God and Country

Today is the National Day of Prayer.  President Obama issued his proclamation, saying in part

All of us have the freedom to pray and exercise our faiths openly. Our laws protect these God-given liberties, and rightly so. Today and every day, prayers will be offered in houses of worship, at community gatherings, in our homes, and in neighborhoods all across our country. Let us give thanks for the freedom to practice our faith as we see fit, whether individually or in fellowship.

The National Day of Prayer Task Force highlighted the details of the NDoP observance at Capitol Hill.  President Obama will reportedly not attend.

It took about 16 months, but a WhiteHouse.gov petition by MRFF activist Dustin Chalker finally crossed 20,000 signatures.

As discussed previously, the petition — “End the Military’s Discrimination against Non-Religious Service Members” — claims the US military forces troops to participate in “religious rituals.”  As you may recall, Chalker is the same person who made the ridiculous assertion that being present – just respectfully standing silent — while others pray is the same thing as participating in that prayer.

Under current rules, a survey has to Read more…

Each year since 1993 the President has declared January 16th to be “Religious Freedom Day,” in order to remember the passage of Thomas Jefferson’s 1786 Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom (see 2009). President Obama has not yet issued his proclamation this year but will likely do so today [Update: Now here].  CitizenLink, associated with Focus on the Family, noted an irony in the forthcoming Presidential proclamation while the Administration is being sued — for impinging upon religious freedom.

Jefferson’s statute continues to be a strong expression for the value of Read more…

Update: A letter to the editor of the Stars and Stripes questions Torpy’s “odd idea of religious freedom.”

Former Army Captain and current atheist Jason Torpy was working overtime doing damage control over the past week, as various outlets picked up the story of his complaint over the “live nativity” occurring during NSA Bahrain’s annual “Holiday Tree Lighting.”  His comments appeared on a variety of sites covering the controversy; in each case, he basically said he didn’t demand NSA Bahrain cancel it — he just called it “unconstitutional” and a danger to US troops — that’s all.  Of course, he did say that cancelling it was “preferable to” letting it happen:

If the scene had to be cancelled, that is unfortunate but it is also preferable to the government-sponsored proselytism [*See note, below] the Live Nativity would have added to an otherwise positive celebration.

FoxNews accurately reported that Torpy’s complaint to the Inspector General led to the cancellation of the event to occur during Read more…

FoxNews picked up the story of atheist Jason Torpy’s IG complaint about NSA Bahrain’s children’s “live Nativity.”  In comments on many of the articles now featuring this topic, Torpy has been roundly criticized as a Grinch — and it seems he lost the support even of some fellow atheists.

At the Christian Post, OneNewsNow, and DC CBS.

Some people claim there’s a “war on Christmas” when retailers substitute “Happy Holidays” for “Merry Christmas.”  While some customers or employees may take issue, the retailers’ choices of words probably have little impact on anything, including their bottom line.

By contrast, some atheists are actively working against “Christmas” in the US military – which has a direct and measurable impact on US troops, especially those stationed thousands of miles from the familiar celebrations of home.

As noted previously, the annual raising of “holiday” or “Christmas” trees and Menorahs has begun on US military installations around the world.  The chapels of some bases also put up nativity scenes, as Travis AFB famously did last year.

The US military facility known as “Naval Support Activity (NSA) Bahrain” has held an annual Christmas tree lighting for years.  As part of that activity, carols have been sung, Santa has found his oversized chair, and excessive amounts of cookies and Christmas drinks have been consumed.  In addition, the event has featured a “live nativity,” composed of base children and local animals.  The event even included a photogenic camel.

Jason Torpy, a former Army captain and current atheist activist, considers “a Christmas tree, presents, some [non-Christian] songs, and even Santa Claus as trappings of secular Christmas.”  The nativity, then, had to go.  So an IG complaint was filed [emphasis Read more…

NBC recently updated the controversy of Bible references being inscribed on the side of Trijicon’s ACOG weapon sites sold to the US military (as well as other nations).

Nearly three years later — despite the military’s assertion that is making “good progress” — the code remains on many rifles deploying to Afghanistan…

For those unfamiliar with the original story, Trijicon makes industry-leading sights for weapons and has sold them by the hundreds of thousands to the military.  (They’ve reportedly increased marksmanship in the Army.)  On the side of the scope, the identification number is followed by an abbreviation that refers to a Bible verse.

