Tag Archives: Congress

Groups Urge Congress to Reinstate Transgender Ban

A variety of religious and liberty groups have called on Congress to reverse the military’s decision to allow transgender service, saying:

This [policy] is an affront to the American people and is certain to undermine readiness, recruitment, and retention in the military. Thus, we urge you to halt the implementation…

The repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell took an act of Congress because the ban on homosexual service was part of US law. (Many forget that DADT was the policy used to avoid enforcing the law banning homosexuals from the US military.) The military could not change its policy without Congress changing the law.

But the ban on transgenderism was more basic. It was simply Read more

US Troop Pay Raise Connected to “Gay Rights Feud”

An article at McClatchy (repeated at the Stars and Stripes) linked the previously-discussed Russell Amendment with the more-headline worthy issue of troop pay:

A pay raise for U.S. military troops could face a long wait as Congress steps up a feud over gay rights in trying to wrap up a long-stalled 2017 defense authorization bill.

The borderline-sensationalist headline tops an article that almost exclusively presents the issue as one of the “right to discriminate”:  Read more

Mikey Weinstein, General Jerry Boykin Agree. Hell Freezes Over.

boykinmikeyA few weeks ago, Michael “Mikey” Weinstein praised a new Department of Veterans Affairs memorandum (PDF) regarding religious exercise and expression, saying the [emphasis added]

MRFF [was] validated by [the] Department of Veterans Affairs Memorandum! The VA finally gets it: POW/MIA Bible displays can’t favor one religion.

Yesterday, retired US Army General William “Jerry” Boykin commended the same Veterans Read more

First Liberty: Supreme Court Must Review Sterling Bible Case

Kelly Shackelford of the First Liberty Institute wrote at the National Review that the US Supreme Court needs to review the case of court-martialed former US Marine Monifa Sterling:

Americans serving in the military lost some of their rights earlier this month when the military’s highest court ruled that a Marine has no rights under an important religious freedom law, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA).

Shackelford explained where he believed the appeals court improperly diverged from the appropriate application of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act:  Read more

Air Force Backs Down over Flag Ceremony, Mikey Weinstein Gets Upset

weinflagThe Air Force has backpedaled mightily over the apparent assault on retired SMSgt Oscar Rodriguez a few months ago during a retirement ceremony. The motivation for the three NCOs involved in the incident was allegedly to prevent him from saying “God” during a flag-folding ceremony for the retiree. Initially, Public Affairs at Travis AFB said

“Rodriguez ignored numerous requests to respect the Air Force prescribed ceremony and unfortunately was forcibly removed,” a Travis official said…

However, faced with a threat of a lawsuit, Big Air Force eventually rolled in and said Airmen can Read more

US Military Focuses on Sex During Ramadan, PTSD Month

dodpride2Though the month of June marks references to both Ramadan and PTSD awareness (among other things), from news coverage and official US military press releases, you’d think June in the US military was all about sex.

The Department of Veterans Affairs recognizes June as PTSD awareness month, though as yet Congress has only recognized June 27th as PTSD awareness day. Thus, PTSD awareness month is not enshrined in law as, say, Religious Freedom Day is.

Notably, neither the current Congress nor any prior law recognizes any day or month as a celebration of “Gay Pride” — yet President Barack Obama issued a proclamation marking just such a recognition.

While he has annually issued praise for homosexuality in June, according to Read more

Conflict between Military Religious Freedom, Sexual Freedom Continues

Update: Multiple news sources now report that 11 states have sued the Federal government for its edict attempting to require public schools to let children use the bathroom of their choice, rather than the bathroom of their gender.

When the homosexual movement began in earnest to assert its lifestyle in society a few years ago, it claimed — some would say knowingly falsely — that all it wanted was the “freedom to love.” What difference did it make to you, after all, if someone wanted to love a man instead of a woman?

Those who dared to call for protection of religious liberty were shouted down as unnecessary and were accused of harboring hatred, bigotry, and being the go-to slur of “homophobe.”

Of course, as everyone now realizes, those “homophobes” were right.

Just a few years ago it would have been laughable to claim the State would force a Christian — a private citizen — to participate in and affirm a “wedding” between homosexuals.

And yet that is precisely what has happened.

Just recently it would have been unthinkable that Read more

Atheist Sues Congressional Chaplains over Prayer

Dan Barker, co-president with his wife of their self-founded Freedom From Religion Foundation, has filed a lawsuit against the Chaplain of the US House of Representatives, Patrick J. Conroy, because Barker was denied the opportunity to provide an atheistic “invocation.”

So, to be clear, a person who doesn’t play soccer is suing the soccer coach because he wants to be in the soccer game — but not play soccer.

Makes sense.  Read more

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