In the Reserves and Opposed to the Iraq War? Shut the Fuck Up.

In one of the most bizarre stories floating around this week, the USMC is instituting a "general" discharge against a 25-year-old reservist corporal who had the Al-Qaeda-emboldening balls to actually show up at a peace demonstration and voice his concern about the war.

Corporal Adam Kokesh showed up at the demonstration wearing his Marine combat uniform, but he had taken the precaution of stripping all of the insignia off of it so there would be no question that he was there on his own, and not representing the military.

Not good enough for the ass-hats at the Pentagon, who seem to feel that those good ole American values of free speech and petitioning the government for redress are, like the Geneva Convention, "quaint".

As a punishment for the nervy corporal, they are going to give him a "general" discharge -- which is below an "honorable" discharge -- and that means that he will lose a substantial portion of the veterans benefits that he deserves.

Let's not lose sight of the fact that Kokesh already did a tour in Iraq, that he was released from active duty but assigned to the "ready reserve", and as such is, for most intents and purposes, a civilian.

When I got out of the service, I kept much of my uniform, including a perfectly good field jacket that I wore for a number of years, and a set of jungle fatigues and a boonie hat (which I still have and which I still wear occasionally to anti-war demonstrations). I suppose I'd better start looking over my shoulder whenever I show up at a peace rally.

But I actually received an honorable discharge, and I've long since used up all of my GI Bill benefits, so they really don't have any kind of grip on me. I can't say the same for Kokesh, but it is gratifying to learn that the VFW is actually supporting him in his free speech battle with the Corps.

Wow. I wonder what the American Legion thinks about the whole thing? Not a word from them in the media.

Yeah, there's a surprise.