NWI Patriots Cause Problems for Portage JROTC

I rarely write about local issues on this blog, but this one is an exception because the lesson learned has national importance.

The Northwest Indiana Patriots, the local TEA Party group in these parts, is hosting an event on April 14th. Why they chose the 14th and not the 15th or a weekend is beyond me, but that's not what's irritating me. What's irritating me is that they invited the Portage High School Junior ROTC cadets to perform the colors for the event and, after it was initially approved, a member of the school board, Cheryl Oprisko, replied:

"Parents brought this to me. I couldn't believe it. I think this is an extremist group, and I don't think our students should be affiliated with any political organization."

Okay, there are extremists within the group, but it is not an extremist group.

With that said, however, Oprisko is correct. I don't care if students are affiliated with any political organization... what I do care about is that THESE students will be affiliated with a political organization.

JROTC and ROTC code on involvement at political rallies mirrors that of the actual military: NO!

This is located in Category 5 of the Marine Corps. JROTC Instructor handbook. I wasn't able to find the detailed codes and regulations for the Marine Corps. JROTC, however, the Army JROTC's is online. CCR145-2, on Organization, Administration, Operation, Training and Support in sections 10-2 (for instructors) and 10-4 (for cadets) clearly state:

d. Prohibited wear of uniform. Wearing Army uniforms is prohibited in the following situations:

(1) In connection with the furtherance of any political or commercial interests.

(2) When engaged in off-duty civilian employment.

(3) When participating in public speeches, interviews, picket lines, marches, rallies, or public demonstrations, except as authorized by the Commander, USACC.

(4) When attending any meeting or event that is a function of, or is sponsored by, an extremist organization.

(5) When wearing the uniform would bring discredit upon the U.S. and/or the Army.

(6) When specifically prohibited by Army regulations.

[...]

and

d. JROTC Cadets are prohibited from wearing the Army uniform in the following situations:

(1) In connection with the furtherance of any political or commercial interests, or when engaged in off-duty civilian employment.

(2) When participating in public speeches, interviews, picket lines, marches, rallies, or public demonstrations, except as authorized by the Commander, USACC.

(3) When attending any meeting or event that is a function of, or is sponsored by, an extremist organization.

(4) When wearing the uniform would bring discredit upon the Army.

(5) When specifically prohibited by Army regulations.

I promise you that every branch has the same restrictions.

Unfortunately, the NWI Patriots have been somewhat careless in their requests and strategies as of late. Also unfortunately, the Marine JROTC instructor signed off on it without bothering to look at what code said about this sort of thing - which is also insanely careless because it puts the entire Portage JROTC program at risk, which would be a devastating loss for the community and the student cadets.

Oprisko obviously has her political motives in fighting this, I'm not going to deny that. And the reason why she's fighting it is completely wrong. HOWEVER, she's going to be proven right because, regardless of why she's saying no, she's arrived at the right conclusion.

The school board is having a special meeting on Wednesday, April 7th at 3pm. For the sake of the JROTC program, I'm going to be there and, if allowed, I intend to speak. Will it look bad for the local TEA Party movement? Yes, but it was outright stupid of them to even ask in the first place. The stupidity of that is only rivaled by the approval of the request and the political ignorance of Oprisko.

Anybody familiar with the term FUBAR?

Please, if you're involved in a TEA Party group anywhere else in the country, don't make this same mistake. For the sake of the students and the community, just don't do it. It will just make everyone involved look bad, especially yourselves when the request is denied and liberals jump all over it.]]>

