On Thursday’s “The Andrea Tantaros Radio Show,” former U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North, now a political commentator, explained that the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Defense of Marriage Act could have broad implications for the U.S. military.
North called those serving in the military “lab rats” in a social experiment being conducted by the Obama administration.
“Next week, we can do this from Afghanistan, and I can report to you and your audience directly on their response to some of the crazy things that are happening right now in our armed forces, the military being used as lab rats in a radical series of social experiments on the part of this administration.”
North, the author of “Heroes Proved,” warned that this would lead to military chaplains mandated to perform gay marriages and that in turn could result in an exodus of chaplains from the U.S. military.
“What the concern among the chaplains is that he is now going to issue an order through the secretary of defense, who clearly is a big supporter of this thing and as is the chairman of the Joint Chiefs — they’re not going want any trouble with this thing, nor are any of the gutless, spineless people who serve on the joint staff, quite frankly,” North said. “So this is now going to go to the chaplains ordering them to do it. A chaplain who refuses to do it will become the victim of a sexual discrimination lawsuit brought by the service member who wants to have a chaplain perform a same-sex union, even though his religious beliefs say, ‘I can’t do that.'”
“The chaplain is left with one of two courses — one, they can do it, two, they can resign from the service and leave, which I think is the most likely thing, or number three, they can fight it in court and be broke by the time they are done with it,” he continued.
North explained the recourse options of these chaplains would be limited because as sworn officers in the military, they have given up some of their constitutional rights for the privilege of protecting the country.
“The lawsuits are going to have to come, and the defense for these lawsuits are going to have to come either from the private sector raising money to defend these guys, because they’re not going to allow them to use their military apparatus if you will, their command to raise money for it,” he said. “The government is certainly not going to defend them as they normally would. So the suits are going to come — the civil suits are going to come from outside, or from military people saying, ‘We want to sue the chaplain for him not carrying out his duties.'”
North went on to say it could be even taken as far as a court martial for these chaplains if they fail to carry out same-sex marriages directed by those up the chain of command.