Think it can’t happen here?
Saeed Abedini is the Christian pastor who has been jailed for “threatening the national security of Iran.”
Saeed Abedini, 32, was in Iran last summer to finish building an orphanage when members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard took him away in a bus for prison. He has been held captive and reportedly beaten and tortured since September.
Abedini, a naturalized US citizen, was Read more
Michael Weinstein, who runs his self-styled Military Religious Freedom Foundation “charity,” recently endorsed a “horrendously homophobic” website — at least, according to his own standards.
Last week, Weinstein complained that the US Air Force Academy had linked to a website called JewFAQ. The page it linked to was benign, and did exactly what the USAFA page intended, explaining the religious holiday in question. On other pages, however, the website had the gall to describe teachings from the Talmud. Though this might have shocked Weinstein — a self-described “Jewish agnostic” — most normal readers were not likely surprised to read Jewish beliefs on a Jewish website.
Weinstein and his acolytes took particular umbrage with one reference, however. Quoth Weinstein: Read more
In typical fashion, Michael Weinstein recently accused the US Air Force Academy of impropriety when USAFA chaplains published a link to a Jewish website that had traditional explanations of Jewish religious texts. (The context was a page of upcoming religious holidays, with links to websites with background — arguably an admirable effort at educating cadets on religious liberty and their duties.)
Weinstein’s offense at religion isn’t a surprise. What is a surprise is General Mark Welsh, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, took the time to pen a personal reply — and promise action:
From: “Welsh, Mark A III Gen MIL USAF AF/CC”
Subject: RE: EXTERNAL: MRFF Demand Letter (Feb. 13, 2013) to USAF Chief of Staff
Date: February 13, 2013 9:03:33 PM MST
To: Mikey Weinstein
Cc: “Harding, Richard C Lt Gen MIL USAF AF/JA” , “Gould, Mike C Lt Gen USAF USAFA USAFA/CC”Thank you Mr Weinstein. Read more
According to NBC News, the US Army is starting the process to recoup the cost of atheist former Cadet Blake Page’s West Point education:
In a memorandum dated Dec. 12, the superintendent of West Point Academy, Lt. Gen. David Huntoon, did recommend to Army headquarters that Page be honorably discharged and that recoupment — in the form of money or service as an enlisted soldier — be waived.
The response, signed by Thomas R. Lamont, assistant Army secretary, approves Page for an honorable discharge, but disapproves the waivers. In the Jan. 28 memorandum, he orders the West Point superintendent “to conduct a recoupment investigation.”
The Army could demand up to $250,000 or order Page back to active duty, where he previously served enlisted before Read more
In October of last year, an atheist Army Soldier, SSgt Victoria Gettman, lodged complaints after a mandatory suicide prevention briefing ended with a military chaplain taking the stage and offering a candlelit prayer.
The incident seems fairly benign, and merited little attention at the time. Now, though, it seems Michael Weinstein is weighing in with (yet another empty) promise to file a lawsuit:
Mikey Weinstein, founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, doesn’t consider Gettman’s case closed, and he and his litigation team intend to pursue an “aggressive” federal lawsuit if the Army fails to rectify Gettman’s complaints.
The article contains an important quote from Gettman [emphasis added]: Read more
Michael Weinstein, frequent critic of religious freedom in the US military, has “threatened” so many lawsuits that he’s long become the boy who cries wolf. (Besides, the “wolf,” in the case, has yet to survive the first Motion to Dismiss — four times.)
The US Army has once again raised Weinstein’s ire by — shockingly enough — researching the ability to train chaplains the same way it trains other soldiers.
Weinstein finally got around to commenting on a subject noted here a month ago: The US Army is researching the ability to use simulations to train chaplains for battlefield scenarios, much like it does for medical personnel. As noted at the time:
Chaplains [already] go through training on how to survive the bullets and explosions…This simulator…will give chaplains multiple opportunities to experience real-life scenarios and practice their ministry in a controlled environment.
Weinstein would have none of it:
“We are gong [sic] to put the pedal to the metal on something like this. If necessary, we will consider intervening in federal court,” said Mikey Weinstein…
Laughably, even the otherwise-friendly article noted Weinstein’s vendetta Read more
Contrary to a prior prediction that Michael Weinstein would seethe at the thought of LtGen Robert Caslen taking the helm as Superintendent of West Point, it seems Weinstein has chosen to do the complete opposite:
I am pleased to announce that the Military Religious Freedom Foundation fully endorses the United States Senate’s confirmation of the President’s nomination of Lt. General Robert Caslen to the position of Superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point.
If only it were that simple. The “endorsement” (cross-posted) is a veritable portrait in self-contradiction and capriciousness. Weinstein says he is “pleased,” but later says he has “non-trivial trepidation” — yet also “wishes him well.” Demonstrating both his repetitive redundancy and intellectual inconsistency, Weinstein says he has no idea what Caslen will “actually do,” but “he incontrovertibly deserves and merits [sic] the chance to do it.”
During Gen Caslen’s involvement in the Christian Embassy controversy in 2006, Weinstein said those involved in the scandal were equivalent to al Qaida, Iraqi militant Muqtada al Sadr, and deserved to be court-martialed. Two years later, Weinstein Read more
An innocent and heartwarming story was recently published on the official Air Force website about an effort to help an 8-year-old boy get a letter closer to his dad — in heaven:
MacAidan “Mac” Gallegos was only 5 when his father, Army Sgt. Justin Gallegos, was killed in Afghanistan in 2009. Not a day goes by that he doesn’t think about him…”I wanted to write my dad a letter and get it as close to heaven as possible,” said Mac.
A reserve F-22 pilot volunteered to carry the letter on a flight: Read more