Middle America's Worldview

There is no question: Military and tattoos go together naturally like blood and guts. Yet, a new Army rule may ban tattoos. The new rule was approved by Secretary of the Army John McHugh, but not yet signed. The order would ban tattoos from the forearms, below the knee, or above the neckline. Tattoos deemed offensive must be removed regardless of location, and the soldier is required to pay for the removal.

What is considered to be offensive? Watching R.Lee Ermey playing the role as Gunnery Sargent Hartmann in Full Metal Jacket, I cannot imagine what could be offensive. Yet, the Army has found some tattoos distasteful.

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There is no question: Military and tattoos go together naturally like blood and guts. Yet, a new Army rule may ban tattoos. The new rule was approved by Secretary of the Army John McHugh, but not yet signed. The order would ban tattoos from the forearms, below the knee, or above the neckline. Tattoos deemed offensive must be removed regardless of location, and the soldier is required to pay for the removal.

What is considered to be offensive? Watching R.Lee Ermey playing the role as Gunnery Sargent Hartmann in Full Metal Jacket, I cannot imagine what could be offensive. Yet, the Army has found some tattoos distasteful.

Those tattoos or brands affiliated with “depicting, or symbolizing extremist philosophies, organizations, or activities.” I am not sure what these could be. Perhaps Marxism or Socialist red diaper babies would count. My fear is that it could include Patriotic or Constitutional symbols.

The list of offensive tattoos also lists sexist tattoos that degrade a person based on gender. Are women in the service offended?

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Another leak by Edward Snowden hits the front page. This time the Washington Post reports that the “black budget” $52.6 billion was set aside for operations in fiscal year 2013. The main chunk of change goes toward “offensive cyber operations”, devoting to decoding encrypted communications. Hack the planet! This is the first time a summary of the black budget has ever been seen outside of a few intelligence eyes. The reported document is 178 pages in length, but only one-tenth of the content is being made available by The Washington Post Continue Reading