For some reason, a lot of people tend to think that there are some laws that can be broken guilt free and some that really “matter”.
Case in point, take Martin Gilbert. Gilbert really, really wanted to join the Army. However, the Army didn’t want Gilbert, because Gilbert had been busted for possessing $5 worth of pot in his high school during a random drug check. Though Gilbert took drug education classes to make the charge go away, he was over 18, and the Army was able to find evidence of the conviction — and thus, he was barred from entering into the military. Gilbert, of course, is angry, saying the military’s “screening process seems flawed”. Really?
Being a soldier is a lot about obedience and the ability to follow rules. The inability to follow rules, then, is a big problem — no matter how silly the rules may be. Gilbert’s actions in high school displayed a distinct lack of respect for rules and law that would be utterly destructive if put in a military setting. It doesn’t matter if the amount of marijuana was only $.01, how old Gilbert was, or how silly the marijuana laws are — it matters that Gilbert broke the law intentionally.
You break the law, you pay for it. Case closed.
