THE REPORTER (VACAVILLE, CA) – Despite ‘demand,’ nativity and menorah at Travis Air Force Base to stay

Selected Article Excerpts:

• After consulting with legal experts and with headquarters, Travis Air Force Base will not remove the displays.

• The Military Religious Freedom Foundation, according to its website, is a group “dedicated to ensuring that all members of the United States Armed Forces fully receive the constitutional guarantee of religious freedom.”

• Representing the foundation, Katherine S. Ritchey wrote a letter to Travis Air Force Base Commander Col. Dwight Sones.
  In the letter, she writes, “This conspicuous display of ritual objects is a clear endorsement of religion in violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, and must either be removed from the premises or moved to a more appropriate location on the Air Force Base to ensure compliance with the United States Constitution.”

• Meanwhile, a different display was added to the group Monday morning.
  According to Travis Air Force Base Public Affairs, an airman associated with an atheists organization asked to post a holiday card with the others at the intersection. Eventually this request was approved.
  At 1 p.m. Monday, the Military Atheists and Secular Humanists (MASH) put up a display that reads, “Stay safe for the holidays from the atheists at Travis Air Force Base — MASH.

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