BREAKING: AIR FORCE TIMES – Airmen can wish visitors at Robins a ‘blessed day’ again

Published On: March 12, 2015|Categories: News|23 Comments|

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MRFF FEATURED IN AIR FORCE TIMES COVER STORY

  • Remember that story earlier Thursday about the Air Force telling security forces they couldn’t greet visitors by telling them to have a “blessed day”?Never mind.Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, is allowing guards to say “have a blessed day” again after briefly stopping the greeting following a complaint from Mikey Weinstein, founder and CEO of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation.
  • The Military Religious Freedom Foundation will consult with its legal counsel to see if any of its clients are prepared to sue the Air Force in federal court about this matter, Weinstein said.”They talk about, ‘It’s a military base all of middle Georgia can be proud of;’ unfortunately, the Constitution to these people – and Air Force regulations – do not apply simply to ‘middle Georgia.’ They also don’t apply to Middle Earth. They apply to the United States of America and this is a vicious savaging of the constitutional protections that are afforded by the First Amendment along with Department of Defense regulations. The Air Force has not heard the last of this.” Read more

Read full article at AIR FORCE TIMES

Reprint by USA Today

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23 Comments

  1. Robert Barker March 12, 2015 at 9:43 pm

    So wish ’em back: “Good karma to you.”

  2. marian March 13, 2015 at 4:47 am

    This is Robins for ya.
    And this is bigger than “have a blessed day.” At nearly every event and employee outing, there’s a led prayer (many times initiated and performed by a supervisor). Then there’s all the proselytizing.

  3. Charles March 13, 2015 at 5:01 am

    Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech…

    Being able to say “Have a blessed day” is definitely free speech as well as potentially free exercise of religion. Your “freedom from religion” unconstitutional notion infringes both the exercise of free speech and of free exercise of religion.

    By the way, have a blessed day.

  4. Mrs Susan M Atkins March 13, 2015 at 5:47 am

    Our country was founded on the “majority rules” not the whiners win. Ya’ll have a BLESSED DAY!

  5. David Turngren March 13, 2015 at 6:55 am

    Mr. Weinstein,

    In the article you stated what if the gate guards said “‘Welcome to Team Robins, hail Satan!'”. Well, then your group would have a legitimate argument as this would be a reference to a specific faith and a proselytizing event. You would likely find a great deal of support for your efforts then. Be blessed brother. I’ll be praying for you.

  6. Shelley Neth March 13, 2015 at 9:26 am

    I am much more concerned with the inscription,Inc of Biblical passages on soldier’s weapons overseas, which horrified me on many levels. I plan on Co.rafting my congressman today to call for an end to such a flagrant violation of everything this country stands for. The ignorance, and its implications, just astounds me. Do we need to make sure those that join the military know our constitution, and the history behind it’s creation, before they can sign up to fight in our military? This is unacceptable. And I want to know why the government has allowed the Airforce academy to Continue it’s flagrant disregard for seperation of church and state? Why have they not been repremanded and stopped. All new leadership needs to take over.

  7. walter kade March 13, 2015 at 9:32 am

    If you don’t like don’t listen. If you don’t like the cross then it means nothing to you its just two sticks, if your so closed minded open it up, you might learn something(possibly)

  8. walter kade March 13, 2015 at 9:51 am

    Prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering with the right to peaceably assemble or prohibiting the petitioning for a governmental redress of grievances. Have a blessed day must be establishing a religion? What religion? I guess its wrong if the one using there freedom to say “have a blessed day” believes different than those receiving a blessing? Wow the act or words of a person who blesses, a special favor, mercy, or benefit:, “the blessings of liberty.”
    a favor or gift bestowed by God, thereby bringing happiness, the invoking of God’s favor upon a person: praise; devotion; worship, approval or good wishes: Ya I wouldn’t want somebody telling me that, wow imagine someone that really cares….

  9. mg March 13, 2015 at 10:31 am

    Susan Atkins, wrong. The USA is a republic. Therefore, the minority is NOT at the mercy of the majority. As a US citizen, you ought to know this. Yet here you are vomiting all over the keyboard about something you clearly don’t understand.

