MRFF FEATURED BY TRUTHOUT: CHURCH-STATE SEPARATION BATTLE RAGES IN CONGRESS, WHITE HOUSE
The Consequences of Legalizing "G.I. Jesus Tourette's Syndrome"
by Mikey Weinstein, MRFF Founder and President
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Selected Article Excerpts:
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...the U.S. military is now deeply mired in a complex web of crises attacking its good order, morale, and discipline. Sexual assaults against our heroic women in uniform have reached pandemic proportions. Weeks ago, USAF Lt. Col. Jay Folds, deputy commander of operations for the 91st Missile Wing at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, protested to his officers about the “rot” that permeates their ranks. In a shocking example of the extent of this rot, 17 nuclear missile launch officers were summarily removed from duty for incompetence.
- As stomach-turning as these examples are, the fiercest danger for our servicemembers looms ahead. This danger is not a “jihad” of exotic, international origin. Quite on the contrary, it is a homegrown Holy War emanating from belligerent fundamentalist Christian bigots in government who delight in fancying themselves as the prodigiously proselytizing foot-soldiers of a modern-day “Crusade.” The latest vicious whirlwind imperiling our servicemembers, and consequently our national security, comes in a two-pronged effort to implant “Religious Freedom” amendments in the 2014 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
- One of these attempts is a laughably absurd and breathtakingly idiotic amendment by Congressman Tim Huelskamp (R-KS) which takes direct aim at and specifically attempts to “rebuke,” well, me. This world-class cretin in the U.S. House of Representatives has cobbled together a 25-point, bulleted list of wretchedly out-of-context quotes which pathetically attempts to “expose, and possibly deter, future meetings between Pentagon officials” and, ahem, myself. Seriously, Timmy boy, get a grip. I like to call this one the “We’re Scared of Mikey Weinstein Amendment” - and it was actually passed by voice vote by the entire U.S. House of Representatives late last Thursday, June 13, 2013. What a sad collection of pitiable clowns. I am reminded of that great quote from Albert Einstein: "Only two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe."
- The other amendment, introduced and championed by yet another Constitutional derelict, Rep. John Fleming (R-LA), is far more troubling. Section 530 of the NDAA promises to hand over a colossal government-issued blank check to those within the United States military who seek to exploit and misuse their rank and uniform for their own parochial and brazenly unconstitutional Christian supremacist purposes. Section 530 would allow every bigoted slimeball within the American armed forces – the homophobes, Islamophobes, anti-Semites, misogynists, anti-Constitutionalists, fundamentalist/dominionist Christians, and/or all of the above – to be given absolute free rein to slither out of their stinking closets of putrid prejudice and spout their twisted, Christian-jihad poison. There would be one - and only one - genuine condition to this carte blanche feeding frenzy of "faith-based" racism, bigotry and prejudice. Ready to be shocked? That sole condition would be that justifications for this hatemongering exist on alleged theological or religious grounds of the one doing the abusing! There would be essentially NO time, place, or manner restrictions on military members proselytizing their subordinates for their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Thus, the aforementioned allusion to "G.I. Jesus Tourette's Syndrome." And thus, the roadmap to unspeakable chaos and bloodshed is assuredly writ large by the approving hand of the United States Congress. Spiritual rape run amok and unchecked by fundamentalist Christian legislative fiat? Once again I think of the Einstein quote.
- If Section 530 were to ever become law, our nation better get accustomed to the nightmarish prospect of a free-range, proselytizing “007 license to kill” being handed over to these same sickening religious bigots.
- Indeed, some unlikely allies share this grim outlook; thankfully, the White House is rebutting Fleming’s false claims and has correctly threatened to veto the amended NDAA:
The Administration strongly objects to section 530, which would require the Armed Forces to accommodate, except in cases of military necessity, “actions and speech” reflecting the “conscience, moral principles, or religious beliefs of the member.” By limiting the discretion of commanders to address potentially problematic speech and actions within their units, this provision would have a significant adverse effect on good order, discipline, morale, and mission accomplishment.
- But our work is not done. Far, far from it. Taking a page from Rahm Emanuel’s Machiavellian “never let a serious crisis go to waste” formulation, these profane, fundamentalist/dominionist Christian, die-hard enemies of the U.S. Constitution are also despicable political opportunists. They are clearly using the fast-developing NSA scandal to sneak exceptionally destructive amendments into the 2014 NDAA. They are arrogantly confident that their nefarious and wholly unconstitutional legislative legerdemain will escape the attention of the American people.
MRFF FEATURED BY
HUFFINGTON POST
MRFF Fully Supports Congressman Tim Huelskamp's 'Meetings with Respect to Religious Liberty' Amendment
by Chris Rodda, MRFF Senior Research Director
Monday, June 17, 2013
Selected Article Excerpts:
- On June 13, Congressman Tim Huelskamp (R-KS) introduced an amendment to the FY2014 National Defense Authorization Act. Huelskamp's amendment, with the heading "Meetings with Respect to Religious Liberty," was passed by a voice vote in the House.
- Congressman Huelskamp, in a press release on his website, made no secret that the sole purpose of his amendment is to stop one man -- Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) founder and president Mikey Weinstein -- from secretly meeting with military officials to help orchestrate the Pentagon's diabolical plan to hunt down and persecute all Christians in the military.
- Once the rest of us at MRFF finished congratulating Mikey on being so scary that someone had made him the subject of an amendment to a Defense Authorization Bill, we did stop laughing long enough to seriously consider what Huelskamp's amendment, if it does end up remaining in the bill and being signed into law, would actually mean.
- Despite Congressman Huelskamp's blatant admission that the sole target of his amendment is Mikey Weinstein, this amendment, should it be signed into law, would to apply to everyone -- not just to the object of Huelskamp's affectations.
- As Mikey Weinstein has no reason or desire to hide any meetings he might have with military officials, MRFF has no reservations whatsoever about supporting Congressman Huelskamp's amendment. The fundamentalist Christian organizations and parachurch military ministries that meet with military officials, on the other hand, might not be so thrilled with the prospect. But Huelskamp and his cohorts in Congress, the right-wing media, and certain so-called "religious liberty" organizations have never had a good grasp of the concept of things working both ways.
- Congressman Fleming has also introduced an amendment to the Defense Authorization Bill. Fleming's amendment, which calls for the "protection of rights of conscience" (of Christians in the military to trample all over the rights of everyone else), has already been objected to by the Obama administration, but that's to be expected when the president, in the words of Congressman Flemings's buddy Rick Wiles, is "not just a smooth talking, jive talking, street thug that talked his way into the White House" but is also "demon-possessed."
MRFF, of course, strongly objects to Congressman Flemings's amendment, just like our "demon-possessed" president. Congressman Huelskamp's amendment, on the other hand, has MRFF's full support!
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