You are an idiot. I am quite sure you hear that a lot. You are no different than republicans, fighting every way that they can to retain some relevance. Your mission is outdated and not needed. As if tying the Air Force Academy with the inserection is not far fetched enough, you try to do so using Christianity? As if the Air Force was any more represented on 1-6 than any other organization and actually, if you were to use proper ratios as in per capita, they were clearly underrepresented. There were doctors, lawyers, CEO’s, police, fire, politicians and likely people from all work places in the capital that day. You are quite lucky people on the left can be such suckers and are stuck staring at your window and failing to look inside, because if they did, they would see a money hungry jewish man fighting christianity wrapped in his freedom blanket. So go ahead, pat yourself on the back for fooling a bunch of old people on the left, not everyone is a sucker and someday you will be left standing naked in that window (GOD bless us all at that sight). And I am fucking atheist .
BTW, stating everywhere that chrisitans make up a good part of the people that come to you for help is merely admittance that you know what you are doing is wrong. It is no different than racists that claim to have black friends. I hope you are sued someday for that sladerer that you clearly are, continually knocking an entire organization to try and line your fat pockets. I don’t know what kind of money you are paying for your press releases either, but you are clearly paying people off because they are horrible reads.
—
All the Best!
(name withheld)
Response from MRFF Advisory Board Member Mike Farrell
On Jan 12, 2021, at 10:09 PM, Mike wrote:
Hey (name withheld),
Your message was difficult to read and impossible to understand. I suggest your first sentence should have been ‘I am an idiot.’ That way we’d have been warned and could have readied ourselves for the task of slogging through the muddiness that seems to pass for thought in whatever universe it is that you inhabit.
Having nonetheless taken the time to dredge through your muck-filled screed in search of even something irrational but close to a statement or thought worth considering, I find myself in a quandary. Should I pretend to understand your incomprehensible gibberish or should I instead press ahead with a response to what I can only intuit based on an attempt to absorb some meaning from your scrawl.
So here’s what I get:
1) You’re upset about something about which you have absolutely no understanding. There’s no surprise there, as it appears understanding, like communicating, is not your long suit.
2) You lack comprehension of the mission and the functions of the MRFF. Again, no surprise. The MRFF is a civil rights organization dedicated to the protection of the freedom of religious or non-religious belief of the women and men in the military. That’s twenty-seven words, one hyphenated. Probably tough for you.
3) Though you claim to be non-religious, you are defensive of Christianity even though no one here is attacking Christianity or Christians.
4) You apparently draw some comfort in discussing ratios without any semblance of a point.
5) You either live behind n or believe others live behind windows.
6) You present “I am fucking atheist” as if it were a sentence that means something. It is not and does not. Should we assume ‘fucking’, in that usage, is an adjactive or a verb?
7) You mis-identify yourself as an atheist, if that’s what you’re trying to do. What you are is an anti-Semite.
Mike Farrell
(MRFF Board of Advisors)
Response from MRFF Supporter Steven Dundas
Dear (name withheld),
I am an associate and friend of Mikey Weinstein and the MRFF. I recently retired from the Navy Chaplain Corps as a Commander following a nearly 40 year career in the Army and Navy. I have served as a platoon leader, company executive officer, Nuclear Biological and Chemical Defense Officer, Company Commander and battalion, group and brigade staff officer before I left active duty to attend seminary in residence while serving in the National Guard. I became in the Texas Army National Guard in 1992, went the the Virginia Guard in 1995 before getting promoted to Major and moved to the Army Reserve in December 1995. I am a Christian Chaplain, an old Cold Warrior, Iraq and Afghanistan veteran. I detest the Chicoms and Putin’s Soviets.
I spent 34 years as a Republican which ended when I could no longer tolerate the racism, sexism, and xenophobia of the party when I returned from Iraq in 2008.
In 2018 while serving as a base command Chaplain I had a parishioner try to have me tried by Court Martial for things he alleged I preached in a sermon, which is constitutionally protect free speech even in the military because everyone in the congregation was there voluntarily, especially the retirees, of which my accuser was.
