Marine who called President Obama the ‘domestic enemy’ could be discharged

A Marine in San Diego who has called President Obama the “domestic enemy” and says he will not follow unlawful orders from the president now faces dismissal from the Marine Corps.

Sgt. Gary Stein, who runs the “Armed Forces Tea Party” Facebook page and website, could receive an administrative discharge from the Marines over his comments.

On Stein’s Facebook page, he wrote, “Obama is the 'domestic enemy' our oath speaks about” and said he would not follow what he considered unlawful orders, like taking guns from U.S. citizens. He also wrote that statements by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta about going to war without congressional approval were unconstitutional and a "high crime."

According to Pentagon rules, U.S. military members are not allowed to conduct political activities while in uniform, and commissioned officers may not use contemptuous words against civilian leaders such as Obama and Panetta. The political activity restrictions got a soldier who spoke out in uniform at an event for Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) in trouble earlier this year.

In a statement, Stein stood by his comments about not following orders and accused the Marines of “drummed-up allegations” to make him an example.

“I swore an oath to obey the orders of the president … But those orders must be lawful,” Stein wrote. “It is the duty of each and every service member to know the difference between [what] an unlawful and lawful order is. ... Just following orders is not a defense when having to answer for following unlawful orders."

Stein said in an interview with The Associated Press that his statement about not following orders was part of the debate about U.S. troops being tried for the Quran burnings in Afghanistan.

He said he was facing a reduction in rank in addition to dismissal, and had been moved Wednesday from a recruiting post to a desk job with no computers.

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