God and Country

The 2012 National Character and Leadership Symposium at the US Air Force Academy will be held from 22 to 24 February.  Ross Perot will be the keynote speaker.

Other speakers will come from a variety of backgrounds and careers, including a Medal of Honor recipient and

• Retired Brigadier General Dick Abel, former President of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and former Executive Director of the Military Ministry of Read more…

Tracey Cooper-Harris, a US Army veteran, has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.  Though the precise cause of MS is unknown, the VA determined her disease was service connected, qualifying her for disability benefits.  However, her request for spousal benefits was denied because she is in a homosexual relationship not recognized by federal law.  She has now filed a lawsuit as a result.

The couple’s lawsuit, which was filed Wednesday in Los Angeles, argues that a federal law and military policy that resulted in the denial of benefits are discriminatory and unconstitutional.

If the couple were straight they would receive Read more…

In an article that actually says very little, the US Army notes nothing has really changed since DADT repeal was implemented.  Part of the reason is “many” homosexual servicemembers have continued to keep their sexual preference to themselves.  The only “change” was the absence of their fear they would be discharged if discovered.

Many “out” gay and lesbian Soldiers say they haven’t noticed much change in Army culture since the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” Sept. 20, and many still remain in the closet to those they serve with.
 
For most, it has been a relief that they can no longer be prosecuted or their Army careers jeopardized for being gay.

One “out” Army NCO said the repeal resulted in a changing perception:  Read more…

By now most of the world is probably aware of the accusation that four US Marines urinated on corpses in what is apparently Afghanistan.  One of the group videotaped the event for posterity.

The event brought out a slew of condemnations from all sides:

• Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta: “This conduct is entirely inappropriate for members of the United States military and does not reflect the standards of values our armed forces are sworn to uphold.”
• Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Amos: “wholly inconsistent with the high standards of conduct and warrior ethos.”
• Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: “It is absolutely inconsistent Read more…

In what is likely an unsurprising result, the review authority has recommended PFC Bradley Manning, accused of disseminating hundreds of thousands of classified documents, face a general court-martial.

Lt. Col. Paul Almanza’s recommendation to try Pfc. Bradley Manning on all 22 counts, including aiding the enemy, now goes Read more…

A CNN blog notes the new for 2012 California law that requires public schools to teach about people who have specific sexual (homosexual) lifestyles:

The “California Fair Education Act” requires that schools teach

lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender history and social science curricula.

The law also specifically bans topics that “adversely reflect” on Read more…

Republican Rep. Mike Reynolds of the Oklahoma state legislature has introduced legislation to put “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” back in place for the Oklahoma National Guard.  A similar bill in Virginia last year did not make it to a vote.  Reynolds said the reason was the troops’ request:

The bill is being proposed in response to requests from members of the Oklahoma National Guard, Reynolds said.

The National Guard declined comment, and the relationship Read more…

New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary‘s Institute for Faith and the Public Square recently hosted an aptly named conference on chaplains in the US military:

Chaplaincy: Ministering in Caesar’s House

“There is a growing negative atmosphere toward evangelical Christianity,” said Lloyd Harsch, church history professor and institute director. “Under the guise of tolerance, everyone who holds a religiously informed position is now viewed as suspect because they’re [considered] intolerant.”

A panel specifically on Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell repeal included retired Chaplain (MajGen) Douglas Carver, former Army Chief of Chaplains.  Carver specifically noted Read more…

The Fort Bragg command chaplain’s office hosted the latest meeting of Strong Bonds, the chaplain-based marriage strengthening retreats intended to help troops on the homefront.

“It’s especially critical for military personnel in that it’s difficult enough being in a relationship with someone, but when you take the dynamics of the military, the Army, the separation, the work stress, the long hours from time to time, that puts additional stress on relationships,” said Chaplain (Maj.) Ralph Clark…

The chaplains host 8 such seminars every year, and are based on a variety of relationship models:  Read more…

While Canada’s acceptance of homosexuality was occasionally held up as a contrast to their southern cousins in the United States, it seems Canada hasn’t worked out all the moral issues associated with homosexual recognition, either.

