Marines Sued over Religious Bumper Sticker

A retired Marine working as a civilian at Camp Lejeune has sued the Marines for their demands that he remove bumper stickers from his vehicle in order to be allowed on base.  Jesse Nieto is represented by the Thomas More Law Center.

According to press reports, Nieto’s son died in the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole.  The bumper stickers were described as disparaging to the Islamic faith.

Military policies on bumper stickers are not entirely clear, though court rulings have upheld bans on those disparaging Read more

Military Non-Theists want Protective Regs

UPDATED 14 November 2008 

When they say ‘there are no atheists in foxholes’ it’s slanderous…

As noted at the Stars and Stripes, the Secular Coalition for America held a news conference demanding new regulations to “protect young military members from…rampant religious discrimination in the services.”

In their press release, the Secular Coalition notes that one atheist military officer was “thwarted” in his attempt to lodge a complaint against a General officer who “opined that there were ‘no atheists in foxholes.'”  The officer “contends this statement qualifies as unlawful discrimination under current Army regulations.”

As with some other complaints of religious issues in the military, the Coalition maintains that the perpetrators are Read more

President’s Veterans’ Day Message, 2008

Veterans’ Day (in America, Armistice Day to the rest of the world) is designated as a time to honor those who have served and currently serve in the Armed Forces.  America’s military men and women sacrifice their families, liberties, and even their lives in defense of the liberties of others–even those with whom they may disagree.

From President Bush’s annual proclamation:

Our country is forever indebted to our veterans for their quiet courage and exemplary service. We also remember and honor those who laid down their lives in freedom’s defense. These brave men and women made the ultimate sacrifice for our benefit. On Veterans Day, we remember these heroes for their valor, their loyalty, and their dedication. Their selfless sacrifices continue to inspire us today as we work to advance peace and extend freedom around the world.

Raptor Lieutenants Graduate

While one UPT graduate became the first assigned directly to a Predator, the first class of pilot training students assigned directly to Raptors (after a short detour in F-16s) has graduated from the F-22 basic course.

Like the much cheaper and rugged A-10, there are no 2-seat F-22s; unlike the $30 million F-16, when new pilots climb into the $140 million Raptor for the first time, they do so solo.

New Weinstein Lawsuit Case Law

Prior to dropping its previous lawsuit against the Department of Defense, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation filed a new lawsuit on behalf of an Army soldier who was required to attend military formations at which “sectarian Christian” prayers were delivered.

The relief sought by the MRFF is not that the prayers end, but that the soldier not be required to attend those mandatory formations.  The unwieldiness of implementing this relief would have the effect of requiring all mandatory formations (whether in fact or perceived) to be free from sectarian prayer (which the 11th Circuit said would be impossible to define), or simply free from any prayer at all.

In its current filing, the MRFF does not attempt to prove that the prayers advanced a religion Read more

Court Upholds Invocations: Military Relevance

According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the 11th Circuit upheld a lower court ruling that found a Georgia commission’s practice of opening their sessions with prayer was Constitutional.  According to the article, the lawsuit filed by the ACLU and Americans United for Separation of Church and State claimed that

overtly Christian prayers [with respect to the government] are an unconstitutional establishment of religion.

Instead, the court indicated (in its ruling here) that it was not appropriate for the judicial branch to “parse” prayers; and if they did, no one would be able to agree on what was or was not appropriate.

Whether invocations of ‘Lord of Lords’ or ‘the God of Abraham, Isaac and Mohammed’ are ‘sectarian’ is best left to theologians, not courts of law….We would not know where to begin to demarcate the boundary between sectarian and nonsectarian expressions….Even the [plaintiffs] cannot agree on which expressions are “sectarian.”

The ruling reflects the Supreme Court precendent Read more

UPT Grad Assigned to UAVs

The Air Force Times has an article on one of the first pilot training graduates to be assigned to a UAV rather than an aircraft.  He displays an admirable perspective:

The Air Force is bigger than me. The Air Force doesn’t exist to serve my needs, I exist to serve the needs of the Air Force.

Two Thirds of AF Pilots Accept Bonus

Currently, Air Force offers bonuses of $125,000 to Air Force pilots who commit to stay on active duty for five years beyond their active duty service commitment.  The Air Force Times reports that 68% of eligible pilots accepted it, above the 66% goal.

Interestingly, the numbers for fighter airframes were low.

  • F-22 – 43%
  • F-16 – 51%
  • F-15C – 68%
  • A-10 – 53%

By contrast, the F-15E community had an 81% acceptance rate, and all other airframes, including heavies and helos, were above 68%.

By and large, the reasons cited Read more

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