Your e-mail to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation

Dear Military Religious Freedom Foundation,

I have been compelled to send this message after reading the position of Mr. Weinstein concerning the assertions based on fact by Franklin Graham on the murder and persecution of Christians in the Middle East. I find the position to be offensive, to put it lightly, and am deeply disturbed by the obvious disconnect between reality and the political posturing of your organization. Also, to slander Mr. Graham for his position goes far beyond attacking his character, but is an outright attack on the ideology of the majority of right-of-center Americans, like myself, and an attack on the vision of our forefathers. Your usage of the First Amendment to shield the radical position of your organization is atrocious and misguided, as well. If you can possibly condone the halting of our scrutiny of radical Muslims, yet ignore the dire condition of Christians abroad you are as much of a threat to the sovereignty of this nation as the enemies of ours who will only be satisfied when Israel and the US are utterly destroyed. This view that you have aligned with is not forwarding equality, but tolerance for the intolerant and a separation from the values of the founders which have been in place since this country’s inception. Your shameful accusations are treacherous and are in line with Hitler’s admonishment to Europe, lamenting the Muslims for having to deal with the “Flabby Christians”. I will vigilant in spreading the word to my friends and family to turn against your mantra of hatred towards Christianity which dares to challenge all of those who tell us we are not allowed to have a voice. God Bless America.

(name withheld)

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Dear (name withheld),

Thank you for your kind note. Here at the Military Religious Freedom Foundation we always appreciate hearing from our fans as well as our haters, most of whom have difficulty stringing together a coherent thought, and I see you’re no exception. In reading your note it is impossible to precisely determine what you’re talking about. However, I am always happy to take a moment to try to respond to ridiculous notes such as yours.

From the beginning you seem to be complaining about something in relation to the notorious Islamophobe, Franklin Graham and/or possibly his ongoing proselytizing effort, Operation Christmas Child. Since the Military Religious Freedom Foundation adheres to the principles of the Constitution and particularly the 1st Amendment, we were opposed to the Air Force Academy command using Federal funds to join this effort at Fundamentalist Christian proselytizing, even though it was cloaked in Christmas gift giving. We encouraged the Academy to make it a voluntary project coordinated by the Chaplain’s Office, that way as many cadets as wanted to participate could, but those who chose not to participate wouldn’t in any way feel coerced.

You may or may not be aware of the ongoing and pervasive problem of religious intimidation, coercion, predatory proselytization, harassment, discrimination, threats of violence and occasionally even acts of violence by Fundamentalist and Dominionist Christians at the Air Force Academy and throughout the U.S. Military; these actions target both non-Christians (including Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Pagans, Atheists, Agnostics, etc.) and Christians whom the Fundamentalist and Dominionist Christians consider “not Christian enough.” Because of this pervasive problem we wanted to make sure that “Operation Christmas Child” wasn’t just one more opportunity for Fundamentalist Christians to try to coerce others into supporting their cause. However, what has largely gone unreported is the Military Religious Freedom Foundations active support (for the second year in a row) of a program to get Christmas gifts delivered to needy children on the Gulf Coast whose families have been financially devastated by the enormous oil spill that followed the accident aboard and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon offshore drilling platform. Of course Fundamentalist Christian groups who actively work to subvert the Constitution don’t want to spread the news of the good work we do, they seek to only demonize us with half truths and outright lies.

One of the biggest lies in vogue right now among Fundamentalist and Dominionist Christian groups is the whopper that there is no such thing as the constitutionally guaranteed “Separation of Church and State.” Since you appear to cling to that lie, as well as the lie that the United States was established as a “Christian Nation,” allow me to provide you with three quotes that expose the reality that you have been deceived in this matter.

“Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should ‘make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,’ thus building a wall of separation between church and State.” -Thomas Jefferson

“The purpose of separation of church and state is to keep forever from these shores the ceaseless strife that has soaked the soil of Europe with blood for centuries.” -James Madison

“As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquility, of Mussulmen; and, as the said States never entered into any war, or act of hostility against any Mahometan nation, it is declared by the parties, that no pretext arising from religious opinions, shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.” – Article 11, Treaty of Tripoli, 1796, ratified by the Congress and signed by President John Adams, 1797, with the attached Presidential statement: “Now be it known, That I John Adams, President of the United States of America, having seen and considered the said Treaty do, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, accept, ratify, and confirm the same, and every clause and article thereof. And to the End that the said Treaty may be observed, and performed with good Faith on the part of the United States, I have ordered the premises to be made public; And I do hereby enjoin and require all persons bearing office civil or military within the United States, and all other citizens or inhabitants thereof, faithfully to observe and fulfill the said Treaty and every clause and article thereof.”

I find it both ironic and bizarre that you refer to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation’s position of defending the Constitution as “radical.” Both Mr. Weinstein and I served our nation honorably in the U.S. Military; Mikey is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and served honorably both in the U.S. Air Force as a JAG and in the Reagan White House, and I served honorably as an NCO in the U.S. Navy. Both of us took an oath to defend the Constitution, and both of us take that oath seriously. You consider it “radical” that we have taken our oaths seriously; would you have the men and women who serve in the U.S. Military seek out opportunities to subvert the U.S. Constitution? If so, you are a traitor to our nation and deserve to be treated as such!

There is one other point in your little missive that I want to take issue with. You seem to share Mr. Graham’s Islamophobic hatred. You defend him, despite his too numerous to count public statements that repeat ad nauseam vile hate speech directed at all Muslims. In supporting such bigotry you ignore the fact that thousands of Muslim men and women have served our nation honorably in the U.S. Military for generations. They have served honorably in numerous wars and armed conflicts on behalf of our nation and they continue to serve honorably today in Afghanistan and around the world. You would lump all Muslims together with those terrorists who attacked America on 9/11; however, this flies in the face of both reason and reality. But of course hatred and bigotry is NEVER rational.

In your note you mention the persecution of Christians in the Middle East. I’m not entirely sure what your point is. The Military Religious Freedom Foundation does not lobby or interfere with the U.S. State Department or foreign governments; of course that stands in contrast to Fundamentalist Christian groups who have sought to turn our military into one giant missionary effort to convert the citizens of Iraq and Afghanistan in direct violation of the law and military regulations.

Are you trying to make the ludicrous point that the Foundation is somehow responsible for the persecution of Christians in Middle Eastern countries? If so, the only thing I can tell you is that perhaps you should seek professional help for your delusions. However, I suspect that you are trying to use this issue to justify your own Islamophobia. Of course I would recommend you seek out professional help for that problem as well, but I’m realistic and realize you bigots are firmly committed to justifying your hatreds with your own twisted version of religion. Your hatred of Muslims obviously does not take into account all the years of honorable service to our nation countless Muslims have honorably rendered; however, bigots like you could care less about facts. Delusions reign supreme with bigots like you.

Finally, I want to address your decision to compare Mr. Weinstein to Hitler. This is a classic technique used by Anti-Semites. Anti-Semites go out of their way to blame everything on the Jews, even the Holocaust; and they never get tired of referring to Jews as Nazis and comparing them to Hitler. By using this comparison you show you hand clearly. You are an unapologetic bigot. I would not be surprised in the least to see you, dressed in a hood and robe, burning a cross in someone’s front yard, because that is what you essentially are – Klan. I wonder if your neighbors and co-workers know they are living and working right next to a rabid bigot, a man right at home with the Klan.

In conclusion I want to thank you for writing to us and exposing yourself as just one more morally and intellectually vacuous human being. I never cease to be amused with how our haters so readily expose themselves to be ignorant bigots and I always look forward to the opportunity to respond to imbeciles like you. So, thank you for that opportunity.

Have yourself a happy holiday.

Sincerely,

Akiva David Miller
Veterans Coordinator
Military Religious Freedom Foundation