The US Air Force JROTC program is paying the way for 120 high school cadets to receive a Private Pilot License:
Beginning in the summer of 2018, select AFJROTC cadets who applied for a new Fight Academy scholarship will attend an accredited aviation program at one of six partnering universities to get a private pilot license.
The press release presents it as a means to address Read more
Last Friday, September 15th, was National POW/MIA Recognition Day. It is intended to honor the memory of those imprisoned as POWs and those who have not returned. It is one of the few days that Congress officially mandates the flying of the POW/MIA flag.
It should be a somber occasion of remembrance — but for Michael “Mikey” Weinstein, it’s a target for his vitriol if those ceremonies dare to associate a Bible with the event.
Weinstein recently shared Representative Steve Knight’s Facebook post about Palmdale, CA, hosting a POW/MIA ceremony attended by a high school JROTC color guard. Weinstein was apparently too lazy to even add his own vitriol to that which he copied and pasted from an obscure Facebook page apparently run by an atheist-MRFF supporter:
Do you see the egregious and disrespectful violation of our military code of conduct present at this divisive and Un-American service too?…
The #FilthyBook (Bible) on the table, the table that is meant for ALL our missing and fallen solders.
Did you notice the unsanctioned inclusion? Or are you just so used to seeing it slipped in there against protocol that you thought it was part of the display?…
Mikey Weinstein has been after the Bible for Read more
LifeSiteNews reports retired US Army 1SG Lynn Vanzandt, a JROTC instructor in Huntsville, AL, is being investigated by the Department of Education for allegations of harassment and discrimination, based on statements he made regarding the Bible and homosexuality:
The Department of Education sent a letter to Huntsville City Schools Superintendent Casey Wardynski this week, informing him that federal investigators will look into claims of alleged harassment Read more
Students participating in the Army Junior ROTC high school program will now have more options when it comes to religious clothing in uniform. In October, Demin Zawity, a freshman at Ravenwood High School in Brentwood, TN, was told she could not wear her Islamic headscarf while in the Army JROTC uniform. While that policy was consistent with the US Army policy, there was some consternation even by Army officials, some of whom called JROTC a “citizenship” program, not a military program.
Now CAIR, the group that originally accused the Army of discrimination, has said the DoD told them
the Department of Defense will now allow Muslim Read more
The Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has said US Army JROTC uniform policies are discriminatory after Demin Zawity, a freshman at Ravenwood High School in Brentwood, TN, was told she could not wear her Islamic headscarf while in the Army uniform.
There’s no reason for them to have a policy that excludes people such as Zawity, said Gadeir Abbas, a CAIR staff attorney. It paves the way to encourage all faiths to participate, he added.
While noble-sounding, Abbas’ statement was ignorant. JROTC programs are designed to be nearly identical to their ROTC and operational military equivalents — including following generally the same uniform rules. In this case, the JROTC rule accurately reflects US military policy (to which there have been some notable exceptions).
Abbas also made a misleading and potentially incendiary statement: Read more
The Jewish Daily Forward notes that Mr. Michael Weinstein is taking issue with a JROTC text which “questions the validity” of the current popular interpretation of the phrase “separation of church and state.” Though religion is nowhere mentioned, he views this as an example of “evangelical Christianity’s creeping encroachment.” As is typical for a Weinstein article, it includes his latest tally of reported death threats. More interesting is Weinstein’s announcement that he is about to embark on a new “far-reaching litigation strategy.” He also has a new book in the works titled “Taking God to Court.”