When I was informed out of the blue about the investigation I decided to contact Mr. Weinstein through whom I retained counsel. My accuser lied through his teeth, but I had to go through an investigation that was grueling. The investigating officer interviewed my entire staff, our volunteers and over half of the congregation in attendance. While no one supported or substantiated the accusers fantasy, I went through hell for preaching the Gospel, because it didn’t match up with the man’s political/religious ideology which was a completely Trumpified version of Christianity, for which the actual teachings of the Bible and 2000 years of Christian tradition were offensive and needed to be punished.
Thankfully because of Mr. Weinstein’s efforts and counsel the command was placed on notice that to go forward with lies was not a winning proposal. I was exonerated and no charges were filed. But enough about me, I felt it necessary to establish some “street cred” since you don’t know me from Adam or Steve, actually Eve but I do have a sense of humor, Adam and Steve, that’s a hoot don’t you think, especially since I am a Steve, but enough about me.
Let’s move on to you and your gigantically offensive letter to Mr. Weinstein. So before I decided to write you I did a little background checking on you and it actually appears that you are a pretty decent guy. The fact you say you are an Atheist actually makes me respect you. After Iraq My Faith was so shattered that I was at best an Agnostic hoping that God still existed to a practical atheist. That is tough to do as a Chaplain working in critical care and ICU settings. Even after faith returned in a much more inclusive and grace filled manner my long time religious friends including clergymen and chaplains abandoned me. Most of my best friends now are people who are outside the church, be they liberals or conservatives, but again I digress.
I looked you up with a service I use to identify the multitude of Neo-Nazis, White Supremacists, Trump Cult Members and violent theocratic Christians, of whom I was surprised to find that quite a few were USAFA grads or other Air Force Personnel.
If I had simply seen your Facebook page I would have assumed you to be a great guy. In fact you don’t seem to be a fan of Trump at all, have condemned the assault on our Capitol, and even if you are a conservative which is not entirely clear you appear to be a great person who I might want to have a beer with, and now comes the uncomfortable “but” followed by the pregnant pause.
You jumped the shark with Mr. Weinstein. Whether you are or not you came across as anti-Semitic and kind of ignorant of the events that have transpired at the Air Force Academy for the past couple of decades. Things that when I started my career in 1981 I could never have imagined. When I entered the military the Air Force and Navy were considered to be the most secular of the Armed Forces. But that changed in the 1990s when Chuck Dobson’s “Focus on the Family” moved its headquarters from California to Colorado Springs for tax benefits. They then with a number of other Evangelical Christian ministries began extensive evangelization efforts on campus, leading to two things, a large number of complaints from cadets and faculty members who felt that their religious and civil rights were being violated by officially the officially sanctioned Evangelical Christians missionary efforts which included clubs, and even classes taught with an Evangelical Christian emphasis, hardly deserving of a service academy. I am sure that if you were an Atheist student or faculty member being subjected to non-voluntary participation in exclusively Christian classes and activities. Voluntary associations even at service academies are perfectly fine, but when a a government institution becomes the vehicle for the propagation of any religious faith, it becomes something that our founders who first authorized the United States Military Academy never intended.
In my career I have watched the Air Force become the primary proponent of Christian theocracy in the United States military, most of it do to the Air Force Academy and its graduates who hold much power in the service, even occupying senior positions. If you followed Mr Weinstein over the years you would see this, but like I said you jumped the shark on this one. Air Force, retired Air Force, and former Air Force members were among the most violent and threatening terrorists on 6 January. That is not to say that there were quite a few law enforcement officers, and other military military members, active, former and retired.
But the problem is that the Air Force Academy has become a cesspool of Christian Theocracy. For the last twenty years serving in the Navy, with the Marines, and with Joint Commands I have been dealing with their theocratic officers. The last was when I taught Ethics and led the Gettysburg Staff Ride at the Joint Forces Staff College. I had many Air Force Officers, from Major to Brigadier General in my classes. Quite a few were Christian theocrats, and others their victims. I got to know these men and women up close and personal. I taught them, counseled them, and even drank beer with them. There were the true believers, the conflicted, and the victims. Since most of the “true believers” were USAFA grads I came to realize that there was a clear and present danger presented by these men and women. As the events on 6 January showed they were among the most violent of all of these insurgents and terrorists.
