Air Force Dental Tech Fired After Being Accused of Witchcraft

An Air Force contractor who had been working at a Maryland dental clinic was accused of being a witch and subsequently fired. Deborah Schoenfeld, a Hindu, had complained of being harassed for not sharing the same religious beliefs as her Christian co-workers. She was told that practicing yoga was “satanic” and would “cost her her soul.” Yes, this happened in 2015, when it seems like practically everyone owns a pair of yoga pants and has at least attempted one downward dog in their life. Even science says yoga is beneficial to health, though these people don’t seem the type to listen to facts, anyway. 

After Schoenfeld filed a formal complaint on September 2, she was terminated from her position as a dental technician for allegedly using profanity against a co-worker, reports Air Force Times. They would not reveal the identity of the accuser. Schoenfeld then reached out to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation for support with her case. Mikey Weinstein, the group’s founder and president, wrote a letter to officials detailing the harassment done to Schoenfeld by her former co-workers,,,

According to The Freethinker,

The Air Force District of Washington has received Weinstein’s letter and is looking into the allegations raised, said spokesman Major Joel Harper.

The Air Force thoroughly reviews all instances in which airmen report concerns regarding religious freedoms or accommodations. Mutual respect is an essential part of the Air Force culture. Supporting the right of free exercise of religion relates directly to the Air Force core values and the ability to  maintain an effective team.

Chris Rodda's write-up for Daily KOS with Weinstein's letter attached.

Air Force Dental Tech Fired After Being Accused of Witchcraft

Homophobic, Anti-Semitic Chaplain Officer of the Year | MRFF

A major war is being viciously waged against the United States of America, a war that’s global in scope and poses a terrifying threat to our national security interests. The ruthless attacks, which this conflict has generated, have inflicted grievous damage to nothing less than the U.S. Constitution itself, as well as the foundational core values of the United States armed forces. While the mainstream media has been woefully asleep regarding this raging conflict, the Pentagon has verified through its own official publications that the war has already led to vast transformations within the armed forces. Religious fanatics are spearheading this pernicious worldwide campaign and, no, I’m NOT referring to Shia or Sunni Islamic jihadists…. but “jihadist” was a good guess. I’m referring, of course, to our very own fire & brimstone fundamentalist Christian crusaders, both within uniform and without, who have seemingly infiltrated every echelon of the United States armed forces. These religious extremists are bolstered by legions of civilian zealots, parachurch organizations, legislators, and persons of influence who are carrying out their own grievous massacre of bedrock civil rights under the banner of “religious freedom.”

You want the latest proof? Witness the appalling appellation and homage recently given to USAF Chaplain (Capt.) Sonny Hernandez, 445th Airlift Wing Chaplain Corps: freshly crowned as the “Air Force Life Cycle Management Center Individual Mobilization Accession Company Grade Officer of the Year” at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, in Dayton, Ohio. The official statement regarding this newly benighted Company Grade Officer of the Year sounds wonderfully amazing and ecumenical. Well, don’t cue the U.S. Air Force band rendition of Kumbaya yet, folks – the plot’s about to thicken with bountiful bile and phlegm.

[,,,]
So, my friends, the next time some fanatical Jesus freak from the “Family” Research Council, the American “Family” Association or the “Liberty” Institute (or some other Orwellian-named fundamentalist Christian hate-group) comes along and tries to sell you the unadulterated crap that the U.S. military under President Obama has become a “hostile environment for Christians”, in general, and hideously hostile to those poor, oppressed, pious military chaplains (like “Officer of the Year” Chaplain Hernandez) in particular, inquire about whether they also have some magic beans or love potions to sell you. You may then inform them with the cold, hard, irrefutable facts of the uber-dominating, Dominionist Christian influence pervading our armed forces, and the war on real religious liberty that is being waged.

Homophobic, Anti-Semitic Chaplain Officer of the Year | MRFF

U.S. Senate Gives Black Eye to House Fundamentalist Christians

I have been staring at the same three articles for about an hour now trying to make sense of them.  I am failing miserably.

This first piece is in regards to John Flemming's reaction to the failure to pass his version (the Flemming Amendment) of the NDAA. "that essentially seeks to give military service members the right to engage in anti-gay discrimination under the guise of protecting religious liberty.."

Warning that liberal activists are seeking to "expand secularism, humanism, atheism to limit your First Amendment right of speech not only in the military but elsewhere," Fleming said that conservative Christians must remain vigilant and work to expand protections for their religious liberty.

"With the next NDAA, we hope to strengthen our language even more," he said, "because we'll have both a Senate and a House Republican majority. So we'd really like to expand upon the language we already have in the NDAA that protects First Amendment speech and also protects atheist chaplains"

The second article is a 2013 piece by Senior Research Director Chris Rodda of MRFF, who gives some much needed background on the NDAA fight (FY 2014) and who** is behind this drive for legislating discrimination in the military

The attached is from MRFF's Mikey Weinstein.  It is his reaction to the failure of the Flemming Amendment passing:

The U.S. Senate has courageously just stood up to the Christian-supremacist bullies in the House of Representatives. Oh yes, the Senate has just completely ripped away from their religiously bigoted, House counterparts a would-be treasured bible-thumping bonanza of immeasurable, unconstitutional proselytization.  This erstwhile prize of legislative plunder had been specifically designed by these Congressmen and Congresswomen from the House, in nefarious collaboration with their legions of fundamentalist Christian parachurch allies, to be embedded deep within the confines of the 2015 Pentagon authorization/funding act.

