**Prayer Before the Penn State-University of Nebraska Game Yesterday**

Dear Mikey,

Before the start of yesterday’s University of Nebraska-Pennsylvania State University game in State College, Nebraska assistant coach (and also an ordained minister) Ron Brown leads players from both teams in prayer for healing and recovery from the situation at Penn State. There were over 107,000 in attendance for yesterday’s game to witness this. Coach Brown, who has been at Nebraska for over 20 years, leads a prayer after every game—both home and away—for any players from both teams who want to participate.

It was an inspiring moment for the 107,000 in attendance to witness players from these two great State institutions come together for prayer.

(name withheld)

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Dear (name withheld),

Thank you for your service to our nation. It is, and always will be, greatly valued, respected, and appreciated.

Your knowledge of facts however, both current and historical, leaves a tremendous amount to be desired. I’ll begin with the complete factual inaccuracy of the assumptions and allegations contained in your email. Regarding your accusation pertaining to Operation Christmas Child (“…your latest escapade against the Samaritan’s Purse project that got my goat…”), you should be aware that the program continues unabated at the US Air Force Academy simply with the lead change as requested by MRFF from USAFA’s Command Structure to its Chaplain Corps. A change by the way, requested by MRFF, in order to follow clear direction recently ordered by the Air Force Chief of Staff (http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2011/09/air-force-schwartz-warns-commanders-on-religious-programs-091611/). Confirmation of this can be seen in this USAFA 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

The clear Missionary/Proselytizing purpose of OCC is discussed freely in the following video produced by Samaritan’s Purse; ‘The Greatest Journey’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=X1MNZvED3mw. If this one video by the parent organization of OCC is not enough for you to see the clear and unambiguous proselytizing purposes of OCC, please feel free to review the entire Samaritan’s Purse YouTube Video Channel located at http://www.youtube.com/user/SamaritansPurseVideo. This is obviously a program best administered/supported through the Chaplain Corps, not within the chain of command.

To be clear, MRFF doesn’t want to “Grinch” some toys out of the hands of children and, in fact, has engaged in several toy drives itself. Rather, through its assertions to the academy and other military commands, MRFF is trying to look out for children by assuring the most powerful military in the world doesn’t promote or disparage any religion, which, as history has shown us, can lead to horrific consequences for those, including children, who don’t belong to the “preferred” religion.

Assumptions and accusations based on factual ignorance reveal pre-conceptions and nothing else. This may create a cheap anger driven adrenaline thrill, but accomplishes nothing. As a proud Christian (Episcopalian) volunteer with MRFF, I find the easy willingness of many ‘holier than thou’ Christians like you to bear false witness against Mikey or MRFF to be quite disgusting and reprehensible.

In regards to your perfunctory ruling against what you perceive to be MRFF’s interpretation of the legal concept of the Separation of Church and State, your grasping at ‘historical’ straws is a very tired and common practice of those seeking government entanglement in religious matters and vice-versa. I find this practice to be legally abhorrent and particularly hypocritical when practiced by those who so often profess to be ‘Strict Constructionists’ regarding our Constitutional mandates. Are you a Strict Constructionists (by fact or by convenience) or not at all? I’d really like to know.

You state that “The framers and colonists wanted to avoid repeating that same experience” per England. You then go on to state that “their intention was never to remove God from the public square”. Your first statement is immortalized in Art. VI and Amend. I and I couldn’t agree with you more. However, you then construct a straw man and then seek proof of the negative contained therein. This is both remarkably lazy and intellectual dishonest. MRFF does not seek to remove God from the mythic public square, your straw-man be damned. The provision of a public forum/square where ideas can be discussed/debated by citizens, free of government interference, is fine. The advocacy or opposition (be it de jure or de facto) of what ideas are entered into that public square is clearly prohibited to the government.

I would also add my selections to your selective historical treatment of this issue:

*The Declaration of Independence contains 27 charges/indictments against the King of England, not one regarding government entanglements of religion.

