BLAKE PAGE – Religious Freedom in the U.S. Military: When Courage Becomes a Duty

Published On: September 24, 2014|Categories: News|1 Comment|

Accessibility Notice

This post was created on the previous version of the MRFF website, and may not be fully accessible to users of assistive technology. If you need help accessing this content, please reach out via email.

Also published at Daily Kos and Alternet

This guest post is a slightly altered version of an e-mail that was sent to several specific Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) clients by my fantastic Special Assistant and Director of West Point Affairs, Blake Page. The original intention was not to publish it, but after reading this amazing message I knew that it had to be shared (albeit in a form meant for a broader audience, with sensitive personal details removed to protect anonymity). Fortunately for our intense civil rights mission, Blake has been on board with MRFF for the better part of two years as of today. In that time he has repeatedly proven himself to be an incredibly resourceful, responsible, and strong-willed fighter for MRFF who has made numerous sacrifices for this vital cause, sparing no effort to perform the needed tasks I’ve asked of him, even while fighting his own personal battles. Please note that the opinions expressed below are the personal views of Blake, and do not necessarily reflect the official position of MRFF.

– Mikey

Ladies and Gents,
I’d like to expound a bit on the topics of civic duty, patriotism, and courage. Each of those venerable qualities exists on a spectrum. Someone can claim to have fulfilled their civic duties by voting every now and then and paying taxes, while another exercises their civic duties by thrusting themselves into the fray of politics head-first. Someone can show their patriotism with a bumper sticker, while others show it by defending the constitution with their actions. Many people claim to be courageous for doing difficult things with the full support of those around them and our culture at large, while others show courage by doing what they know in their heart and mind is right without consideration of what might be thought of, said of, or done to them. Of course, most people find themselves at the center of a normal distribution in each of those spectra. What would a hero be if everyone could be brave?

We frequently hear from our clients that they cannot have their names known by their chain of command for fear of retribution. Mikey will assure each of you that he will gladly find himself in prison before violating your confidentiality (and I would gladly follow). Here is where he and I disagree though: I do not believe that fear of retribution is a reason to remain silent. From where I sit, it’s the only reason to speak up and be counted. If you are afraid your chain of command will punish you for rejecting theocracy, ask yourself what the punishment will be? Will they slow your career progression, give you an undesirable assignment, or publicly chastise you? Or are you afraid of what your peers will do? Perhaps they will sabotage your work or vandalize your property. If these people are so bold today, imagine how much bolder they will grow if things continue unimpeded. By soliciting our help from a safe distance you are moving in the right direction, but that move will be meaningless if you fail to follow through when needed. Inaction, in this case, is not a neutral position. Inaction in an environment that is hostile to the rights of non-Christians is an endorsement of Christian Supremacy.

Several years ago it was said that we should only fear fear itself. I’m not playing devil’s advocate when I say I disagree. If you show me someone who is afraid of fear, you show me someone who is afraid to step outside of their comfort zone. You show me someone who is afraid of fear and you show me someone willing to go prone and be trampled. You show me someone who is afraid of fear and you show me a human being unwilling or unable to take the necessary steps to fight for their rights and more importantly the rights of those that will follow them because it’s just too hard. Ladies and gentlemen, history is not written by historians, it is written by you and me in every decision we make, every day of our lives. Will you let history show that our generation was the pusillanimous mat that allowed a regression into theocracy, or will you show the courage to defend your children and your country?

So what will it take for you to stand up? Will it be the day that you are told by your command that Jesus is the solution to your battles with addiction? Will you be content to have your military sponsor the evangelism of one religion above all others? Neither of those things cause you any real harm, but here is what they actually do: they empower Dominionists. They show Christian Supremacists that YES America is a Christian Nation! Look anywhere and you can see our government supports the spread of Christianity! Of course we should consult the Bible before passing a bill into law. Of course it’s okay to berate a non-Christian subordinate! It shows them that we’ve lost, they’ve won, and our country has been conquered under the sign of the cross.  It shows leaders in our military and government that it is absolutely acceptable to disregard any non-Christian perspective because non-Christians don’t defend themselves often enough. It shows them that today it is satisfactory to have our compatriots discharged from the military for refusing to recognize someone else’s god and that tomorrow our marching orders might be convert or kill.