Fortunately, the plan by these Christian crusader Members of the House failed. Please let me briefly explain, my friends.

[,,,]
In what we can only describe as an amazing early holiday present for servicemembers, Constitutional loyalists, and those who value the separation of Church and State, an obscure, but extremely detrimental amendment to the House-passed H.R. 4435 version of the bill “miraculously” disappeared from the final version of the Fiscal Year 2015 National Defense Authorization Act (FY2015 NDAA). If the House had its way, next year’s Federal roadmap for America's armed forces would have included the following painfully ugly provision designated as "Section 525” in the Hoped-for House version:

“…if called upon to lead a prayer outside of a religious service, a military chaplain may close the prayer according to the traditions, expressions and religious exercises of the endorsing faith group.”

[,,,]
As I have said many times in many places for many years, in the U.S. armed forces you may have mandatory formations and you may have religious formations but you CANNOT have mandatory, religious formations.

Luckily for us, the United States Senate took the side of the U.S. Constitution, its construing Federal and state case law in conjunction with DoD directives, instructions and regulations. Further, the Senate obviously and carefully considered U.S. national security as well as the compelling governmental interest in optimizing the unit cohesion, mission readiness, good order, morale, and discipline of our valued armed forces members.

U.S. Senate Gives Black Eye to House Fundamentalist Christians 
_____
**(American Family Association, American Values, Alliance Defending Freedom, Center for Military Readiness, Center for Security Policy, Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty, Citizens for Community Values, Concerned Women for America, Family Research Council, Family PAC Federal, Freedom Alliance, Freedom X, Heritage Foundation, International Conference of Evangelical Chaplain Endorsers (ICECE), Judicial Watch, Liberty Center for Law and Policy, Liberty Counsel, Liberty Institute, Media Research Center, Military-Veterans Advocacy, Ohio Faith and Freedom Coalition, Patriotic Veterans, Stand Up America, Thomas More Law Center, The Oak Initiative, Traditional Values Coalition

UPDATE::The Pentagon’s pugnacious critic on religion gets his day in Congress - The Washington Post

As the United States sent tens of thousands of troops to Afghanistan in 2010, a controversy erupted: the rifles they were carrying had coded scopes engraved with biblical references. In the war against the Taliban, already religiously charged, it was akin to tossing a match on gasoline in the ongoing fight over where religion should fit into military life.

The incident followed a script for the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, the activist organization that exposed the issue. Service members registered their complaint about the so-called “Jesus rifles.” Mikey Weinstein, its founder, distributed the information widely through the media, expressing outrage. And then the government responded, with some officials defending the practice while others — including Gen. David Petraeus, then the top commander in Afghanistan — called it problematic.

The scope’s maker, Trijicon, eventually promised that it would stop using biblical references, and the military said it would work to alter rifles already in service. They were inscribed with phrases like “PSA91:5,” short for Psalms 91:5: “Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day.”
,,,
On Wednesday, Weinstein will get one of his largest stages yet: An appearance before the House Armed Services Committee’s subcommittee on military personnel. Weinstein, along with several other witnesses, will testify before Congress on the military’s current policy for religious accommodation, which requires Sikhs to seek a waiver from top service officials to wear their religion’s mandatory turbans and beards.

Weinstein intends to stretch the conversation beyond that, though, he said. He plans to tell Congress that numerous leaders in the military practice a “twisted version of Christianity” that oppresses not only Muslims and other religious minorities, but Christians who are not devout.

The Pentagon’s pugnacious critic on religion gets his day in Congress - The Washington Post

One call, that's all: Atheist picks up phone, Air Force surrenders again

An atheist known for attacking expressions of faith in the U.S. Armed Forces has convinced the Air Force to remove a newsletter contribution from a colonel because he mentioned his faith.

Mikey Weinstein, who leads the so-called Military Religious Freedom Foundation, complained after an Air Force colonel wrote about his faith in a newsletter called “The Stinger.”

The colonel is Florencio Marquinez, a medical group commander in the 180th Fighter Wing of the Ohio Air National Guard. Among other observations, the colonel wrote in the newsletter that his faith has sustained him throughout his military career.

Ron Crews, executive director of The Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty, says the Ohio Air National Guard cannot censor the protected speech of one of its members based on the content of that speech.

“When we found out about this,” says Crews, “we drafted a letter to the commander to give him the constitutional reasons why this good colonel has every right to say that faith is what has sustained him in his military career.”

[,,,]
Weinstein has congratulated himself in the past for how quickly military leaders respond to his complaints – even counting the minutes – and this time was no different.