Archived Comments

Kimbal Binder
This is a tempest in a tea pot!
I also found that there are some "wing nuts" in the mix at NWIP. We have just ignored them, allowed them to have their first amendment rights and kept on trying to promote good Republican conservative candidates. You may be listening to someone who is giving you some bad advice. If you want to find a target for dismay, take aim at the RNC for their careless spending and stupid top-down philosophy of picking candidates for election. DeDe Scozzafava ring a bell? Dan Coats? There is plenty of stupid going around without us engaging in friendly fire.
I have met plenty of NWIP people and it saddens me that some kind of personal issue has devolved into the slander of the NWIP group. I remain grateful to Faith and Matt for publishing my Marlin Stutzman meetup back in February and I am sure they will help us with future events as well. The NWI Patriots do not have a membership test, an entrance fee and etc, so some of the membership is not your standard issue conservative.
Back to the JROTC. This situation could have been resolved by the Portage board with a phone call or two to the Commander and to Faith explaining that it appeared that the JROTC being involved in the event would be against code. But no, this Cheryl Oprisko had to use it to attack NWIP as extremists and then a couple of guys who do not like a couple of members of NWIP play the thing up. Dear pot, quit pointing your finger at the kettle! It is ridiculous that it has become a public fight and frankly as a member of NWI Patriots Oprisko has offended me and I think I deserve an apology from her. I wrote the board and expressed my feelings on the subject.
Last time I looked, I saw 311 members of NWIP. I know several of them, including some really devoted conservative Republicans and quite a few veterans. I think you should scroll through the membership, you might find some familiar people if you have been involved in meetups and debates and candidate appearances in the last few months here in NWI. So maybe 11 out of the 311 are a bit kooky. Do you expect Tea Party groups to thoroughly "vet" their membership?
Again, as a veteran I do not agree that it is a mistake to allow JROTC to present the flag at a ceremony. No doubt I am old-fashioned. We used to take being patriotic for granted and we used to assume that the opposing political factions valued America above political agendas. This ludicrous dustup over what should have been a non-issue is to me a sign that some people are more concerned about their ideologies than they are their country, which means they probably are intent on changing the country into something else. God help us when our young people are barred from presenting the Flag of the United States of America because some fruit loop has identified another fruit loop in the bowl next door!

Kimbal Binder
The problem is perception. The Tea Party is not a political party. It is a loose term describing a multitude of groups like the NWI Patriots or the 912'ers of Michiana or Silent No More down in Warsaw who are for limited federal government, adherence to the Constitution and are not part of either the Republican or Democratic party. My observation has been that Tea Party Patriots are a mix of Independent voters, people who had been Republicans and Democrats and a few Libertarians and that the theme is "forget the party, concentrate on the candidate." The tendency is to support conservative candidates, which means most Tea Party members will wind up voting in the Republican primary. But these TP Patriots are not affiliated with either political party nor do they comprise one.
I am afraid that while I greatly respect Briefs there is no way that the NWIP has aligned themselves with the Democratic Party and frankly I have seen Mark Leyva appear at a NWIP event and Faith Jones appear at a LKTP event, so I do not think there is some major "split" between them. They are simply separate branches centered on neighboring counties. I know a lot of members of both groups and we are talking about next-door neighbor types.
Finally, if Tea Party Patriots are "extremist" then the normal mainstream American is an extremist. This Cheryl Oprisko must be a shrill ignorant MSM-brainwashed ideologue who wants to make political hay at the expense of the JROTC cadets, who would probably enjoy particpating in an activity that is pro-American and pro-military as well. Shame on Oprisko for politicizing this event and demonizing a grassroots movement that surely is as American as baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and...well those three anyway!

daltonsbriefs
Kevin, I feel your pain, the original intent of the tea party groups was quite valuable and citizens who had never really taken the time to care stepped into the stream of thought and cared and learned. Was fun to watch last spring.
In the last year this specific tea party groups has aligned themselves with Porter County Democrats and against Mayor Costas, they had a split from the Lake County tea party which is now controlled by Mark Leyva, and yes for some reason they chose to do their 2nd Tax Day tea party on the 14th for some reason. It's a lot of work I'm sure for a small volunteer group.

Kimbal Binder
I am unaware of anyone in particular who has been "working with Democrats" or infighting with local Republican parties. I have met with and attended events with Faith and Matt and Tony (Organizers)...all three have been typical flag-waving Americans and I think it is notable that the NWI Patriots website has promoted Republican candidates for office and given a voice to Libertarians as well but when Democrats are mentioned it is always in connection with the desire to vote them out of office. The NWI Patriots, like the vast majority of various Tea Party organizations, are simply NOT trying to form a third party but are focused on identifying the Congressmen who have been growing government and taxing us to death and finding candidates from the people to replace them who will be responsible to the people rather than to lobbyists and PACs. I am unsurprised to find that we the people are being unfairly painted as radical and dangerous because when ideologues have nothing of substance to attack you with they resort to calling names and demonization.
I know that Mark Leyva and Faith Jones have attended events together and I know that many NWI Patriots have signed the ballot sheets for multiple candidates to give them all a chance to run and be voted on (not counting Dan Coats). My wife and I signed for Bates, Behney, Hostettler and my personal choice, Stutzman. Freedom of speech, of assembly, of information...basic Freedom 101. Since the ROTC Commander DID approve this in advance I do not believe this should have been an issue at all. It makes Cheryl Oprisko look bad in the eyes of veterans. I wore the uniform, I agreed to take up arms for my country, what pray tell has Mrs. Oprisko done

