Will Vandalized War Memorial Survive Atheist Purge?

The Walk of Heroes Veterans War Memorial in Rockdale County, Georgia, was vandalized in December. A plaque, two statues, and the globe they held, all made from bronze, were ripped from the site. Three people have been arrested.

At this point, there’s no immediate indication the vandalism was connected to the nationwide purge of “racially offensive” monuments. One source estimated the cost of repairs at more than $200,000.

Another question, however, is whether the monument, repaired or not, will survive the newfound fury of atheists.

Atheist Jason Torpy and others like him have been on a crusade Read more

US Military Increasingly Seen as Tool to Advance Ideology

Kori Schake is a fellow at Stanford University and co-edited a book with now-Secretary of Defense James Mattis. (She also called then-candidate Donald Trump a “unique risk to US national security“.) In an article about the politicization of the deaths of US troops, she notes the US military is increasingly seen as a means to a sociopolitical end:

Research…points to a growing belief the military is fair game to mine for partisan talking points because of its place as America’s most trusted institution.

That’s something the homosexual movement discovered a few years ago, as they claimed an American service member who was willing to serve and potentially sacrifice his life for his country should, in return, have his preferred sexual lifestyle permitted, validated, and even honored. The homosexual Read more

Atheist: You Can Pick Your Gender, but Not Your Faith

Hemant Mehta, an atheist blogger at the pay-per-click Patheos, celebrated a “gotcha” against one-time Senatorial candidate Roy Moore when Mehta decided how to describe the faith of their lawyer.

The “issue” started when Kayla Moore, Roy Moore’s wife, reacted to claims they were anti-Semitic by noting “one of our attorneys is a Jew.”

Truth be told, the “I have friends who are…” defense is always awkward — but it is also common. (Even Michael “Mikey” Weinstein uses it in defending against claims he’s anti-Christian.) But not yet satisfied, critics began an in-depth investigation to figure out who this mystery Jew was — because, well, who knows?

Finally, Kayla Moore simply told them:  Read more

Fired Air Force Commander Cited for Morale, Religion Issues

Col Daniel Murray was fired from his job as the 62nd Medical Squadron Commander at Joint Base Lewis McChord last September. As usual, the Air Force had said he was terminated for the non-descript and meaningless “loss of confidence in his ability to lead and command.”

Never to be denied a story that might sell newspapers, the Air Force Times filed a FOIA request for the details [emphasis added]:

Before he was removed from command…Col. Daniel Murray’s leadership was marked by concerns about his fairness, rock-bottom morale in the squadron, and his tendency to discuss religion in ways that made his airmen feel uncomfortable.

The report seems to indicate there wasn’t one individual thing that led to his removal, but rather a combination of complaints (official and unofficial gripes) that inspired the Air Force to fire him. It might be a rare instance of the vague “loss of confidence” actually being an apt excuse.

As the Air Force Times cleverly included in their headline, however, there Read more

God Delivered Us That Night. No One Will Deny That.

A local story repeated at the Stars and Stripes covers Willard Keith Staneart, who served as an Army chaplain during Vietnam. Faced with the potential of an overwhelming attack by the Viet Cong, Staneart spoke with his battalion commander:

“He said, ‘Chaplain, every one of these young men are like my own sons. Their parents and their spouses are dependent on my getting them home safely,'” Staneart said. “He says, ‘I’ve failed. They’re all going to die tonight.'”

The commander asked Staneart to go around, pray with and counsel the men.

“I took a Bible, went Read more

“Religious Exemptions Aren’t Special Privileges”

Some astute writing from Stephanie Barclay of the Becket Fund, as published at The Witherspoon Institute [emphasis added]:

The Supreme Court has consistently held that a government’s desire to protect people from emotional harm…does not constitute a compelling government interest…The Court has protected speech deeply hurtful to the dignity of others, including protesters at the funeral of a Marine killed in action with signs that say things like “God Hates Fags”…

The Court has correctly explained that any other result would “effectively empower a majority to silence dissidents simply as a matter of personal predilections.”…

These are not simply hypothetical thought experiments. After Read more

Integrity and the “High Ranking Gay Jewish Chaplain”

The Times of Israel recently covered the retirement (last April) of US Navy Chaplain (CAPT) Jon Cutler — who was notable, apparently, because he was both Jewish and homosexual.

The article is rich in unintended irony, including celebrating the free exercise of the Jewish faith by US service members in the Middle East — in an era when some are advocating the free exercise of Christian troops be restricted, even within the borders of the United States.

Further, the theme of integrity returns to the issue of homosexuality in the military: With regard to serving as a homosexual before the repeal of DADT: Read more

Satanic Temple Admits Monument is Useless, Demands Compensation

The Satanic Temple built a counter-monument to place next to a war memorial in Belle Plaine, Minnesota. The problem, as the Satanists apparently saw it, was the silhouette of a soldier kneeling at a cross-shaped headstone elevated Christianity.

In response to protests, the town created a “free speech zone” — which only created further protests. Ultimately the town decided the warring religious monuments weren’t good for the town and cancelled the entire idea, including the original kneeling soldier.

Not only was the two-foot tall steel silhouette “banned,” but so was the one created by The Satanic Temple.

The silhouette runs less than $100.

The Satanic Temple forked out $35,000 for Read more

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