Tea Party Marine Triggers Reform

A Temecula marine who is in trouble for making anti-Obama statements could cause the Pentagon to change its rules governing troop political activity online.

Marine Corps officials decided to send a request to the Pentagon on Tuesday to update its policies in light of the actions of Sgt. Gary Stein, a Camp Pendleton Marine living in Temecula.

"No formal request has been made, but one is being worked on right now," Capt. Kevin Schultz, a spokesman at the headquarters of the Marine Corps in the Pentagon, told the North County Times.

The request will first go through the Department of Navy officials, and then to the Defense Department's legal officials.

The Pentagon's policies are out of date and provide too little guidance for social media use, Schultz told the newspaper.

"This is in response to a changing communications environment," he said. "We feel we owe it to our Marines to provide the best possible guidance and it's obvious that social media plays a large role across all aspects of society today, so it only makes sense to update the guidance accordingly."

A board at the camp last Thursday recommended he be discharged under other than honorable conditions and reduced in rank to lance corporal for stating that he would not follow orders given by President Barack Obama on his Facebook page, Armed Forces Tea Party.

He later clarified that he meant he would not follow illegal orders.

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this article had the incorrect discharge type. It has since been updated.