mts
The meeting was a bust. There was no meeting, but the issue was put on the agenda for the April 26th meeting. I agree that no push should be made to have the JROTC present. National ROTC spoke, it was denied, and that's it. And now NWIP is more educated about JROTC's reluctance at not just appearing at political events, but at advocacy ones, too. And NWIP is national policy issue advocacy. I'm not happy to see NWIP's chops busted for what may have been a mistake in not knowing, not a deliberate attempt to drag anyone into it and get their butts in hot water.
But what should be pushed is what was said, and who said it to whom, for this sets policy nationwide, and also can be part of the campaign to make the TP look bad to more people in power who were otherwise neutral or unknowing of it. How badly was NWIP slandered, and in what way?
I agree with you Kevin on the details, but not on the knock on NWIP. As far as NWIP being home to the loons, go to a gun show heavy in NRA people (esp. back in the 90's), and have a drinking game, taking a shot from your flask every time you run into someone with either literature or speech involving fringe. You'll be too drunk to walk to the car. It doesn't make me quit the NRA or no longer back its mission of 2nd Amendment protection. One thing with conservatives; with whatever group at hand, they come together over that particular issue and damn how the other guy feels about other stuff - it's the libs who require you to agree on the whole cart of issues if you're in with them on one or two. NWIP really has no membership cards or any criteria for joining, for there is nothing to join. Faith is coordinator by loose acclimation. Now if NWIP put loon policy in as part of their mission, then I move away. But as far as its mission remaining fidelity to the Constitution, you can have an ACORN person on one side and Father Pfleger on the other, and though I loathe them on everything else, we can come together on this.
If I refused to join legitimate groups because they may attract a few bad apples unassociated with the group's mission or activity, I'd stay home alone. I had co-workers get arrested around me, and have relation that's goofy, so I'd also not work nor go to family functions. If the goofs were a critical mass of the group, I'd have a long think, though.
We leftover Reagan conservatives are just dying for a home, and the GOP doesn't love us anymore, and the Tea Movement seems like an adequate place to park for now.

Kevin Tracy
Kimbal, political rallies doesn't mean they have to be affiliated with any particular party. It just means political in nature. The Tea Parties push a political agenda (limited government) and, thus, the JROTC cannot be involved the same way the US Military cannot be involved.
Unfortunately, I do know of several members within the NWIP organization that have been working with Democrats to attack Republicans. Bob Harper, in particular, has been orchestrating much of the infighting some of its members has caused within the local Republican Parties. It's one of several reasons why I'm not involved in the group anymore. I also know that there was a lot of tension between Jones and Leyva in the past too. Whether that's been healed or not, I can't say. But Leyva broke some pretty obvious social norms; which could have resulted in legal action against him if Faith wasn't content with solving the matter without taking him to court.
I do agree that these are not "extremists." But with that said, Oprisko is right in the sense that she wants to stop the JROTC from being involved. They shouldn't be... and legally, they can't be.

Kimbal Binder
Kevin Tracy had the courtesy to email me and give a bit more explanation. I now believe that there is some enmity between Cheryl Oprisko and Faith Jones that was going to come to a head at one point or another and this happens to be the venue. There is no doubt in my mind that Faith Jones and the JROTC did not think that Oprisko would be involved or make a fuss and so neither of those parties intended to cause trouble, that lies squarely on Cheryl Oprisko's shoulders. But it appears that Faith is just not a person who walks away from a fight. Therefore there will be a fight.
As to wing nuts? When you start a grassroots movement and invite everyone to join up there will be wing nuts. I am fairly certain that the first amendment allows them to either rant or speak out depending on whether or not you agree with them. In a world in which socialists are in power and Louis Farrakhan is getting awards in front of 20,000 Chicagoans alongside Jeremiah Wright and the infamous "Father" Pfleger a few outliers amongst the Patriots doesn't really bother me.
Faith Jones is a good leader in part because she does not back down from a fight. She is a strong personality. Maybe Porter County Republicans need a good brawl to help them figure out who is on what side or something?