In late November British Columbia’s superior trial court upheld Canada’s law banning polygamy and polyamory.

Interestingly, the court found that such prohibitions did violate the religious liberty of some groups — including some Mormons, Muslims, and Wiccans — but the law Read more…

Have a productive and joyful 2012.

The Top 10 articles from God and Country in 2011:

1. Fort Carson Supports Native American Spiritualism
2. “Terror Plot” Soldier Naser Abdo Defiant, Weinstein Equivocates
3. MRFF Petition Garners Signatures for White House
4. US Army Private Naser Abdo Arrested in Terror Plot
5. DADT: House Defense Bill, Colonels Punished, Lawsuit and More
6. Finding a Church, Part 1: The Military Chapel
7. Atheists Stretch for Something to be Offended By
8. Navy Blue Angels Commander Resigns over Incident
9. Women in the Military: Statistics, and the First Female JFACC
10. Defense Department Highlights Member-Designated Benefits

While those were the top 10 current events articles in 2011, they were not the top-visited pages on the site.  As noted Read more…

A few articles have begun to take umbrage at the apparent planned defense of accused Wikileaker PFC Bradley Manning:  In essence, the nation’s worst release of classified information was the fault of the US military – not Manning.  The military was the one who allowed him to keep his clearance despite knowing he had ‘issues’ with his sexuality.

Manning’s lawyers argued his superiors failed to address his struggles with gender-identity disorder…

The defense team says Manning was nearly paralyzed Read more…

The Article 32 hearing which will determine the future course of a trial against imprisoned US Army PFC Bradley Manning — accused of releasing classified documents — recently began, about 18 months after he was initially arrested.  Manning faces life in prison.

Defense lawyer David Coombs, reportedly known for his “unique” defense strategies, has already tried and failed in its attempt to have the military judge replaced.  He also had many witnesses denied; he was supposedly going to question the Read more…

Though the trend is arguably decades old, recent court cases and public events have demonstrated the apparent moral (and legal) confusion over sexual behavior in the United States (and elsewhere).  Of course, when right and wrong are decided by the tide of opinion and relativism, it’s not unforeseeable.  As noted below, the US Congress is even trying to redefine “rape” in the military context.

The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a denial of a habeas corpus petition by Paul Lowe, a man charged with adult incest with his 22-year-old step-daughter (Lowe v. Stark County Sherriff, No. 09-3942 (6th Cir. Dec. 8, 2011)).  The decision cites a wide variety of cases, some supporting his position and many not.  The court ultimately decided (as have others) there is no fundamental right to sexual conduct, even private behavior between consenting adults.

The court also said Lowe’s complaints the law was “morality-based” were Read more…

An article from the homosexual advocacy magazine Dallas Voice indicated the repeal of the policy known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” presented an opportunity to “rebalance” the chaplaincy.

The article relied largely on an interview with Chaplain Candidate (1Lt) Chris Antal, a Unitarian Universalist.  Interestingly, Antal gives some credence to the “change” that occurred in the military after most chaplains (and the rest of the military, frankly) enlisted:

Antal said that chaplains who enlisted knew what they were getting into — to some extent. But none of them really expected the repeal of the military’s anti-gay “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. And for many, that repeal was a game changer.

To date, the position of the military leadership has been members of the military signed up to serve, regardless of any change in the moral culture.  For that reason, applications for dismissal due to moral opposition to the policy change were not permitted.  (Only chaplains could do so, by virtue of having their sending body rescind their endorsement.)  The rest of the article references the Forum on the Military Chaplaincy, a group of active and retired chaplains and others who advocated for repeal of DADT.  (A member of that group previously called religious opposition to the homosexual lifestyle “bigotry.”)  The group was reportedly started by those Read more…