Tag Archives: christian

Michael Weinstein is a Fan, Predicts Christian Coup

A few hours after ChristianFighterPilot.com noted the publication of AFI 1-1 (an event that occurred the week prior), Michael Weinstein published his own review of the AFI on his “progressive” Alternet-hosted blog.  This wouldn’t be the first time Weinstein and his crew demonstrated a propensity to glean from this site — though once before they at least took the time to backdate their own publication so it looked like they’d found it on their own.

Weinstein’s new missive is little more than a continuation of his prior screed, decrying the service of General Schwartz and, as predicted, taking the first step in trying to ingratiate himself to the new Air Force Chief of Staff:  Read more

AF Publishes New Reg on Religion, Social Media, House Cleaning

Newly-retired General Norton Schwartz’s parting gift to the Air Force was Air Force Instruction 1-1, a newly formed regulation (dated 7 Aug 2012, three days before his retirement) simply entitled “Air Force Standards” (implementing AFPD1).

Unlike other standalone AFIs, the new 1-1 is essentially a collection of the high points from multiple other regulations, or citations with a Chief of Staff tweak.  For example, there are paragraphs on professional relationships, drug use, and paying one’s bills.  Airmen are prohibited from ever burning an American flag (except for its reverent disposition), and Airmen can travel in any uniform — except the flight suit.  While some people have mocked the fact bullying and hazing are allowed in this AFI if they are part of an approved training program, certain specialized programs do exist that would likely fall under some definitions of “hazing,” despite their essential contribution to the Air Force mission.

There are, however, two notable “new” subjects.

First, General Schwartz included a paragraph from his 2011 memo on “religious neutrality.” The same memo over which Michael Weinstein berated USAFA Superintendent General Mike Gould for not distributing to all Airmen is now Read more

Media Celebrates First Homosexual General Officer

Multiple news articles have covered the promotion of US Army Reserve General Tammy Smith, who became the first actively serving, openly homosexual General officer in the US military.  General Smith herself has made little public issue of her sexual preference:

“All of those facts are irrelevant,” she said. “I don’t think I need to be focused on that. What is relevant is upholding Army values and the responsibility this carries.”

General Smith’s homosexual partner, Tracey Hepner, is an Read more

Muslim Soldier Sentenced to Life in Prison

US Army PFC Naser Abdo has been sentenced to more than two life terms (with no possibility of parole) by a federal court for his plan to kill fellow Soldiers in the cause of “jihad.”  Abdo “remained defiant” even during his sentencing:

“I will continue until the day the dead are called to account for their deeds,” Abdo said in a low, gravelly voice through the cloth mask.

He was reportedly wearing the mask because he had been spitting Read more

Chris Rodda Shows MRFF Opposition to “Wrong Kind” of Christians

Chris Rodda, the researcher for Michael Weinstein’s Military Religious Freedom Foundation, recently answered an email from an MRFF critic who questioned their stance against the Holman Bibles.  Much of the reply was pedantic or boiler plate from their other replies (another MRFF employee, Andy Kasehagen, has also published identical thousand-word copy/paste replies to different critics’ emails).  The meat of her reply, though, was interesting:

The reason for MRFF’s actions to get the official military emblems removed from the Holman Bibles was much more than just the constitutional issue of a government entity endorsing religion.

The Holman Bibles also contain a large section of materials promoting an organization called the Officers’ Christian Fellowship (OCF)…The other issue with these Bibles is that they violate the JER and specific branch regulations that prohibit the endorsement of a non-federal entity. The OCF is a non-federal entity, so allowing an official military emblem on a book promoting the OCF, as these particular Bibles do, is in clear violation of these regulations.

While Rodda repeats the MRFF position, the military — which enforces its regulations — disagreed.  After all, if there was any such violation, it Read more

Air Force Colonel: There are Many Roads to God

Critics of religious freedom in the US military have sometimes claimed that speaking one’s faith while being associated with the military is forbidden.  For example, Michael Weinstein’s MRFF used to have a stockpile of chaplains’ articles from local base papers they would re-publish, often with little comment except shock and the implication that what the military member (a chaplain) was doing was wrong (an implication their acolytes were quick to assume was fact).

MRFF volunteer Rick Baker has gone further, saying uniformed officers can’t even put a religious bumper sticker on their private car.  Chris Rodda, Weinstein’s research assistant, has gone so far as to explicitly state it is wrong for officers to “publicly espouse” their religious beliefs on the internet, even when they do so as private citizens.  (She’s wrong, of course, but that hasn’t stopped her in the past…)

It is worth noting that these criticisms have been aimed Read more

Governmental Religious Segregation, 1930, or 2012?

Todd Starnes of Fox News raises an interesting comparison:

In the 1930s, the Germans tried to shut down Jewish-owned businesses. In 2012, Democrats are trying to shut down Christian-owned businesses.

Too much?  His argument is fairly robust.

There may be some room for comparison.  It gradually became “socially acceptable” in Nazi Germany to progressively discriminate specifically against Jews.  As many recent events have shown, Christianity is becoming the one religion that its “politically correct” to condemn in America today.

It may be a great irony that a 21st century self-described “Jewish agnostic who prays” — Michael Weinstein — has emerged as a Read more

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