Kimbal Binder
In fact, now that I think of it, your headline has identified the problem...Your headline should have read "School Board member causes problems for the JROTC and the NWIP." I should have realized you had a dog in the fight and wish to attack the NWIP. I do not know why, but now I get it. So the question is not what Cheryl Oprisko has against the NWIP but rather what do YOU have against them? Hmmm? I want to be fair so convince me I am mistaken?

Meaghan
I think KTracy has it right. All three people here are to blame. As you said-this is being used by libs for political purposes now. But the second I heard what the scuffle was about-I thought it seemed odd the JROTC could be involved in it.
Its common sense that they can't be. KTracy has said time and again that there are a few wing nuts in the group and that's why he's distanced himself from it but that the vast majority of these people dont have anywhere else to go. He has repeatedly attacked the RNC... if that's what you want to see, read this blog more offten. If he goes there and says what I think he's going to say, I suspect you'll see that for yourself.

Buzzcut
I must not understand what the exact issue is here. My understanding is that these JrROTC guys come in, do a color guard thing, lead the pledge, and leave.
People seriously have a problem with that?
Look, at the Lake County Republican Party's Lincoln Day Dinner, we were led in the pledge by JrROTC, and were led in the singing of our national anthem by a Crown Point school glee club or something similar. Clearly, that's more political than the Tea Party events. So you feel that that was wrong, too?
If the JrROTC people were campaigning for, say, ME!, that would be wrong. But to show up for a Tea Party. C'mon, you can't be serious.

mts
I'm going to the meeting Wednesday afternoon, to see how things play out. I think an honest mistake was made in both the request and the granting of the JROTC invite. I'm sure NWIP didn't know how extremely touchy the military is regarding any whiff of support for political or commercial stuff (military hardware in commercials? retired stuff, even that aircraft carrier used years ago in a car ad), and the commander didn't know how hard people are trying to drag down the TP movement. But lemonade can be made from that lemon, for at this meeting, 1) NWIP can show up and be professional, plus take the high road and allow for the withdrawal of the request (i.e. they don't have to take on every tiny thing LIKE wild-eyed radicals do), 2) saying they did that to make sure there is no trouble for the JROTC problem. Nothing can smoke the opposition like a graceful exit, just to show NWIP can, and that NWIP has bigger fish to fry, like the main goal of reducing spending and taxation. Let Oprisko play the role of a-hole - don't fight her for the part.

Tony
Charlie Kochenash, Bill Johnson and Shawn Olson are 3 names that have all been deeply involved in the NWIP organizing committee and who are also 9-11 conspiracy junkies. I sent Faith Jones a message asking her to denounce the conspiracies & she never replied. I hope someone brings this up at the school board meeting... they ARE wacky extremists. Not liberal or conservative... just wacky. These people calling themselves "patriots" is probably the biggest oxymoron of the decade. Coincidentally, Charlie and the RLC have been working with Democrat Commissioner Bob Harper to leave the Porter County GOP in chaos.
Thankfully, the RLC lacks even the tiniest morsel of credibility within the local Republican Party. But because Harper is stroking their egos - he's keeping their loyalty. They are traitors to our American values and people need to start calling them out on this!

