MRFF Advisory Board Member Marty France deftly responds to disparaging email from future USAFA cadet’s parents: “The disgrace of Air Force Academy ‘Notable Alumni’ Mikey Weinstein”

To: The Military Religious Freedom Foundation Staff and Board

My husband and I were just reviewing the Wikipedia Page for the Air Force Academy as our son will soon be entering with the Academy’s Class of 2026 and we were literally shocked to see that of all people Mikey Weinstein is listed there (as a Class of 1977 graduate) on that distinguished list with other respected and accomplished Academy graduates.

We have all heard about the infamous Mikey Weinstein for many years. From our local church activities and our community family values action organizations here in our home state. The only thing “distinguished” about Mikey is his total hatred for Jesus Christ and any of His followers. He is worse than Saul of Tarsus before he met the Lord Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus.

Being Jewish one would think that Mikey would have an extra motivation to not be viewed as only further worsening the age-old stereotype of zealous Jews persecuting Christ and loving Christians who worship Him. Especially in the Air Force.

That this truly evil servant of the anti-Christ would be honored by being on the Air Force Academy’s “Notable Alumni” list speaks very ill of the Academy.

My husband and I and our many supporters will be contacting the Air Force Academy to ensure that Mikey’s godless name is permanently removed from this so-called “Notable Alumni” list immediately.

Sincerely and with blessings from the Lord Jesus Christ,

Parents of a soon-to-be Class of 2026 Air Force Academy Cadet

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Response from Advisory Board Member Marty France

Dearest (name withheld),

First, thanks for writing, (name withheld)  As an advisory board member for the MRFF, I occasionally answer emails such as yours.  I have extensive military experience, having graduated from USAFA over 40 years ago and served for 37-plus years afterwards.  I’ve been active with the MRFF since its establishment almost 20 years ago.

Second, congrats to you son on his appointment to USAF.  I wish him the best.

Next, let me point out that Mikey and the MRFF, nor the US Air Force Academy, as far as I know, have anything to do with the Wikipedia covering USAFA.  If you have a gripe with that or other issues–such as Copernican heresies of a Sun-centered solar system or a (supposedly) spherical Earth–you address the kind folks at Wikipedia directly.  Again, the MRFF has nothing to do with any of these issues.  Frankly, Mikey was as surprised as you to find himself listed.  I, on the other hand, heartily agree that he deserves to be so cited.  Representing (now) over 70,000 clients throughout the national security establishment–thousands of them being current or former USAFA cadets, faculty, and staff–he’s defended the rights of Christians, Jews, Muslims, Atheists, and others to serve honorably in our military without fear of religious bias or discrimination.  That is notable.

I’m glad you’ve heard of him–that means he’s doing his job well.

On some of your other points, please provide any available verifiable evidence that he is an “evil servant of the anti-Christ.”  I’ve been to that Wikipedia page, too, Here it is.  Unsurprisingly to me, Mikey is not listed there.  Not only is there zero evidence of the Antichrist existing, there’s no evidence that, if he (or she) did, that they’re aware of or endorse Mikey’s work. I do, however, have many Christian friends who think highly of him.

Mikey may well be “godless,” as you so claim.  (His family is of Jewish heritage, but I don’t know his actual beliefs in detail–they don’t matter to me).  On the other hand, I AM a godless Atheist.  You son will run into more like me (spoiler alert:  our numbers are growing).  He needs to learn to deal with that fact.  He may also serve UNDER Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, and even a Wiccan or five.  Can he handle that?  From what I’ve read below, I’d say he’s as ill-prepared as someone who flunked sophomore year high school trigonometry.

If you think this “speaks very ill” of USAFA, then maybe your complete lack of awareness about USAFA, the military, Wikipedia, the Constitution, and most everything else suggests that you should avoid setting foot on the Academy in a few weeks for I-day.  You wouldn’t want your precious son to attend a school that (you and I think) considers Mikey a notable graduate.  That might even be sinful in and of itself.

And thanks for the personal blessings from the Lord Jesus Christ.  Did you get that directly from JC?  Via email?  Prayer?

