MRFF Client Response Re: MRFF Demands Air Force Base Gate Guards Immediately Cease Wearing “In God We Trust” Tab on Uniform “Thank you so MRFF for standing in the breech!”

From: (MRFF Client Name & Email Address withheld)
Subject: MRFF Demands Air Force Base Gate Guards Immediately Cease Wearing “In God We Trust” Tab on Uniform
Date: December 19, 2022 at 5:27:44 PM MST
To: Michael L Weinstein <[email protected]>

Thanks so much Mikey and team for such swift action. 

I have been  concerned that as a society we are not very good at calling out balls and strikes, therefore allowing  violations of protocols and civility to be normalized.  It seems that more and more in this political environment;  that we have to stand up fast and loud when we see something that we know is not right.  In the case of religion being allowed to invade our military, I recall an observation I made while being deployed to the Middle East.  I am a psychiatric nurse and had the privilege of working in the detainment facility.  I came to understand that the detainees there were much like us, but the one difference was that their allegiance was for their tribe, not  for their country.  They explained to me that their government did not have any compunction or responsibility for the care of the regular citizen and therefore the onus fell to their tribe of affiliation.  It then followed that getting the society to act as a unit was like herding cats as there was no unity as a citizenry.  They did not think of themselves as citizens of their country, they identified with their tribe.  Their tribes were based in their religion, and therefore their religious affiliation was a part of their identity that separated them from another tribe.

This observation about the government in this decaying country made me think about my own country.   I asked myself, what has made America such a strong democracy?    Pondering on this question led me to the following conclusion:  it was the profound revelation of our Founding Fathers to ensure division between Church and State.  Without having a legal  boundary, so many countries in history have risen to then fall when division has been sown in the ranks of those elected or appointed by something as simple as a personal choice known as ‘religion’.  Religious choice should only affect the person holding that belief, but down through the ages, example after example has demonstrated it is this ONE  tenet of society that has caused the most conflict and therefore lead to the fall of nations and civilizations.  
At that time, I thought to myself, at least my country, the United States of America, is impervious to strife because our Constitution; in its brilliance; foresaw the problems that could befall a nation.  Our forefathers, in writing this founding document; ensured the success of our nation with guidelines and rules that seemed to have an answer to all the potential pitfalls of the flaws of man.

 In the last few years,  my American smugness has come home to roost as they say; as America is being insidiously besieged by division, much of which has its seeds in ‘religion’.   I see how important it is to stand up and educate about the importance of the Separation of Church and State  due to my observations of how a country can so easily fall into decay if religion is allowed to dictate the direction and laws.  Our military represents our Constitution, and therefore any religious affiliation of our military has no place in a representative democracy.   The extremism of ISIS seemed outlandish when we first heard their brutality that was sanctioned by their dogma, but I now realize that it is not far from what we could see in our country if religion is allowed to be weaponized in the same manner.  

Thank you so MRFF for standing in the breech!

(MRFF Client Name & Rank withheld)