God and Country

As previously noted, Sally Quinn of the Washington Post has become the latest version of Pam Zubeck, the CSIndy “journalist” who is actually an advocate of Michael Weinstein’s cause.  While it has become obvious Quinn is in the tank with Weinstein, it wasn’t clear until this weekend just how far she was willing to go.

In an article on sexual assault in the military — carefully crafted to get visibility because its on a topic of great interest right now — Quinn lays the responsibility for sexual assault in the military at the feet of…religion.

And guess who her source is?

Take the Cadets for Christ, a religious group at the Air Force Academy. According to Mikey Weinstein, Read more…

There is a mantra many young officers and enlisted troops learn in their first few days of basic training:  “The Air Force Times is not your friend.”  It is not entirely meant as an adversarial statement; it is simply a recognition of the fact the commercial enterprise (despite its name) has nothing to do with the official Air Force, and its goal is to make money by selling papers.

That said, it is widely quoted when it raises controversial subjects (again, publicity affects the bottom line).  It has frequently covered issues of religion in the military — naturally, a controversial subject to a niche group of people.  When it has done so, it has rarely been friendly.  In a 2008 editorial, for example, the paper registered its support for the ACLU in its bid to end US Naval Academy mealtime prayers.  (Four years on, the prayers continue.)

Still, it was surprising to recently see Michael Weinstein’s MRFF, including his research assistant Chris Rodda, so excitedly — and repeatedly — promote the Air Force Times.  In one example, referring to an Air Force Times “article,” the MRFF cited Read more…

BrigGen Dana Born, Dean of the US Air Force Academy, has announced her intention to retire in the summer of 2013.

Ordinarily, such a move wouldn’t be newsworthy.  However, Gen Born has been under constant attack by Michael Weinstein — aided by his veritable PR arm, Pam Zubeck of the Colorado Springs Independent — for several years.  Zubeck, who has long had sources on the USAFA faculty eager to undermine their own institution, “scooped” even the official US military announcement of Born’s retirement, and she did so without attempting to hide her bias:

Brig. Gen. Dana Born, one of the most controversial figures Read more…

Michael Weinstein and his cohorts make frequent use of the US Air Force Inspector General complaint system.  As noted previously, its win-win for Weinstein, as he’s immune to any stigma should it go awry and he can cry foul whether the IG validates his complaint or not.

Weinstein also hammers the Air Force with Freedom of Information Act requests.  Again, for him they’re a win-win.  He gets to harass the Air Force, as the Air Force is required by law to dedicate precious and scarce resources to answer his every call, which also has the effect of distracting from the military’s mission.

Weinstein also gets access to information he normally wouldn’t.  While the Air Force tries to cull private and restricted information from Read more…

It doesn’t seem Pam Zubeck has ever really been a fan of the US Air Force Academy.  As noted previously, she featured prominently in Michael Weinstein’s book from her days when she was a reporter at the Colorado Springs Gazette, and she was practically his public relations outlet there. 

She’s now at the local “independent” paper, where she continues to act as a PR tool for Weinstein and take shots at USAFA.  Recently, she noted USAFA had used Associated Press articles in its base paper — which it can’t do — after it copied them from the USAFA athletic website, which can have those articles:  Read more…

It is easy to forget that Michael Weinstein was an Air Force JAG “for 10 years” (if you can figure out how that timeline works, you win the Christmas turkey).  In a recent press release conducted through his trusted Colorado Springs Independent, Weinstein claimed USAFA was now obligated to cancel its National Prayer Breakfast observance (the same event over which he sued — and lost — last year).  Referring to the Colorado Court of Appeals ruling that said Colorado National Day of Prayer proclamations were unconstitutional,

Mikey Weinstein, founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, says the ruling means Read more…

The Air Force Inspector General has determined two US Air Force Academy officials were “negligent” when they made “absolute statements” about the Academy.  The IG’s conclusions:

• Col [Richard] Fullerton was negligent in making an absolute statement concerning the academic credentials of [USAFA] faculty members while authoring the Academy’s 2009 Institutional Self-Study Report to the [HLC] of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
• Brig Gen [Dana] Born was negligent in making an absolute statement to a local newspaper regarding the military faculty’s specific academic credentials as they related to teaching disciplines without first confirming the accuracy of the supporting data.

The investigation was the result of a complaint lodged by MRFF-associate R. David Mullin, an Academy instructor who apparently lost his teaching position (apparently due to “performance issues“) around the same time he went public with various criticisms of the Academy.  That has led to speculation on both sides — that Mullin has been targeted for mistreatment, and that Mullin is trying to exact revenge Read more…

The Colorado Springs Independent‘s Pam Zubeck — a veritable PR arm of Michael Weinstein’s MRFF — has a post stating a US Air Force Academy fourth class cadet (freshman) sent an inappropriate religious email to his classmates.  She said the cadet

has been “counseled” for sending an e-mail to the entire freshman class urging them to pray and citing specific Scriptures. [formatting original]

She then includes the content of the 500-word email, which had been sent only two days prior.  The email does, shockingly, “urge people to pray” and does, indeed, cite “specific Scriptures.”  What Zubeck fails to mention is the email is a forward of a daily devotional by Gloria Copeland, distributed on the same day the cadet forwarded it:  Read more…

The last “scandal” at the US Air Force Academy, regarding Operation Christmas Child, was reportedly initiated by a USAFA cadet forwarding an email to Michael Weinstein.  Prior to that, the scandal-circuit had been pretty quiet — but not for lack of trying on Weinstein’s part.  When there isn’t something to complain about, Weinstein has gone looking.