“After merely speaking with me once over the phone,” Weinstein wrote, the “amazing and caring” Col. Baker “immediately recognized the seriousness of this egregious Constitutional and Air Force regulation violation.”

Crews, however, calls the colonel’s decision “just one more egregious example” of the Air Force denying officers and airmen the right to exercise their faith.

I was having a bit of difficulties with this story, understanding exactly what the issue is and why the Reich is freaking out so much.  Enter Hemant Mehta who does a nice job in clarifying the issue(s) at hand.

Point 1::"On the surface, it doesn’t sound like he’s proselytizing or saying everyone else needs to agree with him. The problem is that he’s definitely promoting his faith, not as a private citizen, but as a military leader using his title, uniform, and publication space,,,."

To which Mehta points us to Section 2.11 of the Air Force Standards: ",,,they must avoid the actual or apparent use of their position to promote their personal religious beliefs to their subordinates or to extend preferential treatment for any religion."

It is the same point that Mikey Weinstein makes when citing Parker v. Levy, 417 U.S. 733 in his letter to Colonel Craig R. Baker Commander, 180th Fighter Wing (OHANG) :

This Court has long recognized that the military is, by necessity, a specialized society separate from civilian society... While the members of the military are not excluded from the protection granted by the First Amendment, the different character of the military community and of the military mission requires a different application of those protections. ... The fundamental necessity for obedience, and the consequent necessity for imposition of discipline, may render permissible within the military that which would be constitutionally impermissible outside it... Speech [to include religious speech] that is protected in the civil population may nonetheless undermine the effectiveness of response to command.  If it does, it is constitutionally unprotected.

Point 2::"Weinstein also told me this decision would never have been questioned by the Religious Right if Marquinez was promoting Islam or atheism instead of Christianity. He said, 'It’s not a small thing. It strikes to the very core of who you are as a human being.'"

As Mikey states in his letter, "It is a fair question to ask what Ron Crews and his attorney advocates would say if Colonel Marquinez's online letter had professed a belief in Allah, the Prophet Mohammad, and the Holy Koran, or from any other non-Christian text and/or belief system.  Beyond any doubt, if that had occurred, I’m betting that then, and ONLY then, would they have told you about Parker v. Levy and advocated strict adherence to the non-proselytizing standards in AFI 1-1, quoted above. 

And just to note, Mikey Weinstein is NOT an atheist, he is a Jewish Agnostic.

One call, that's all: Atheist picks up phone, Air Force surrenders again

Wanted: ROTC Military Science Professor (No Non-Christians Need Apply) | Chris Rodda

"There's Army ROTC. Then There's Wheaton Army ROTC." That's the slogan used by Wheaton College, a well-known Christian college in Illinois, to promote its Army ROTC program. It turns out that the slogan couldn't be more true. Wheaton Army ROTC certainly is different -- in an egregiously unconstitutional way. As Army lieutenant and Wheaton graduate James Greene comes right out and says in a recruiting video shown at the school's freshman orientation: "Wheaton College ROTC is unique in that it is the only Christian run ROTC program in the entire nation." (See video below)

Before getting into just how blatantly Christian and incredibly unconstitutional this "Christian run ROTC program" is, I need to back up for a minute and explain why I was looking at Wheaton's ROTC program in the first place.

[,,,]
Yes, the U.S. Army apparently allows Wheaton College to custom order Christian officers to teach in its ROTC program, not just by secretly excluding non-Christian officers from assignments at this school, but by very openly and unabashedly specifying Christian faith as a requirement on the official list of available assignments. What part of the Constitution's "no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States" does the Army not understand?

[,,,]
According to MRFF founder and president Mikey Weinstein:

"Wheaton College and its ROTC program seem to earnestly believe that the acronym "ROTC" stands for "Religious Officer Training for Christ." Wheaton and its fundamentalist Christian ROTC unit are to the United States Constitution what a dog with a full bladder is to a curbside fire hydrant. In MRFF's nearly 10 years of fighting this precise, illicit version of Christian extremism in the U.S. military, this Wheaton College/ROTC travesty is one of the most disgustingly blatant, appallingly bold, and mercilessly atrocious attacks on the foundational principles of our U.S. Constitution that we have EVER witnessed!"

A point that Chris clarifies in comments:

,,,An ROTC professor is not "hired" by the college. An ROTC professor is an active duty military officer, and their assignment as an ROTC professor is a military assignment, just like an assignment as an instructor at one of the U.S. military service academies. This means that the college can't require a religious test for an ROTC professor like it does for its own faculty. And since there's not supposed to be any religious instruction in the Army's ROTC courses, whether at a religious college or a non-religious college, it shouldn't make any difference what religion the ROTC professors are unless the religious college is violating other regulations by integrating religious instruction and activities into its ROTC program, as Wheaton obviously is.

Wanted: ROTC Military Science Professor (No Non-Christians Need Apply) | Chris Rodda

US Air Force: God Has Already Decided Which DoD Contractors Will Get Contracts | Chris Rodda

What part of the above sections of this mandatory regulation is unclear?