Finally, please respond to this email.  My guess is, based upon your usage of a protonnet address, that you’re a coward, too, afraid to disclose your real identity.Yours in the Constitutional protections of all Americans

Marty France, PhD
Brigadier General, USAF (Retired)
Professor Emeritus, USAF Academy
USAFA Class of 1981 (Second to None)
MRFF Advisory Board Member

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Response from MRFF Supporter Richard Krakoff

Your email regarding Mikey Weinstein found its way to my mailbox.  You claim to have heard about the “infamous Mikey” for many years through your church and family values organizations.  You should expand your research before accusing Mikey of hating Jesus and his followers. Mikey and I were in the same Academy squadron and remain in contact today.  The years have unveiled the injustices he stands for and his courageous efforts to protect one’s ability to believe as they wish.   Your son will soon be exposed to beliefs and behaviors different than his own.  The military respects these differences yet must ensure personal beliefs do not cause prejudice, exclusion, or divisions.  The Academy, and the military in general, has allowed some religious groups to impose their beliefs upon others and to present them as not only better than others but the expected way to believe.  That may be good news to those who adhere to a specific religious belief, but is an injustice to those who believe otherwise or not all. Your son and family should be aware the Academy is not a religious school.  Your son deserves to have his beliefs respected, but not to the point that he should impose his beliefs on others, or others do the same to him.  That is what Mikey stands for.

Lastly, think about your statement about Mikey being Jewish and furthering stereotypes of Jews persecuting Christians.  Who is doing the stereotyping here?  Your bigotry is showing! Please, explain to how Jews have persecuted Christians through the ages.  Do they demand displaying religious symbols in public areas?  Did they shoot up churches as has happened in Pittsburgh and Poway?  Do they beat up people walking down the street for appearing as Conservative Christians?  Did they deny persecuted Christians entry into the United States?   For the greater part Jews – as do most groups in the United States – assimilate, contribute, and accept others.
 The Academy is a transformative experience.  I wish your son the best.  His experiences away from your church and what seems narrow “family values” organizations may change his outlook in unexpected ways. 

Yes, I support Mikey as a distinguished alumnus.  He has aided far more people than you realize. 

Your email has motivated me to make a further donation to MRFF; it will be in your name.

Richard Krakoff USAFA ’79

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Response from MRFF Supporter Wayne Erwin

Dear (name withheld),

I usually don’t respond to these “things” but you have motivated me into action.  In an effort to be upfront and to give you an excuse to disregard everything I’m about to say, I graduated from USAFA with Mikey in 1977, we were roommates a number of times, and he is one of my closest Academy brothers.  Also, I am not religious though I do try to “do unto others” admittedly with a few transgressions along the way.

Now to quickly mention something I think we can all agree on.  I congratulate your son on his appointment to the United States Air Force Academy.  It is an incredible honor, privilidge, and experiance.  I am not exagerating when I say that it is the greatest thing that ever happend to me.  I wish him the best and good luck.

Ok, now for another transgression – discussing religion and politics with a stranger.  Specifically, intollerance, which leads to a lack of compromise, both of which lead to cancel culture.  Again, not being religous I’m not sure of the relationship between Jesus Christ and tollerance but I thought there was something there.  Or maybe not which explains why you are practicing intollerance.  However, intollerance to me is a “cancelling” offense.

You might not like it but Mikey is a distinguished graduate of the Academy and his actions since graduation have been notable.  Just because you don’t want to say it see it or hear it, those honors can never be taken away from him.  I would love to bet you on the outcome of your attempt to cancel Mikey from the Academy’s Notable Alumni list.

However, that is in the past and the future is much more important, especially for your son.  That combined with the old saying “the fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree” brings me to my next topic – expectations about the Air Force Academy and the Air Force.

In your letter you said “speaks very ill of the Academy” and “Especially in the Air Force”.  The context of those words leads me to believe that you, and very possibly your son, believe the Academy and the Air Force are Christian religious organizations.  I have no confidence that you, and very possibly you son, will be able to handle the reality that they are not religious orgainzations but instead are non-denominational United States government orgainzations.

Have you two thought about what is going to happen when your son has one Academy roommate who is Black and a Muslim and another roommate who is Chinese and a Buddhist?  Is your son going to ask that they be removed from his room (i.e., cancelled)?  Or what happens when the squadron he commands some day has gays, atheist, Arabs, Muslims, Buddhists, etc., etc.?  Is your son going to ask that they be removed from his squadron (i.e., cancelled)?

