Murdered USS Cole Sailor’s Father Banned From Camp Lejeune
Down the road a couple hours from me, political correctness run amok
A veteran whose son was killed in the 2000 terrorist attack on the USS Cole has sued officers at the Marine base where he works, saying they violated his free-speech rights to display bumper stickers that link Islam with terrorism on his vehicle.
Jesse Nieto has worked as a civilian at an electrical distribution shop on Camp Lejeune since 1994. He previously served 25 years in the Marine Corps, including two combat tours as an infantryman in Vietnam, according to his federal lawsuit filed Monday in the eastern district of North Carolina.
The lawsuit — which does not seek monetary damages — asks the court to declare that Nieto’s constitutional rights were violated by the Marines and to allow him to express his political viewpoints on federal installations.
I wonder if the NC ACLU or the parent organization will get involved and stand up for Nieto’s Rights? He has been told he would be fired from his job if he didn’t remove the stickers, he has been ticketed, and
In August, Lt. Col. James Hessen, the base’s traffic court officer, ordered Nieto to peel off the anti-Islam decals, the lawsuit said. Nieto did so while a Marine observed. Two weeks later, Hessen ordered Nieto to remove the rest of his decals, including one that said “REMEMBER THE COLE, 12 Oct. 2000,” the lawsuit said. Nieto refused.
Hessen also issued an order barring Nieto from driving his vehicle onto any military installation, which includes his workplace and Arlington National Cemetery, where Nieto’s son is buried, the lawsuit said.
ACLU? Hello?
How do we win the War on Terrorism when the military leadership won’t acknowledge which religion is behind the majority of terrorist acts?
Photo via Winds Of Babylon thru WorldNetDaily, where you can see the other sticker (and this one, if it gets banned at Photobucket, like many others critical of the Religion of Peace)
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November 17th, 2008 at 12:23 am
I feel sorry for the guy, but a military base has rules for a reason.
The commander’s decision is quite reasonably related to maintaining good order and morale on the base, and not just among the many Marines who are Muslims. Stirring up hatred against a religion is contrary to maintaining good discipline. And a war fought in heavily populated area especially needs the strongest discipline for success.
Like I said, I feel sorry for the veteran but if he can’t see the problem, he’s probably got a problem. Serving combat tours in Vietnam and losing his son in a that shocking mass murder may well have given him shell shock or, as they call it today, PTSD. Let’s have compassion for him, and get him help. He’s not alone.
November 17th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
re: rewinn’s comment, “I feel sorry for the guy, but a military base has rules for a reason.”
Yeah, I might get that if it was enforced consistently. No one cares if you put an anti-Christian sticker on your bumper. But even at that, free speech is what it is, like it or not. Just look at all the people standing up for free speech when it comes to porn on the web or offensive “art”. The man is entitled to his feelings and his opinion. It’s a bumper sticket, get over it.