Tag Archives: quantico

Mikey Weinstein Pummeled After Prayer Breakfast Complaint

Michael “Mikey” Weinstein filed a complaint with the Inspector General at Maxwell Air Force Base because the 42d Air Base wing commander, Col Erik Shafa, sent out an invitation to the National Prayer Breakfast. As reported by the Air Force Times:

Mikey Weinstein, president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, filed a third-party complaint…claiming the invite constituted a clear violation of Air Force Instruction 1-1, Section 2.12, Balance of Free Exercise of Religion and Establishment Clause.

Fortunately, Mikey Weinstein has been almost universally panned for the outlandish accusation.

As noted before, Weinstein assumes US troops are either cowards or sycophants — he thinks they either lack the intestinal fortitude to decline such an invitation, or they will attend solely to ingratiate themselves with their leadership.

Put another way, Tony Carr at John Q. Public wrote (in a cleverly titled “Why Weinstein is Right About Prayer Breakfast Invitation“) [emphasis added]:  Read more

Mikey Weinstein Thinks US Marines are Stupid, Cowards

Michael “Mikey” Weinstein once declared that US Marines were “national security threats,” and now he apparently thinks they’re both stupid and cowards.

On Wednesday, Weinstein published an email from an alleged US Marine at the Marine Corps University at Quantico, Virginia, who apparently had a case of the vapors over the National Day of Prayer [emphasis added]:

This morning the Commanding General’s Staff Secretary sent an email to the entire [MCU] with an invitation to a…MCU Prayer Breakfast…I feel threatened and my promotion potential on the line if I do not attend this religious event…When the Commanding General sends out an invitation to a religious event I feel compelled to attend…

The Marine can’t seem to get his story straight, saying that both a secretary and Read more

Guilty Plea in Plot to Fly Remote Plane into Pentagon

Rezwan Ferdaus, planner of one of 12 terrorist plots against the US military by people apparently motivated by their Islamic faith, pleaded guilty to plotting to blow up the Pentagon by flying a remote controlled airplane into it laden with explosives.

Under a plea agreement, federal prosecutors agreed to drop four other charges. Prosecutors and Ferdaus’ lawyers also agreed to jointly recommend a 17-year prison term…

Siegmann said there were two main parts of his plan: to blow up the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol using remote-controlled planes and to kill American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan using improvised explosive devices detonated Read more

Jihadists Sentenced for 12th Planned Islamic-based Attack

The Associated Press noted three of a group of 8 men were recently sentenced for conspiring to attack Marine Corps Base Quantico as well as other targets.  Known in some places as the Raleigh jihadists, the men were arrested in July of 2009.

Hysen Sherifi, [the only non-US citizen] will serve 45 years in prison; Ziyad Yaghi…got nearly 32 years; and Mohammad Omar Aly Hassan…was sentenced to 15 years.

Lawyers for the men have claimed they were

discussing terrorism rather than committing terrorist acts…But US District Judge Louise Flanagan said the men went beyond talk to planning violence.

The father of one defendant accused the judge of attacking Islam:  Read more

Pentagon Shooting Suspect a “Loyal American”

Yonathan Melaku, accused of firing shots at the Pentagon in October and November of 2010, has made his initial court appearance to face federal charges for the attacks.  The federal case had been on hold while his unrelated larceny case was resolved; it was that case that led to his dismissal from the Marines days after he was arrested.

Melaku was arrested and charged in June after he was spotted in Arlington National Cemetery after dark in an incident that sparked a massive security scare in and around Read more

Military Prayer Luncheons Continue

Despite opposition from religious freedom critic Michael Weinstein, the US military continues to host prayer events for its willing troops around the world.  A small sampling of some interesting articles from military sources:

The National Prayer Breakfast at Fort Bragg — also the location of the upcoming atheist event — was recently addressed by the command chaplain:

The event’s keynote speaker, Chaplain (Col.) Pat Hash, the USASOC command chaplain, spoke and use the story of Daniel in the Lion’s Den to illustrate why principles, character and personal courage are essential for soldiers serving in the United States Military.

The National Prayer Luncheon at Fort Meade also featured Read more

Annual Tradition: Military “Holiday” Tree Lighting

Marine Corps Base Quantico recently announced it will be lighting the base “holiday tree” next week.

No word yet on whether they will also have a “holiday candelabrum.”

As previously noted, there is no military policy on public holiday celebrations on military facilities, though they are fairly common.  While some have generic “holiday” events, other bases have not obscured the celebratory purposes, including Scott AFB, Illinois, Peterson AFB, CO, and Nellis AFB in Nevada:

The traditional Nellis AFB Christmas Tree and Menorah Lighting ceremony will be Dec. 3, 5:30 p.m., at the Chapel.

It appears the Capitol Christmas tree also remains traditionally named.

For the record, the Menorah lighting will actually be late.  While many people think Hanukkah and Christmas coincide, the Jewish celebration actually started on December 1st this year.

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