Kevin Tracy
Buzzcut,
Yes. If the Nazi Party was having a rally at the court house, would anybody here want to see young men and women in US military uniform doing the color guard duty? Of course not. Not to compare the NWIPs to Nazis (they aren't!), but liberals object to the political positions of the Tea Parties the same way any decent human being would object to the politics of the Nazi Party. (Which was a SOCIALIST party, by the way). The US Military avoids any and all contact with those issues by not being seen at protests or political functions.
I understand that the local ROTC and JROTC programs have been doing a lot of political functions in the local area. It's wrong and shouldn't be happening.
Let me put it to you this way. Whether we like it or not, Barack Obama is the Commander-in-Chief of the US Military. The Tea Party is a rejection of the President's political policies. True, it's nice for the young cadets to be cheered like that, but as an extension of the US Military, it is supporting an event that is not supportive of the Commander-in-Chief. While this is by no means a coup, if the restrictions didn't exist (and they don't in many 3rd world countries) and people in uniform could be involved in the protests, you're walking down a slippery slope.
I actually called a Marine recruiter on Tuesday and his exact words were, "Absolutely not!"
I was also on the phone most of Tuesday talking to friends who are in their college ROTC program, National Guard, Reserves, and Active Duty. When I described the situation to them, their first reaction was one of shock. The only one who hesitated had hesitated because she was worried that I was having them come out for one of my events, so she wanted to break it to me softly.

Buzzcut
Kevin, I know where you're coming from, but you are overthinking the issue.
Don't even bring up Nazis. Please. They've got nothing to do with anything.
My understanding of the issue (and keep in mind that I was just involved in a Hatch Act case, so I MIGHT know more about this than most) is that the Jr. ROTC can't be involved in a CANDIDATE'S rally. But something like the Tea Party or a Republican event is acceptable.
I've also been told that the Portage schools have no policy on the issue either. So Ms. Opriski is just your typical liberal: full of sh*t, talking out of her a$$, reacting emotionally to an issue without any actual knowleddge of anything substantive.
What really gets me going is that Oprisko is dragging the NWIP and Faith through the mud with her accusations that they're "extremists".

daltonsbriefs
Buzz I tend to disagree on the matter of Ms Oprisko as well. In calling the NWIP extremists she is putting her own re-election chances on the line ... may be the best thing that happens to the NWIP ... get them focused on local elections where they can have an impact.

Kevin Tracy
Fine, replace the Nazi Party with the Communist Party of the United States of America. Would you want the US Military to perform Color Guard duty at a communist function?
You have to think about the implications of the military being allowed to be present, in any role, at a political function in this country. They won't be allowed to show favor for one ideology over another, so if they can do conservative events, they can do liberal and ultra-liberal events, too. Just as long as the group doesn't support the violent overthrow of the Government.
Your understanding is also wrong. The regulations state, "any political function." That means protest, issue advocacy, candidate, or political party. There are no exceptions made except for "extreme extraordinary circumstances" which needs to be approved from really high up on the Chain of Command.

TMLutas
A small thought that might clarify matters, imagine some singer comes out and sings the star spangled banner at the start of events that lead into a professional baseball game. The singer later says that they played for the major leagues because they sang. Does anybody think that the singer is anything but joking or delusional?
The color guard ceremony was to take place and then the kids were to immediately leave and not take part in the actual political rally. That was the plan and so far as I know is still the plan. If they did it for a baseball team, would they be "major league ballplayers"? If not, then why are so many convinced that they are part of the political rally.
Patriotic demonstrations at the beginning of an event are not the same as participating in the event. I would not feel that JROTC participation at GOP and Democrat rallies under exactly those rules would be improper so long as they did their patriotic duty and left while in uniform. You want to do a quick change in the bathroom and come back in? That's fine. It respects the proper distinctions.

Kevin Tracy
That's actually a good attempt at an analogy, but you failed to make the connection properly. Nice try though.
The question is not whether anyone believes they played for the major leagues, but whether they support major league baseball by singing the Nation Anthem before the games. The answer for the military has to be "No. They don't care about it." Is it possible for the military to do its thing or the singer to do her thing without supporting the protest or the major leagues? Sure. But that's not the issue. The issue is whether it is possible for it to be perceived as the singer supporting major league baseball.
Let's put it this way... if the GOP invited Barbara Streisand (a professed and activist liberal) to sing the National Anthem at the 2012 National Republican Convention, do you think she would accept the invitation? Not unless she planned on strapping a bomb to herself first.