We are not so far removed from our past that a theocratic United States is an unfeasible future. The Constitution is just a set of ideas (poorly enforced and often disregarded) with no authority whatsoever if nobody stands to defend it. At the outset of this country, Americans committed a genocide against the Native American population. The United States supported slavery. It denied women suffrage. It put Japanese Americans in internment camps. There is one thing that each of these events have in common. Each of them was legal under the laws of our government. If those things typify what is possible under our Constitution, I have to ask if you feel that our future is secure. Each year, millions of dollars are spent in campaigns with millions of supporters to push this country towards theocracy. How far will it have to go to push you over the edge into action? Fortunately, for the time being, we are relatively safe. I’ve spoken out more times than I can count and haven’t had the slightest physical injury from it. I’ve been degraded and disrespected, lost friends, and been threatened, sure, but how much longer will that be the only cost of stepping up? It might seem like the smallest thing in the world right now, but if nobody stands up, everyone is run over together. I’m encouraging you to exercise your civic duties, demonstrate your patriotism, and prove your courage.

By asking you to follow through on seeing these issues resolved, I’m not asking you to do anything you haven’t already sworn an oath to do. I’m certainly not asking you to do anything I haven’t done a dozen times myself and wouldn’t do a thousand times again if given the opportunity. I’m asking you to use the system of redress already in place to see these issues resolved. If you need assistance in filing an EO or IG complaint, I’m more than willing to walk with you into that office as I’ve done before alone and with other MRFF clients. We can’t fight this in the courts until you dig deep and decide you care more about the liberty of your posterity than your temporary comfort. Feel free to give me a call or e-mail me at any time. Contact info is below.

Sincerely,

Blake A. Page
Military Religious Freedom Foundation
Special Assistant to the President
Director of West Point Affairs

The Military Religious Freedom Foundation is up against well-funded extremist religious organizations. Your donations allow us to continue our fight in the courts and in the media to fight for separation of church and state in the U.S. military. Please make a fully tax-deductible donation today at helpbuildthewall.org.Michael L. “Mikey” Weinstein, Esq. is founder and president of the six-time Nobel Peace Prize-nominated Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), an honor graduate of the Air Force Academy, and a former J.A.G. in the U.S. Air Force. He served as a White House counsel in the Reagan Administration and as the Committee Management Officer of the “Iran-Contra” Investigation. He is also the former General Counsel to H. Ross Perot and Perot Systems Corporation. His two sons, daughter-in-law, son-in law, and brother-in-law are also graduates of USAFA. In December 2012, Defense News named Mikey one of the 100 Most Influential People in U.S. Defense. He is the author of “With God On Our Side” (2006, St. Martin’s Press) and “No Snowflake in an Avalanche” (2012, Vireo).

Share This Story

One Comment

  1. Army Vet October 10, 2014 at 2:32 pm

    Well said and I have to agree wholeheartedly. I only wish MRFF had been around before I was retired out, as it would have been nice to have someone at my back when I took the issue of proselytizing by our battalion commander and CSM up the chain of command. I have to admit, however, that I was not particularly worried about reprisals. I kept good documentation of events: the who, what, where and how, as well as all email communications. It’s pretty difficult to justify negative action when the person you’re taking action against has good documentation and the will to use it to push further up the chain of command. I wound up having to push all the way up to the MACOM IG’s office, but the situation was fixed and my peers and those appointed over us didn’t have the desire to see how much further I was willing to push the issue because they knew the answer was ‘all the way’.

    When you find yourself in a situation where you’re being unwantedly proselytized, or other such situations, start and KEEP a personal log of the who, what, where when and how, as well as a list of any witnesses. Keep this log to yourself and have a backup of it elsewhere. Keep all of your email communications regarding the issue, both sent and received, and back up copies onto a thumb drive, CD or DVD. Keep out of trouble and never, ever be afraid to stand up for yourself. Bullies (fundamentalists who enjoy forcing their religions onto others fall into this category) tend to back down when confronted, especially when you make them aware that you are not willing to drop the issue and will carry it as far as you need to in order for the problem to be fixed. Go to your unit’s Equal Opportunity NCO/Officer and ask them to file a formal EO complaint, in writing. If they can’t or won’t fix the problem, use your chain of command’s ‘Open Door Policy’ and let them know you are willing to take the issue to higher command, all the way up to your branch of service’s IG’s office if necessary. And most definitely contact MRFF immediately so that Mikey Weinstein and his crew can have your back! No one should have to fight alone.

Leave A Comment