US Military on Trump Election: Like the Day Osama was Killed

The Washington Post (repeated at the Stars and Stripes) spoke with a variety of US troops following the election last Tuesday (anonymously, due to restrictions on active duty troops speaking on political topics), and it seems many were supportive of President-elect Donald Trump.  In one case, the feeling within the military was equated with “the day Osama was killed.”

While noting the US military tends to lean conservative anyway, the Post drilled this apparent positive reaction down to two issues: the shrinking budget and forced social change [emphasis added]:  Read more

Mikey Weinstein Still After Chaplain Costin’s Head

costin3Apparently believing US Air Force Chief of Chaplains Gen Dondi Costin’s head needs to go on a pole, Michael “Mikey” Weinstein has continued to demand the US military punish the men and women who appeared in uniform at a chaplains’ event in July.

Weinstein recently received a statement (PDF) from the DoD Inspector General in response to his initial complaint [emphasis added]:

The Air Force IG found no prima facie evidence that Maj Gen Costin endorsed CARL [the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty] by appearing in uniform and performing the benediction, thereby implying Air Force sponsorship of CARL or sanction of a particular cause, or discrediting the Armed Forces…

We [the DoD IG] also concluded Maj Gen Costin’s attendance and benediction did not violate Department of Defense or Air Force standards on endorsement of or participation with a non-federal entity, uniform wear, public speaking, or free exercise of religion.

That covered all the bases, DoD and Air Force, uniform wear to religion — even the US Constitution. Pretty thorough, right?

Since Chaplain Costin wasn’t punished, it still wasn’t good enough for Weinstein, of course, whose Read more

Mikey Weinstein: Court Martial the entire Military in Colorado Springs?

Michael “Mikey” Weinstein recently demanded the court-martial of US troops who attended an awards event hosted by the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty, a coalition of chaplain endorsers. The reason Weinstein demanded their court-martial was his bigotry toward the Christian beliefs espoused by the chaplain groups represented. Weinstein essentially admitted as much when he hatefully caricatured and lambasted those Christian beliefs in his attack.

But since “Mikey Doesn’t Like Christians” isn’t actionable by the military, he tried to use an old technique that unintentionally won him a battle many years ago: He claimed the service members violated regulations by “endorsing” the chaplains by virtue of their presence at the event in uniform.

The Air Force rebuffed that claim, and there is no evidence any Read more

ACLJ: VA Appeasing Mikey Weinstein, Discriminating Against Religion

In a well-written piece posted at the ACLJ, senior counsel Skip Ash (who recently disassembled an MRFF attack on religious liberty) wryly noted that Michael “Mikey” Weinstein is saving the world, one “New Testament Bible” at a time:

In fact, he has been on an anti-“New-Testament-Bible” (using Mr. Weinstein’s words) warpath of late, writing to various VA facilities demanding that any and all Bibles be removed forthwith. To make matters worse, some VA officials have actually caved to his demands.

Ash notes the same thing said here many times: When the government singles out one viewpoint or one religion for special treatment (that is, the Bible), it violates the very rules its claiming to defend [emphasis added]: Read more

Marine F-18s Collide Off California, One Ejects

Two US Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornets collided off the coast of San Diego last week. One of the pilots ejected and was recovered; the other was able to land at Naval Station North Island.

This marks the latest in a steady stream of Marine Corps Hornet incidents that have claimed more than a half-dozen aircraft and several lives over the past year. Some media reports have implicated cost-cutting budget issues reducing training hours and Read more

Veterans Day 2016

Some may have forgotten that Veterans’ Day actually began as Armistice Day, commemorating the end of the Great War on 11 November 1918.  Through the years it developed a meaning for all veterans, though it continues to recall the cost of The Great War.

Right now thousands of US troops are stationed around the world in support of the nation’s mission.  Many more have returned home from war Read more

The ACLJ Responds to Mikey Weinstein’s John Compere

The following is a very long but outstanding article from Senior Counsel at the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) Robert W. “Skip” Ash.  Ash, a retired US Army officer, delivers a point-by-point response to retired US Army BGen John Compere, a retired JAG who purports to defend the need to restrict military religious freedom.  Compere is an ally and vocal advocate of Michael “Mikey” Weinstein, and he has occasionally commented on this site.

Within the analysis you’ll note some themes common among Compere, Weinstein, and his allies, from straw man arguments to misquoting the Constitution. Their position is impassioned but inconsistent with either basic religious liberty or the US Constitution.

Our thanks to Skip Ash for his tireless work in defense of military religious freedom. You can also read his article at its original ACLJ site.

Why the Angry Atheists are Wrong: A Reply to “Our Constitution, Any Religion & the Military”

By Skip Ash

Every so often, I visit the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) website to see what Mr. Weinstein and his fellow travelers have been up to. When I visited the website on October 31, 2016, I came across a short article entitled, “Our Constitution, Any Religion & the Military,” written by MRFF Advisory Board Member, retired Brigadier General John M. Compere, whose listed credentials read, “Brigadier General, Judge Advocate General’s Corps, US Army (Retired); former Chief Judge, US Army Court of Military Review; disabled American veteran (Vietnam era); Military Religious Freedom Foundation Advisory Board Member; and Texas rancher.” As a partially disabled veteran myself, I appreciate and salute General Compere’s service to our Nation.

I began to read General Compere’s article with considerable interest. As a Constitutional law attorney, however, I was quickly disappointed in both what Read more

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