Air Force Base Walks Back Statement Encouraging Soldiers Not To Attend A Conservative Rally

An Air Force base in North Dakota recently walked back its statement that discouraged soldiers from going to a conservative rally titled "Dakota Patriot Rally."

In a message sent out last week, leaders at Minot Air Force Base were told to "exercise caution if downtown this weekend" due to a conservative rally occurring that would feature a speaker from Turning Point USA, which was labeled as "alt-right."

"Please advise your folks that if they are going to be downtown...be cautious, as the crowds...could be confrontational to military members," the message stated. "Additionally please remind them that participation with groups such as Turning Point Action could jeopardize their continued service in the U.S. military."

Air Force Base Walks Back Statement Encouraging Soldiers Not To Attend A Conservative Rally

Saw this over at Just The News, thought it might make for an interesting discussion.

Sad to see this sort of behavior within the ranks of our military, though sadly not too surprising. Military leadership isn't supposed to tell the rank and file how to behave politically. That sort of thing is against military regulations, as far as I know.

Interesting to note that the rally was labeled "alt-right", which is supposed to mean "evil far right wingers" or some such, but in reality is a label that is applied whimsically to any individual, group, or organization who is not aligned with establishment political views. Libertarians, for instance, are labeled "alt-right". Disgusting to see this sort of bigotry, even more so to see the military using this sort of language.

The article goes on to state:

After backlash from members of Congress and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, the base walked back the statement.

"The message was based on incorrect data and sent outside of official base messaging platforms," the base wrote in an updated statement, according to The Epoch Times. "Once the error was identified, base security officials corrected the message traffic to categorize the event as a local political fundraiser, with no security concerns."

"Further, the updated message communicated there were no issues with military members participating in their personal capacity—in line with their First Amendment rights. All Air Force Airmen have a Constitutional right to freedom of assembly," the statement concluded.

Thoughts?

Discuss.

Quick question concerning the title of the soirée.

Are liberals not able to be patriots?

Or did I miss something?

a reply to: badcabbie

Military would do well to remember which party favors funding them, though it probably doesn't affect the top brass as mush as enlistees.

a reply to: badcabbie

This one is right on the line. Personally, I am against our brothers and sisters attending this kind of stuff, as it is listed as a supremacist organization. Everyone has a right to assemble for a political rally, that is our right, but Turning Point USA is pretty extremist.

Here is a long lost of white supremacy, bigotry, racism and Christian nationalism they engage in: Anti Defamation League on Turning Point

And the military can't engage in anything that is racist, bigoted, supremacist in any way...

Can Active-Duty Military Members Join Political or Extremist Groups?

DoD Directives 1344.10 and 1325.06 also give guidance on whether troops can participate in political groups or parties or be affiliated with extremist groups, including supremacist organizations.

According to 1344.10, troops may join a political party but may not hold a leadership role. They may attend partisan fundraising activities or events and personally make donations, but may not actively raise funds.

Active participation in any supremacist group that promotes "illegal discrimination based on race, creed, color, sex, religion, ethnicity or national origin" or advocates the use of violence or force is completely prohibited by Directive 1325.06, according to Defense Department officials. Simply being a member of such a group while not actively taking part in any activities, however, may be permitted.

From Military dot com

So it's tricky. Being a member may be allowed, but actively participating is not, when it's tied to racism and supremacy.

Now go back and read what ADL lists about this group and see if it matches what the military allows. Like I said, I think this is right on the line. Not a full hate group like Proud Boys or Patriot Front, but fits the supremacy disqualifier, I think.

a reply to: Mahogani

Wait a sec ADL is hating on an individual FEATURED.

Not being patriotic. Not being Dakotan. Not the rally.

It’s not like the rally was authorizing hate speech explicitly.

I understand I’m being obtuse, but your ruse to say this is out and out hate speech is, um, deplorable.

Given you nor I weren’t there, I’d still encourage people, certainly those gaursing our freedoms, to attend and/or exhibit their 1st amendament.

As abhorrent as you or I may find it.

Unless you’re against that type of thing.

Edit: guessing the Oath-Keepers are also a hate group on your watch?

Or another way, this is rich considering the AF is fine with you identifying however you want right?

originally posted by: SteamyAmerican
Quick question concerning the title of the soirée.

Are liberals not able to be patriots?

Or did I miss something?

Theoretically they could be, but in practice they're blue haired nose ring wearing litter box using commies
Is that the answer you were looking for?

originally posted by: SteamyAmerican
Quick question concerning the title of the soirée.

Are liberals not able to be patriots?

Or did I miss something?

That depends.

Most liberals want to change and/or limit our freedoms.

You want drag queens doing storytime for toddlers? Sure.

You want after school Christian clubs? How dare you, you alt-right religious zealot! You are poisoning our kids!

So actually, no.

When liberals stand up for the freedom for those they don't like or agree with, I can consider them patriots.

But until they stop labeling any one who disagrees with them alt-right, haters, racists, fascists, whatever, no, they are not patriots. It is their hate of diversity of thought and beliefs that bars them from even being considered a patriot.

