Quote Originally Posted by Schmedlap View Post

It wasn't offense. It was concern about simple rules, like keeping one's mouth shut about personal political views, and a general concern about the health of the profession. There is a slippery slope.

A couple of years ago I took a polygraph interview for a criminal investigation. Prior to the polygraphed questions, the interviewer spent about 45 minutes asking me about my values, where I got them, and whether I had stolen anything ranging from a pack of gum to "someone's trust" to something of large monetary value. I didn't have all day, so I asked him why he was wasting time asking me whether I'd ever stolen a pack of gum when I was 5 (full disclosure: no). He explained that an individual doesn't just live 30 years of relative purity and then wake up one morning and decide, "I'm going to rob a bank!" There is a slippery slope that he descends down - he steals a pack of gum, then a CD, then a pair of sneakers, then a laptop, then a dirt bike, then a car, and so on. He doesn't start out robbing banks. I think there is a similar good reason for zealously guarding the a-politicization of the military.
Sir,

The interrogator spent 45 minutes of your time asking you about your prior "truthiness" for the purpose of a Probable Lie Comparison, not because he actually believes in the slippery slope. People are expected to be somewhat evasive on these questions. Their physiological respones are then compared to their answers for the relevent questions. At least that is my basic understanding. I apologize for diverting the purpose of this thread.