Just one last anedote before I go to sleep:
Concerning
I was in the Navy and we were going to have a nice celebration of Martin Luther King Day. Then I discovered that the nut job Televangelist from the Crystal Cathedral was going to lead a prayer and they expected all of us to attend. I went to my Division Officer and told him I could not participate as it violated my religious beliefs (lack there of) I find the huge glowing cross and the Televangelist to be offensive to my belief. He ordered me to attend. I said you are violating the constitution. He said what part of the constitution? (Keep in mind this somewhat ignorant man, who was in charge of over 120 men was probably all of 24 years of age and I was only 19). I had to go to legal to request a copy of our Bill of Rights. When the Lt Cmdr who was the legal officer heard me explaining to his PN what I needed and why, he called me in. I felt nervous but stood by my guns.
The Legal Officer told me to return to LT JG Foster and tell him to call the Legal Officer ASAP.
I went back to the E-Div office and told Mr. Foster what the Lt Cmdr requested. I sat there and listened to this Lt Jg get his ass chewed off.
As a final sign of his pettiness he told me I would have to stand by in by dress blues to assist with any electrical problems. I reminded him, that I was not allowed to do work of this sort in Dress Blues, so either I would stand by in my dungarees or not at all.
In the end, I stood by in the lighting shop in my dungarees and did not participate. So even in a small issue like this I was able to disobey an unlawful order.
Jim