Weinstein Defines Religions, Assigns Followers

According to the Advocate, a homosexual advocacy publication, Michael Weinstein’s Military Religious Freedom Foundation is on a new crusade: supporting the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

Comically, Weinstein, who has been taken to task for his displays of Constitutional ignorance, again displays his lack of knowledge with regard to the ongoing controversy.  The Advocate asked him…twice…what power the President had to repeal the policy on homosexuals in the military.  Twice, the former White House counsel talked vaguely about executive orders without explaining how an executive order can overturn a law passed by Congress (Title 10, Subtitle A, Part II, Chapter 37, § 654).  (Answer: it can’t.)

When asked about who the MRFF is “fighting,” Weinstein again displayed his tendency to make up his own definitions of religious groups–and then to assign people to them as he saw fit.

We’ve got this fanatical religiosity in fundamental Christianity… Read more

Vanderbilt Chaplain on Islam, Homosexuals, and the Military

A somewhat under-the-radar controversy erupted in late January at Vanderbilt University.  Apparently, the Muslim Students Association and the Army and Navy ROTC programs jointly sponsored a discussion about Muslims in the military, a forum entitled “Common Ground: Being Muslim in the Military.”

Vanderbilt junior Devin Saucier, who is also a member of the Youth for Western Civilization, and Vanderbilt Islamic chaplain Awadh Binhazim participated in a heated exchange that was videotaped and made the rounds of the internet.  (It received enough publicity that Vanderbilt issued a statement clarifying Binhazim’s relationship with the school and expressing its support for free speech.)

Through several iterations of the question, Saucier asked Binhazim if he supported the Islamic belief that homosexuality was a capital crime.  After a variety Read more

Ash Wednesday in Iraq and DC

February 17th was Ash Wednesday, a day recognized by Catholic and some liturgical Protestant denominations by the placing of ashes or oil on the forehead.  As seen in a variety of pictures provided by the Department of Defense, this was a religious celebration that was able to occur even in a war zone: 

DoD Photo (Spc Daniel Schneider)

Ash Wednesday in Iraq. DoD Photo (Spc Daniel Schneider)

While the US military’s abundant support of free exercise enabled these Soldiers to partake in the religious celebration, there are obviously certain limitations in the combat theatre.  For example, the Soldiers would obviously not be able to refuse to put their protective gear (helmets) on because of the oil or ash on their forehead.

By the same token, there is no indication that the Soldiers were required to wipe off the religious observances prior to returning to combat.  Like their freedom to wear a cross or carry a Bible, even in combat, US Soldiers may go into combat on Ash Wednesday with the evident Christian symbol of ash on their forehead.  The US military does not restrict Read more

US Air Force Trains Afghan Air Force

As well as flying and fighting, the US Air Force has also been training the fledgling Afghan national army air corps in the C-27.  A group of 8 US Air Force members, pilots and loadmasters, are training a group of 7 Afghans in the hopes that they will soon form their own air force.

The report on the training squadron notes that one of the pilots attended US Air Force pilot training, “spending over a year training in the T-6 trainer at Columbus Air Force Base, Miss.”  US pilots normally fly the T-6 for only a few months, though the Afghan student’s curriculum was probably geared very specifically to the C-27 he would eventually fly.

Adversaries Use American Virtues as Weapons

As noted in earlier discussions about accusations of religious impropriety, American adversaries have begun to wage effective combat operations by using American virtues against US forces.  In the most recent example, a somewhat overly pessimistic Op-Ed in the New York Times says the Taliban have “beaten American airpower”–a dramatic claim, given that the Taliban has no Air Force or even an anti-air capability.  But, according to the author, the Taliban have found a “non-military” way to “beat” American airpower:  Read more

US Marine, Christian, Wants to Fight in UFC

Marine Sgt. George Lockhart, a martial arts instructor, recently applied for six weeks of leave in order to take part in the filming of a reality series called “The Ultimate Fighter.”

A Military Times article notes that his immediate commander had previously given him approval to try out, and Lockhart won an invitation to participate in the show that allows fighters to compete for a potentially lucrative UFC contract.

While his immediate commander also supported his request for extended leave to film the show, his commanding general ultimately determined that Lockhart’s unit was too busy to allow him the time he would need off.  A Marine spokesman was also concerned about “barbaric” behavior on the show that might reflect negatively on the Marines, though that hasn’t stopped the Marines from using the show for recruiting ads.

Interestingly, Lockhart isn’t known just for his fighting:

A devout Christian who often quotes from the Bible, Lockhart said Read more

MAAF Misrepresents Data in Brief to White House

The Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers was one of several groups that recently met with White House staff members as part of a White House meeting with the Secular Coalition for America.

According to the MAAF web page on the meeting, president Jason Torpy presented a briefing at the meeting that claimed to explain the relative percentages of faiths represented in the military.  His briefing grossly misrepresented numeric government data, apparently in an attempt to strengthen the MAAF position and demands.

In what the MAAF called a “new MAAF demographics study,” which was actually an MAAF presentation of a study done by the Defense Manpower Data Center, the MAAF said

DoD data show nearly one-quarter of the military is nontheistic

Using the DMDC data, the MAAF claimed that 23.4% of the Department of Defense was “nontheistic.”  Based on this number, according to the MAAF, “nontheists constitute a significant portion of the military.”  Thus,

Military and Civilian leadership must recognize and support this significant demographic

Some might say numbers don’t lie, but the MAAF certainly demonstrated that one can misrepresent them to support untrue Read more

Bush Recalls Power of Prayer, Awe of Military

Former President George W. Bush spoke recently at a fundraiser for Fort Worth Christian School in Texas.  Articles on the event note Bush’s dependence on the power of prayer.  This included not only his own prayers, but those who obeyed the Christian command to pray for their national leaders:

I don’t see how I could be president without prayer…The prayers of the people…sustained me, comforted me and strengthened me in a way I could have never predicted before becoming president, and for that I am extremely grateful.

They also repeat Bush’s now famous deep respect and admiration for the US military.

Fort Worth Christian School is an unabashedly Christian educational institution with an enrollment of 865 children from kindergarten through the 12th grade.

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