  10. mg March 13, 2015 at 10:35 am

    Mr Weinstein,

    If you need additional witnesses, you may contact me via the email attached to my username. I hope the lawsuit goes through. This crap has got to stop.

  11. mike56 March 13, 2015 at 11:20 am

    Freedom of speech means freedom for those who you despise, and freedom to express the most despicable views. It also means that the government cannot pick and choose which expressions to authorize and which to prevent.

    You are attempting to stifle the freedom of speech that is guaranteed by act of congress. If the saying “have a blessed day” is so harsh and so unforgiving and so emotionally disturbing, then you have more problems than that.

    You have the ability to do good, yet you waste it on an innocent saying that imparts no contract to have a blessed day, imparts no requirements to have a blessed day or to imply that you are now a member of any organized religion. Instead of focusing on a saying that isn’t meant to be offensive or objectionable, you should focus on making sure that each and every military member is allowed to practice in any manner or not practice in any manner that they chose.

    Instead it seems that you got your little girl panties in a wad because someone decided that they took offense to a simple greeting….and you tried to strong arm the base and the military to bend to your rules and your ideals.

    Put some big boy panties on and stop whining…..

  12. Yeshua Warrior March 13, 2015 at 3:20 pm

    Amen Mike 56! Mikey gets his panties in a wad over the most trivial things and those so called “Christians” who said it bothered them with Air Force personnel saying that to them, then I would assert they are not really born again Christians in the first place! No committed Christian would be upset with anyone telling them to have a blessed day!

    So Mikey,

    You have a blessed day and shalom!

  13. Merle Southard March 13, 2015 at 6:26 pm

    Heavenly Father, God of the Bible, I would ask of you to first bless our military leaders at Robins AFB for turning this around and restoring true religious freedom and the freedom of speech to our Gate Guards who help to protect this awesome Air Force Base. It was wonderful to go through the gates this morning and hear the personnel there giving the greeting of a blessing once again. Thank you Father and thank you Lord Jesus. i would also ask, that you cast out the wickedness that is in Mikey Weinstein’s soul, and that you would soften his heart to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and that you would ultimately and wonderfully save this man from his sin and from the wrath to come. Father, I even go so far as to plead the very Blood of Jesus upon this man, upon his life, and up ALL of his surroundings and circumstances. God, by your Holy Spirit, call out to this man until he can no longer resist… and may we soon come to know him as a brother in Christ… and I give you praise for all that you have done, are doing, and will continue to do for your children, and I ask all this in the name of your only begotten son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

  14. Dwayne Free March 13, 2015 at 6:28 pm

    I think it is perfectly fine to respond to the airmen that were “blessing” me with F*&k Off, isn’t it? Insult for insult. However, these uninformed children with guns would likely use their weapon in defense of their religious outreach.

  15. Dwayne Free March 13, 2015 at 6:31 pm

    Are the Security Police at Robbins trying to show up ISIS in their religious fervor backed by guns strapped to their sides?

  16. Joseph Stans March 13, 2015 at 6:36 pm

    It is amusing and a little scary when a Christian like Mrs Susan M Atkins assumes that “majority rules” is a license to oppress and quash anyone who doe snot agree with you.

    The constitution guarantees protections under the law for everyone whether we agree or not. As long gas you are compliant with civil law.

    Unfortunately an increasing number Christians like Mrs Susan M Atkins feel it is there right o have the government support their attempts an proselytization.

    I think that whatever you think of these “others” there are large number of them that disagree with you and, further consider you to be Un-American and a danger to the country.

  17. Gunther March 13, 2015 at 9:57 pm

    You may have lost this particular battle, Mr. Weinstein, but you still continuing to fight the war so that people are not enslave and control by our own religious theology.

  18. Windy March 14, 2015 at 3:55 am

    What I want, everywhere, is freedom from religion.
    You can have your religion, I just don’t want to be exposed to it.
    Particularly, I do not want if forced on me,
    Have a nice day is fine but you can put ‘Have a blessed day.’ where the sun doesn’t shine.

  19. Buzzramjet March 14, 2015 at 6:57 am

    Oh for goodness sake Merle take the idiocy to a mindless site where people believe in that imaginary friend in the sky.

