The Haversian Canal

Navy Cycling made the local paper in April, but I just found the story online.

One of the second-year students, a prior Army tanker, has been sending me harassing e-mail all week. Brian: read and weep, read and weep.

I'm looking for my roommate from the Naval Academy, Daniel Lane Miller. Dan Miller graduated a Fort Lauderdale highschool in 1994 and graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1998 having selected submarine warfare. He was one of my groomsmen at my wedding but I have since lost his address. If anyone has any information on Dan, please let me know.

A boss of mine had me make copies of some articles a few years ago for training he was going to hold for some of the other junior officers, the submariners. I wasn't included, but I made copies for myself. Among the articles was this address to the San Diego Rotary Club by Admiral Hyman Rickover, Thoughts on Man's Purpose in Life. The Carnegie Council has posted another version of this lecture, which was delivered in 1982. The Carnegie Council version has some excellent questions and answers, but it's a scanned PDF. The oldest version I am aware of is in the Proceedings of the US Naval Institute, 100 (December 1974): 72.

The following is taken in whole from the US Department of Defense Standards of Conduct Office Ethics Counselor's Deskbook

POLITICAL ACTIVITIES
I. REFERENCES

A. 2 U.S.C. § 441a
B. 5 U.S.C. §§ 7321-7326
C. 10 U.S.C. §§ 888, 973
D. 18 U.S.C. Chapter 29, Elections and Political Activities; 18 U.S.C. § 1913
E. Political Activities of Federal Employees, 5 C.F.R. Parts 733, 734
F. Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch, 5 C.F.R. Part 2635, Subparts G & H
G. DoD 5500.7-R, Joint Ethics Regulation, Chapters 2, 3, 5 & 6
H. DoD Directive 1344.10, Political Activities by Members of the Armed Forces on Active Duty, June 15, 1990, w/ch 1 (January 7, 1994) & ch 2 (February 17, 2000)
I. DEPSECDEF Memorandum, “Civilian Employees’ Participation in Political Activities,” January 21, 2004
J. Air Force. Air Force Instruction 51-902, Political Activities by Members of the U.S. Air Force, 1 January 1996
K. Army. AR 600-20 Army Command Policy, June 13, 2002, paragraph 5-3 "Political Activities" and Appendices B and C
L. Navy. Section 0514 of Secretary of the Navy Instruction 5720.44A Change 2, Department of the Navy Public Affairs Policy and Regulations, 9 May 2002

II. CONFLICTS OF POLITICAL INTERESTS

A. General Statutory Restrictions

1. Limitations on amount of political contributions. 2 U.S.C. § 441a.
2. No solicitation of fellow Federal employees for campaign contributions. 18 U.S.C. § 602.
3. No contributing to any other Federal employee who is the contributor's employer or employing authority. 18 U.S.C. § 603.
4. No threats or intimidation to secure contributions. 18 U.S.C. §§ 601 & 606.
5. No solicitation or receipt of contributions in any room occupied in discharge of official duties, or in any navy yard, fort, or arsenal. 18 U.S.C. § 607.
6. No paying/receiving of pay to vote or withhold vote. 18 U.S.C. § 597.
7. No promising of benefits which are dependent upon an Act of Congress, as reward for political activity. 18 U.S.C. § 600.
8. No intimidation of voters. 18 U.S.C. § 594.
9. No coercing political activities of Federal employees. 18 U.S.C. § 610.
10. No interference with rights under Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act. 18 U.S.C. § 608.
11. No assembling troops at polls. 18 U.S.C. § 592.
12. No election interference by armed forces. 18 U.S.C. § 593.
13. No polling of armed forces. 18 U.S.C. § 596.
14. No use of military authority to influence votes of other military members. 18 U.S.C. § 609.
15. No military officer may campaign for or hold civil office. 10 U.S.C. § 973. (But see NDAA FY 04, P.L. 108-136, which provides for exceptions to holding office for retired regular officers and reserve officers called to active duty for over 270 days).

B. Political Activity of Military Members (DoD Directive 1344.10 (reprinted in JER 6-300)).
1. Spirit and intent of Directive prohibits activity that may be viewed as directly or indirectly associating DoD with partisan politics.
2. Does not preclude personal participation in local nonpartisan political activities, so long as:
a. not in uniform;
b. no use of Government property or resources;
c. no interference with duty;
d. no implied Government position or involvement.
3. Permitted political activities include:
a. Register, vote and express personal opinions;
b. Encourage other military members to exercise voting rights;
c. Join a political club, and attend political meetings and rallies as a spectator when not in uniform;
d. Make monetary contributions to a political organization;
e. Sign petitions for specific legislative action or place candidate's name on the ballot;
f. Write letters to the editor expressing personal views;
g. Bumper stickers on private vehicles.
4. Prohibited political activities. A military member may not:
a. Use official authority to influence/interfere;
b. Be a candidate for civil office,
c. Participate in partisan political campaigns, speeches, articles, TV/radio discussions;
d. Serve in official capacity/sponsor a partisan political club;
e. Conduct political opinion survey;
f. Use contemptuous words (10 U.S.C. § 888);
g. March or ride in partisan parades;
h. Participate in organized effort to transport voters to polls;
i. Promote political dinners or fundraising events;
j. Attend partisan events as official representative of Armed Forces;
k. Display large signs/banners/posters on private vehicles.

