Supreme Court: Bladensburg Cross Will Stand

A government that roams the land, tearing down monuments with religious symbolism and scrubbing away any reference to the divine will strike many as aggressively hostile to religion. Militantly secular regimes have carried out such projects in the past…
– Justice Samuel Alito

Yesterday the US Supreme Court issued a 7-2 decision that the Bladensburg Peace Cross could continue to stand and be maintained by the state — even though it was “undoubtedly a Christian symbol.” (Of note, the case was reversed and remanded “for further proceedings,” not simply dismissed.)

Some reports focused on the multiple opinions published by the justices, though these reports largely seemed to come from critics who believed that emphasizing the “splintered” nature of the ruling would Read more

Three Female Generals and Air Force Pilots Posed for a Picture in February. Two Have Now Been Fired.

Two-star MajGen Dawn Dunlop was, until May 31st, the director of the Defense Department’s Special Access Programs Central Office. (That’s the office that handles programs so secretive they require even more clearances than usual — “special access.”)  According to the Pentagon, Gen Dunlop was removed in response to an ongoing IG investigation. Anonymous sources quoted in the article indicated Gen Dunlop created a “toxic” leadership environment.

Gen Dunlop was feted as the Air Force’s highest ranking female fighter pilot.

This was a month after BrigGen Kristin Goodwin was fired from her position at the US Air Force Academy — also during an IG investigation apparently regarding her leadership style and treatment of subordinates.

Interestingly, both BrigGen Goodwin and MajGen Dunlop recently took a photo with Read more

Army: No Discrimination Against Hijab Wearing Soldier

Update: SPC Valdovinos has apparently now asked Fort Carson for a copy of the report, and, as is glaringly obvious and noted below, was told to file a FOIA. She’s complained no one told her she’d need to do that. You know who should have told her? Her supposed legal representation, Michael “Mikey” Weinstein. His incompetence is staggering.

Remember US Army SGT Cesilia Valdovinos? Back in April she was Michael “Mikey” Weinstein’s golden ticket, with her story of Islamophobic persecution at the hands of the US Army garnering him international attention. Multiple headlines portended an upcoming lawsuit against the US military for its treatment of the Muslim Soldier.

Then, nothing.

SGT Valdovinos was promptly forgotten, including, it seems, by Mikey Weinstein.

The Colorado Springs Gazette, on the other hand, stayed on the story and obtained a copy of the local investigation directed by the Brigade Commander, Col David Zinn. The investigator, Capt Jeremey Kinder, included

more than a dozen interviews in assembling a 67-page report. It cleared the Army of the discrimination claims but also showed the service has plenty of learning to do.

“I find that better communication with all parties involved would have de-escalated the situation and recommend that future inspections of a personal nature be conducted in complete privacy…”

The report also noted that SGT — now SPC, following an unrelated demotion — Valdovinos Read more

US Embassies Can’t Celebrate Gay Pride while US Air Force Flies GayWACS

There’s been much ado about the fact the State Department declined to authorize US embassies to fly “gay pride” rainbow flags from the main embassy flagpoles. (The wailing and gnashing of teeth failed to acknowledge the “ban” only applied to flagpoles, and such flags or other similar decorations were allowed to be flown elsewhere. In fact, one report seemed to think the continued displays were “defiance”, when Vice President Pence explicitly stated no other restrictions were placed on the display of “pride”.) President Obama had begun declaring June “gay pride month,” a “celebration” that has largely fallen silent under President Trump.

US Rep Ilhan Oman even claimed the denial was “bigotry and discrimination” by the Trump administration — strong words, given the traditional treatment of homosexuals by her Islamic faith.

And while the US State Department would not allow “gay pride” to join the US flag around the world, a US Air Force AWACS crew decided they’d advertise on the flight line of in a deployed location: Read more

Marine Colonel Scolded for Demeaning Suicide, “Godless Age”

The Marine Times reports that Col Dom Ford, commander of Marine Corps Communication-Electronics School at Twentynine Palms, California, wrote an email to his staff recently in which he called suicide “shameful” and encouraged his Marines to “read some scripture.” According to the article, which does not include the body of the email, Col Ford

…called on Marines to read some scripture to boost their religious and spiritual wellness and help combat the suicide epidemic.

“Suicide is a shameful act. Period. Getting help is not,” Ford wrote to Marines under his command. “Life isn’t fair, and every day won’t be rainbows and sunshine.”

The colonel explained in the email that increased mental health issues may be a “byproduct” of a “godless age” amid Read more

Commander Who Fired Female Pilot Has His Own Checkered History

In February, the Air Force fired Captain Zoe Kotnik, who had been hyped (some would say over-hyped) as “the first woman to lead one of the flying force’s demonstration teams.” She’d led the team for two weeks.

While no reason was ever given for the move, US Air Force Col Derek “Maestro” O’Malley, who fired her, said in part

We have thousands of Airmen across our Air Force serving our country, and not one of them is perfect. As good people, like Capt. Kotnik make mistakes, I want them to have the opportunity to learn from them without being under public scrutiny, and to continue to be a part of this great service. They’ll be better for the experience, and in turn, we’ll be better as an Air Force.

The unusually long statement, as well as the concept of recovering from a mistake (one so egregious it led to a public removal), attracted particular attention because Col O’Malley is well-known in the Air Force’s F-16 community, and beyond, as the “Gold Bond guy.”

In 2004, then-Captain O’Malley made a spoof comedy video about Gold Bond powder that was, to put it lightly, rather crude. In fact, given today’s “Me Too” mentality, O’Malley would Read more

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