USAFA General Now Admits Being in the Tank for Mikey Weinstein
Until this summer, Col Martin “Marty” France was the Head of the Department of Astronautics at the US Air Force Academy, and he had been for some years. As a permanent professor he was allowed to maintain his rank and his position — and then retire with a promotion, as a Brigadier General.
Nine days after he retired, one of BGen (retired) France’s first acts as a civilian was publicly joining Michael “Mikey” Weinstein’s MRFF.
In fact, it seems he isn’t ashamed of admitting he was in the tank for Mikey all along, even while he served on the USAFA faculty [emphasis added]:
I’ve known Mikey Weinstein for almost 15 years—since the very founding days of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation…I worked closely with Mikey and the MRFF during my time at the US Air Force Academy as a Permanent Professor…
BGen France would have been the Department Head when his NCO, TSgt Brandon Longcrier, sponsored the controversial pagan circle and its ensuing cross “non-vandalism.” BGen France also introduced a Christian astronaut as “the kind of officer every cadet in this room should aspire to be.”
As a department head, then-Col France worked directly with the Dean and would have had intimate access to the leadership discussions at USAFA.
And you wonder how Mikey Weinstein obtained internal USAFA emails, etc.?
While some may be shocked, it pales in comparison to the story of then-LtGen Jack Rives, who was the top Air Force lawyer responsible for defending the Air Force against Mikey Weinstein‘s attacks — and yet he was an ardent supporter of Mikey Weinstein the entire time.
Don’t be surprised that Mikey Weinstein has allies and friends in high places, however. Like society itself, the military is made up of all kinds of people. It, too, has its patriots, saints, and saviors — and it also has its blowhards, bigots, and bullies.
If nothing else, there is some small comfort in knowing that despite his “friends in high places,” Mikey Weinstein’s actual influence — beyond his bluster — is essentially nil.
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Both Col (P) France and LtGen Rives, whom I know to be an outstanding gentleman and lawyer, are upholding the Constitution of the country and the regulations of the USAF they honorably serve. I wish I could add that you, sir, are the person of no influence. But, alas, I cannot because your type do in fact have a pernicious and dangerous influence and that is why the MRFF exists and why men such as France and Rives combat you at every step.
@Lawrence Wilkerson
What is it about religious freedom that scares you so?
Deleted by request.
Thank you for honoring me by mentioning me in the same entry with a great leader and lawyer (Jack Rives) and one of the Air Force’s finest NCOs, Brandon Longcrier! I’d like to assure you that USAFA leadership was well aware of my long friendship with Mikey and support of the MRFF fro the very beginning–because I told them I was. I worked very hard for many years, within the system and at substantial personal risk, to resolve issues that arose there and throughout the military. There were many, many potentially explosive incidents that we defused together, despite working in a place where one senior leader ordered a subordinate O-6 to conduct a “COIN Analysis of MRFF Supporters” within the organization–a clearly illegal order. Had I not worked within the system, appropriately protecting confidential and FOUO communications, you can be assured that I would not have had my tombstone promotion to O-7 approved and would probably have “paperwork” in my record–I don’t. It wasn’t easy, but I’m proud of what we accomplished. Now that I’m retired, I plan to continue to support and defend the Constitution, our Air Force, and our Academy for the rest of my life–and also support members of the military of all faiths through my work with the MRFF. As for the officer and my praise for him mentioned above, I stand by those comments. I’ve been honored to be surrounded by great models like JD of all faiths and no faith at all. Our cadets and airmen SHOULD view them as role models–but that doesn’t mean that they should be REQUIRED to emulate EVERY aspect of their lives. Thanks again for making my day on what is a very special day for me, my family, and all Americans.
@Marty France
Your comment is a bit confusing in light of the facts.
You said USAFA was well aware of your relationship with Mikey, yet you say your immediate supervisor targeted MRFF supporters. Are we really to believe Gen Born would launch a “COIN” operation with one of your peer colonels — as if you wouldn’t find out about it? Incidentally, you continue to say Gen Born’s “order” was “illegal,” despite the fact she denies having said it, and the Air Force investigation agreed. Do you have evidence you’d like to provide?
You say you want to support all faiths and no faith, yet you have long supported an organization run by a man who has been openly bigoted toward Christians. Will you disavow Mikey Weinstein’s vitriolic attacks on basic religious exercise (voluntary chapel services!) by US troops?
