Tag Archives: Military

Dobson’s Resignation…and the Military

Many outlets carried news of Focus on the Family Founder James Dobson’s resignation as chairman of the organization.  Interestingly, this caught the attention of some military/religion activist groups.  They have frequently belittled Focus and accused it of complicity in its dealings with the US Air Force Academy just a few miles away in Colorado Springs, accusing it of attempting to “Christianize” the military.

The new outrage is over Dobson’s replacement: Patrick P. Caruana.  Caruana is a 1963 Air Force Academy graduate and retired as an Air Force Lieutenant General in 1997.  To some, it is the perfect proof of conspiracy.

Supreme Court Rules on Summum

An interesting case was decided at the Supreme Court earlier this week.  Pleasant Grove City, Utah v. Summum had centered on Summum’s contention that since the city had erected a Ten Commandments on public property, they were bound to erect Summum’s “Seven Aphorisms” as well.  The Supreme Court ruled–unanimously–against Summum.  The case was litigated on free speech grounds, and Summum has indicated they will refile the case on church/state separation grounds.

The case is interesting because of its implications for religious freedom in the military.  Read more

Book Review: Return with Honor

Captain Scott O’Grady is best known as the F-16 pilot shot down during Operation Deny Flight over the former Yugoslavia in 1995.  He survived for five and a half days — during which no one even knew he was alive — before being rescued.  Upon his return home he was declared a hero, a title he eschewed and passed on to the Marines who lifted him to safety.

The book details the mission from his arrival at work until the missile took his jet out from under him; it then describes the days he spent on the ground hoping for a rescue.  Interspersed are back stories of his life and his family back in the US as they learned of his shootdown.  The retelling of the organization of the rescue effort and its subsequent execution — which was completed about 5 hours after the initial radio contact — is well done.

Regrettably, O’Grady became a victim of Read more

Liberty Counsel: Stimulus Bill a “War on Prayer”

Fox News carries an interesting article based on a Liberty Counsel press release about the current “stimulus package” being debated in Congress.  In a section designating funds for schools, the legislation says that funds may not be used for

modernization, renovation, or repair of facilities (i) used for sectarian instruction, religious worship, or a school or department of divinity; or (ii) in which a substantial portion of the functions of the facilities are subsumed in a religious mission.

Interestingly, Fox News chose to put a picture of the US Naval Academy Chapel as the article’s illustration.  Liberty Counsel maintains that the restriction is discrimination based on viewpoint, while Americans United for the Separation of Church and State calls it “Constitutional.”

A Harvard Law professor is quoted as saying there are certainly Constitutional concerns with the legislation, but given the current judicial direction it is unlikely the Liberty Counsel would prevail.

“How do I become a fighter pilot…?”

While ChristianFighterPilot.com has seen recognition among jurists, activists, soldiers, civilians, Christians and atheists from all points of view, it also remains a source of information for those asking some more basic questions:

How do I become a fighter pilot in the Air Force/Navy/Marines?

Questions on becoming a fighter pilot, from medical qualifications to the pilot lifestyle, remain one of the most often addressed topics (as are questions on fighter pilot lingo).  Much of the answer is available in the FAQ (and new questions are added as they are asked).  Believe it or not, there are actually few reliable sources of information on how to become a fighter pilot.  Even the official military sites can be confusing, incomplete, or contradictory, often because the information changes faster than the websites.

An internet search for “become a fighter pilot” will likely find the website of Marine fighter pilot Ed Rush, who has made a virtual living answering this question. His website, http://www.becomefighterpilot.com/, features teases of dramatic “top secret” ways to virtually guarantee being selected as a fighter pilot.  He sells a “fighter pilot power pack” (the “current” price is $97) that claims to have the “tips and tricks” to give his customers an advantage over everyone else. Read more

Opposition to Warren Inflated

Several news sites have reported on the results of a Gallup Poll that indicates the media may have generated a perception of “controversy” where none existed.

The poll indicated that, contrary to recent news stories, less than 10% of Americans disapproved of Obama’s choice of Pastor Rick Warren for his inaugural invocation.  In fact, even among liberals and Democrats, Warren’s approval was far higher than his disapproval.  By far the greatest number of respondents replied that they “didn’t know enough to say.”  This led Gallup to conclude that

News media accounts of negative reactions…reflect…vocal positions of interest groups [rather] than an opinion…shared by the majority of the American public.

Ironically, Warren himself said in December that he believed the media was responsible for “the demonization of differences” that is polarizing and destructive to America:

The media often fans controversy and conflict to create a story and we start yelling at each other so much, nobody listens to each other anymore.

In short, the news media limited its reporting to vocal activists, because outside of those groups, there wasn’t a story.  Some might say the on-again, off-again coverage of the military-religious “controversy” bears similar hallmarks.

Congressman Advocates for Chaplains’ Prayer

Congressman Walter Jones (R-NC, 3rd District) has introduced a bill that would

ensure that every military chaplain has the prerogative to close a prayer outside of a religious service according to the dictates of the chaplain’s own conscience.

Similar legislation failed previously, though it caused negotiations that ultimately resulted in the rescinsion of military “guidelines” that had restricted the content of Chaplains’ prayers.

Mitch Lewis, an Army Methodist Chaplain, wrote an interesting commentary in November 2007 (and recently revisited) on this very subject, presenting a reasoned view that prayers at military ceremonies Read more

President Proclaims “Religious Freedom Day”

President Bush has made the annual proclamation of “Religious Freedom Day” for 16 January 2009.  As noted in his proclamation, it is a recognition of the 1786 Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, written by Thomas Jefferson and passed on January 16th, 1786.  Notably, this was before the Constitution (signed in 1787), of which Jefferson had no part, and the Bill of Rights (passed in 1789), of which Jefferson was one of the leading proponents.

Interestingly, the President also notes

Freedom is not a grant of government or a right for Americans alone; it is the birthright of every man, woman, and child throughout the world. No human freedom is more fundamental than the right to worship in accordance with one’s conscience.

While some point to the Constitution as the origin of our freedoms, the President emphasizes that these are human liberties, whose “origin” is not restricted to “a grant of government.”

Religious Freedom Day is also advocated by a private organization at ReligousFreedomDay.com.

1 517 518 519 520 521 552