Tag Archives: Constitution

In Reversal, Weinstein Defends Christian Military Service

In a stark departure from his normal incendiary vitriol, Michael Weinstein recently took the unprecedented step of defending Christians serving in the US military.

Read carefully [emphasis added, as quoted at the American Muslim]:

Muslim-American service members, as well as their comrades-in-arms of all faith groups, know full well that the sworn oaths of loyalty to the mission of serving the American people and protecting our cherished constitutional freedoms take precedence over religious identity.

This is a complete reversal of prior accusations that Christians in Read more

AU Joins MAAF against Camp Pendleton Cross…Sort of

Ian Smith of the Americans United for the Separation of Church and State has written a letter to Camp Pendleton’s commander joining Jason Torpy in his calls to have the memorial cross removed.

Americans United for Separation of Church and State has written to base commander Col. Nick Marano, saying the cross’s establishment on government property represents an unconstitutional endorsement of the Christian religion.

Ironically, or ignorantly, Smith undermines his own message:  Read more

Memorial Crosses as US Military Tradition

Some in American society today seem to think resurgent zealots are trying to push Christianity on society through their use of crosses, even within the US military.

Facts, however, show the long tradition of use of crosses as military memorials.

THIS SIMPLE CROSS WAS ERECTED at the western tip of Betio as a monument in memory of the 2nd Division Marines who were killed in the battle for Tarawa.

Crosses have been raised on Read more

Military Atheist Calls for Removal of Arlington Cross

After being repeatedly called out for decrying one cross and not others, atheist and former Army Captain Jason Torpy, of the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers, finally addressed the “controversial” issue of Arlington National Cemetery:

Other memorials are biased toward Christianity and ought properly to be removed to private property.  The Camp Pendleton cross is just one of many…

The Argonne Cross at Arlington, a 1921 monument erected “In memory of our men in France” also excludes all non-Christians.  This cross now memorializes a time when our military had nearly no recognition for anyone not Christian and was segregated by both race and gender…

In deciding to include the Argonne Cross with others “to be removed,” this initially seems like an opportunity to applaud Torpy’s intellectual Read more

Camp Pendleton Cross Defended, Torpy Ignores Second Cross

A follow-up article to last week’s conflagration over the memorial cross raised by Marines on Camp Pendleton indicates the Marine base had no idea the ruckus that was about to ensue.

Which, of course, they didn’t, because the Marines were acting on their own, not on the part of the Corps or the government.  (Of course, local attorney Randall Halmud said the group was still culpable: “When they erected their cross on that hilltop, they violated the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution…”)

Public supporters of the cross, many from the Marine base itself, have swarmed news sites with comments.  The people themselves varied from atheist to religious, military to civilian. 

A Facebook site has appeared entitled Keep the Camp Pendleton Cross.  The page highlights some history of the memorial — a site which contains more than the cross.  Notably, the memorial was rebuilt by more than 100 Marines from RCT-1, has been visited by entire units, and was even the subject of a prior Public Affairs news piece.

A few supporters of the memorial seem to have found MAAF Jason Torpy’s website, leaving messages of their Read more

Atheists Object to Camp Pendleton Cross

Update:  FoxNews reports on the “investigation” of the cross.  The ACLJ has written a letter to Camp Pendleton explaining the appropriateness — and Constitutionality — of allowing the cross to remain.  They, too, highlight the Argonne cross in Arlington mentioned below.  In reference to the Utah trooper crosses mentioned below, the Highway Patrol logo has been stripped from the crosses and a disclaimer has been added in a bid to avoid their court-ordered removal.

It didn’t take long:  When Jason Torpy of the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers saw the LA Times report on the Camp Pendleton cross, he was quick to call it

a “wonderful gesture” in remembrance of the fallen Marines, but said its location on public land “makes us feel like the federal government privileges Christianity over non-Christians like us, makes us feel like second-class citizens…”

[T]heir desire to erect a large cross to honor their memory is perfectly acceptable, so long as it is on church land or their own property, not on federal land.

Further, Torpy claims the Marines’ cross is an intentional effort to by the government to afford preference to Christianity:

Military service is being exploited Read more

Michael Weinstein Goes Fishing for Military Bibles and Your Emails

The last “scandal” at the US Air Force Academy, regarding Operation Christmas Child, was reportedly initiated by a USAFA cadet forwarding an email to Michael Weinstein.  Prior to that, the scandal-circuit had been pretty quiet — but not for lack of trying on Weinstein’s part.  When there isn’t something to complain about, Weinstein has gone looking.

The law firm of Jones Day — which has assisted Weinstein in other cases — has been looking for information on “The Airman’s Bible and the Airman’s New Testament.”  The Airman’s Bible was previously discussed; the “Airman’s New Testament” is similar.  It seems the target is some indication, somewhere, that the Air Force was directly or indirectly involved in the production of the Air Force-themed Bibles.

The acknowledgements in the Bible do mention military members, and the Bible carries Air Force symbols, so the target is probably something, somewhere, that will incriminate someone…about something.  Naturally, this hunt for an as-yet unknown smoking gun about an unknown problem will prove the obvious fact Christianity is preferred in the US military.  Somehow.

In another case, Pam Zubeck of the CSIndy recently publicized a portion of a Weinstein fishing expedition:  Weinstein is asking for names and processes surrounding the “Falcon Clips” published last year.  Previously, the ominous observation was made that Weinstein seemed to be headhunting for people corresponding with this site.

That has now been confirmed by Read more

Former Navy Chaplain Klingenschmitt Sues for Reinstatement

Former US Navy Chaplain Gordon Klingenschmitt has filed a suit in the US Court of Federal Claims seeking reinstatement and back pay or access to retirement.

Klingenschmitt was discharged in 2007 after a controversial couple of years largely revolving around his insistence on ending prayers “in Jesus’ name.”  He has been filing appeals ever since.

Notably, Klingenschmitt’s timeline in the filing indicates Read more

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