Posted by: whiteness
« on: January 07, 2024, 08:16:04 pm »https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/canadian-military-decides-against-court-martial-for-officer-who-called-for-uprising
Canadian military decides against court martial for officer who called for uprising
https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2024/01/extremism-in-the-military-is-a-problem/677026/
Extremism in the Military Is a Problem
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/pentagon-report-punishing-military-extremists-too-divisive-1234939861/
Punishing Military Extremists Would Be Too Divisive: Pentagon Report
Canadian military decides against court martial for officer who called for uprising
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The Canadian Forces quietly decided against proceeding with a court martial for an army officer who called on police and military personnel to rise up against the federal government over COVID-19 pandemic regulations.
But the decision not to send Maj. Stephen Chledowski to a court martial highlights the double standard the lower ranks face in the military justice system, says a lawyer for Warrant Officer James Topp.
“James Topp didn’t call for the overthrow of the government and wasn’t disrespectful to government officials, yet he faced a court martial, while (Chledowski) didn’t,” said lawyer Phillip Millar, who has served in the Canadian Forces and is a former Assistant Crown Attorney. “It’s a clear indication there is a double standard within the Canadian Forces.”
“I am calling on my military and police comrades to now stand up and protect your loved ones against this government-forced medical tyranny,” Chledowski said in the video, adding he was not vaccinated.
After a military police investigation, Chledowski, a battery commander at the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery School, was charged with two counts of Conduct to the Prejudice of Good Order.
But National Defence has confirmed to this newspaper that military prosecutors decided not to proceed with a court martial.
During Topp’s court martial, the military portrayed the reservist’s actions as similar to those of pro-Trump rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol in January 2021. “This is a case about an experienced and seasoned warrant officer leveraging his rank and uniform to publicly challenge his chain of command
Millar questioned the military prosecution’s decision to portray Topp as being akin to a Jan. 6 U.S. rioter when they already decided not to proceed with a court martial for Chledowski
https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2024/01/extremism-in-the-military-is-a-problem/677026/
Extremism in the Military Is a Problem
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The United States has long been blessed with a civil-military relationship that is a model of democratic and civic stability. Extremism in the ranks, however, is growing—and dangerous.
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/pentagon-report-punishing-military-extremists-too-divisive-1234939861/
Punishing Military Extremists Would Be Too Divisive: Pentagon Report
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USING “PUNITIVE” MEASURES to stamp out extremism in the ranks of the United States military would “risk alienating a significant part of the force.”
That’s the startling conclusion of a long-awaited report on prohibited extremist activities in the Department of Defense, commissioned in the wake of the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The assault involved dozens of individuals connected to the military, including veterans in the Oath Keepers militia who were later convicted of seditious conspiracy.
The Pentagon report insists that a perception of extremism in the ranks is “inconsistent with the military’s tradition of nonpartisanship” and risks undermining the forces’ “widespread public support.” It also underscores that violent action by “even a small number of individuals with military connections and military training … could present a risk to the military and to the country as a whole.”
Launched with a mandate to illuminate the “scope of the problem,” the new 262-page report presents surprisingly little new data. It offers, instead, sweeping generalities — some of which appear intended to downplay the problem.
the Pentagon has appeared eager to downplay this “independent study on extremist behavior” altogether.
Despite recognizing the risks of violent extremists in the services, the Pentagon report ultimately concludes that addressing hateful ideologies head-on could pose another, perhaps greater, threat — undermining the U.S. military as a rare bastion of national unity in an increasingly fractious political age.