Marine who ripped Obama on Facebook faces discharge
bendbulletin.com
bendbulletin.com
Every US military installation in the world displays the current upper echelon of the chain-of-command in their offices, buildings, and headquarters, and I can assure you that every US base in the world presently shows President Obama on top of that command. The POTUS is the Commander-in-Chief, and for a Marine to insult the POTUS is just as insubordinate as insulting the Commandant of the Marines (technically it's worse). Furthermore, every active duty soldier is told to keep their political opinions to themselves - it's common knowledge in the military, and this soldier clearly thought those rules didn't apply to him. The military handles soldiers who don't follow rules in a very predictable fashion...
Tough titties, Sergeant.
A Marine/Sailor/Soldier/Airman/Coastie still retains their rights to freedom of speech and most importantly, political opinion. You can't possibly put this case of voicing political opinion on the same level as insubordination. Perhaps, PERHAPS if he had refused deployment due to a lack of belief that President Obama wasn't a citizen (the birther issue from a few years back); however even that has its' political backing.
Insubordination is refusing to pick up your pack and keep trudging, not expressing your political opinions.
Whether you like the rule or not, military law is very clear and concise about the types of comments and actions that can be made towards the commander-in-chief. Bare in mind, this is an ACTIVE duty soldier criticizing the CURRENT sitting president - not just a comment about the institution as a whole or a politician outside his direct chain of command.
All things considered, this Marine is lucky he isn't facing court martial.
If you want to pull out the directive knock yourself out, I recommend starting with:
4.1.1.1. Register, vote, and express a personal opinion on political candidates and issues, but not as a representative of the Armed Forces.
4.1.1.8. Display a political bumper sticker on the member’s private vehicle.
Comparing political dissent to contempt is a joke argument. The lines are shades of grey when it comes to speaking about the Presidency. Contempt would apply when it would come to one's direct chain-of-command not when it covers a political official, elected, into a public office. Everyone has a right to democracy even those who restricted their rights by joining the military.