“Don’t Go There. Whose Side Are You On?” – Letter from USAFA Cadet and reply by Advisory Board Member and Nobel Laureate Bobby Muller

SUBJECT: USAF CHIEF OF STAFF GENERAL NORTON SCHWARTZ’S MEMO ON RELIGIOUS NEUTRALITY

TO: THE MILITARY RELIGIOUS FREEDOM FOUNDATION (“MRFF”) AND MR. MIKEY WEINSTEIN

Mr. Weinstein and the MRFF, my name is (USAF Academy cadets’s name, cadet rank and title withheld). I became an official client of MRFF just a day ago after personally witnessing the appalling reaction of my USAFA Cadet chain of command and USAFA Officer chain of command to Gen. Schwartz’S awesome memo dated 1 Sept. 11 on “Religious Neutrality”. I called Mr. Weinstein to verify the truth and existence of Gen. Schwartz’s memo and we spoke for a few minutes. I couldn’t believe it was actually him himself when he answered my call. I told this to other cadets and they called him too. He answered the phone call each time himself. He told us that the memo from Gen. Schwartz was very real and did exist.

For the record, I am a Christian (Protestant/Baptist) and occasionally attend worship services here at the Air Force Academy or elsewhere downtown. I only found out about Gen Schwartz’s memo because I saw and heard an officer and 3 other cadets saying some very bad things about you and General Schwartz’s memo, Mr. Weinstein, in the Fairchild Hall academic building at the end of last week. I was really shocked by the messed up things they said about you and the MRFF in particular, very personal and hateful. I googled as Mr. Weinstein suggested and had no problem finding out about Gen. Schwartz’s memo from some websites. Including primarily of course MRFF’s, but others like Air Force Times and the C. Springs Independent and the story by Chris Rodda on Alternet. The “cow milking” thing was pretty unbelievable to me and many of my classmates as all of this sad situation is here. Noone would believe it. But we do now.

This weekend I “informally asked” so as not to arouse suspicion, my cadet chain of command if I could verbally brief my ( USAF Academy cadet’s Wing/Group/Squadron designation withheld) about the Chief of Staff’s memo. I also asked, in lieu of briefing my (USAF Academy cadet’s Wing/Group/Squadron designation withheld), if I could post General Schwartz’s memo on the bulletin and message boards etc. located in my (USAF Academy cadet’s Wing/Group/Squadron designation withheld). I was told the following words exactly; “Don’t go there. Who’s side are you on”? Not knowing how to respond, and being shocked, I just said nothing. But the damage has been done and my eyes are now open to the religious bigotry of Christian bullies here at the Air Force Academy. I did not fully see it before. But I definitely do now. So do many of us. I discussed becoming a MRFF client with my mom and dad and another good friend who graduated from the Academy a few years ago. My friend (USAF Academy grad and Officer’s name and rank withheld) said that his/her Wing Commander at (USAF military installation’s name and location withheld) sent out General Schwartz’s religious neutrality memo to all USAF personnel in his/her Wing right after receiving it. Anyways, my friend and parents all encouraged me to do become a MRFF client and I’m encouraging others to do it too. Thank you Mr Weinstein and the MRFF for giving us a place to go for help. It’s clear that if you even ask for help here you are taking a bad risk.

Mr. Weinstein and the MRFF, what about an idea I have? If you wrote a letter to USAF Academy Superintendent General Gould and asked him to please send out the USAF Chief of Staff’s memo on religious neutrality to USAFA cadets and staff, do you think he would agree to it? If you can do this, please tell Gen. Gould that you have heard from many cadets in the Cadet Wing who want to see the Chief of Staff’s important memo being sent out by him, Gen. Gould. That way we would all know that our Academy and Cadet chains of command also see the Chief of Staff’s memo as equally important. If he doesn’t do it, we will all know just the opposite.

V/R

(USAF Academy cadet’s name, cadet rank and title and Wing/Group/Squadron designation all withheld)

Mikey,

As unbelievable as all this is.. I do believe it and get it. You know where I’m coming from. 40 years of my life were dedicated, full time and all out, to attempting political change in this country utilizing the political construct of the USA as we know it. There were some opportunities on the earlier end of my involvement but they have long since faded away. I can’t justify using my remaining time, energy and resources working a system that isn’t working anymore. I’m not giving up on trying to make this a better world, simply finding a potentially more effective way to do it. It’s not about facts, it’s about belief systems. Read enough books now to know that. By exposing the wrongful beliefs that motivate so many you are making the right kind of contribution to make this a better world and to give our species a chance to make it. I’m trying to support a shift that is going on from an era of “faith” to an era of knowledge. Quantum science is pulling the curtain back on what constitutes our “reality”. When you start to learn about phenomena such as “entanglement” and “non-locality” you start to see everything about life differently. We are coming to know that we are in fact all connected. It’s really stunning but more and more demonstrable. Hang in there my friend. What you are doing is hard, painful and an overwhelming challenge. You stand on the shoulder of many who have come before you and will carry on after you. Hey, if it was easy, everyone would do it.

ONWARD!

 — Bobby Muller (Nobel Peace Prize laureate, co-founder of the Int’l Campaign to Ban Land Mines. Other campaigns co-founded by Muller include the Nuclear Threat Reduction Campaign and the Campaign for Criminal Justice Reform)