Under Scrutiny...

I peruse multiple Facebook pages that are about the army wife life or equivalent.  A friend of mine told me about OSMW.  I have lurked, responding here and there, but primarily just read.  I have noticed that it is run by a soldier!  Interestingly enough, pictures are posted pointing out different women and men who have wronged their spouses in some way and humiliating them to some extent.  Dependents of the military are referred to as a "dependapotamus".  While this site can be hilarious, some of it does push the limit. 

Well the incredibly popular facebook page has come under scrutiny, gaining nationwide popularity due to newspaper articles.  Like this one from NorthwestMilitary.com. 

"When one Joint Base Lewis-McChord spouse saw her husband's picture on the Overly Sensitive Military Wives Facebook page proclaiming him as a drill sergeant who "rapes privates," she got boiling mad." 

 "It sometimes features unflattering photos of military wives or troops and at times incites lively comment wars that pit those who support the page against those who would like to see it shut down. The OSMW page's administrator, who goes only by "6," said the page isn't meant to hurt anyone, just to address a side of military life some spouses don't acknowledge exists."

The Facebook page is undergoing scrutiny because the person who runs and owns it is an actual service member.  The person, who only goes by the name "6", claimed to be only "affiliated with the military" but others claim "6" is actually enlisted. 

"A movement directed from the top to shut down the page for good and prosecute "6" under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (because 6 is a Soldier, the JBLM spouse said) could perhaps save lives and a lot of unneeded anguish, she said."

My opinion??? What's America without the 1st Amendment Right to freedom of speech??? For a long time blogs and social networking sites weren't considered legitimate forms of news, but that has changed.  Legally could "6" be sued for slander??? Possibly, but they have to prove what he/she posts are lies.  While embarrassing to see a picture of yourself or your spouse on the web page, maybe if they carried themselves with higher morals or better self-esteem it wouldn't end up on there. 

It's all in good fun and, frankly, if a person wanted their pictures or names removed, they could email the webmaster of the page, "6", and let him/her know.  Going to the news media about said pictures just puts you in the spotlight as an overly sensitive military wife.  That being said, posting about someone "raping privates" is a bit extreme.  But being in a position of power and sleeping with privates could constitute "rape" or something equivalent.  Where does it cross the line???  Do you think that this facebook page should be shut down??  Maybe edited for content?? How far is too far?? Should a service member be the one running it?? It is widely popular and busy, what is that service member doing while supposedly working???