Or will your son be a good enough person and a strong enough leader to be able to rise above his own beliefs (and your prejudices) and treat all of his brothers and sisters in arms as professionals and be able to effectively work with them to get the job done?  If he hesitates for one second before answering in the affermative, then it may be best if he does not attend the Academy.  Otherwise, he may very well have a short and disasterous career in the Air Force (a.k.a Dishonorable Discharge the ultimate cancellation) .

Cancelling is not the way to go,

Wayne Erwin

USAFA Class of 1977 (Prides Rides)

MRFF Contributor

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Response from Advisory Board Member Mike Farrell

Dear (name withheld),

Some members of the MRFF Board of Advisors, a volunteer group of supporters, respond to communications to Mr. Weinstein that he is either too busy to handle because of the hours he puts in protecting the rights – particularly the right to believe as one chooses – of the women and men in the military, or because said communications are simply so puerile, so ignorant, so callous, so pathetically malicious that they aren’t worth his time.
For the latter reason, though you may already have heard from others, I have chosen to respond to your ignorant and insulting message.
I’m surprised to hear that you and your husband were “literally shocked” at finding Mikey Weinstein’s name in the list of distinguished graduates from the USAFA class of 1977. In fact, he was that and remains an honored graduate. Any attempt by you and your husband and your many fascistic supporters to have his name stricken from the “Notable Alumni” list will be met with uproarious laughter and a curt refusal.

Perhaps the name Weinstein leapt out at you because of its Jewishness? Your inclusion of references to tired, ago-old anti-Semitic tropes suggest a certain antipathy on your part to those with Jewish names. Bigotry is a failing of many who pretend a superior attitude to disguise their personal fear, too many of them what I’ve come to recognize as faux-Christians, those who twist and weaponize Christ’s teachings in order to disguise their own personal terrors.

Be that as it may, your choice to associate yourself with a “local church” that spreads lies puts you at odds with the teachings of Jesus and exposes you for what you are. Whatever it is you present as “community family values action organizations” sounds suspiciously like a posse or the mindless mob in Washington on January 6th.

Please be clear. Threats are taken quite seriously here.
If your son is willing to abide by the laws, rules and regulations imposed on cadets at the USAFA, we wish him well. However, if he, too, is polluted by the rot expressed in your message I suggest he might best consider joining an alternative organization like the Proud Boys, the 3 Percenters,The Oath Keepers or other such neo-fascist groups.
Mike Farrell (MRFF Board of Advisors)

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Response from MRFF Supporter Mike Challman

Good Afternoon, (name withheld) –
I understand you’ve already heard from a number of my MRFF colleagues. If you don’t mind another perspective, then I have something to offer for your consideration. I am a lifelong and active Christian; 1985 graduate of the Academy; USAF veteran; Blue Star Dad of an active duty son; and longtime MRFF supporter. 
Interestingly, my first approach to the MRFF was also as a critic, though with less vitriol than you expressed in your email. Similar to what I gather your situation to be, I’d heard and read a lot of things about the MRFF that led me to assume it is an anti-Christian organization. But here’s the thing – that information came to me (and may have come to you) from communities and organizations that have a vested interest in delegitimizing the MRFF. Subsequently, I learned that I had been fed misinformation. The MRFF is neither anti-Christian specifically, nor even anti-religion more broadly. Rather, we are pro-Constitution. We never challenge any person’s religious beliefs, only specific actions or activities. Said another way, the MRFF fully supports the right of every military member to believe, or not believe, any religious tenet. This includes supporting the right of Christians to their beliefs. But we sometimes hear about inappropriate and unconstitutional actions by military leaders (at all levels) who, in their official capacity, promote one particular religious belief or non-belief over all others. These concerns are brought to us by military members who are reluctant to challenge their leaders directly. From my own experience at the Academy and in the Air Force, I understand that reluctance. This makes the role of the MRFF critical in the defense of the Constitutional rights of these military members. 
So, you may ask, why does the MRFF challenge Christian-motivated actions more so than anything other religion? With some chagrin, I can tell you that it is because overzealous Christians most often step on other members’ Constitutional rights. As a Christian myself, I can understand their motivation without condoning their actions. For the entirety of my own military service, I carried all of my Christian beliefs with me every day. It was the lens through which I viewed my role, it informed the way that I treated others, and it guided how I fulfilled my duties.  But at no time did I wave it in the face of my subordinates, nor did I use my position as a leader to “encourage” subordinates to consider Christianity.  To take either action would have violated the solemn oath that I took “to support and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
I don’t know how much more plainly and directly I can tell you, from my perspective as a fellow Christian, that the MRFF does not act out of a “total hatred for Jesus Christ”, is not “persecuting Christ”, and is no one’s “evil servant.”  We simply believe that all military leaders have an obligation to respect the Constitutional rights of their subordinates and ensure that the time, place, and manner of any personal religious expression is appropriate.
I wish your son great success at the Academy and  beyond that in the Air Force or Space Force, and I wish the best for you and your family.
Peace,
Mike Challman Christian, USAFA graduate, USAF veteran, Blue Star dad, MRFF supporter 

