In facing court-martial, LTC Lakin is just the latest victim of the determined effort of the President not to provide simple proof of his eligibility under the constitution to hold office.

Thanks Dr. Conspiracy for catching that.

I have no way of knowing whether LtC Terry Lakin authorized the use of his image to sell tax advice, bridge loans, auto liability insurance, and whatever other advertising attaches itself to his photo over at WorldNetDaily (hover mouse anywhere over the photo at WND for maximum advertising effect). Nonetheless, I think this image, as much as any other, points out how this honorable, but confused, soldier has become the tool of [select a name].

Of course when viewed in MSIE you can see what the doctor ordered.

If LTC Lakin has done this deliberately, then he has created a problem for himself with the Joint Ethics Regulation, an enforceable order. On this however I doubt LTC Lakin has any specific fault. He’s likely being taken advantage of. But I wonder how he thought all of this might play out.

DoD employees may not state or imply an endorsement of a non-Federal entity, event, product, service, or enterprise. DoD employees may not use or allow their titles, positions, or organization names to suggest official endorsement or preferential treatment of any non-Federal entity except organizations in subsection 3-210.

Emphasis added to this quote from a SOCO briefing.

•DoD Directive 1344.1,Wearing of the Uniform. (1) Not allowed in connection with private employment or commercial interests; (2) Not allowed when an inference of official sponsorship may be drawn; and (3) Not allowed when wearing would bring discredit on the Armed Forces. (4) Applies to active duty, reserve and retired members. (5) Each Service also has separate regulations with similar wording: –Army – AR 670-1

A child molestation case in the Bell County court system more than a decade after the military closed it out took a bizarre turn Friday when a judge ruled the defense attorney must be removed because he could be a potential witness. Lamar Andre Smith, 41, now of Georgia, appeared before Judge Fancy Jezek of 426th District Court wearing an orange jail-issued jumpsuit on Friday, his attorney John Galligan to his left. On Jan. 11, 2000, the case was transferred from the district court in Bell County to the military where a general court-martial was scheduled. The case was ultimately resolved with a plea agreement that reduced Smith’s rank and gave him a bad conduct discharge from the Army. The decision made Smith ineligible for military retirement benefits. In an odd twist, the judge during that proceeding on Fort Hood was Galligan, now a retired colonel practicing as a defense attorney in Belton.

Arizona Star reports.

A Davis-Monthan airman accused of running a sham Russian bride ring was acquitted at his court-martial Friday. A military jury deliberated for seven hours before finding Staff Sgt. Aleksandr S. Ilin not guilty of all charges.

News of the Weird. . . . .

The Capital Flyer reports that, and I quote:

316 WG legal office doles out UCMJ punishment for nine infractions

A Freudian slip no doubt.

Salon reports that:

An Army reserve colonel on his second Afghanistan tour has been kicked out of that country for writing an editorial about how much he hates PowerPoint.

And . . . .

Dr. Conspiracy appears to have a copy of the check by Orly Taitz paying her fine for Rhodes v. MacDonald.