…Who is in charge of the nation’s military[?]  “Is it in fact the military chiefs or is it Mikey Weinstein?”

— Tony Perkins, Family Research Council President

A few news sources have picked up on the story about the US Air Force Academy pulling a poster that had the cadet Honor Oath on it — an oath that ends in “so help me God” (discussed here a few days ago).  Michael “Mikey” Weinstein, president of his self-founded charity, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, has celebrated this as his latest “victory.”

The cadet committee on the subject has met, though not yet made a recommendation to the Superintendent:

Academy spokesman Maj. Brus Vidal said the Honor Review Committee…discussed…making no change to the oath, making the “so help me God” portion optional, or striking the entire oath…

Vidal said. “We value an inclusive environment that promotes dignity and respect for all.”

The Public Affairs director did not explain how “no change to the oath” could follow LtGen Michelle Johnson’s order that the committee “fix this,” since “fix” naturally implies a change to something that is broken — or wrong.

FoxNews quoted FRC president Tony Perkins — himself a Marine vet — noting that the issue isn’t one of accommodation of those who don’t believe in God because, as noted previously, no one is required to say it [emphasis added]:

“That already exists,” he said. “No one is forced to say this. This is about imposing an atheistic view on everyone so there can be no recognition of God.”

Retired Chaplain (Col) Ron Crews, who was instrumental in the return of the Chaplain’s article in Alaska, called USAFA’s decision to immediately pull the poster [emphasis added]

one more example of the Academy yielding to Mikey Weinstein at the expense of official military policy.

“Removing this voluntary affirmation expresses hostility toward religion,” Crews said.

To be clear, no military regulation, law, or policy requires USAFA to hang that poster.  To be clear, no military regulation, law, or policy requires USAFA to remove it, either.  In the end, the art choices of the US military are completely within its own discretion (though this is at least the third time Weinstein has played interior decorator for the Air Force).  When actions seem focused and targeted on only associations with religion, though — something that is constitutionally protected even in the US military — questions understandably arise.

Not unlike the Air Force response to Chaplain Kenneth Reyes’ article, the incident continues to beg the question:  What is so wrong with a poster containing “so help me God” that it must be pulled in response to an external complaint?  As Chaplain Crews intimates and as other incidents have demonstrated, if the mere mention of God could be the criterion of “wrong,” it might create the perception — as it did in Congress — that the Air Force has an environment hostile toward religion.

On another angle, a Christian Post opinion columnist concluded that Weinstein — who claims to defend the US Constitution — is actually trying to get the government to impose a religious test in violation of the Constitution:

No one is required to recite those four words. We have a constitutional provision; an important one that says no religious test shall ever be required. Any cadet-or President, for that matter-is free to say: I do so swear (or affirm)…

In forcing atheism on the military, however, Mikey and [his] Murfs are creating their own religious test…They claim they want “religious neutrality,” but what they seek is nothing less than a No-God Zone. That is enforced atheism.

Like Chaplain Crews, author Ken Blackwell also took aim at the military leadership for “yielding” to Weinstein’s criticisms:

It’s time for our military brass to show some courage and to tell Mikey and the Murfs to back off.

Many senior military leaders have discovered that attention is what Weinstein craves, and his “victories” are not a placation, but rather both blood in the water for his ego and fundraisers for his “charity” — whose single greatest expense is his own paycheck.

Experienced leaders have learned that if they ignore Weinstein’s inane complaints, he eventually sulks away.  But if you give a mouse a cookie…

Members of Congress have already taken the military to task over its relationship with Weinstein.  For the time being, though, the public perception seems to be Weinstein’s braggadocio is correct: he has been granted special access to military leaders and wields unusual power over Air Force policy decisions.

While the high rank of Weinstein’s ideological allies in the military may give some indication, the root question remains: Why?

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