Upon seeing the Air Force's unbelievable response to the complaint, with its utter disregard of the mandatory regulations on official Air Force emails and defending of its employee's violation of these guidelines as their "right to free exercise of religion," MRFF founder and president Mikey Weinstein had a few words to say:

"Don't make the mistake of thinking that this is MERELY Air Force 'incompetence.' Quite on the contrary, the Air Force knows EXACTLY what it is doing here. Indeed, what we have today at Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque, New Mexico is but another horrific example, of among thousands, of a despicable and blatant display of fundamentalist Christian exceptionalism, defiance, supremacy, triumphalism, oppression and tyranny in the United States Air Force. The specific inclusion of that sectarian biblical passage in an official USAF/DoD pre-solicitation contracting communication is an irrefutably clear violation by the U.S. Air Force of the 'No Establishment Clause' of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution as well as the 'No Religious Test' prohibition of Clause 3, Article VI of same. Further, this utterly unchecked breach of American law savages the Air Force's VERY OWN regulations; to wit, Air Force Instruction 1-1, and Air Force Manual 33-152, which totally and absolutely prohibit such pathetic and self-serving proselytizing in ANY official USAF e-mail communications. MRFF demands that the Air Force immediately sends an apology and correcting e-mail to all of those who received the proselytizing one last Friday, Oct. 3, 2014. MRFF further immediately demands that the USAF aggressively investigate and punish any and all USAF or DoD personnel who are either directly or indirectly responsible for this wretched display of fundamentalist Christian evangelizing."

US Air Force: God Has Already Decided Which DoD Contractors Will Get Contracts | Chris Rodda

Mikey Weinstein Makes Students at Patrick Henry College Think -- School Deletes Video (UPDATED) | Chris Rodda

As Chris notes in her update the video has been returned although edited. Keep in mind as you watch the video that Patrick Henry College is a very insulated environment and does not take kindly to views that differ from their own. Basically it is homeschooling away from home and the fact that they even invited Mikey to speak is surprising. (Personally I don't think they were expecting him to accept the invite let alone actually show up.)

Mikey Weinstein Makes Students at Patrick Henry College Think -- School Deletes Video (UPDATED) | Chris Rodda

UPDATE::'Little Jewish Radical' Responds to Pat Robertson: Religious Freedom & Feigned Valor in the Military

This is what happens when you are an army of one following the news of thousands. You get behind. So even though I am a we bit late in posting this, it is still important.

This is Mikey Weinstein's response to fucktard Pat Robertson. It is long but it boils down perfectly to this one statement.

This vile specimen is to human dignity and sanity and integrity and character what dog shit is on the menu of a fine French restaurant.
_
Let me explain. In his 1972 autobiography, Shout it From the Housetops, Robertson boasted about his outstanding service as a “Marine combat officer in Korea.” The only problem with the claim is that many of his former comrades allege that never once did he ever see battle. Robertson filed a libel suit against McCloskey, only to be unceremoniously dropped later on. Contradicting Robertson’s claims, war hero and former seven-term Congressman Paul “Pete” McCloskey alleged that the “Marine combat officer” may have used his privileged family ties as the son of a Virginia Senator to pull the strings and skirt his combat duties. Apparently, the order from General Lemuel Shepherd was to "Take good care of him; his Daddy is Chairman of the Senate Armed Forces Appropriations Committee."

Therefore, the future televangelist (and saber-rattling warmonger) was reassigned from combat duty to the far less heroic undertaking of keeping the barracks watering hole stocked with liquor. As numerous fellow marines claimed, throughout the Korean War the “Marine combat officer” was known as the Masan Liquor Officer. Now don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing inherently wrong with being a ‘liquor officer.’ However, speaking as a former Air Force officer and Air Force Academy honor graduate, whose two sons, daughter-in-law, and son-in-law are all, likewise, Air Force Academy graduates as well as either current or former proud members of the U.S. Air Force, I am positively pissed that such a putrid example of cowardly cretinism in the ignoble person of Pat Robertson would have the gall to question the bravery of our USAF airmen. Every American, every service member, should know well to ignore the attention-hungry ravings of this false prophet and posturing poseur of the first order.

'Little Jewish Radical' Responds to Pat Robertson: Religious Freedom & Feigned Valor in the Military

ADDENDUM::Gushing Over Graham, or, How Much is That Anti-Semite in the Window? | Mark Axelrod

As I was writing up my post concerning Pat Robertson's tirade against Mikey Weinstein of MRFF, I was reminded of an "incident" that came to light in 2002 involving none other than the Rev. Billy Graham.

"This stranglehold (i.e. the Jewish one) has got to be broken or the country's going down the drain," said Graham who went on to agree with more anti-Jewish Nixonian comments.

"You believe that?" Nixon goes on.

"Yes, sir," Graham says.

"Oh, boy," counters Nixon. "So do I. I can't ever say that but I believe it."

