the poor as it does with oppression of minorities.
Both parties place the race card, among other "cards", all the fucking time. It keeps the attention of the masses away from their fuckups. The scary thing is when partisans believe only the other side does that.
The democrats have done about as much for race relations as it has for the labor movment. used them like a paper condom
I think something to keep in mind is the difference between racism and prejudice.
We pre-judge people all the time by the way they talk, carry themselves, clothes they wear, skin color etc. That is not racism! Even I use the terms wrong at time.
Wow...
Just have to bring that up. Fine. Why can't you acknowledge that there are real fears that go along with Affirmative Action?
I never said it was right to think such things, just that Affirmative Action hurts the black people who do accel.
Affirmative action is never right, and it is Reverse Discrimination!
Prejudice is actually quite natural -- as opposed to racism.
If you see a group of young, white guys that have their heads shaved and have tattoos all over their arms, you might assume they are skinheads, but they may be marines.
Similarly, you may see a group of young black guys, wearing baggy pants, caps cocked to the side, and a lot of jewelry, and assume they are gang members, even though they may not be.
That's your cited fear, not mine.
I don't find that there are "real fears" that go along with Affirmative Action, because I think the professional processes ensure that all such fears are eradicated as the process wears along. And I've been in too many places where the programs you're worried about are in place and have learned through those experiences that the fears that you express are unfounded. In years at an Ivy League school, the only person whose qualifications to be in school that I ever questioned was a big white dude from New Jersey. In years in a professional school, the people who worried me most in terms of being poor professionals were the professional legatees and trust fund babies.
But you keep up the inherent doubts about the quality of black surgeons or latina judges.