Mikey Weinstein May Meet Mike the Knight

Michael “Mikey” Weinstein has launched blistering attacks at Peterson Air Force Base recently, as an Air Force Colonel investigated her subordinate — at Weinstein’s behest — but, much to his dismay and disgust, found nothing wrong with the Bible on the officer’s desk.

With the salvos being launched at their Airmen, perhaps Peterson’s leadership should introduce Weinstein to another Mike: the 21st Space Wing’s mascot, Mike the Knight:

miketheknight4Mike the Knight has been personified by different people over the years (and he was the Iron Knight a few years ago). Currently, the chain mail is filled by the aptly named SSgt Gary Christensen

Whether it’s playing themed video games, Dungeons and Dragons, Magic the Gathering or even going for full authenticity while dressing up as a knight at renaissance festivals, if it’s medieval, he is into it.

“I’ve always been interested in the medieval atmosphere and lifestyle,” said Christensen. “I spent about seven years gathering the different items for my costume.”

Mike the Knight apparently roams the base at times doing motivational things, including donating to the CFC.

What will get Weinstein’s goat, though, is that Mike the Knight looks like a “crusader.” Medieval knight imagery apparently gives Weinstein an aneurysm, and few things have generated as much ridiculous bloviating from Weinstein as his reactions to knights in military imagery.

His reason? It might offend the enemy.

Last November Weinstein reacted in hours to a gratuitous (but intentionally placed) picture on this site from Fort Shafter, Hawaii, that used such imagery. The Army acquiesced to Weinstein’s enraged outcry and pulled down the sign — saying it came down because it wasn’t an authorized sign, while simultaneously saying it was pulled down due to the “concerns” raised by Weinstein.

In 2012, Weinstein’s sometime assistant Chris Rodda read this site and learned about VMFA-122, a US Marine Corps F/A-18 fighter unit. That unit had decided to revert from their current name, the Werewolves, back to the name they’d had just four years earlier: the Crusaders…which they’d been since 1958, when they flew the F-8A Crusader. (In 2008, a sensitive commander decided it was an insensitive unit mascot.) Weinstein and Rodda, though, claimed those Marines were “fuel[ing] the cause of jihad” and endangering the lives of US troops — though there was no proof of such an outcome in the prior 50 years. Marine Corps leadership ultimately announced they’d told the unit to keep the Werewolves.

Before that, Weinstein had claimed he’d been responsbile for the US Air Force shutting down the Air Force’s 523rd Fighter Squadron, which was also the “Crusaders.” That the decision to close that unit occurred long before Weinstein said anything apparently escaped his notice. (Weinstein has demonstrated an inability to understand the linear concept of time.)

Weinstein will likely have a case of the vapors when he sees Mike the Knight. He’ll almost certainly complain. And what will Peterson AFB do in response? That’s a good question, given both their own history and the history of other units that have been attacked over their imagery.

Notably, however, Weinstein has previously expanded his attacks to other “crusader” imagery — and no one even noticed. If Peterson follows their example and simply ignores Weinstein, they’ll have the same outcome: he’ll go away, and they can go about their mission.

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