Graham continues, "No, but if you get elected a second time, then we might be able to do something,"

During the same exchange, Graham says he has Jewish "friends" in the media, who "swarm around me and are friendly to me." But, he continues, "They don't know how I really feel about what they're doing to this country."

What some may remember is that this private exchange took place in 1972 and was first publicized in H.R. Haldeman book The Haldeman Diaries (1994). Even though I had left the church by then, I hadn't quite come out of the atheist closet (that didn't occur privately till 97 and "publicly" until 1998/9.) I was still agnostic, still holding on to some "hope" of salvaging my immortal soul. I grew up on Billy Graham, every televised crusade, three attended in person. My introduction to Corrie Ten Boom came through Graham. I'm fairly certain that when Halderman's book was released, this revelation would have rocked my world, but I remember nothing.

But why is this important? What makes Billy Graham's anti-Semitic remarks different from Robertson's?

If one digs deeper, the remarks are the "same," just different words. "Tuesday, Feb. 1, 1972 entry, Haldeman wrote "There was discussion of the terrible problem arising from the total Jewish domination of the media, and agreement that this was something that would have to be dealt with" (Diaries, 405). According to James Warren, a Chicago Tribune staff reporter, in an article dated March 1, 2002, Haldeman also said that, "Graham has the strong feeling that the Bible says there are satanic Jews and there's where our problem arises."

Unlike Robertson, Graham did issue an apology, "Although I have no memory of the occasion, I deeply regret comments I apparently made in an Oval Office conversation with President Nixon and H.R. Haldeman some 30 years ago. They do not reflect my views and I sincerely apologize for any offense caused by the remarks."

In his public life, unlike Robertson, Graham was never heard to speak ill of those of the Judaic religion. "The one thing critics of Billy Graham have failed to come up with is a single act, a single syllable in the public career of Mr. Graham that could be interpreted as anti-Semitic. There can't be another living American whose day-by-day life has been more minutely examined. When did he say anything anti-Semitic? When did he egg on critics of the Jews? When did he by inflection, let alone declaration, seek to undermine the Jewish state?"

Unlike Robertson, Rev Graham did not "attack" a specific individual. "'There’s a left-wing radical named Mikey Weinstein who has got a group about people against religion or whatever he calls it, and he has just terrorized the armed forces,' Robertson opined. 'You think you’re supposed to be tough, you’re supposed to defend us, and you got one little Jewish radical who is scaring the pants off of you.'”

But, no matter how one were to look at both Graham and Robertson, they remain anti-Semitic in their sentiments. Apology or not. And yes, the 2002 disclosure pretty much shut down any return to the church. When an icon falls (Ted Haggard, Jim Bakker, Benny Hinn), reason does not allow one to turn back the clock.

Gushing Over Graham, or, How Much is That Anti-Semite in the Window? | Mark Axelrod

UPDATE::MRFF's Testimony Before the House Armed Services Committee Cancelled

As usual, I got a we bit sidetracked (the Cherron Phillips Sovereign case) whilst waiting for the release of Mikey' Weinstein's digital copy of his now cancelled testimony before the House Armed Services Committee. Along with that, I was also wondering and waiting on his reaction (if any) to Pat Robertson's anti-semitic diatribe

First up, Mikey's testimony as provided by MRFF,,,

It is 78 pdf-pages long and thoroughly breaks down the issue of religious coercion in the military. It is "divided" in to three basic sections, with the first section detailing numerous testimonials from individuals helped by MRFF.

Following that, there is discussion concerning the formation of “Restore Military Religious Freedom Coalition" in regards to the NDAA debate including the Fleming Amendment and detail concerning various incidents that required MRFF intervention, "Just War Theory" being a prominent example highlighting the FRC bogus propaganda “A Clear and Present Danger: The Threat to Religious Liberty in the Military." Basically this sections is MRFF’s response to that report which has been cited and referred to by members of Congress on a number of occasions,

As a third enclosure MRFF includes Chris Rodda's contribution to the book Attitudes Aren’t Free: Thinking Deeply About Diversity in the US Armed Forces. The chapter, titled “Against All Enemies, Foreign and Domestic,” covers numerous issues. that still plague our military; includes incidents and examples related to both our military’s religious proselytizing overseas in combat zones and on military bases here in the US.

Even if you decide not to thoroughly read through Mikey's testimony, this PDF is a good resource to have on hand to combat the Reich's bullshit.

As for Mikey's reaction to Windbag Robertson, I defer to Hemant Mehta,

I called up Weinstein to see if he had anything to say in response to Robertson — as if he ever didn’t have something to say — and he was even more blunt than usual:

“Pat Robertson is to human dignity and sanity and integrity and character what dog shit is to a fine French restaurant on the menu.”

Unquote. I’ve had many phone conversations with Weinstein over the years, but never one that quick. He knew exactly what he wanted to say.

MRFF's Testimony Before the House Armed Services Committee Cancelled

ADDENDUM::Pat Robertson loses it after Air Force nixes ‘God’ oath for atheists: ‘How can they fly?’

