Tag Archives: Constitution

Column: Military Chapels Not Barred from Evangelism

Nathan Newman, an Air Force Reserve Officer and George C. Marshall Fellow at The Heritage Foundation, responded to an article in the Colorado Springs Gazette by Tom Roeder discussing the (previously discussed) 4-year closure of the US Air Force Academy Chapel.

In it, Roeder had said:

Religion is a big deal at the academy and other military bases but not for the reasons one might suspect. The services are barred from evangelism, and promotion of faith is restricted, but the academy like the rest of the military must care for the religious needs of troops under federal law.

In the guest column, Newman responded:  Read more

Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch Quotes Bible at Swearing In

When the newest Justice of the Supreme Court Neil Gorsuch took his oath today, he promised to be a “faithful servant to the Constitution.” That wasn’t his only biblical reference:

I will never forget to whom much is given to much will be expected, and I promise you that I will do all my powers permit to be a faithful servant of the Constitution and laws of this great nation.

That’s a reference to Luke 12:48, for those who assumed it was from Benjamin Franklin or just a historical quote.

Many have faith that Justice Gorsuch — who also spoke directly to military religious freedom during his confirmation, in a little-noted exchange — will be an advocate for religious liberty in the face of what one of his fellow justices has called hostility toward traditional moral beliefs.

Dr. James Dobson praised the seating of Justice Gorsuch — and intimated that President Trump may soon have another vacancy to fill:  Read more

Harassed by Mikey Weinstein, Part 9: Threaten with IG Complaint. Again.

Michael “Mikey” Weinstein discovered the power of the Inspector General complaint process way back in 2007. By using the IG, Weinstein is able to loudly file a complaint (a step necessary for fundraising, which pays his salary) and possibly get a reaction from the military — and whether he does or not, he can still claim victory.

The best part? It’s free.

Mikey Weinstein used to say “tell it to the judge,” but it seems even he realized how impotent that made him look, given how long its been since the MRFF has seen the inside of a courtroom and how ineffective his “charity” was when it was there. (Weinstein has zero wins and six losses in military/religion cases.) Plus, lawsuits can be expensive, even if the MRFF insisted on finding attorneys who would work pro bono. Now, Weinstein’s rallying cry has diminished to a weak “I’ll file a complaint……….!!!1!1”

Speaking for the MRFF, Weinstein’s research assistant Chris Rodda recently threatened to file an IG complaint against ChristianFighterPilot.com.

Care to know what happened another time the MRFF filed an IG complaint about Read more

Air Force Colonel Michael Madrid Punished for Religious Expression

First Liberty Institute has sent a letter to the Air Force demanding the reversal of punitive actions taken against Col Michael Madrid for expressing his religious beliefs about sexuality.

In 2014, one of then-LtCol Madrid’s subordinates — who was in the middle of being court-martialed — accused Col Madrid of

“engaging in demeaning and derogatory behavior toward [the subordinate] based on [the subordinate’s] sexual orientation” thus “creat[ing] a hostile work environment.”

Besides the troubled circumstances of Read more

James Dobson and Gen Robert Barrow: Women in Combat and the Draft

The following article has been edited slightly for length. You can read the full letter here. The Congressional testimony referenced in the letter can be viewed here.  Formatted for readability.

By Dr. James Dobson

While most of us Americans were thinking about something else, a decades long struggle has been going on within the leadership of our Armed Forces and the political decision makers to whom they are accountable…It concerns an effort to redesign and reshape our military and has far ranging implications for the security of this country.

Since the early 1990s, each branch [of the military] has been under unrelenting pressure to conform itself to the principles of political correctness. It has been driven by powerful left-wing social movements, including radical feminism, the gay rights movement, LGBTQ ideology, and most recently, transgender influences that have swept the nation…This revolutionary social experiment has weakened the U.S. military and made our troops march to a different set of drums. But, that is where we are headed.

For example, Congress first began considering the radical notion of authorizing women in combat 26 years ago. Hearings were held on that concept on June 18, 1991, which featured generals, senators and feminists who testified on behalf of what has never been permitted in the 217-year history of this country.

Gender studies confirmed what has been known about male and female physiology, psychology, sexuality, family issues, gender norming and other dimensions of military life. What had to be considered is the undeniable fact that most women can’t run, swim, fight, climb, carry, or endure hardship like men. [Women] were designed by the Creator Read more

Chris Rodda’s Desperate Strawman

by Sonny Hernandez

The Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) are historically known for their loathsome philosophy against the Christian worldview and the US Constitution. Albeit the MRFF’s practices are incongruent with the recurrent constitutional polices, they will imperiously demand the omission of anything that does not comport with their God-hating, Muslim-supporting, and homosexual-affirming foundation—even if it requires a false witness.

The MRFF’s Chris Rodda just published a desperate article on the Huffington Post calling for punishment after alleging this site accused a senior officer of “being a liar.”

Who is this senior Air Force officer? Brigadier General (BGen) select Kristin Goodwin will soon be the incoming Commandant of Cadets at the United States Air Force Academy.  Ironically, Weinstein wondered why the USAFA leadership did not publicly acknowledge what he called a “groundbreaking selection of a gay, female new Commandant.”

Rodda’s article is far from being pedantic—it is frivolous, and a classic example of yellow journalism to incite Air Force leadership to react to the article titled, “BGen Kristin Goodwin and the USAFA Honor Code.”

Instead of interacting with the article, Rodda desperately relies on a strawman to devalue the writer’s character. Rodda unintelligibly makes several ad hominem allegations [emphasis added]:  Read more

General Julie Bentz Prays for Her Troops, so Mikey Weinstein Wants Her Fired

US Army MajGen Julie Bentz is the vice director of the Joint Improvised Threat Defeat Organization. She was also recently the keynote speaker of the 56th annual Kansas Prayer Breakfast held on March 15th.

That’s why Michael “Mikey” Weinstein wants her fired.

Advocates for religious freedom [sic] say a two-star general violated the U.S. Constitution and endangered troops when she told those gathered at a prayer breakfast about her “greatest privilege.”…

Weinstein is calling for an investigation and said Bentz should be removed from her position.

How did Gen Bentz violate the Constitution? Weinstein quotes thusly [emphasis his]: Read more

Air National Guard Ignores FFRF Atheist Complaint

Not long after receiving a letter (PDF) from the First Liberty Institute, the New Hampshire Air National Guard at the Pease ANG Base has said they have chosen to ignore the previously reported complaint from the Freedom From Religion Foundation:

“We don’t plan on responding to the FFRF,” [Greg Heilshorn, spokesman for the New Hampshire National Guard] said. “We haven’t had any formal complaints from our airmen internally regarding any concerns with prayers being said at various ceremonies. We will continue as we’ve done before. It’s our tradition. We believe our chaplains…[are a] vital part of our organization.”

Well done. The US military is not obligated to respond to the FFRF — or any other third party complaint — at all. By declining to do so, they avoid the perception they are legitimizing the FFRF or its generalized accusations about religious expression in the US military.  Meanwhile, if there are any actual complainants who have an actionable grievance, they still have access to every grievance system within the military.

Part of the issue with Read more

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