Mr. Weinstein does not represent or fool a “bunch of old people on the left.” Nor is he a “money hungry Jewish man fighting Christianity.” Mr. Weinstein believes in the Religious Liberty guaranteed in the “Establishment and Free Exercise” of the First Amendment and the Virginia Statute on Religious Liberty. They are the beliefs of Jefferson, Adams, Madison, Washington, which you would do well to study. One of my inspirations is the great Virginia Baptist and friend of Jefferson and Madison, John Leland. He is in large part responsible for the First Amendment and the entire Bill of Rights. Leland wrote:
“Is conformity of sentiments in matters of religion essential to the happiness of civil government? Not at all. Government has no more to do with the religious opinions of men than it has with the principles of mathematics. Let every man speak freely without fear–maintain the principles that he believes–worship according to his own faith, either one God, three Gods, no God, or twenty Gods; and let government protect him in so doing, i.e., see that he meets with no personal abuse or loss of property for his religious opinions. Instead of discouraging him with proscriptions, fines, confiscation or death, let him be encouraged, as a free man, to bring forth his arguments and maintain his points with all boldness; then if his doctrine is false it will be confuted, and if it is true (though ever so novel) let others credit it. When every man has this liberty what can he wish for more? A liberal man asks for nothing more of government.”
So, there it is. I ask you to take a looks at all the instances where the Air Force Academy, its leaders, and its graduates continue to crush the religious rights of non-Christian Air Force personnel and have embrace the theology of “Christian Dominionism” which is about establishing a theocracy where no person who does not subscribe to the hyper-Calvinist theology of the Dominionists does not get the rights of those who do back by the police power of the government.
Right now the FBI is still in the process of identifying the perpetrators of the seditious terrorist assault on the Capitol. Mr. Weinstein spoke the truth about that. I call on you to check your facts and offer an apology to the one man in our society who if you were victimized by people who attacked you and attempted to to violate your rights simply because you are an Atheist. Think about that. This is the Constitution and the fate of the Republic we are talking about, not some minor squabble about a Bible study. My God, your liberty is at stake because these people hate you as much as they do Mr. Weinstein.
Again, (name withheld), I don’t believe that you are a bad or evil person. With the exception of this email which might be something fired off in a fit of rage and not really reflective of who you really are. That is why I wrote you in this manner and didn’t call you a Nazi, Fascist, White Supremacist, or anything else. What happened on 6 January was horrible as you posted on your Facebook page. Men and women of goodwill have to see the greater danger and not make ad hominem attacks on the one man who protects the rights of people like you.
I just ask that you re-read and think about what you said, because it is soon to be all over the internet.
By the way I did not list your residence, phone number, family or business information in this email though I have all of them. I do not believe in trashing the reputations of people who might have made a mistake or poor choice of words in a heated moment. Think about that before you go about trashing the motives and reputations of others, especially those who would fight for you. Please do your research before making such ad hominem attacks.
Sincerely,
Fr. Steve Dundas+
Commander, Chaplain Corps, U.S. Navy (Retired)
Response from MRFF Founder and President Mikey Weinstein
…awwwww you seem upset little fella, hmmm??….say, what’s wrong….?…there, there now……are you still haunted by that little Jewish girl 2nd grader who kicked your candy ass on the playground when you were in 5th grade?? 🙂
Response from MRFF Board Member John Compere
On Jan 13, 2021, at 9:03 AM, John Compere wrote:
To “All the Best! (name withheld)” –
Your acrimonious and asinine anti-Semitic & anti-American attack against a fellow American, military veteran & USAF Academy honor graduate you do not even know reflects only on yourself & reveals a misinformed malcontent incapable of civil & coherent communication.
Your egregious email is an example of why the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (a non-profit constitutional rights organization) exists. We proudly & patriotically protect the right of military men & women (including military academy members) to determine, practice & enjoy their own beliefs (religious or non-religious) free from insidious interference by radical religionists who disrespect their right & impose uninvited & unwanted religious beliefs upon them in the military environment creating distraction & disruption. For your information, it is known as American freedom of belief provided all military members by the US Constitution & US Armed Forces regulations. It represents a sacred shield of personal protection – not a self-righteous sword of pious privilege.