So, just how far will the Reich go in defending a policy that violates the Constitution? Let's take a look at some of the recent oratory by two of our favorite RWNJs.

First up, Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association who last week in response to the Creech Air Force base situation stated this,

The Air Force is doing exactly the right thing here. There is no place in the United States military for those who do not believe in the Creator who is the source of every single one of our fundamental human and civil rights.

Serving in the military is a privilege, not a constitutional right. And it should be reserved for those who have America's values engraved on their hearts.

,,,

[O]ur military exists to uphold and defend our Constitution, and the Constitution in turn identifies the "unalienable rights" the Declaration refers to that our government is obligated to protect.

These rights do not come from government, they do not come from the commander-in-chief, and they most certainly do not come from some activist judge. They come from God himself. We are not evolved, as this wannabe-enlistee believes, but we are "created," and "endowed by (our) Creator with certain unalienable rights."

This is an absolutely foundational, non-negotiable, bed-rock American principle: there is a Creator - with a capital "C" (you could look it up) - and he and he alone is the source of the very rights the military exists to protect and defend.

An individual who does not understand and believe this has no right to serve in the U.S. military. Military service should rightly be reserved for those who believe in and are willing to die for what America stands for - and what America stands for is a belief in God as the source of our rights.

A man who doesn't believe in the Creator the Founders trusted certainly can live in America without being troubled for being a fool. But he most certainly should not wear the uniform.

The other branches of the military do not require the same oath - yet. But they should. Military service should be reserved for genuine Americans and genuine Americans, like the Founders, believe in God.

[Notice Fischer's reliance on the Declaration of Independence.  A typical revisionist ploy as the DOI holds no legal value in the laws of our country, something I have written about before.]

Now today, we have the head windbag of the Reich lashing out at Mikey Weinstein, "a left-wing radical" and MRFF, "a group about people against religion or whatever he calls it."

Although the American Humanist Association had represented the airman, Robertson on Thursday blamed Military Religious Freedom Foundation President Mikey Weinstein for the movement against religion in the armed services.

“There’s a left-wing radical named Mikey Weinstein who has got a group about people against religion or whatever he calls it, and he has just terrorized the armed forces,” Robertson opined. “You think you’re supposed to be tough, you’re supposed to defend us, and you got one little Jewish radical who is scaring the pants off of you.”

“You want these guys flying the airplanes to defend us when you got one little guy terrorizing them?” he asked. “That’s what it amounts to.”

“You know, we swear oaths. And ‘so help me God,’ well, what does it mean? It means with God’s help, and you don’t have to say you believe in God. You just say, ‘I want some help besides myself [with] the oath I’m taking.’”

The televangelist concluded that the entire situation was “crazy.”

“What is wrong with the Air Force? How can they fly the bombers to defend us if they cave to one little guy?”

So why do I bring this up? Two reasons,,,

What the ayatollah Pat Robertson fails to mentions, MRFF also had 17 Air Force clients facing the same situation as the gentleman stationed at Creech. As the legal representative of those 17 airmen, MRFF wrote to the DoD on their behalf. This is not a personal crusade by Weinstein or MRFF, it is Weinstein (and MRFF) doing their job protecting the interests of their clients.

Remember the hearings mentioned in this article?  Well according to a source well versed in this situation "the Republican-controlled Armed Services committee just canceled tomorrow's hearing at the last minute, saying it will be rescheduled, citing 'a late change in the legislative calendar.'

Now bare in mind as of this writing (7PM 9/18/2104), the six remaining hearings are still on the schedule which seems to contradict this report,

It’s official: The House is closing up shop until after the midterm elections.

Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s office announced Thursday there will be no votes on Friday and said the four-day session originally scheduled to begin on Sept. 29 has been canceled, pending Senate approval of the continuing resolution that passed the House Wednesday.

That means lawmakers will be sprinting to the exits — and the quick trip to the airport — after the close of business Thursday.

Which makes me wonder, is Congress so lazy, so self-absorbed that dealing with the issue of hyper-religiosity within the military (specifically the Air Force) means nothing to them. Which by proxy means they care nothing for the men and women in uniform that are hurt by their inaction. Or is "getting" re-elected more important.

Tough choice I know!

Oh and Pat, you may want to re-calibrate your hate meter as it seems to be failing you.  Nothing like letting your true feelings out, "one little Jewish radical."

Pat Robertson loses it after Air Force nixes ‘God’ oath for atheists: ‘How can they fly?’

Air Force’s mind-boggling violation: Members forced to swear religious allegiance - Salon.com

"The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States."

 US Constitution, Article VI, Clause 3
__

There is no easy way to summarize this article or the important role of MRFF in protecting one's (non) religious beliefs within the confines of the military; I will let the article do all the talking. But Lyngar hits it with his concluding paragraphs:

Declaring a serviceman a liar, cheat or a scoundrel because he or she won’t take a religious oath is an attack on that person’s honor. I know it sounds goofy to people who haven’t served, but honor means something to fighting men and women. This religious malignancy can’t be tolerated in a secular, nationwide fighting force unless you want to create an army of religious terrorists.

