Heat and Hatch

"A member of the armed forces on active duty shall not . . .Wear a uniform during or in connection with furthering political activity or when an inference of official sponsorship for the activity may be drawn." 

-DoD Directive 1344.10

Never seen heat up here quite like this.

It's been above 80 out there since I stumbled out of bed with a bad bout of insomnia at 5:15 this morning. Yesterday in Corning we spent several hours over 100 degrees, and the a/c couldn't keep up as I mediated a case via Zoom in dress shirt and tie, pouring sweat. NYSEG sent me a nasty gram about our spiking electricity use, but there's not much to do about it when the temperatures are this high and we're cooling a space with 13 foot ceilings.

Today should be a little better, with temps in the 90s up at the lake. I'll be spending most of the national holiday in depositions, although I optimistically reserved a 4:40 tee time down at Reservoir Creek.

Meanwhile down in the swamp, this happened.

On the steps of the Capitol, an Air Force major serving as a logistics officer in Poland, home on leave, was arrested after standing there with a sign calling for the impeachment of Dear Leader and friends.

The actual sign leaves open the identity of the target of the major's ire, but the "Removal Coaltion" logo at the bottom makes this unequivocally political speech.

Which isn't allowed. Period. Under the Hatch Act and DoD regs, quotes above, we simply aren't allowed to do this.

Having said all that, the Dictator in Chief abuses this all the time, uses troops as backdrop for campaign rallies and orders flybys for blatantly political events. Our chairman of the joint chiefs denied in his confirmation hearing that he walked around in the Middle East in flight suit and a MAGA cap, fawning over the Despot, but I have it on pretty good authority he did all those things.

Abusing the uniform in that way is disgusting and a disgrace to the uniform and the country, but that misbehavior doesn't open the door to us starting to behave like them. The oath to protect and defend the Constitution is sacred, and no soldier, sailor, or airman should allow himself or herself to become a prop in a political stunt.

So I completely agree with this fellow's message, but he should've left the service dress on the hanger.