Toys for Tots

Dear Military Religious Freedom Foundation:

What you guys did to Toys for Tots is absolutely sickening. No one was forced to participate. It was an honest attempt to help a worthy cause and now, children around the world who otherwise would have gotten an incredible gift will be left without anything because of your over-sensitivity to religion and pressure for political correctness. I cannot believe anyone who works with this organization can be proud of what they are doing and feel good about what happened. Absolutely sickening.

(name withheld)

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Dear (name withheld),

Toys for Tots? What? Maybe it was a bad day in the customer service department of On Demand Digital Paper. Your reading and comprehension skills are in need of some work. Please keep yourself safe from objects flying off of handles.

Assuming you actually meant to rant about Operation Christmas Child activities at the US Air Force Academy, I want to share the following with you on behalf of MRFF. Please take more care in reading and comprehending this than you displayed with whatever “news” source precipitated your rant.

MRFF has done nothing to stop OCC at the USAFA. Any statement to the contrary is 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 and accusations 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.

Your consideration of this information is greatly appreciated. May the warmth and calm of Christian brotherhood be with you.

Sincerely,
Andy Kasehagen

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Actually it was a very good day for me but thanks for your sarcasm. I’d already read the information you copied for me in your email and yes, I understand that you feel some (in my opinion) misguided need to save the world from our military’s promoting of a charity program for kids, simply because it is affiliated with a religious organization. However, I think in this instance what your group chose to do was absolutely petty. The world will not be a better place because of your uproar for the military’s promotion of that program. I believe in this instance your groups passion for a good cause was completely misdirected and is doing much more harm than good. Your statement that “MRFF has done nothing to stop OCC at the USAFA” is what is the flat out lie. When you restrict the promotion of an organization you directly hinder their ability to raise support for it. And just so you know, your arrogant attacks on my reading comprehension and basic intelligence did nothing in helping your organization change my opinion about the topic at hand or your organization itself. If your position there is to debate with people in a way that makes them dislike your organization even more, then they sure have the right guy for the job. However, if your role is to inspire any positive thinking about your cause whatsoever then they may want to re-think having you in that role. Btw, if you’re going to post my email on your website, you might as well put my name on their if you’re already going to give my company name and department I work in. And if you post this response below your email there you’re more than welcome to.

(name withheld)

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Dear (name withheld),

How can I ignore your reading and comprehension skills when you continue to speak of MRFF objecting to military involvement when we have so clearly demonstrated from day 1 that this has, and will always be an issue of Command Structure involvement as opposed to the Chaplain Corps.

The military is rigidly structured for a reason. There is a massive difference within the lower ranks when something is issued through the Command Structure as opposed to the Chaplain Corps. Your inability or unwillingness to understand this is reflected in your continued accusation that MRFF has universally objected to military participation in a program such as OCC. Your restating of this claim in light of the information I already provided may make you feel better by venting your misplace anger, but it has absolutely no factual basis.

Your original letter stated that “no one was forced to participate”. Yes…and no one was forced not to participate. I can provide no more clarity to soothe your temper.

Happy Monday to all of us working stiffs.

Sincerely and with warmest Christian regards,
Andy