Senator Scolds Air Force for Pulling Nuke Course

Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) has expressed “concern” over the Air Force’s response to complaints over religious content in an ICBM training course.

Suspending a course like this because of references to religious texts misinterprets the First Amendment.  Although our Founding Fathers rightly included language in the Constitution that precludes the Federal government from establishing an official religion, this language does not, as some have argued, protect them from exposure to religious references…The Air Force personnel who have taken this course for the past 20 years have been free to determine, according to their own consciences, whether they accept or reject the premises of just war theory.

The article notes Michael Weinstein’s MRFF complained, and the Air Force stopped the course.  While Weinstein claims to defend religious freedom and the Constitution, his website has evolved over the years to include a reference to “the Constitutional guarantee of both freedom of religion and freedom from religion” — which, of course, is neither recognized as a religious liberty nor a part of the Constitution.

Senator Cornyn asked for a “detailed report on any actions taken by Air Force officials in response to these complaints.”