Add the fact that they want to change our country into something different than what we have, and again, no.

originally posted by: SteamyAmerican
Quick question concerning the title of the soirée.

Are liberals not able to be patriots?

Or did I miss something?

Then tell your dude to not replace the American flag with the pride or BLM flag on all our embassies around the globe and we automatically wouldn't have that impression of liberals.

originally posted by: SteamyAmerican
Quick question concerning the title of the soirée.

Are liberals not able to be patriots?

Or did I miss something?

When liberals keep taking firearms from decent citizens and leaving them at the mercy of violent criminals, and then refuse to prosecute said criminals, they stop being patriots.

They have always said dont go to big rallys in uniform, and after 911 they suggested not going to big rallys because of the potential for a terror attack.

Their mistake was naming a group as a problem since the USAF is not supposed to be political.

ADL... LOL dont make me laugh they wouldnt know a klucker if a grand wizard spoke to them and gave a speech. 99% of their proclamations are purely politically based.

a reply to: SteamyAmerican

Perhaps you should note, as mentioned in the OP, that the rally was titled the "Dakota Patriot Rally", not the Dakota Patriot Conservative Rally". It was labeled a conservative rally, but that label was not a part of the title.

My opinion, a "liberal" absolutely can be a patriot. Intelligent people can disagree, and have opposing points of view while still believing in and working for common goals. That being said, political discourse and politics as usual these days tends to be pretty far removed from those practices and principles.

I'd lay that devolution mostly at the feet of the liberal practice of tending to label anything they disagree with as the epitome of evil, but if we're being honest with ourselves, it's something that conservatives do as well, though perhaps a little less often.


a reply to: Mahogani

I see lots of smear attempt in the ADL page, but nothing that is, in my opinion, truly damning. If I play a show with my band, and some racist white, black, or brown guys show up, does that make me a racist?

originally posted by: Mahogani
a reply to: badcabbie

This one is right on the line. Personally, I am against our brothers and sisters attending this kind of stuff, as it is listed as a supremacist organization. Everyone has a right to assemble for a political rally, that is our right, but Turning Point USA is pretty extremist.

Here is a long lost of white supremacy, bigotry, racism and Christian nationalism they engage in: Anti Defamation League on Turning Point

And the military can't engage in anything that is racist, bigoted, supremacist in any way...

Can Active-Duty Military Members Join Political or Extremist Groups?

DoD Directives 1344.10 and 1325.06 also give guidance on whether troops can participate in political groups or parties or be affiliated with extremist groups, including supremacist organizations.

According to 1344.10, troops may join a political party but may not hold a leadership role. They may attend partisan fundraising activities or events and personally make donations, but may not actively raise funds.

Active participation in any supremacist group that promotes "illegal discrimination based on race, creed, color, sex, religion, ethnicity or national origin" or advocates the use of violence or force is completely prohibited by Directive 1325.06, according to Defense Department officials. Simply being a member of such a group while not actively taking part in any activities, however, may be permitted.

From Military dot com

So it's tricky. Being a member may be allowed, but actively participating is not, when it's tied to racism and supremacy.

Now go back and read what ADL lists about this group and see if it matches what the military allows. Like I said, I think this is right on the line. Not a full hate group like Proud Boys or Patriot Front, but fits the supremacy disqualifier, I think.

Well that's nice, the ADL labels them a hate group, so that's the end of it.

The ADL has changed it's definition of racism twice in the past three years.

Remember when the ADL signed on to the BLM thing?

Then, they were forced to ignore the antisemitism by BLM when BLM "peacefully" destroyed Jewish businesses and Synagogues in Los Angeles.

They said "some" Antifa and BLM members were violent, but the organizations as a whole can't be considered violent.

Yea, "some" BLM and Antifa members set fire to a Federal courthouse with people still inside, but we can't consider them terrorist groups.

But we can label a group as a hate group if they think a country built as a Christian nation should have Christian influence in government and media.

*facepalm*

www.politifact.com...

No, said Mark Pitcavage, a senior research fellow with the Anti-Defamation League Center on Extremism. "It’s a right-wing Trumpist organization," he said in an interview with The Daily Iowan.

The Anti-Defamation League does not categorize Turning Point as a hate group, Pitcavage said. "It does have this checkered or spotted history with regard to individual members or local leaders in Turning Point USA making racist or otherwise problematic comments… but it’s not the ideology of the group itself."

a reply to: SteamyAmerican

How many "liberals" have you met or seen, than act like they love their country?

Because that's what Patriotic Americans do, they love their Country. Not the government or the corrupt career parasite politicians running the government.

Government is not working, neither is anti American sentiments.

Liberals especially today's liberals, do not love America, their actions prove the opposite.

America, love it or F'n leave it.

🇺🇲

originally posted by: SteamyAmerican
Quick question concerning the title of the soirée.

Are liberals not able to be patriots?

Or did I miss something?

Are they able? Sure, I guess.

Are they willing to be? LMAO!