The Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association will be holding a fundraiser tomorrow at the Knott's Berry Farm Resort Hotel. Proceeds from the event, which will also feature a talk by Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, will go toward educating sheriffs and peace officers on their ethical duty to uphold the Constitution. But the real story here isn't the irony of cops discussing the threat of government encroachment on civil liberties (an Oath Keeper favorite). Rather, the hook is that Marine Sgt. Gary Stein will be speaking at the event. Stein is a founder of the Armed Forces Tea Party and has been in the news lately for publicly declaring he would not follow unlawful orders issued by President Obama. A quick peak at the group's Facebook page shows an album full of satirical images of Obama and his allies as well as imagery pertaining to the hot-button issue of gays in the military.
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The now famous Devil Dog, who's been a Marine for nine years, faces dishonorable discharge from the Corps for allegedly violating the Department of Defense directive pertaining to proper political activities for service members. Stein's inflammatory comments reportedly occurred during an online debate about the Holy Koran and whether NATO should allow trials for U.S. troops.
Speaking to CNN's Erin Burnett in March, Stein challenged the Marine Corp's action against him on the basis of free speech. “Jut because I sign a document saying I'm going to join the military doesn't waive my right to interpret the constitution,” Stein said.
The Weekly was tipped off to tomorrow's event by a representative of the Oath Keepers, which is a self-described non-partisan association of current and former military members as well as peace officers, with the stated objective of fulfilling their oath to the constitution above all else. With all the issues concerning law enforcement and violations of civil rights recently, (cough, Fullerton) one hopes cops can indeed benefit from the education promised by this fundraiser.
