Pentagon Snubs, President Visits Franklin Graham

In an interesting turn of events, during his North Carolina vacation President Obama visited Billy Graham and his son, Franklin Graham — after a week that saw the Pentagon rescind an invitation to the younger Graham over his religious views.  Though the visit was initiated after the Pentagon’s announcement, it is likely Obama’s intent was to visit the elder Graham.  The Obamas received a gift, and the two gentlemen prayed for each other:

At the end, Graham presented Obama with two Bibles — one for him and the other for first lady Michelle Obama, Ross said. The two men then prayed together, with Obama first praying for Graham and then Graham “concluded with a prayer for the president, his family and his administration,” according to Ross.

Update: Franklin Graham apparently got the ear of the President — and a seemingly supportive (or diplomatic) reply — over the recent incident:

In reference to the invitation being rescinded, Franklin Graham told The Associated Press that he told the president that activists were trying to remove all religion from the military, and he said Obama pledged to look into it.

The “disinvitation” of Franklin Graham from the Pentagon’s National Day of Prayer has continued to raise the ire of a variety of public figures. Read more

Franklin Graham and Military Religious Freedom, Continued

It is now common knowledge that Franklin Graham’s invitation to speak at the prayer day hosted by the Pentagon Chaplaincy was “rescinded.”

Army spokesman Col. Tom Collins confirmed today, that at the Army’s request, the Pentagon Chaplain’s Office had contacted Graham to withdraw the invitation extended to him to be the main speaker at the Pentagon’s observance of the National Day of Prayer.

As a result, the National Day of Prayer Task Force is also not participating in the Pentagon event.  Graham responded:

I regret that the Army felt it was necessary to rescind their invitation to the National Day of Prayer Task Force to participate in the Pentagon’s special prayer service. I want to express my strong support for the United States military and all our troops. I will continue to pray that God will give them guidance, wisdom and protection as they serve this great country.

(Some have claimed the NDoP itself is unConstitutional, consistent with Read more

Franklin Graham and Military Religious Freedom

A FoxNews article highlights the criticism of the US military for an invitation to Franklin Graham for a May 6 day of prayer.

A military spokesman had an interesting statement:

“We are an all-inclusive military. We hold observances throughout the year. This one happens to be a Christian-themed event,” [Army Col. Tom] Collins said.

This is a somewhat unique statement, because many people seem to be assuming a military chapel event has to be “inclusive.”  However, the Colonel Read more

Congressional Research Service Report on Religion in the Military

The Congressional Research Service is a statutory office that provides research services at the request of members of Congress.  The CRS says its work is “authoritative,” “accurate,” “objective and nonpartisan.”

The CRS recently published a report entitled “Military Personnel and Freedom of Religious Expression: Selected Legal Issues,” by attorneys R. Chuck Mason and Cynthia Brougher.

The 20-page report  Read more

MRFF Seeks Cause to Litigate, Agitate…and Ice Cream

Since the demise of its last lawsuit seeking an end to public religious expression in the military, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation has been searching for a cause.  (Michael Weinstein promised to file an appeal, though it appears he has not done so.)  After the Trijicon scandal was quickly defused, Weinstein made a furtive effort to revive it a few months later–with little public reaction.  He also tried to attach his organization to the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” media frenzy without much success.  Weinstein is struggling for relevancy even among his own supporters; a recent fundraiser garnered few contributors.

In his latest bid for publicity, Weinstein demanded Read more

The Army’s Unmanned Air Force

Popular Mechanics, as repeated at FoxNews, notes the US Army’s increasing reliance on and acquisition of UAVs.

Maj. Gen. James Barclay III, the commanding general in charge of Army aviation, today released the “Unmanned Aircraft Systems [UAS] Roadmap 2010–2035” at an Army aviation conference in Fort Worth, Texas. Its subtitle, “Eyes of the Army,” hints at the plan’s early focus on reconnaissance, but the scope of the roadmap expands…

The article describes a “rivalry” between the Air Force and the Army– Read more

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