Tag Archives: religious freedom
Military religious freedom US Marines Emphasize Spiritual Fitness
From the US Marine Corps [emphasis added]:
Fitness is a vital part of being a United States Marine. Although we all understand the importance of being physically fit, it is also important to remember the other three aspects of overall fitness: spiritual, mental, and social. All of these aspects are essential to the well-being of each individual Marine and Sailor, and our Corps as a whole…
Research indicates that spiritual fitness plays a key role in resiliency, in our Read more
SPLC: And Then They Came for the Atheists
Hemant Mehta of the “Friendly Atheist” blog was recently aghast that Ayaan Hirsi Ali — a Somali born woman who grew up Muslim but is now an atheist and outspoken critic of Islam — was added to the Southern Poverty Law Center’s list of “anti-Muslim extremists.”
The SPLC, of course, is famous for its list of “hate groups.” They’ve affixed that label to certain conservative Christian organizations that say homosexuality is an evil that can and should be cured — but not churches that merely believe it’s a sin…
But now, a couple critics of Islam have joined the club, which makes me wonder why anyone should take the SPLC seriously at this point.
Mehta is blind to his own irony: He says it’s fine for the SPLC to designate “hate groups” who speak out about homosexuality, but he’s suddenly offended when those who speak out about Read more
Is Mikey Weinstein Really a USAFA Honor Graduate?
Recently, a brief article addressed a fairly simple question: Did Mikey Weinstein Serve in Combat? The basic answer was “who cares?” — except in those cases in which Weinstein himself tries to play the military/combat card.
That was going to be the end of it. But Mikey didn’t like it.
Weinstein’s lawyer, Randal “Randy” Mathis, sent a letter the next day expressing Weinstein’s displeasure with one of the closing paragraphs of that article:
You wrote that Mr. Weinstein was not an “Honor Graduate” of the United States Air Force Academy.
If there’s one thing that will raise Michael “Mikey” Weinstein’s ire, it’s an affront to his ego — but that’s not exactly what the article said [emphasis added]: Read more
Chaplains Work to Provide Multinational Support
Chaplain (Capt.) Owen Vazquez, chaplain for Read more
Casey Weinstein Runs for Office, Embarrassed by the MRFF
Casey Weinstein, son of Michael “Mikey” Weinstein, is running for the state legislature in Ohio. He’s apparently a Democrat — which fits the family profile of the elder Weinstein, who makes a point of saying he’s a “registered Republican” but has only publicly supported Democrats for years. Casey has previously been a local councilman for Hudson City and now seems to be aiming a little higher.
Casey’s specific political aspirations aren’t particularly relevant — except that the Republican party, supporting incumbent Kristina Roegner, recently sent out a mailer highlighting the Weinsteins’ 2005 lawsuit against the US Air Force Academy. It seems Casey Weinstein has been campaigning on his military credentials (even wearing an Air Force shirt going door-to-door), so he’s engendered interest in his somewhat tense relationship with the military.
In a short article clearly promoted by Weinstein (he even provided the mailer), the “reporter” essentially debunks the political mailer and lauds Casey’s credentials: Read more
Spiritual Resilience Conference, Braggtown Baptist Church, Durham NC
Eric Burmahl, lead pastor of Braggtown and conference organizer, wrote on the event’s website, “Resilience. It is a word that is used often in the military context. You hear references such as ‘we bend but do not break.’ That sounds very noble but Read more
Military Religious Freedom Again at Issue in National Defense Act
It’s been in the paperwork for months, but the “exciting” political environment has overshadowed the potential religious liberty fight brewing in the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act. The House version of the NDAA contains a simple, if seemingly obtuse, statement known as the Russell Amendment (via Rep. Steve Russell, R-OK, who offered the amendment):
Any branch or agency of the Federal Government shall, with respect to any religious corporation, religious association, religious educational institution, or religious society that is a recipient of or offeror for a Federal Government contract, subcontract, grant, purchase order, or cooperative agreement, provide protections and exemptions consistent with sections 702(a) and 703(e)(2) of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000e-1(a) and 42 U.S.C. 2000e-2(e)(2)) and section 103(D) of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 USC 12113(D)).
The short version of the story is that in 2014 President Obama issued an Executive Order that required anyone wanting to do business with the Federal government to affirmatively state they hire without regard to “sexual orientation or gender identity.” That could very well affect a large number of contractors who do hire with regard to such issues — because they hire based on the requirements of their religious faith.
The Russell Amendment basically Read more