sham organization

Published On: November 4, 2011|Categories: MRFF's Inbox|0 Comments|

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Dear MRFF:

Very disappointed in your organization.
Your organization is a SHAM.. you threaten the US AIR FORCE ACADEMY???? because they support a program to give CHRISTmas presents to children around the country and world.

OUR religion is not the US FLAG, (and I do love it,) But God comes first.

WE HAVE THE RIGHT AND FREEDOM TO WORSHIP AS WE PLEASE… AND OUR TRADITION SUPPORTS CHRISTMAS….

I will be working with a group to remove your tax exempt status…why? because you are not a religion, or non profit, you want to remove the rights of Christians to worship…

GOD, have mercy on your souls, you need it.

(name withheld)


Dear (name withheld),

Sham Organization?

Actually no, MRFF has both Articles of Incorporation and 501(c)(3) documents on file with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service…but feel free to disagree with us in your civil and polite manner, no matter how factually challenged that might be.

Threatening the US Air Force Academy?

Stop playing the victim card on behalf of the USAFA. I hear they’re big boys & girls there and they can adequately stand up to defend or change their policy decisions as they see fit (please see below).

God comes first?

Although I am a Christian (Episcopalian in fact and a direct line descendant of the founders of the Anglican Church of England), I always thought our Constitution came first and that a huge part of our American Exceptionalism was based on our secular democracy. In fact, I think I read somewhere that we’re real concerned about and supportive of SECULAR democracies forming in the Middle East in the wake of both U.S. military action (Afghanistan & Iraq) and the ‘Arab Spring’.

I also recall hearing about some sort of sworn oath members of the U.S. Military are required to take:

“I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.” (Title 10, US Code; Act of 5 May 1960 replacing the wording first adopted in 1789, with amendment effective 5 October 1962).

Hmmmmmm, God doesn’t appear to come first here. It looks to me like God is in more of a supporting role here.

On behalf of MRFF, I’d like to respond to your apparent assumption about our objection to the US Air Force Academy’s COMMAND STRUCTURE SUPPORT for the Samaritan’s Purse ‘Operation Christmas Child’.

MRFF has done nothing to stop OCC at the USAFA. Any statement to the contrary both ignorant of actual facts and based on a wild assumption. Absolutely no one at the USAFA is being prohibited from participating in the OCC. USAFA even has an internal (meaning tax payer funded) element that can encourage participation in this or similar activities. You may have even heard of this organization that exists within all branches of the US military, it’s known as the Chaplain Corps.

MRFF’s Founder and President Mikey Weinstein stated as much:

Thursday, November 3, 2011

UPDATE: AFA backs away from toy drive that sparked flap

Weinstein said he’d be fine if the academy was backing a secular toy drive, or if the religious charity was promoted by chaplains rather than cadet leaders. But having leaders apparently backing the worldwide evangelism aims of Operation Christmas Child is inappropriate, he said.
http://www.gazette.com/articles/religious-127840-academy-christmas.html?pic=1

Was this statement:

a) Not clear;

b) Not included in whatever source you relied on to spur you to write to MRFF; or

c) Not able to fight it’s way past your preconceptions of MRFF’s actual goals?

This position on the USAFA handling of participation in OCC which I believe was clearly and precisely stated by MRFF was quickly followed by the USAFA agreeing with MRFF 100% in a press release:

Friday, November 4, 2011

Academy responds to cadet community project — Community project will continue, led by Academy Chaplains

http://www.usafa.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123278819

MRFF’s goal is, and has always been, to uphold the military’s command structure constitutional imperative to be totally neutral on religious affairs. In fact, this imperative is of such significance as to require a very recent command directive from the US Air Force Chief of Staff:

September 1, 2011

Schwartz: Don’t endorse religious programs

Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz sent a service wide memo Sept. 1 cautioning leaders at all levels to balance the Constitution’s protection of religious freedom and the prohibition on government intrusion.

http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2011/09/air-force-schwartz-warns-commanders-on-religious-programs-091611/

Was this command directive:

a) Not clear;

b) Over 2-months old and difficult to recall;

c) Applicable to all US Air Force elements outside of the USAFA; or

d) Not able to effectively cut through an existing, and un-constitutional, command structure religious bias?

Assumptions based on factual ignorance reveal pre-conceptions and nothing else. This may create a cheap anger driven adrenaline thrill, but accomplishes nothing.

We are involved in a cause that affects children worldwide very deeply, both today and tomorrow. Any assertion that MRFF has no care for children speaks volumes about the lack of understanding of the overwhelming historical importance of our cause. To allow the command structure of the most powerful military in world history to promote any religion would lead to potentially horrific consequences for any children not belonging to the “preferred” religion.

As a Christian, I long ago learned that God does take mercy on a sinner like me and my soul. I hope you are not implying that I need God’s mercy more than you. Christian-to-Christian I find that somewhat pretentious and extremely arrogant.

May the warmth and calm of Christian brotherhood be with you.

Sincerely,

Andy Kasehagen

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