The law firm of Jones Day — which has assisted Weinstein in other cases — has been looking for information on “The Airman’s Bible and the Airman’s New Testament.”  The Airman’s Bible was previously discussed; the “Airman’s New Testament” is similar.  It seems the target is some indication, somewhere, that the Air Force was directly or indirectly involved in the production of the Air Force-themed Bibles.

The acknowledgements in the Bible do mention military members, and the Bible carries Air Force symbols, so the target is probably something, somewhere, that will incriminate someone…about something.  Naturally, this hunt for an as-yet unknown smoking gun about an unknown problem will prove the obvious fact Christianity is preferred in the US military.  Somehow.

In another case, Pam Zubeck of the CSIndy recently publicized a portion of a Weinstein fishing expedition:  Weinstein is asking for names and processes surrounding the “Falcon Clips” published last year.  Previously, the ominous observation was made that Weinstein seemed to be headhunting for people corresponding with this site.

That has now been confirmed by Read more…

In a rare break from his focus on Christianity, Military Religious Freedom Foundation “president” Michael Weinstein has called for US Air Force Academy Chaplain (Col) Robert Bruno to be court-martialed for his attempts to convert cadets…to Buddhism:

US Air Force Chaplain Colonel Bruno…should face immediate criminal charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice for these disgusting, prima facie examples of dereliction of duty by flagrant violations of the solemn oaths they took…

Actually, strike that, Weinstein didn’t display that intellectual integrity.  Instead, he continued his focus on Christianity:

[Chaplain Bruno is a] heinous Poster Child[] of unconstitutional, fundamentalist Christian supremacy Read more…

As predictable as the sun rising in the East, the US Air Force Academy sent out an announcement that had a topic related to religion, and Michael Weinstein complained.

In fact, he’s “livid.”

The situation:  Apparently, Air Force Academy Chaplain (Col) Robert Bruno distributed a mass email about an upcoming ‘marriage and family seminar.’  The email was approved by the Vice Superintendent, and represented the “regularly” advertised chaplaincy programs occurring daily at USAFA.  Michael Weinstein said:

It could not possibly be clearer that the academy deserves its terrible reputation for fundamentalist Christian bias.

To be clear, even the publicized article notes the USAFA email explicitly followed (and even referenced) the Air Force Chief of Staff’s Read more…

The Associated Press has distributed an article indicating the military is “investigating” the US Air Force Academy for issues with its accreditation.

A document obtained by AP says the Air Force inspector general ordered a formal investigation into complaints that the academy’s dean and vice dean of faculty gave incorrect information to the Higher Education Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

The document says the vice dean was accused of making “a false official statement” and the dean was accused of “inaccurately portraying” faculty credentials.

“The document” appears to be the response by the Inspector General to the two complainants.  The two are reportedly anonymous, though one self-identifies as an Air Force officer, faculty member, and Academy graduate.

In the Inspector General’s letter Read more…

Religious freedom is uniquely valued and protected by the US military.  The US Air Force Academy has done a generally admirable, if sometimes imperfect, job of defending religious freedom from those who would demand the government restrict it, like perennial USAFA critic Michael Weinstein.  Though there’s been a quiet interlude with regard to Weinstein and the Academy for a little while, Weinstein has indicated he isn’t done with USAFA yet.

But it looks like USAFA is done with him.

Michael Weinstein apparently filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the US Air Force Academy in November of last year, which was finally completed in July of this year.  He then provided the information to his apparent ally-reporter at the Colorado Springs Independent, Pam Zubeck, who started her article in the CSIndy this way:

Leaders at the Air Force Academy seem to think that dealing with some complaints about religious bias isn’t worth their time.

That’s the most obvious takeaway from several of the 2,516 pages of documents, mostly e-mails, the academy recently turned over to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation…

The first sentence out of the chute is a mischaracterization of USAFA’s Read more…

It should take no one by surprise to hear Michael Weinstein say he plans to sue the US Air Force Academy.  His latest:

Weinstein…said [his] organization will bring suit against the academy for the latest survey under a statute that permits citizens to sue on behalf of the government for waste and fraud.

Weinstein said MRFF will demand the removal of the academy’s superintendent, dean and commandant over the Gamble survey.

The “survey” referenced was the assessment by retired General Gamble.  In his typical method of “ready, fire, aim,” Weinstein seems to willfully ignore Read more…

USAFA economics instructor R. David Mullin released a letter through the MRFF criticizing the most recent religious climate assessment.  Pam Zubeck of the Colorado Springs Independent tried to get the Air Force to corraborate the MRFF ally’s description of the Religious Climate Review Team led by USAF General (Ret) Patrick Gamble:

In the statement, Mullin notes, “To my knowledge, none (of those in contact with the MRFF) will come forward with their stories of victimization by the establishmentarianists. Why? Because of what the Religious Climate Review Team is not. You are a former USAFA Commandant, another member is a former USAFA Dean of Faculty, and another was a USAFA Permanent Professor for over 30 years. Therefore, you cannot credibly claim that the team is disinterested.”

(Oddly, despite his criticism, it seems Mullin did “come forward” and speak to Gamble’s group.)

According to the CSIndy, the Air Force declined:  Read more…