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Response from MRFF Supporter David Judson

(name withheld),

I will try to be brief, supportive, and pointed in my personal note to you.  For context of who I am, I am a bible-believing Christian who lives daily for Jesus Christ, but also sins daily.  I served in the AF for 20+ years as an officer and alongside two of Mikey’s family members for part of that career; I met Mikey in 2007.  I can assure you that their family believes deeply in the core values of our nation and defending those values for individuals that need assistance doing so.  That is what all who have served are charged with doing, just as your son will also do when he completes his education at the Academy.  Finally, I count Mikey and his family as friends.  You might be asking yourself, how can that be given the nasty accusations you made in your email to Mikey about who he is as a person, even though you have never talked to him to seek understanding for who he is or why he believes so passionately about what he does.  If you had, you would have context for why he started the MRFF and fights daily to reveal gross religious violations in our military.  His goal is not to abolish the religious beliefs of those who serve our nation, it is to ensure they practice those beliefs within the law, regulation, and policy that is established by our congressional and military leaders.  Here are a few things I offer you as you continue to support your son’s desire to serve our country.

1. Oath of Office:  Please read it – it’s serious and shouldn’t be lightly taken (Oath_Pamphlet_for_Officer.pdf (af.mil)).  Note, it is “optional” to say, “So help me God.” at the close of the oath.  This is important because not everyone who serves our country believes in the same God or any God at all.  BTW, Mikey’s work drew attention to this and was a catalyst for getting the “optional” words added.
2. Ultimate Cost:  the ultimate cost of serving our nation is found in the nearly 1.3M military deaths that have occurred since 1775.  I can assure you that those who paid the ultimate cost came from all walks of life, backgrounds, every religious belief, and yes non-believers as well.  Yet, they gave it all so you, I, and all other Americans can believe whatever we want to believe in a free country.
3. Lifting Up Others:  I have read countless nasty emails to Mikey where a self-proclaimed Christian says awful things to and about Mikey or his family and then signs it similarly to you; “…with blessings from the Lord Jesus Christ.”  I hurts me to see this because as a Christian, I don’t believe this honors my Lord and Savoir in any way, shape, or form.  Say nasty things and then attach His name to it.  Note what the Apostle Paul says in EPH 4:29 “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”  Your email is not good for lifting up and certainly doesn’t provide grace – it is accusatory and mean spirited.  

Mikey and I are friends and have vastly different beliefs when it comes to religious faith and that’s ok.  He and I have had some spirited conversations about our respective beliefs, where in the end we agree to simply disagree.  That said, we both get the opportunity to share and understand our points of view.  Dare I might say that we are both better people because of it; at least I am.  I am sure that God placed him and his family in my life to refine me and make me a stronger Christian.  ROM 8:28 assures me that he uses this for His good.  Without Mikey, I would not have the courage to appropriately share with others my faith in circumstances that before meeting him I wouldn’t have.  I am thankful to God that he used Mikey in this capacity.  Lastly, I still pray for Mikey and his family, and he knows that just as I will do the same for you and yours so that you will find more uplifting ways to share your faith.

Sincerely,

USAF Veteran of 21 Years

David L. Judson, Jr.

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