Everyone is probably very interested to hear why an Air Force officer in a tenured academic position characterizes himself as at “substantial personal risk.” Maj. Phil Ambard put himself at great personal risk. What did you do?
First of all, with all sincerity, thanks to you and Larry Wilkerson for your service in uniform. Especially on this monumental day for you, General France, you have my deepest gratitude. Only God knows how many engineers you influenced for the nation’s good. Thank you.
Frankly, though, I hope your influence was mainly limited to astronautics rather than Weinsteinism. If what you say is true with respect to helping mitigate Mikey’s glaring attacks on genuine religious liberty, thank you. Hopefully, you helped serve as a filter, such that some good came from his outlandish attacks on liberty for all. From what I’ve seen, despite the persistent presence of the insane, there are enough sane people in most rooms at USAFA these days to give Mikey the input he deserves (nearly none).
Thankfully, the Rives-Weinstein cabal lost most of its access once CSAFs Schwartz and Welsh recognized that Mikey is mostly about Mikey. Those in power now understand the same and consider Mikey a laughingstock. A mean, bitter laughingstock, but he is never taken seriously today. That is significant progress.
That someone of Wilkerson’s lawyerly status considers Christian Fighter Pilot’s religious liberty influence “pernicious and dangerous” is frightening. That Rives runs the ABA is doubly scary if his views on religious liberty become the norm. However well-intentioned he may have been, he did far more damage to the sense of genuine liberty–for all–than any good he thinks he did. I’m not questioning his motives, but the results of his advocacy harmed the cause of religious liberty.
The best news is that Rives’ most recent successors, Burne and Rockwell, swung the religious liberty pendulum back to its rightful place. Their advocacy is for the religious views of everyone, which in no way requires diminishing religious liberties for the majority as a means to that end. The First Amendment is in the best of hands when that perspective rules the day.
[Redacted], I e-mailed you and asked that you delete the first of my postings since your site doesn’t allow me to edit or delete my own posts. You didn’t do that or even respond to my requests via email. No, I won’t compare the risks I faced as anything comparable to what Phil did. Physical and professional risks are not really comparable, though invoking a comparison seems like a good rhetorical tool for you. As for the COIN evidence, it exists, and I have it. But I will not betray the receiver of those orders without her/his explicit approval–I don’t expect that, though, since they still fear reprisal. Finally, I disagree strongly with your second paragraph in your response. The MRFF is clearly not bigoted against Christians, as evidenced by the number of devout Christians and Evangelicals in its ranks and among its thousands of clients (the majority, in fact).
Edited by Admin.
@Marty France
Your post has been deleted as you requested. Not everyone has your schedule, you know.
You said “personal”, not professional.
It would seem he’s already been betrayed. From Pam Zubeck, Mikey Weinstein’s friend at the CSIndy:
That sounds suspiciously like you’re admitting to being the source of that information to the MRFF, since Col Drohan (your fellow Permanent Professor) could have provided it to them if he’d wanted to — but he didn’t. It’s his private information that Mikey Weinstein somehow knows — and you’re one person who knows both him and the MRFF. Curious.
That’s the “I can’t be racist, I have black friends” defense.
Let’s make this simple. On October 22, 2014, Mikey Weinstein shared a video on Facebook of a chapel service in which US Marines were singing “Days of Elijah.” Weinstein’s response: “This is what we at the MRFF are up against.” You are, and have been, closely aligned with and supportive of the MRFF.
Do you agree with Mikey Weinstein that chapel worship services attended by US troops is what you’re “up against”?
@Marty France,
With all due respect, Mikey is an anti-Christian bigot to the max, and I will give a link to a website that has collected quotes he has made against Christians only. I have never seen one quote he has made about Jews or Muslims. I have seen comments from him where he sides with the Southern Poverty Law Center a hate group in an of itself along with CAIR(Council on American Islamic Relations) a unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation trial, and which is a Muslim Brotherhood organization who finances the terrorist organization Hamas, a sworn enemy of Israel.
Here is the link to the quotes by Mikey – http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/38272018.html and as far as Christians that are related to MRFF, I question how devout they really are. Scripture says that as Christians we are to not have anything to do with those who are the enemies of God of which Mikey hates God.