Category Archives: Government and Religion

US Navy Defends Treatment of Chaplain Wes Modder

While most of the story regarding US Navy Chaplain (LtCmdr) Wes Modder faded into the background with the news of his victory a few weeks ago, one media story included a quote from the Navy that seemed to indicate a bit of self-righteousness [emphasis added]:

A spokesperson for the Navy said the system in Modder’s case worked as it is supposed to, with an investigation following complaints lodged against Modder.

The Navy takes issues like this very seriously, said Lt. Jessica Anderson, public affairs officer and writer for the Chief of Naval Personnel in Arlington, Va.

“When there are allegations of misconduct like this, we investigate — as we did in this case,” Anderson said.

Part of Lt Anderson’s statement is actually fair: With some Read more

Hopper Writes on Inviting Mikey Weinstein to Dinner

US Air Force Major Christina “Thumper” Hopper, recently made famous as a target of Michael “Mikey” Weinstein, wrote an email to Weinstein last Wednesday with a brief outline of the event her husband’s “invitation to dinner” had become. The letter was intended for publication, and Weinstein duly posted it on his website. It seems to have been written at least in part as a result of Bob Lawrence’s blog a few days earlier.

In the letter, Hopper explains why they invited Mikey Weinstein to dinner after he denigrated her online:

My husband and I invited Mikey to dinner because we strive to live in harmony with others and hold to the biblical principle that if possible, as far as it depends on us, we should live peaceably with all (Rom 12:18). So, we wanted the opportunity to Read more

MRFF Attacks 14-Year Old “God Bless” Sign

Update: In an asinine announcement, Mikey Weinstein is now “demanding” that the Marine base erect six more signs, one each to Allah, Yahweh, Odin, Vishnu, goddess, and “there is no god.”

  • It’s telling that Weinstein, who describes himself as a Jewish agnostic, demanded “Yahweh” when practicing Jews make a point of not using the names of God — meaning many Jewish personnel would find that sign offensive.
  • Further, there is the obvious point that “Allah” is simply Arabic for “God,” making that sign simply a different language of the same text.  (Why not ask for other languages?)
  • Finally, the statement “there is no god” finds no resemblance with the current sign, which makes no exclusive statement.

Of course, all that ignores the fact the military’s decision to allow the presence of one does not require them to erect others.  Weinstein’s “demand” is infantile and ignorant, but it seems to have gotten him the attention he wants.

A variety of news organizations are now reporting that Michael “Mikey” Weinstein’s Military Religious Freedom Foundation is demanding the removal of a sign on Marine Corps Base Hawaii, as provided by the MRFF:

The offending sign simply reads

God bless the military, their families and the civilians who work with them.

While Weinstein referred to this as the “latest breach,” it turns out it wasn’t Read more

Mikey Weinstein Quietly Apologizes to Christian Fighter Pilot

On August 11th, Michael “Mikey” Weinstein railed at US Air Force Major Christina “Thumper” Hopper, claiming she violated Air Force regulations in the course of her “1st-degree religious zealotry unbecoming of a military leader” and “vile missionary-crusader propagandizing.”

The next day, LtCol Aaron Hopper, Christina’s husband, took to Weinstein’s Facebook page… to invite him to dinner. Weinstein “Liked” the post, but nothing else was said.

Nearly a month later, on September 18th, an ally of Weinstein wrote a blog revealing that Weinstein had, indeed, visited the Hoppers in Enid, at what became an event hosted by the Hopper’s pastor, Wade Burleson (who had publicly defended Hopper against Weinstein). In a step quite out of character for Weinstein, he is said to have apologized, sort of:   Read more

Army Secretary Nominee Eric Fanning and the Military Culture

A large swath of news outlets and activist organizations have reported on the previously predicted nomination by President Obama of Eric Fanning to the role of Secretary of the Army. As each and every media report headlines, if confirmed, Fanning would be the first openly homosexual military Service Secretary (not counting his own stint as the acting Secretary of the Air Force in 2013).

With even some homosexual activists concerned that Fanning’s sexuality is leading the news, others have wondered aloud if Obama’s choice was an indication he was more focused on making an impact on military culture and life than promoting military effectiveness. From the Christian Science Monitor:

Obama critics framed Fanning’s nomination as evidence of a key flaw of the President’s military policy – focusing on identity sensitivities while military threats brew around the world, particularly from ISIS.

“Hopefully [Fanning’s nomination] will distract people from the fact that we’re losing the war,” wrote University of Tennessee law professor Glenn Reynolds on his conservative InstaPundit blog.

The emphasis on style seems to be furthered by an “anonymous administration official”, who focused on sexuality in the Read more

Blog: Military Commanders Misusing Punishments to Avoid Appeals

Tony Carr, blogging at John Q. Public, recently highlighted an incident at Laughlin AFB in which four officers were offered Articles 15 for drug-related offenses. The first officer “publicly argue[d] his case with the convening authority” — and won. His Article 15 was thrown out.

Carr continues with what (he says) the base did next [emphasis added]:

The remaining three officers accused of factually identical conduct based on the same body of evidence likely assumed their charges would be similarly dissolved…

Calculating that the evidence against the remaining three was too weak to survive a genuine challenge, the Laughlin chain of command…opted to achieve the functional equivalent of an Article 15 by formally reprimanding the remaining officers…

Unlike an Article 15 or court-martial, an administrative Letter of Reprimand (LOR) can be issued on the basis of information solely and subjectively evaluated by Read more

Huffington Post: Most Captivating Photo of Navy Baptism at Sea

Chris McGonigal of The Huffington Post — not precisely a bastion of conservative values — posted a list of “The Most Captivating Military Photos From August 2015.” The first one out of the chute was of a baptism at sea conducted on the USS George Washington:

Lt. Cole Yoos [of the] Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73), and Lt. Brian Kirschenbaum, a Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5 chaplain, baptize Aviation Structural Mechanic (Safety Equipment) 2nd Class Ryan Norton, from Minto, North Dakota in the baptismal pool on the ship’s flight deck during a baptism-at-sea.

Better not let Michael “Mikey” Weinstein see that.  He thinks such displays of religious freedom like baptisms on the flight deck of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier are propaganda for terrorists. That means, of course, Read more

Atheist: Christians Playing Victim, Atheists are Real Victims

Jason Torpy, a former US Army Captain and current atheist, recently claimed that Christians in the US military are “play[ing] the victim” while atheists are the real victims:

“We are not alone in suffering from what has been a largely successful tactic for a subset of Christians to play the victim,” said Jason Torpy.

Journalist Leo Shane of the Military Times made the regrettable decision to drop any qualifiers, presenting Torpy’s assertions as fact [emphasis added]:

Torpy and his group are hoping…the [IG] will go beyond the unsubstantiated problems posed by Congress and include some of the actual discrimination faced by humanists and atheists that he detailed in conversations with the office.

“We need to redirect to real problems,” [he said].

Some of the issues raised by Congress have Read more

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