US Army SPC Jesse Thorsen (previously incorrectly identified as a Corporal) has been given a Letter of Reprimand for appearing at a Ron Paul rally in uniform and giving a glowing endorsement.
The Army determined that Jesse D. Thorsen violated Read more
US Representative Duncan Hunter (R-CA), himself a Reserve Marine, has come to the defense of SGT Gary Stein, a Marine who faces an administrative discharge for comments he posted online.
Sgt Stein reportedly posted comments saying he would not obey the orders of the President, and he later clarified his statement to say he would not obey unlawful orders from the President.
This Saturday Stein faces a panel that will determine if he should be administratively separated from the Marines: Read more
According to articles on the event, the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, DC, was unique this year:
In a town where just about everything is scripted, the sight of the President, Vice-President and members of Congress singing “Amazing Grace,” during the 60th Annual National Prayer breakfast was one of several off script moments that was almost refreshing today.
According to another source, the talk of the town was the speech delivered at the breakfast — but not President Obama’s speech: Read more
The US House of Representatives passed two separate bills (previously noted) related to religion at US military war memorials — a point of controversy for about the past two decades in southern California, at least. Though they’ve been inaccurately described as “promoting” religion, the first does little more than officially authorize longstanding tradition, and the second adds a Presidential statement to a war Read more
The Department of Defense put out an unusually rapid (and blunt) assessment of US Army Corporal Jesse Thorsen’s stint at the Ron Paul rally a few days ago. In an article that covered the general restrictions of military service and political activities, the DoD said
A combat engineer assigned to the 416th Theater Engineer Company potentially violated these rules Jan. 3 when he stepped onto a stage at Ron Paul’s headquarters in Ankeny, Iowa, during the Iowa Caucus to offer a personal endorsement.
However, it also specifically noted Thorsen was not on active duty at the time, contrary to the CNN reports at the time: Read more
Update: US Rep Mike Hoffman (R-CO) has said troops need to be reminded of the rules involving political participation. As noted below, there were already some official military articles on the subject.
US Army Corporal Jesse Thorsen made a name for himself Tuesday night, for better or worse. He appeared on CNN and onstage endorsing the political candidacy of Ron Paul while he was wearing his Army fatigues.
Unlike the mystical machinations of Chris Rodda, in which she says military officers violate regulations when they express their faith on the internet, there is actually an explicit Department of Defense Directive on this type of conduct (barring an unknown mitigating factor on the Corporal’s part). From DoDD 1344.10 (Political Activities by Members of the Armed Forces, found here), an active duty military member “shall not” Read more
Though the furor has died down in the intervening few months, an October column by R. Albert Mohler, Jr, the president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, attempted to address the then-prominent controversy over Christians and Christianity in political life. Whether you call it “dominionism” or just “fundamentalism,” Mohler took on the issue of those who are decrying the rise of “Christian nationalism.” He asks:
What is so scary about America’s evangelical Christians?
and notes the chorus of voices warning about the rise of a Christian “theocratic state,” “Christian nationalism,” and a usurpation by Read more
Much has been made of Texas Governor Rick Perry’s latest campaign commercial saying he would “end Obama’s war on religion.” What is interesting is how he chose to characterize that fight against religion:
There’s something wrong in this country when gays can serve openly in the military but our kids can’t openly celebrate Christmas or pray in school…
Governor Perry associated the open service of Read more