Jailed for Hip-Hop Song

Army Specialist and Iraq war veteran Marc Hall was incarcerated by the US Army on December 11, 2009, in Liberty County Jail, Georgia, for recording a song that expresses his anger over the Army's stop-loss policy.
Stop-loss is a policy that allows the Army to keep soldiers active beyond the end of their signed contracts. According to the Pentagon, more than 120,000 soldiers have been affected by stop-loss since 2001, and currently 13,000 soldiers are serving under stop-loss orders.
Hall, (aka hip hop artist Marc Watercus), who is in the Army's 3rd Infantry Division, was placed in Liberty County Jail for the song to "Stop-Loss," in which he angrily denounces the continuing policy that has barred him from exiting the military.
Military service members do not completely give up their rights to free speech, particularly not when they are doing so artistically while off duty, as was the case with Hall. He is charged under Article 134 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which covers "all disorders and neglects to the prejudice of good order and discipline" and "all conduct of a nature to bring discredit upon the armed forces." The military is claiming that he "communicated a threat" with his song. Hall mailed a copy of the song to the Pentagon after the Army unilaterally extended his contract for a second Iraq deployment.
Hall planned to leave the military at the end of his contract on February 27, before his commander, Captain Cross at Fort Stewart, moved to have him incarcerated for the song. The military currently intends to keep Hall in pre-trial confinement until he is court-martialed, which is expected to be several months from now.
The army is overreaching and overreacting because of Maj. Hassan (who went on a shooting spree at Fort Hood on November 5)
Hall is opposed to the occupation of Iraq, and had told his commander he would not deploy if ordered. His unit deployed to Iraq without him in mid-December, but this is not why Hall is in jail, as he was jailed before his unit was sent to Iraq.
In a statement , Hall said, ""My first sergeant called me into his office to discuss the song's nature. I explained to him that the hardcore rap song was a free expression of how people feel about the Army and its stop-loss policy. I explained that the song was neither a physical threat nor any threat whatsoever. I told him it was just hip-hop."
Hall added, "My first sergeant said he actually liked the song and that he did not take it as a threat. He and my commander at the time just recommended me for mental counseling and evaluation."
Hall is accused of telling someone he would "go on a rampage," that "the song makes threats of acts of violence," and that Hall is accused "of planning on shooting the brigade or battalion commanders."
Jeff Paterson, the founder and director of the soldier advocacy group Courage to Resist, which is assisting Hall, said "Marc's case is unique in that the military hasn't shown a propensity to go after these political speech cases for several years. Here, since he's an angry man who recorded a song, they are making him a target for having expressed his anger in an artistic way. We think this is an important case because it could set precedent for free speech rights for those in the military."
"He's over there saying I have no control over my life. I could be in here forever. We're not talking about a war that is going to be over next year. We're talking about a war that could go on forever. So poor old Marc Hall could possibility be in the military forever. Once enlistment starts dropping, the Army maintains troop levels by keeping the ones they have. If you're not going to go to one place, you're going to another, but you're not going to get out. I see this as an issue of political speech. The military may not like what they're hearing, but that's what it is. There are people in the military saying their being in it is/was wrong, and they want out."

AGIAN THIS IS ANOTHER WAY THE ARMY FUCKS OVER PEOPLE FUCK THE ARMY FULL OF CROOKED DIRTY WHITE MOTHAFUCKAS

yeah...police state.

Wow the Army has a duty to protect all of the soliders, well being. Doesnt sound like hes going to go after G.I.Joe but wants his point heard to the Decision makers. Prez. Obama, time for another Beer summit, including this stopped loss Soilder.

He talked about killing people in the army. After the fort hood shooting there the army hasis trying to protect its other soldiers.

How long before the whole army gets tired of being lied to. I believe most enlisted to protect the United States not to be targets in one of the poorest countries in the world.

Mainstream rappers talk about selling coke and shooting cops as well FBI undercovers. Rappers are known for violent threats, but they never go through with them. So why is this guy in jail? Because he made a threatening rap song? Or for speaking out against the stop loss policy? I say it was for the latter.

but it was not for singing a hip-hop song, but because it spoke vs. the stop/loss policy, which is in itself outrageous. i think there is a difference between singing a song (free speech), as opposed to lyrics that violate the policy of what ever organisation you may belong. altho i am strongling against the policy itself.