The cause of the Anti-American anarchy & domestic terrorism attack on America’s Capitol was covered centuries ago by Enlightenment Philosopher VOLTAIRE – “Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities.”
Brigadier General John Compere, US Army (Retired)
Disabled American Veteran (Vietnam Era)
Board Member, Military Religious Freedom Foundation (over 80% Christians)
From: (name withheld)
Subject: Wrong Impression
Date: January 13, 2021 at 3:28:23 PM MST
To: Mikey Weinstein <[email protected]
To MRFF:I was greatly humbled today when having the opportunity to speak with Mikey. I was functioning with some ideas about MRFF that I let escalade to the point where I felt I needed to contact him. You see, I felt MRFF was attacking some of our country’s greatest institutions, our prestigious military academies. Mikey, to my surprise, did not cower, deflect, or ignore and took myself and my ideas head on, and boy did he ever teach me things I am happy to have learned. MRFF is actually part of the great institutions, not part as in partnered or working with, part as in family. I learned a great deal about the hate he and his family had to endure and continues to endure while pursuing his mission to help others (something that never even occurred to me). Mikey is not fighting to tear anything down, nor is he even fighting for himself, he is fighting for others in need of help to have their voices heard. No one, anywhere, especially the workplace, should be subject to anyone elses religious ideals or HATE and if you think it is easy to fight hate, you have not been personally attacked by the hate. If one of your job requirements is fighting hate, the best defense is to have a great offense, something I never considered when reading writings released by MRFF. I listened to an example of religious hate sent to Mikey/MRFF via telephone and it was all I could do to stomach it. The only question I had remaining after learning about Mikey, his mission and MRFF’s mission, is how did people recieve help from religious extremes and hate before MRFF existed? I shudder to think of the answer. So please, if you are a good person and have questions about what MRFF is doing, ASK. Everything Mikey and MRFF is doing appears to be greatly from heart, so again, whatever questions you may have, especially if you think MRFF is in any way bad or hurtful for any reason, ask. Chances are great, that you have the wrong idea(s), I know I did.
—
Best,
(name withheld)
Response from MRFF Supporter
To (name withheld):
I just read your turnaround email to Mikey. You are lucky to have spoken with him to find out the truth about MRFF. I found out about MRFF about 10 years ago and have been a supporter ever since. In your email, you asked what did people do before MRFF was established about 15 years ago. I think I can answer your question.
I joined the US Air Force a little over 54 years ago. At my first permanent base, I was supervised for office details by a staff sergeant, with me a lowly E-2. Learning that I was Jewish, he insisted that I attend his church. I refused. He then assigned me to clean the latrine. As I was working he would come in and tell me I didn’t have to clean the latrine if I came to his church. I refused again. Then he started to get abusive by telling me to stick my hand in the bowl to spit-shine it. I realized I could be stuck with this guy for my entire 4-year enlistment so I decided to put in for a transfer. Where in the world to get fast orders in 1967? I put in for Vietnam and got it. I got there in time to see the Bob Hope show a few days before Xmas.
Now, when I am about to turn 74, I still believe it was probably one of the best decisions of my life. That is why I whole-heartedly support Mikey and the MRFF. Believe me when I say the situations have gotten worse since my experience.
Thanks for reading.
Perry
“As if tying the Air Force Academy with the inserection is not far fetched enough, you try to do so using Christianity?”
It’s hard to respond to the above letter, as most of it is incoherent. I’ll just say this:
The word is spelled INSURRECTION and, yes, those at the AFA or anywhere else who participated in the actions of January 6 on Capitol Hill, or support them in any way, are guilty of insurrection.
I have to say that I was deeply impressed by Fr Dundas’ letter in reply to “Name Withheld” It was a beautiful balance of compassion, reason, and principle. Reminded me of Proposition 43, Book 3, The Ethics, by Spinoza. And I appreciated “Name Withheld” ‘s last reply. Ditto remembrance… Thank you. It gives me hope.