According to a few sites supportive of the MRFF, Michael Weinstein was recently a speaker at the US Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College (ACSC) at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. There is little public information on the visit, except that which MRFF allies have released. In one email, a supporter — who is an Air Force officer — described a less than supportive environment in the “Q and A”: Read more
Updated with video, see below.
A few days ago it was Michael Weinstein’s lawyer’s turn to stick his foot in the mouth of the MRFF. Randal Mathis (of Mathis and Donheiser) is reportedly representing Specialist Zachari Klawonn in an as-yet undefined legal fashion against the Army. (Mathis is currently suing the CGFC and Chaplain Gordon Klingenschmitt on behalf of Weinstein.) Read more
Thanks to an anonymous donor, the reward leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for stealing the World War I memorial in the Mojave desert is now $125,000. The cross memorial was cut from its foundation, and an unverified letter provided to a local paper claimed responsibility.
Thus far, the thief has found no quarter even among those who agree with his perspective, if not his actions. It will be interesting to see if the person who claims to act with honorable intent continues to do so.
The US military Chaplaincy staff at Camp Liberty, Baghdad, Iraq, started a “Mountaintop Experience” to help local Americans “strengthen their resiliency.” A significant group of servicemembers and civilians meets atop Signal Hill at 0500, overlooking the base, and prays together.
Col. Mike Lembke, the Chaplain, and Sgt Michael Lee, the Chaplain’s assistant, said:
“Spiritual resiliency is the individual ability to exercise your faith on a daily basis so you are able to understand, or you are able integrate the joys and sorrows of each day into your life,” Lembke said…
When a person has a solid, spiritual foundation, they understand that someone has everything under control and they can lean on that during the tough times instead of relying on themselves to make through, Lee said.
The group is made up of many from the base, including, as shown in the picture Read more
Despite a spate of controversy, American military members gathered for National Day of Prayer celebrations around the world. A Chaplain’s assistant in Iraq had a fairly basic explanation for the popularity of the chapel services in the combat theatre:
“I believe people are more passionate [in Iraq],” said [Sgt. Antonio Henderson, the brigade chaplain’s assistant]. “They get more into it. I believe prayer works, no matter where you are, but I believe people pray more when their lives are in danger.”
In an interesting (if unverifiable) development in the drama of the WWI memorial in Mojave, an anonymous letter was given to a local paper claiming responsibility and containing a numbered list of justifications for the theft. The author says
If an appropriate and permanent non-sectarian memorial is placed at the site the cross will be immediately returned…Alternatively, if a place can be found that memorializes the Christian Veterans of WWI that is not on public land the Cross will promptly be forwarded with care and reverence for installation at the private site.
Interestingly, a wide variety of groups have disavowed the theft, including the Read more
The VFW cross that has stood in the Mojave desert for decades — and survived a lawsuit all the way to the Supreme Court — has reportedly been ripped from its foundations and stolen. This was apparently no small feat, as it is located in a remote part of the desert, was fastened firmly to the ground, and made of 6-8 feet (depending on who’s measuring) of concrete-filled pipe.
A reward has been offered for information leading to the conviction of those responsible. While the ACLU and others have disavowed criminal activity, some have said this was the result they sought, even if not the means.
The caretakers for the cross have already begun the process to replace it, intending to put up one identical to the one erected in 1934. The Alliance Defense Fund issued a release condemning the vandalism, and included pictures of the cut bolts where the cross stood.
The US Court of Appeals for the DC circuit recently dismissed the case of Newdow v Roberts. The suit had sought to make “so help me God” in the inaugural oath illegal, as well as restrict inaugural prayer. Newdow may be a familiar name, as he has filed many lawsuits claiming references to God in government are unConstitutional.
The ruling is largely procedural; the three-judge panel of the 11 member court said the plaintiffs did not have standing to sue. However, the concurring opinion by judge Brett Kavanaugh actually addressed the merits of the case, and it is an interesting insight into religion in government. It also contains some troubling commentary, which directly relates to the military. Read more