“When you tell someone they lack honor, because of your chosen religious faith or lack thereof it is no different than telling a person that they are stupid because of their skin color or sex,” said Weinstein.

This latest battle in the Air Force proves that America needs the MRFF. The military protects everyone, all of us, agnostic, gay, liberals, conservatives, swingers and Satanists. If only some people and faiths are deemed worthy of service and protection, the military becomes something else, something ugly and dangerous. America should never stand for this kind of intolerance and hate.

[For the record I am acquainted with and also correspond with a current staff member of MRFF.]

Air Force’s mind-boggling violation: Members forced to swear religious allegiance - Salon.com

Pt. 3a::Actually, calling Mikey Weinstein an atheist IS Defamation!

It is no wonder I never seem to get much accomplished, or I feel that way. So many sources for wonderful bits of news and opinion.

The following is from Paul Loebe of Rock Beyond Belief. He lays out exactly what defamation is, illustrating it with a statement from Dustin Chalker, MRFF Atheist Affairs Advisor. Then goes on to explain why Kelly's statement reaches the level of defamation.

Following that Paul highlights something that I believe is quite important for us non-military people to understand (pay close attention as to how he words it):

Contrary to what many think there is actually a war on Christians in the US Military. They are in this monumental struggle the same as we atheists. The radical extremist Christians are now attacking them the same as they are us. They are silencing and debasing the liberal Christians who are, themselves, fellow secularists. And, unfortunately, many of those Christian victims do not understand their legal rights and the regulations of the military in regards to religion. So when these non-radical Christians come under attack from these theocrats who are actively trying to transform our military into the military arm of their version of Christianity to whom should they turn for help? It appears to me that the Military Religious Freedom Foundation is the only organization that is available as a means to defend their Constitutional rights.

"It goes deeper than that. MRFF has been so successful in the past few years that these Christo-fascist groups have formed a coalition called the Military Freedom Coalition. They have mirrored their website to appear as if they are fighting to defend religious liberty when in actuality they are the same theocratic groups that help to undermine the Establishment Clause of the Constitution."

MRFF is not just "fighting" for atheists MRFF is fighting for those Christians who do not meet the standards of the theocrats who see the control of the military as part of their jihad. Both Kelly and the Dobsons have modified the use of the term(s) "atheist" or "atheism" to their advantage. It has become as a weapon to cause harm. Those that may be in need of the services MRFF offers may be hesitant to seek them out because of the false perception thereby not receiving the help they need. That is real harm.

Paul's conclusion IMHO says it all. We do live in a world of short attention spans.

We are a group of intellectuals and constitutionalists fighting against an ignorant horde of theocratic Christian supremacists who are brain-washed through sound bites. It is impossible to fight a fair fight of words in such an environment. We must use strong words of rebuttal in order to be noticed. If we lived in a society of people who had an attention span greater than 120 characters or 10 second sound bites, then I would agree with you.

It's why I don't mind getting sidetracked and taken down the numerous rabbit holes I seem to find.

Actually, calling Mikey Weinstein an atheist IS Defamation!

Pt. 3::No, Megyn Kelly, Mikey Weinstein Is NOT an Atheist | Chris Rodda

There is a reason I bring this we bit of "older" news up concerning the NDoP besides the fact that what Chris wrote was spot on in regards to Mikey. But that will have to wait till later (a part 4) as I was drawn to a few points she made in her current piece.

The crux of what Chris is arguing,,,

And how is Mikey supposed to defend himself against your "accusation" that he's an atheist without risking offending all the people in this country who actually are atheists? It's like President Obama having to defend himself against the "accusation" that he's a Muslim without sounding like he thinks there's something wrong with being a Muslim. That's what happens when people like you, Ms. Kelly, and your cohorts at Fox News turn a religious belief or ideology into an accusation -- it forces a person, whether it be our president or Mikey Weinstein, into the incredibly awkward position of having to refute what is a false statement about their personal beliefs while at the same time not wanting to offend the many people who really do hold those beliefs. It galls Mikey to feel like he has to add that "not that I think there's anything wrong with atheists" disclaimer to his saying that he himself is not an atheist. There is just no good way for him to say that without him feeling like he sounds like a racist following some statement about their whiteness with "not that I have anything against black people." It would be like "accusing" you, Ms. Kelly, of being a brunette, and you having to defend your blondness without risking offending every brunette who tunes into your show.

In other words, the word "atheist" or "atheism" is being used as a weapon to belittle and harass or worse. Chris continues:

Now, Ms. Kelly, Mikey Weinstein has made it abundantly clear, on too many occasions to count, that he is not an atheist, and that MRFF is not an atheist organization, and no matter how much more convenient it would be for Fox News if MRFF were an atheist organization, you just can't keep repeating your blatantly false claims that it is. Therefore, Ms. Kelly, you have just become the next lucky winner of one of those letters that MRFF's attorneys send to "journalists" who insist on lying, to remind you about that pesky defamation thing that, as a former attorney yourself, you should know all about.