As is Trijicon tradition, every verse makes some reference to “light,” as their sights use a form of ‘light enhancing’ technology.

Michael Weinstein complained in 2010 Read more…

Natasha Mozgovaya at the Jewish Haaretz poses an interesting question:

What if the U.S. had invested in promoting religious tolerance as much as it did in military aid?

It seems the US is not developing the best reputation for the promotion of religious freedom (or, apparently, religious tolerance, which would certainly follow).  Her article contains a pretty big “might,” though:  Read more…

The Stars and Stripes repeated a Las Vegas Sun article highlighting Nellis AFB Airmen who feed the homeless through a local ministry on a regular basis:

The airmen and ministry’s tables are crowded with hardboiled eggs, pizza, hot dogs, salad, chili mac, bread, turkey-and-cheese sandwiches and water. McShane blesses the food, and Read more…

On 17 September 1787 the Constitution of the United States was signed by the delegates of the convention meeting in Pennsylvania. It would be many months of long debate before the Constitution was ratified.

American military officers are perhaps unique in their sworn allegiance not to their commanders, and not to the President, but to the US Constitution:   Read more…

Col Gregory Gross, the judge presiding over the murder trial of US Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan for the Fort Hood massacre, followed through on his threat and issued an order that Hasan must shave — or he will be shaved.

Gross…issued his order Thursday after a hearing to determine whether a federal religious freedom law applied to Hasan’s case.  Soldiers may be granted permission to grow beards for religious reasons, and six soldiers have been allowed to do so: a rabbi, two Muslim doctors and three Sikhs, according to Army records.

Hasan said he is violating regulations not out of disrespect, but of religious requirement:

Hasan told the judge last week that he grew a beard because his Muslim faith requires it, not as a show of disrespect. Gross ruled Thursday that the defense didn’t prove Hasan is growing a beard for sincere religious reasons.

While the whole concept might sound a bit odd to outsiders, forced Read more…

The Air Force Times recently admitted to letting the “news” slip by without reporting it.  After checking the White House “We the People” petition website (to view the White House beer recipe), an astute reporter noticed that the White House had responded to a petition to pull Rush Limbaugh off AFN, the worldwide DoD radio and TV broadcast system.  That is, the White House responded in July.  From the AFTimes:

[The petition] threshold for a reply was 25,000 people — a level reached in April — but the reply wasn’t posted until July and got scant Read more…

Michael Weinstein, of his self-founded Military Religious Freedom Foundation, has threatened to “file a federal lawsuit” if the US Military Academy at West Point doesn’t stop using a survey that “violates…constitutional protections.”

West Point is currently in direct violation of Clause 3, Article 6 of the United States Constitution’s absolute prohibition against the utilization of any “religious test”…

West Point has grievously transgressed against and is in clear violation of the Constitution of the United States of America, period.

You know its serious when he spells out “period.”  Further, Weinstein asserted that his “clients” were anonymous because they “gravely” feared reprisal:

Our 42 MRFF clients at West Point gravely fear the distinct possibility that they could be the target of nontrivial direct or indirect reprisals and/or retribution if they were to voice their concerns and demands to their superiors at the Academy…

Weinstein’s main points — West Point violated the Constitution and its cadets and faculty are cowering in fear — are fairly easy to debunk:

“West Point Violated the Constitution”

Most honest Constitutional historians would likely admit Weinstein is misusing the “no religious test” clause.  (Even Weinstein’s own research assistant, Chris Rodda, Read more…

Anna Haney, the widow of F-22 Raptor pilot Capt Jeff Haney, filed a lawsuit in March against the contractors responsible for building the F-22: Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Honeywell, and Pratt and Whitney.  They have reportedly settled out of court in a sealed result:

According to court documents, Anna Haney, wife of pilot Capt. Jeff Haney, agreed to a binding settlement…after a meeting Aug. 8 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The settlement terms Read more…

US Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan’s trial on charges he murdered 13 people and tried to kill 32 more in the Fort Hood massacre in 2009 has been delayed — again — as the defense appeals the trial judge’s demand that Hasan be shaved — forcibly, if necessary.

Hasan has grown the beard in violation of Army regulations, and Gross has not allowed him to stay in the courtroom, saying the beard is a disruption. However, the judge said he wants Hasan in the room during the court-martial to prevent a possible appeal on the issue if he is convicted. He said Hasan would be forcibly shaved at some point Read more…