C. Political Activity of Civilian Employees (5 C.F.R. Part 734; JER 6-200; DEPSECDEF memorandum, “Civilian Employees’ Participation in Political Activities,” January 21, 2004 (on the DoD SOCO website))
1. Participation in non-partisan activities. May:
a. Express opinion on political subjects;
b. Be politically active in non-partisan questions;
c. Participate in non-partisan civic, community, social, labor, or professional organizations;
d. Participate fully in public affairs where no compromise of efficiency or integrity of the employee or agency.
2. Participation in political organizations. May:
a. Serve as officer of political party or group;
b. Attend/participate in nominating caucuses;
c. Organize a political organization or group;
d. Participate in political conventions, rallies, or other gatherings.
3. Participation in political campaigns. May:
a. Display pictures, signs, stickers, buttons, etc.;
b. Initiate/circulate nominating petitions;
c. Canvass votes;
d. Endorse or oppose partisan candidates in political advertisements;
e. Address a convention, caucus, or rally;
f. Take active part in managing political campaigns;
g. Be a candidate in nonpartisan election;
h. Attend political fundraiser.
4. Participation in Elections: May:
a. Serve at polling places;
b. Serve as election judge or clerk;
c. Drive voters to polling places for partisan candidate, group, party.
5. May not:
a. Be a candidate for election to partisan political office. Exception: in certain, specifically designated locales (5 C.F.R. Part 733), may run as an independent for partisan political municipal office.
b. Use official authority to interfere/influence;
c. Use official authority or title to fundraise;
d. Personally solicit political contributions from the general public (e.g., in a fundraising speech);
e. Participate in political activity while on duty, while in a Federal workplace, while wearing insignias identifying employing agency, or while in or using Government resources.
6. Separate rules exist for career members of the SES and employees of NSA and DIA. 5 C.F.R. 734, Subpart D; JER § 6-202.
7. Under long standing DoD policy, political appointees and non-career SES officials may not participate in any activity that could be interpreted as associating DoD with partisan political activities. DEPSECDEF Memorandum “Civilian Employees’ Participation in Political Activities,” January 21, 2004 (on the DoD SOCO website).

D. Role of U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC)
1. OSC's Hatch Act Unit provides advisory opinions on political activity of civilian Federal employees. They do not provide advice on DoD’s rules concerning military members.
2. Advisory Opinions online - http://www.osc.gov/hatchact.htm.

E. Use of DoD Resources During Campaign Years
1. SECDEF 0312052112Z, Department of Defense (DoD) Public Affairs Policy Guidance Concerning Political Campaigns and Elections.
2. Command newspapers - no campaign news or partisan discussions, cartoons, editorials, or commentaries.
3. No use of installations and/or facilities by any candidate for any activity that can be considered political in nature.
4. Offbase political events - no support, except joint color guards at national events.
5. Speeches, articles, and public comments of military personnel in capacity as service representatives must not contain political material.
6. POC for policy questions -- OASD(PA), (703) 695-6294/DSN 225-6294.
7. Note that FY02 NDAA, Section 1607, amends Section 2670 of title 10, United States Code, to prevent the Secretary of Defense or a Secretary of a military department from prohibiting use of a military facility for an official polling place for local, State, or Federal elections if that facility was designated as a polling place as of 31 Dec 2000 or had been used as a polling place since 1 Jan 1996. There is an exception for the Secretary concerned to waive the provision if he determines that local security conditions require prohibition of the designation or use of that facility as an official polling place for any election.

F. Lobbying
1. "Anti-Lobbying Act", 18 U.S.C. § 1913.
2. Prohibits grass roots lobbying efforts.
3. Does not prohibit agency officials expressing views regarding merits or deficiencies of legislation.
4. Recurring appropriation provisions - e.g., DoD Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2004, P.L. 108-87, §§ 8001, 8012.
a. No use of appropriated funds for "publicity or propaganda purposes not authorized by the Congress."
b. No use of appropriated funds to "influence congressional action on any legislation or appropriation matters pending before the Congress."
III. CONCLUSION [sic. Ed: I have no idea why they put this in there but left it blank]