Kevin Tracy
Faith doesn't back down from a fight, and that's part of the problem. Again, she means only the best and God bless her for that. But you have to know when and where to pick your battles. She's going to probably lose this one and it's going to make the entire organization look bad in the media right before a major event.
She's been given an out to save face on this one, but like you said, she doesn't back down from a fight.
On the matter of wing nuts, around the middle of 2007, I blocked all commenters who mentioned "Ron Paul" in their comment because it was getting ridiculous. Instead, if you wanted to refer to him, you needed to refer to him as "Dr. Loon."
Best decision I've made with this site since 2004 (when I bought the domain name).
It forced the wing nuts out of my comments section and, with a few exceptions, most of them never came back. When people make September 11th conspiracy cases in the comments, I block them. When people say that the Holocaust never happened, I block them. I don't want them to be associated with this website, which generally allows for free discussion.
Faith Jones doesn't censor these nuts on the NWIP pages. On top of that, a few of the nuts are even regular speakers at her events and are in the leadership circle. Granted, they are less public about their views because of their involvement in the GOP and their ambitions for elected office. But with that said, their views and paranoid tendencies are hardly a secret within the circles.
Personally, I don't want to be associated with that. And I think a lot of people have stopped coming to their events over the past year because of these nuts, too. By accepting everyone, Faith has unintentionally frightened a lot of good people who like her and agree with the cause, but don't like these kooks.
With that said, I want Faith to remain the leader of the group. If she steps down, a certified lunatic will probably take it over and the local movement will have its final nail placed into its coffin. Despite what a couple people have said, I don't want a leadership role in the group and wouldn't take it if asked.
If she gets rid of the kooks and denounces their idiocy, I'll be more than happy to help her out again. Until then, I'm keeping my distance.

Kimbal Binder
Well done, Kevin, you laid out your thinking clearly. I prefer to avoid the kook-filter, probably from my years of blogging, I let them say anything and only edit out profanity/pornography. My thinking is that when a wing nut speaks, ordinary people will usually realize they are being wing-nutted and move on. I prefer to break down their arguments. But your position is completely valid and the difference between you and me in this particular instance is negligible, it is a matter of style.
Me? I believe wing nuts can be converted into right wing with patience and reasoning in a few cases. But, hey, I am an optimist. Thanks for clarifying your position for the readers, Kevin. The fact that you are responsive and can be reasoned with and yet do not back off from your beliefs are points in your favor as a candidate for office.
Oh, for you guys who do not know I write that CL Republicans blog? http://cedarlakerepublicans.blogspot.com/
Yep.
God bless America I think we sliced and diced this issue fully and well.

Kevin Tracy
Kook filters may hurt traffic, but I feel like we generally have better discussions on this site because of it. Otherwise, I get put on the Kook-Forums' hit lists and they start spamming the comments section.
The filters don't have to be permanent either. I lifted the Ron Paul restrictions about a year ago and unblocked a lot of them. It's sort of like training dogs... they've learned the behavior of not checking my website anymore, so even though they can comment again, they don't.

Kevin Tracy
And thank you by the way, it's nice to finally have an civil disagreement with someone.

daltonsbriefs
Well, now that the National JROTC has ruled that Kevin was right, will NWIP be willing to admit that it was all a mistake? Sure the Portage School Board should be targeted for replacement by solid conservatives in the next election. But, we also should pick our battles more carefully. We have elections to win, not just protests to plan.

Kimbal
Actually, the story behind the story is that Cheryl Oprisko went over the heads of the school board and contacted the JROTC Commander in Washington asking that the JROTC be ordered to withdraw. Then the PTS Board canceled the meeting.
The NWI Patriots had come to agree to withdraw the invitation in exchange for Oprisko's public apology. Since she knew what was coming she made a move to get out of the meeting. I have asked the PTS Board to comment before I get into this any further but you can be sure if Oprisko gave a rip about the local JROTC or their Commander she would not go against authority and chain of command by overstepping both the board and the Commander to get out of facing the people she defamed.
I would not even have a dog in this fight if Cheryl Oprisko had not labeled me an extremist and so on. But again, my family has a history of service in the military during the Revolutionary, Civil, WW1 and WW2 and Vietnam and Afghanistan wars/actions (and probably others I have not bothered to pin down) and I have the right to demand her apology. I stepped forward and took the pledge to serve my country in part to give her the right to call me a kook but I also have the right to confront those accusations or receive an apology!
If we are going to win elections the various Tea Party groups will help decide the winners. Allowing the Democrats to smear good people is neither good politics nor good manners.