Air Force Base Warns Service Members Against Joining Conservative Group, Sparking Free Speech Debate

There have been a lot of questions about how woke the military has become over the past few years, particularly during the Biden administration. We reported on a poll in August that found confidence in the military — usually something that Americans rank pretty high — is at the lowest in two decades. That’s likely in part due to the woke push within the service, leaving the impression that it’s not focusing as much as it should on its main mission.

The text sent by the leadership of Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota to its service personnel raises a lot of concerns about what is going on.

The text warned people not to be near the event, called “Dakota Patriot Rally”, on November 17, which featured a pro-Trump speaker from Turning Point Action. This group was described in the text as “alt-right.” The text also warned that military personnel should be cautious because the event might “confront” them. It warned, perhaps worst of all: “participation in such groups as Turning Point Action may jeopardize the continued service of US military members.” The text concludes by stating that a “shooting occurred yesterday in Minot. It is unclear if this was related.”

How serious is this?

First, portraying people on the right as “confrontational”, to military members, shows a nasty bias. In fact, historically it has been the left who have been most confrontational.

It seems unfair to label Turning Point as “alt-right” when it is actually a fairly mainstream group.

Then you warn members to stop participating in Turning Point? Do they now forbid people from participating in any kind of political activity? What’s next? What’s next? Telling them they cannot support Republican candidates? How about telling them what to vote for?

Why are Air Force officials getting involved in such political judgments? This is a slippery slope that’s quite alarming.

This slam at the end about the shooting is meant to scare them off if the rest of the text hasn’t done so. It appears to be unrelated to the event at this point.

The text message makes reference to an incident that occurred in Minot, North Dakota on November 17 and notes that it’s “unclear” if the shooting was connected to the Dakota Patriot Rally. The Minot Daily News reports that the shooting took place in northwest Minot. A 29-year-old man was hospitalized and a suspect fled. The Dakota Patriot Rally was held at the state fairgrounds in the eastern part of the city.

What is going on? The Air Force and Minot Air Force Base have not responded to our inquiry.

The Air Force must answer this question immediately. The Air Force should be questioned by members of Congress about this situation because it sounds as if they are demonizing the Republican Party and trying to intimidate their members away from political participation.