Of course me being me, I had to go look at this letter and in that letter, this statement is made by lawyer Mathis, "Television broadcasts can be particularly challenging in that I think sometimes people re-publish statements as if they are true fact, when they are not,,,"

Me thinks Mr. Mathis was referring to something like this wonderful posting that happened to float across my feed as I was writing this up:

"An atheist organization is demanding that no uniformed personnel should be allowed to participate in a Christian organization’s National Day of Prayer event scheduled next week on Capitol Hill, claiming it violates U.S. Department of Defense regulations.

"The Military Religious Freedom Foundation, ironically headed by an atheist, Mikey Weinstein, claims that the event excludes non-Christians, and therefore amounts to little more than government-sanctioned Christianity, according to Fox News." 

So you see, we are not nuts, this shit is real and causes real harm!!

No, Megyn Kelly, Mikey Weinstein Is NOT an Atheist | Chris Rodda

Pt. 1::Megyn Kelly Joins In Mikey Weinstein Smear Fest - NewsHounds

Fox News provides a warm and sympathetic pulpit for Christians who feel that their First Amendment rights are being violated. But those who push back against what they feel are violations of the First Amendment's "establishment clause," by overzealous Christians, are targets of Fox's opprobrium. Mikey Weinstein, who is head of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, seems to have replaced Cindy Sheehan as Fox's number one persona non grata because of his advocacy for those, in the military, who feel that their religious freedom is being violated by those with religious agendas. Last year, Megyn Kelly, during a sneering interview with Weinstein, suggested that his group put Christian religious liberty "at risk." Thursday night, she hosted Dr. and Mrs. Pat Dobson (?) for a sweet, Christian attack on Weinstein who wasn't there to defend himself. So much for Kelly's claim to be "fair & balanced."

After showing treacly video of a guy asking his god to watch over the military and school children praying that - wait for it - their school department "selects a curriculum that is honoring to you," Kelly dramatically reported that OMG the National Day of Prayer has "come under attack from an atheist group" that "is now demanding that no uniformed military personnel be allowed to participate in this event claiming it violates Defense Department regulations." She introduced Dr. and Mrs. Dobson who are closely connected to the National Day of Prayer.

In prefacing her question to Dr. Dobson (formerly of Focus on the Family, now with a radio ministry) she cited how Fox nemesis Mikey Weinstein (Head of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, "challenges a lot of events." She summarized Weinstein's position. Dr. Dobson, former head of Focus on the Family who now has a radio ministry, Family Talk, dismissed Weinstein as just "one loud voice" and a "professional atheist" who is "paid a very large salary." He claimed that "national days of prayer are an American tradition" because a bunch of presidents "called for a National Day of Prayer." He praised the awesomeness of prayer gatherings on the National Day of Prayer.

Megyn Kelly Joins In Mikey Weinstein Smear Fest - NewsHounds

'Hate mail' brings out bomb squad

This is just pathetic, but yet "we" are the ones labelled as "fascist" and bullies,,,

An Albuquerque-based civil rights group got a scare after receiving a threatening letter in the mail that stated they only had half an hour before something bad was going to happen.

"This is the mailer for the end of the year that we send out for donations," said Mikey Weinstein, founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation.

Weinstein said the mailer sent back did not have a donation or even a Happy Holiday's greeting inside. Weinstein said his employee opened the letter, panic struck and he immediately called police.

Weinstein said the letter is clearly hate mail for the civil rights group. In it, the writer said the group's interests are idiotic, but it was the last line is what really shook up the employee.

"The last part says 'This letter has been treated to explode 20 minutes after opening,'" Weinstein said.

The writer ends by saying "Good luck."

'Hate mail' brings out bomb squad

The U.S. military has a problem with atheists - The Week

When an active-duty Marine was given a Marine Corps training document describing "potential risk indicators" commanders should look for to prevent loss of life among service members, he found one checkbox that didn't seem to fit. Among warning signs like substance abuse and prior suicide attempts was "lack or loss of spiritual faith."

Concerned that this was a discriminatory policy, the Marine notified the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), a nonprofit dedicated to keeping religion separate from the U.S. military. The organization, which told me that it plans to sue the U.S. Marines unless the government backs off this policy, says this is the military's latest effort to discriminate against service members who don't believe in God.

Advocates for the policy say the military is simply doing everything it can to promote emotional well-being among troops, especially in the face of its growing suicide epidemic. (Last year, the U.S. military saw more active duty soldiers commit suicide than die in combat — 48 of them Marines.)

"The whole concept of judging service members based on their spirituality is completely unconstitutional," says Mikey Weinstein, a former Air Force officer and founder and president of MRFF. "This country was founded on a very critical principle — the Founding Framers looked at the horrors that occurred throughout history by mixing religion and war, and they said, 'We're going to separate church and state.' And that means they cannot test for religion in the military."

The U.S. military has a problem with atheists - The Week