November 7, 2016 – MRFF Demand Prompts Immediate Removal of Sectarian Religious Calendar from Medical Clinic Check-In Desk

Mikey Weinstein, MRFF President and Founder, was contacted on November 5, 2016 by an active duty military client stationed at Wright-Patterson AFB (near Dayton, OH) regarding the display of a blatantly sectarian religious calendar at the base hospital’s Medicine Clinic B’s check-in desk.  The rolodex calendar was filled with daily sectarian religious quotes and exhortations such as:

He Who Shall Introduce Into Public Affairs The Principles Of Primitive Christianity, Will Revolutionize The World.

On November 7, 2016, Mikey contacted the Master Sergeant in charge of the medical clinic demanding immediate removal of the sectarian religious calendar on behalf of 23 MRFF clients comprised of Air Force officers, enlisted, and civilian personnel as well as veterans. 16 are non-Christians (including Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, practitioners) and 7 are Catholic or Protestant.  Within 2 hours the Master Sergeant thanked MRFF for bringing this issue to his attention and that the calendar had been removed from patient view.  Mikey commended the Master Sergeant on his prompt and appropriate response to this matter and MRFF’s lead client thanked MRFF in an email:

Within 30 minutes of my initial email to him early Saturday morning, Mikey responded and reached out to me. His actions on Monday morning were equally swift. The Medical Group responded and removed the offending calendar by lunch time on the same day.

To young enlisted & officers everywhere, as a (military affiliation withheld), I understand the unique circumstances imposed by the military and the rigid structural adherence to the chain of command. However, you should never feel you are powerless when your basic civil liberties are being trampled on by commanders, leaders, and co-workers at all levels. When the chain of command is impotent to solve a problem (or worse chooses to ignore it), the MRFF are there to protect you. They get results, they are the guardian of your First Amendment rights!