    It is easy to spot the people hoping to turn America into The Christian Taliban. Robins AFB should NOT allow these religious freaks to be pushing their batsh!tcrazy religion by pushing that greeting.

    To say it is freedom of speech is a lie. THIS IS THE MILITARY not some religious freak church or robots from the local church, this is why the military should be one hundred percent prohibited from pushing this nonsense on people.

    WHY are only these religious freaks being allowed to be guards? What next? Only those who give the secret sign of being a fellow Dominionist given access to the base someday?

    I read the FB page these freaks put up and they make NO bones about this being a way to push religion as the guiding force behind the military.

    Is this what we want? Evangelical morons in charge of the military? Would a coup be far behind? Allowing evangelical generals to make decisions based on the local clerics determining who should now be attacked? Time to push the button to rid the world of non christian infidels? A religious 7 days in May?

    When I read that crappols about big boy panties this is a direct attempt to put down anyone who disagrees with these idiots swarming this site to promote America being turned into a religious dictatorship. This is not freedom of speech they are pushing, it is pushing a religious takeover of the military slowly but surely.

  20. watchtower March 14, 2015 at 10:30 am

    Well Mike56 and Yeshua Warrior it will be hard from adults to agree much due to your very immature language, e.g., ‘panties in a wad’ or agree with your opinion for the utter disgraceful slam to other christians who believe differently than you two.

    While I personally could care less what kind of day they want me have, blessed or good, I will admit they are free to say so. I’ve said ‘I don’t think thats going to happen’ after someone wishing me a blessed day so many times, the reactions are wildly different. Some would apologize and some would say “well excuse me” in a slighting derogatory tone or the proverbial “well bless your heart”, translation is YOU!

    In my opinion the best thing for everyone would be for the gate guards to say ‘thank you’ after the driver shows them their ID card, and then the driver should just say ‘you’re welcome’ and move on.

    Now, if you really want something to complain about read this:http://www.rightwingwatch.org/

    These people should scare the bajeebus out of everyone.

  21. chjb March 16, 2015 at 7:39 am

    Wendy’s statement is at the heart of all these issues. She said, “What I want, everywhere, is freedom from religion. You can have your religion, I just don’t want to be exposed to it. Particularly, I do not want if forced on me.” Thus offense then is perceived as coercion and any and all religious expression is defined as proselytization. Her desire for lack of exposure of religion then becomes constriction and oppression to the freedom hard fought and secured by the First Amendment. What is lacking in her sentiment is a lack of respect to others who feel differently. Her “freedom from religion” is also a world view she and others are seeking to push onto others. For those of a contrasting viewpoint, her push for “freedom from religion” is just as odious and heinous. Fortunately, our forefathers, who left a country where religious oppression did exist, wrote into our Constitution’s First Amendment the freedom “OF” and not “FROM.” “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” The First Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion (which was what many left when they came to this country) or impeding the free exercise of religion. It was adopted on December 15, 1791. Religion, speech, press, and the right to peaceably assemble are no longer freedoms if they are forced in some box where they don’t “bother” someone else. Respect goes both ways in dialogue and actions.

  22. Jim March 16, 2015 at 1:49 pm

    Why is there even an issue here? This is a military base, not a civilian installation. If the base commander determines that the standard greeting will be “Have a nice day” and orders the guards to implement the standard greeting, why isn’t that an end of the matter? This isn’t a free speech issue or free exercise of religion issue because base guards don’t get to say whatever they want when on duty and guard duty is not a religious rite.

  23. chjb March 17, 2015 at 2:58 pm

    Jim,
    I agree the base commander can establish a standard greeting. That is not the issue here. In this instance, the issue was someone being offended by what the security guard said and apparently complained without giving the commander a chance to work it. The one offended interpreted the greeting as being religious. Given Georgia, that may or may not have been the case. When MRFF engaged, did it not become a religious expression issue? MRFF’s statement reads, “dedicated to ensuring that all members of the United States Armed Forces fully receive the Constitutional guarantee of both freedom of religion and freedom from religion, to which they and all Americans are entitled.” The Airman could have simply responded thank you. Offense doesn’t equate to coercion that justifies a threat of litigation.

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