*The United States has put forward two national mottos in its history; ‘E Pluribus Unum’ and ‘In God We Trust’. I personally prefer E Pluribus Unum (Out of many, one) for historical accuracy in this matter. E Pluribus Unum is a phrase on the Seal of the United States which was adopted by an Act of Congress in 1782. As such, it is much more reflective of the intentions of our founding fathers than ‘In God We Trust’, a phrase officially adopted in 1956 as the official motto of the United States and recently the subject to a U.S. House Bill. E Pluribus Unum was born out of the American Revolution and our independence from England. As a proud Christian (Episcopalian), I am ashamed that ‘In God We Trust’ was born out of fear and loathing during the Cold War…less than admirable Christian qualities. Episcopalians in the United States came into being when American colonial members of the English Anglican Church refused to swear allegiance to the British Crown during revolutionary times. I am proud of that fact and I’ll continue to follow the lead of the founding fathers of my Nation and my Church.

*A final personal observation and historical point on the ongoing importance and support for our constitutionally created SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC. I have always thought our Constitution came first and that a huge part of American Exceptionalism was based on our secular democracy. I think I read somewhere recently 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’. You may want to check this out, I think it appeared in a few opinion pieces, policy statements, and conservative think tank opinions. Either we believe in this concept, or we’re the biggest hypocrites on Planet Earth. We’re Americans, let’s be exceptional.

In summary, I read the following Constitutional mandate:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;…
…and I come to the conclusion that the Constitution clearly does not allow the government to do anything in regards to religion. Why does the government need to encourage or discourage anything in regards to religion? Providing a forum in the public square for debate of religion neither encourages or discourages. It appears obvious to me that our founding fathers were trying to make a point to the government here regarding religion…and that point appears to be leave it alone, drop it, ignore it, move on, the citizens have this one covered without you! Your use of the ‘Public Square Straw-man’ is simply an ill conceived and poorly executed attempt to discredit Mikey or MRFF, and is totally meaningless and ineffectual in regards to MRFF’s interpretations or actions concerning the maintenance and rebuilding of the “Wall Between Church and State”.

If you truly are a Christian in more than name, a defender of the secular democratic republic established in the Constitution, or both as I am, I trust you will reflect upon the false accusations put forward in your email. Furthermore, as a professed Roman Catholic, I would hope that continued harassment of MRFF’s clients (25,414 total/6,100 Catholic) for not practicing “the right form of Christianity” while trying to fulfill their military duties and obligations would also “Get Your Goat”. Please keep in mind that the ongoing harassment of Catholic and Episcopalian service members by evangelical Christian Dominionist elements in the military is a real, ongoing and daily event. Your false accusations of persecution on behalf of Operation Christmas Child or Samaritan’s Purse, on the other hand, is a figment of your demonstrably ill-informed preconceptions and imagination.

Your consideration of this information is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely, Your Brother in Christ;
Andy Kasehagen

p.s. By the way, since you went to so much trouble in initiating this conversation in oh so innocent a fashion by referencing the actions of Minister/Coach Brown, I wanted to ask you if you experienced the same pride in Christian expression over the individuals who kneeled toward Joe Paterno’s front door prior to kickoff? Was their relative anonymity and solace in apparent prayer more reflective of Christian values or was it simple idolatry? I’m really interested in your take and why you chose to share one example as opposed to the other with Mikey.

I would have taken your lead and done something cute like attaching a coupon for a discount lobotomy to this email, but I was afraid it would simply be redundant in your case.

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o, your co-author of your book was right—“His anger is never out of reach, foulmouthed explosions of bitterness are launched …”

Your interpretation of the separation of church and state is incorrect—that’s why there are still so many court cases brought before courts regarding what the term really means. The original framers—at the time of the writing of the Constitution and Declaration—were largely colonists who had left the days of being subjects of the King of England. In the mid-1700s, they were not that far removed from the days of Henry VIII, who had challenged Rome over his marriage, which led him to proclaim himself both head of state and head of the Church of England—putting both positions into one person. The framers and colonists wanted to avoid repeating that same experience. Their intention was never to remove God from the public square, and their Judeo-Christian heritage—originating in natural law as well—would guide them and be present in their creation of our experiment in democracy—even given Thomas Jefferson’s often cited quote before the members of that congregation. I’ve felt the rumblings of them here in Virginia rolling over in their graves at your misguided efforts, particularly efforts directed at an institution that gave you and your family so much. And I’m Roman Catholic …

If truth be told, it was your latest escapade against the Samaritan’s Purse project that got my goat … wouldn’t want those poor kids to get Christmas presents now would we?

Just to make sure there are no hard feelings, I’ve attached a coupon for you to get a free fifth of rum and Diet Coke—on the house. I remember how in your book you tell how you went to an official meeting at the Academy hung over from rum and Diet Coke. (D-i-e-t Coke?)

(name withheld)