Congress Criticizes Defense Department for Homosexual Parade

Senator Jim Inhofe of the Senate Armed Services Committee “respectfully requested” that Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta explain why members of the US military were authorized to wear their uniforms in a homosexual “pride” parade in San Diego.

In a letter to Panetta, Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma said department rules bar service members from participating in political activities while in uniform and pressed Panetta on why a waiver was granted, who requested it and why it was considered over others.

The Congressmen also noted that other military members have been punished for doing what the DoD authorized in this instance: 

“If the Navy can punish a chaplain for participating in a pro-life event or a Marine participating in a political rally, it stands to reason that the Defense Department should maintain the same standard and preclude service members in uniform from marching in a gay pride parade,” Inhofe wrote.

It’s unclear if Senator Inhofe was referring to a specific instance with regard to the Navy Chaplain, though former Navy Chaplain Gordon Klingenschmitt was court-martialed for wearing his uniform when it wasn’t authorized.

On his own site, the Senator also included a fairly comprehensive list of the evidence of “Hostility towards religion in the military under the Obama Administration:”

Hostility towards religion in the military under the Obama Administration

April 2010—Franklin Graham is disinvited from a National Day of Prayer event at the Pentagon.

August 2011—The Air Force stops teaching the Just War theory to officers because the course is taught by chaplains and is based on a philosophy introduced by St. Augustine.

September 2011—Air Force Chief of Staff Schwartz prohibits commanders from notifying airmen of chaplain programs and services available to them.

September 2011—The Navy issues guidelines for Walter Reed Medical Center stipulating that “No religious items (i.e. Bibles, reading materials and/or artifacts) are allowed to be given away or used during a visit.” Once the issue became public, the Navy reversed the decision.

September 2011—The Pentagon directs that military chaplains may perform same-sex marriages at military facilities in violation of the federal Defense of Marriage Act.

November 2011—The Air Force Academy rescinds support for Operation Christmas Child, a program to send holiday gifts to impoverished children across the world, because the program is run by a Christian charity.

February 2012—The U.S. Military Academy at West Point disinvites three star Army general and decorated war hero Lieutenant General William G. (“Jerry”) Boykin (retired) from speaking at an event because he is an outspoken Christian.

February 2012—The Air Force removes “God” from the patch of Rapid Capabilities Office (the word on the patch was in Latin: Dei).

February 2012—The Army silences Catholic chaplains, ordering them not to read a letter to parishioners that their archbishop asked them to read regarding abortion and the Obama Administration’s policies.

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