Should This Soldier Be In Jail For His Stop Loss Rap?

Last Month the U.S. Army responded to a soldier who protested their shady practices, by committing more shady practices — jailing 34-year-old Marc Hall for a rap they considered “threatening”. Look under the hood for details:

A US soldier has been arrested and charged after recording a rap song threatening to kill senior officers and then sending a copy to the Pentagon. Marc Hall, 34, an infantry soldier, said he wrote the song in protest at being sent back to Iraq where he had already served a 14-month tour. In it he describes going on a shooting spree and includes the lyrics: “I got a magazine with 30 rounds, on a three-round burst, ready to fire down. Still against the wall, I grab my M-4, spray and watch all the bodies hit the floor.”

Mr Hall, from South Carolina, was arrested before re-deploying and is being held at a military jail in Georgia. He was based at Fort Stewart in the southern state. He called the song “Stop Loss” and claims he was protesting against the controversial US stop loss policy, which allows the military to extend a soldier’s period of service. In a statement from jail he said the song was “just hip-hop” and a “free expression of how people feel about the army and its stop-loss policy.”

Jim Klimaski, a civilian lawyer in Washington who has spoken to Mr Hall, said: “They’re saying it’s a threat. We’re saying it’s a fantasy. He’s mad, but he’s not stupid. He’s not violent.”

But the US army says the lyrics amount to the “communication of a threat.” It also alleges that Mr Hall told fellow soldiers he would “go on a rampage” and that he was “planning on shooting the brigade and battalion commanders.” Fort Stewart spokesman Kevin Larson said: “Any reasonable person who listens to that song would be concerned.”

More than 185,000 US troops have been forced to extend their service under the “stop loss” policy since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Robert Gates, the US defence secretary, has said he wants to dramatically reduce the number of personnel affected by the policy.

Listen to the song below:

Click Here To Watch The Video

Imagine returning home after spending more time in the military than you signed on for — only to receive orders to be sent back again! That’s that bullsh*t!

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