Weinsteins Complain about Wright-Patterson

Casey Weinstein, son of MRFF founder Michael Weinstein, was stationed at Wright-Patterson AFB with his wife while they were both on active duty.  He remains in the area looking for a job as a reservist.  Now, a local Jewish paper is carrying an article in which Michael Weinstein has said

Wright-Patterson Air Force base is a “hotbed” of “unconstitutional religious intolerance.”

The younger Weinstein reportedly complained about a “prayer in Jesus’ name” that was a “violation of Air Force regulations” (a conclusion which is actually incorrect).  He also “got in [the] face” of his superior over an email about John Gibson’s The War on Christmas.  [Casey Weinstein, a 2004 Air Force Academy graduate, was a fairly vocal supporter of his father’s accusations against the military even while the younger Weinstein was on active duty.  (He also posted an interestingly accusatory comment here.)]

Though Michael Weinstein told several anecdotes and claimed to have “over 100” complainants from Wright-Patt, the base Equal Opportunity office reported only one complaint in the past two years. The base Public Affairs pointed out that the Air Force cannot respond to accusations it does not know exist.

The Air Force…[is] committed to the Constitution’s protections for free exercise of religion and its prohibition against government establishment of religion. It is wrong for an Air Force member…to officially endorse or denounce any particular religion, and to improperly influence subordinates regarding religion…

Consistent with the Free Exercise Clause of the Constitution, Air Force members…may freely exercise their own religions…as long as it is reasonably clear they are acting in their personal, not official, capacity.

Also reported on the Religion Clause.