On Monday US Air Force Academy Superintendent LtGen Jay Silveria appeared at the Anti-Defamation League’s “Never is Now” Summit on Anti-Semitism, where he spoke on diversity. According to a USAFA press release, he accepted an award for his response to the racial slurs written at the USAFA Prep School — which are now known to have been a hoax.
Oddly, the press release doesn’t Read more
UPDATE: Army Chief of Staff Gen Mark Milley says the Army “has not and will not” approve waivers for these conditions, saying the USA Today article “mischaracterized” the source documents.
In an effort to boost recruiting, the US Army has eliminated its ban on waivers for potential Soldiers who may have a history of some mental illnesses and drug use:
The Army’s decision to rescind the ban for a history of mental health problems is in part a reaction to its difficulties in recruiting, Ritchie said.
“You’re widening your pool of applicants,” she said.
Awkwardly, that’s precisely the same reason given for eliminating the ban on another potential mental health issue: the confusion between one’s perceived and actual gender, or, more commonly, transgenderism.
Lifting such bans naturally Read more
In light of the recent revelation that an African-American Cadet Candidate at the USAFA Prep School “faked” racial harassment on himself and his peers, it’s worth remembering another Air Force Academy cadet who was once accused of faking prejudiced attacks on himself.
That would be then-Cadet Michael “Mikey” Weinstein.
In 1973, Cadet Fourth Class Mikey Weinstein was a member of CS-36, the Pink Panthers. It was there, in his first semester, that he says he experienced the anti-Semitism that he now says formed the foundation for his activism in later life. That harassment reportedly came in the form of notes taped to or slid under his dorm room door.
The short version: The harassing notes were investigated, Mikey Weinstein was accused of being the author of the notes, and Weinstein then punched an active duty officer investigating the incident. The entire incident mysteriously went away after Weinstein had an 0200 rendezvous in the woods with a cloaked figure from the Anti-Defamation League.
Seriously.
In 2005, just as Mikey Read more
I think we’re getting quite comfortable in our society limiting ideas and exposure to ideas. And maybe that’s a symptom of it. I don’t know.
But I don’t think its good for the next generation…I learned a tremendous amount in the Carnegie Library simply being exposed to a range of ideas.
– Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, as Read more
Vice President Mike Pence was one of many recently defending the virtue of prayer in the face of unusually acerbic criticism following the church massacre in Sutherland Springs, Texas:
“I’m a believer. I believe in prayer and I know that at this moment of such heartbreak and loss in that community that what most Americans are most able to do is pray for those families,” he said.
He said that praying for the victims and their families is “making a difference in their lives.”
In that same vein, US Army Lt Jeremy Hunt wrote a column at FoxNews yesterday that took to task those critics who have mocked or attacked such prayers. In an Read more
The US Air Force Academy announced that the racial slurs written on message boards at the USAFA Prep School in September were written by one of the supposedly targeted black cadets [emphasis added]:
In a written statement Tuesday, the academy said, “We can confirm that one of the cadet candidates who was allegedly targeted by racist remarks written outside of their dorm room was actually responsible for the act. The individual admitted responsibility and this was validated by the investigation.”
Even at the time a few people cautiously wondered if the incident was too “obvious” to be true, particularly in light of the other racial incidents going Read more
The Iraqi parliament “unanimously” voted to reinstate a law that bans the public display of the Israeli flag — an apparent response to Israel’s support for the recent Kurdish independence referendum:
Israel was the only country to publicly support the referendum for an independent Kurdish state in northern Iraq that took place in September…
In a show of gratitude for Israel’s support, Kurds proudly waved large Israeli flags at massive rallies held ahead of the vote…
Israel had long supported Kurdish uprisings against former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
For those keeping track, the United States of America has expended vast amounts of money, effort, and human life in “liberating” and then rebuilding Read more
Activists for military homosexual groups have filed amicus briefs opposing the Masterpiece Cakeshop in its appeal to the US Supreme Court. The bakery was accused of violating state law when it declined to create a cake for a same-sex “wedding” (see records of the case).
Apparently fearing a victory for Masterpiece Cakeshop would inhibit homosexuals’ rights within the military, Ashley Broadway — a self-described homosexual “devout Christian” — of the American Military Partner Association said (with authority):
A business that is open to the public should be open to public — period. LGBT service members and their families sacrifice so much around the world for our country, and the last thing they deserve is to be denied service here at home simply because of who they are.
That’s great. It also has nothing to do with Read more