In what may be an inauspicious bit of timing, given accusations of a frat-house like mentality in some government organizations, a young Public Affairs Airman documents a long-standing Air Force tradition: the combat dining-in:
This year, I was in the right place at the right time and was able to attend the 2012 Schriever Dining In… Read more
In 2010 West Point Cadet Alan Spadone was disenrolled for failing to participate in a remediation program after admitting to violating the Honor Code. He was directed to begin serving as an enlisted soldier, as he had already begun his third year at West Point when he committed his violation in the fall of 2009.
He filed civil complaints on multiple counts, including everything from the remediation program was unreasonable to the government was trying to “enrich itself” by making him serve as a soldier. Those claims were all dismissed in a recent ruling:
Spadone has not established that his suspension and disenrollment from West Point violated the APA or his right to due process, and Spadone failed to demonstrate a waiver of sovereign immunity for his claim of unjust enrichment.
Interestingly, however, Spadone is permitted to continue his claim that the Establishment Clause of the US Constitution was violated when Read more
A local paper follows up on the decision of the US Marine Corps to order a unit not to become the “Crusaders” as they had traditionally been for 50 years. As noted previously, the order came from a three-star General:
Lt. Gen. Terry Robling, deputy commandant for aviation, issued an order April 30 that Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 122 discontinue use of the Crusaders moniker and a logo that featured a red cross on a white shield. The squadon [sic] will retain its identity as the “Werewolves,” said Lt. Col. Joseph Plenzler, a Corps spokesman.
The Marine leadership apparently felt the “modern context” of the term made Read more
According to MSNBC, the VMFA-122 Crusaders were “ordered to reverse” their decision to return to the “Crusaders” moniker.
“The deputy commandant for aviation [Lt. Gen. Terry Robling] directed VMFA 122 to maintain the unit identification as the Werewolves,” said Marines public information officer Lt. Col. Joseph Plenzler. “I called down there to confirm that they have changed the tail markings, squadron patches” and other places the squadron logo appears, he said.
The Marines gave no reason for the order, giving Michael Weinstein — who had called the Marines a “national security threat” for the move — the blood in the water he needed to claim victory and make further demands: Read more
The US Air Force was previously taken to task by Congress when it removed the Latin word for “god” from the Rapid Capabilities Office patch — because an atheist complained. (In fact, Rep Randy Forbes went so far as to say Air Force Chief of Staff General Norton Schwartz “has been as bad as I have seen…in defending religious liberties.”
It seems the Air Force solved the patch problem: Read more
Update: Liberty Counsel has agreed to defend the town of Woonsocket for free.
The awkwardly named Freedom From Religion Foundation has apparently demanded that a war memorial in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, be removed because it has a cross on it. The memorial
was erected nearly a century ago to honor the city’s war dead, including three brothers killed in World War I.
The town’s mayor had an interesting response to the call to tear down the 91-year old memorial:
Mayor Leo Fontaine told the Woonsocket Call he will not remove the cross “under any circumstances.”
However, the town is reportedly strapped for cash and may not be able to afford a legal defense.
Atheists and critics of various stripes — including Americans United for the Separation of Church and State and Jason Torpy — have Read more
As predicted, it didn’t take long for Chris Rodda to read last week’s write-up on the VMFA-122 Crusaders and manufacture some outrage. She called the renaming of the unit from the recent “Werewolves” back to the “Crusaders” “sheer stupidity” and a “constitutional issue.” Of course, everyone is aware of the clause in the Constitution that prohibits military units from having a cross on their patches. It must be in there somewhere…she said so.
Michael Weinstein was in regular form. Eliminating the unnecessary adjectives and adverbs, which constituted about a third of his statement:
“This…action…is…unconstitutional[] and…stupid[]. It [is]…propaganda…for our…Islamic foes and…a…national security threat…It will…hasten the maiming and deaths of our armed forces members…We’ll be seeing you in Federal Court, chump.”
“See you in court” from Michael Weinstein is about as threatening as “see you on the field” from the 2011 Indianapolis Colts. Being a perpetual loser kind of undermines your credibility.
Michael Weinstein, again, says that America’s extremist adversaries — not the US Constitution nor “Nature” nor “Nature’s God” — are the barometer by which Read more
Air Force Public Affairs took “strong exception” with the Warner-Robins Patriot’s characterization of the Air Force reaction to the atheist complaint about Bibles in lodging rooms.
Michael Dickerson, Air Force Services Agency spokesman, has taken strong exception to a Tuesday morning story [that] said “Air Force officials have agreed in principle to remove Bibles … following pressure from an atheist group.”
Dickerson emphasized that the Air Force had not Read more