Category Archives: Government and Religion

Chuck Colson: US Marine, Convict, and Christian

Chuck Colson died on 21 April 2012.  His name is so well known it requires little in the way of background, though surprisingly few know some of the finer details of Colson’s life.

Chuck Colson was an officer in the US Marine Corps from 1953 to 1955.  Most people know he worked for President Richard Nixon, and that he would ultimately go to prison for obstruction of justice in the Watergate scandal.  He became a Christian just prior to his arrest, beginning the rest of his life.

On 17 November 1993 Chuck Colson addressed the US Air Force Academy.  An Read more

Religious Freedom Group Offers to Defend Camp Pendleton Cross

The Alliance Defense Fund, a legal association which “trains, funds, and litigates” on behalf of religious freedom, has offered to defend the Camp Pendleton cross free of charge.

The Alliance Defense Fund [is] offering our services free of charge to the Camp to defend the rights of its Marines to prepare themselves mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, as they prepare themselves to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Legal counsel Joel Oster notes the ‘clause of unlimited liability’ nature of military service encourages troops to “come to grips with their emotional and spiritual [selves].”

That is why militaries have chaplains.  It is simply a Read more

Fort Hood Plotter Abdo’s Confession Allowed to Stand

US Army PFC Naser Abdo, arrested in July 2011 while allegedly collecting supplies to bomb and shoot Fort Hood soldiers, reportedly confessed shortly after he was arrested.  His lawyers unsuccessfully tried to get the confession ruled inadmissible.

[U.S. District Judge Walter Smith] rejected a defense motion to throw out a confession from the soldier accused of planning to bomb a Texas restaurant filled with Fort Hood troops…

Prior to this point, Abdo had been fairly defiant, and he didn’t seem to shy telling the police what his plans were:

“So I’m AWOL … and I was planning an attack here in the Fort Hood community,” Abdo says in the recording…  Read more

Update: Air Force Inns and Bibles

Air Force Public Affairs took “strong exception” with the Warner-Robins Patriot’s characterization of the Air Force reaction to the atheist complaint about Bibles in lodging rooms.

Michael Dickerson, Air Force Services Agency spokesman, has taken strong exception to a Tuesday morning story [that] said “Air Force officials have agreed in principle to remove Bibles … following pressure from an atheist group.”

Dickerson emphasized that the Air Force had not Read more

Air Force May Remove Bibles from Military Hotel Rooms

When the Air Force directs its members to travel on official business, it attempts to provide them lodging facilities “similar to US mid-level, limited service commercial hotels” even on Air Force bases spread around the globe.  As of October 1, 2012, those attempts will no longer include the traditional Bible in the nightstand.

According to atheist Jason Torpy, his demands have resulted in the Air Force changing its policies on the placement of Bibles in Air Force billeting facilities around the world.

After inquiries from the Military Association of Atheists & Freethinkers and a legal review, Air Force Services Operations [sic] has promised to end their Bible requirement…

Air Force counsel has recognized that…Air Force lodging managers are Constitutionally-bound to avoid entanglement with religion. Including a Bible in every room is a privilege for Christianity.

That isn’t exactly what the Air Force Services Agency said:  Read more

Marine Fighter Pilots Become Crusaders Once Again

The “Werewolves” have become the “Crusaders” once again.

Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 122 (VMFA-122) is returning to its traditional name, reverting to the “Crusaders” by which it was known for 50 years.

During a 70th anniversary party last month, officials from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 122 announced that the unit would be again known as the “Crusaders,” a moniker used by the unit from 1958 to January 2008.

When Marine LtCol William Lieblein took command in 2008, he was concerned the “notion of being a crusader” wouldn’t “float” in Iraq, Read more

Camp Pendleton Cross Decision Expected, Atheists Threaten Suit

FoxNews recently updated the Camp Pendleton cross controversy with an interview of one of the widows whose husband helped raise the original cross.

“It’s not a religious spot at all, it’s a place for the Marines to grieve and to grow to let go of their burdens of what they had in their soul, so they can go back down that hill and back into battle and put their own lives on the line,” says Marine widow Karen Mendoza.

It also quotes Col Nicholas Marano, the Camp Pendleton commander who retired at the beginning of the month:

Retired Marine Colonel Nick Marano tells us, “This wasn’t intended to be a religious memorial, it was just intended to be able to provide a fitting and a dignified memorial to their fallen comrades and frankly controversy was the very last thing on their minds.”

Jason Torpy has decried the memorial, which is located on the internally named Camp Horno portion of Camp Pendleton, as an example of “Christian Read more

Atheist Dates and Military Religious Freedom Advertising

It’s long been known that Michael Weinstein is starved for attention in a way unique for a man his age.  His zealotry for his cause is so consuming, in fact, there are times even his wife has said he has gone “overboard” — because he wants attention.

“When he goes a little overboard, we talk about it,” [Bonnie Weinstein] said. “But people don’t realize that going overboard is what’s getting the attention.”

In theory, Weinstein’s claims of ubiquitous persecution would result in droves of US military members beating down his door for help.  In fact, the opposite is true — in 2007 Weinstein even had to advertise to find someone to complain:

Without such a pawn, Read more

1 … 253 254 255 256 257 … 369