LEAVE OUR MARINES ALONE

Dear Mikey,

If that is all you ambulance chasers have to do, why don’t you go try screwing yourself. NJP isn’t warranted, must less more Mikey. Maybe you should try doing their job, Mr Whinestein.

(name withheld)

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Hey (name withheld),

Did you say ambulance chasers? How did you guess that one of our number, namely me,
chased ambulances in Vietnam during two combat tours of duty. Yeah, I chased them with my helicopter so that wounded air crew could get some medical attention. You must be clairvoyant. Also other MRFF volunteers were actually in the ambulances hoping to make it to the aid station in time to save their lives. One of our guys is a retired marine having participated in close personal combat in Vietnam in 1967/68. He lost a limb later in service to America.

Why there are enough awards, medals and ribbons at MRFF to cover an average wall including a slew of PHM’s, Bronze Stars, Air Medals, combat ribbons of all sorts and even a MOH.

You see, our job is to help guarantee all armed forces members freedom of religion in the military not just for wigged out Christians who want to emulate the Nazis, but every religion practiced. Jewish folks lost over 6 million of their men, women and children in the Holocaust. Do you think it’s fair for them to witness a reprise of that horror right here in the good old USA?

Millions of our greatest generation fought and died defeating the Nazis and Fascists including my Dad and older brother and we’ll be damned if we want to see that start up again here in the land of liberty. Mr. Whinestein, as you call him, is an Air Force veteran and his family gave over a hundred years of combined military service to America.

The SS symbol is a dead giveaway that some American service members would like to copy the brutality, discrimination, racial hatred and religious hegemony created by Hitler and his gang.

Well. mister, we ain’t gonna let it happen, not with them and not with you.

Next time it won’t be NJP it’ll be general courts martial if we have anything to say about it.

I’m sorry about not being able to screw ourselves as we are too busy being screwed by sideline cowboys such as yourself without even the slightest knowledge of what we do. It ain’t bad enough having to fight Neo-Nazis, we have to watch our backs for snakes like you who make it a practice to stab us in the back.

In closing let me say that maybe you should do our job for a while. Maybe you could save a young Soldier, Marine, Sailor, Airman, Coast Guardsman, Reservist or National Guardsman who has found himself in the grip of Dominionist Christian Neo Nazis. We’re dealing with nearly 27,000 complaints form these young military personnel and it ain’t pretty. Maybe we could send your note to them and let them know how some imitation American feels about their problem.

Not Too Sincerely,

Rick Baker
Former Air Force Officer and Rescue Pilot
20th Special Operations Group
Phan Rang RVN 1964-66

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Dear Sir,

Thank you for contacting the MRFF.

I see my colleague Rick has already answered your inquiry, but I wanted to give you a side note on his service, as he is too modest.

In addition to shot-down air crew extraction, Rick went in to extract Army Special Forces’ Special Operations Group and USMC Recon teams under fire.

During his two tours in Vietnam, he was wounded twice, and received the PHM (Purple Heart Medal).

As Rick told you, most of us have served, and many have seen action, up close and personal.

I estimate that 90% or more of our MRFF members, staff, and volunteers are veterans. We include active duty, Reserve, or retired, from all branches, holding ranks from PVT through Flag officer, with MOSs in all fields, (including combat arms), and representing service eras from WW II, Korea, Viet Nam, and on through Gulf I, OEF, OIF, and the present GWOT. Many have been decorated for wounds received in action and / or for valor with medals ranging from the Purple Heart, Bronze Star w/ V, Silver Star, and the Army, Navy, and AF Crosses. One holds the Medal of Honor.

Mr. Weinstein is also a veteran, albeit not of combat. He was an Honor Graduate of the AF Academy, and served for 10 years a JAG officer, including service in the Reagan White House as a Special Counsel. His family has over three generations of service, and a number of distinguished members of the US Armed Forces. His nephew is a GYSGT in the USMC, and recently returned from yet another tour in the Sand Box (Combat Arms). He is also a member of and supporter of the MRFF.

(I myself am a veteran of the USMC, with service that included close personal ground combat in several of the major operations in Vietnam in 1967 and 1968, including Operation Scotland at Khe Sanh (before, during, and after the Tet 1968 assault and the Siege, as a member of Combined Action Company Oscar), and later in another CAP unit in the Hue-Phu Bai area, during the mopping-up actions after Tet.)

As Rick mentioned, the mission of the MRFF is to protect the Constitutional right of all Americans, particularly those in military service, to believe and practice their religion without persecution or hindrance as long as they abide by the Constitution and applicable laws.

Neither Mr. Weinstein nor the MRFF is for or against Christianity or any other religion. On the contrary, as the name implies, it supports religious freedom and pluralism as practiced in accordance with the US Constitution and public law. Its founder, members, and supporters include people of many different faiths and belief systems, The MRFF staff is comprised of approximately 75% Christians of varying sects (including evangelical), 15% Jews, and 10% all others, including non-believers.

Currently, 96% of all MRFF cases are brought on behalf of professing Christians, mainly Protestants (which for MRFF’s purposes include all major denominations and LDS), followed by Catholics (including Roman and Eastern Orthodox).

The 4% balance includes other major world religions including Jews, Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs, and Pagans of various sects, as well as atheists, agnostics, and other free-thinkers.

However, the great preponderance of cases being brought to us involve abuses of authority and violations of the Constitutional guarantees of freedom of conscience by a specific sub-set of aggressively evangelical and radicalized self-describing “Christians” known variously as Dominionists or Reconstructionists, and who are increasingly entrenched in the military at all ranks up to and including flag officer.

They advocate the forcible overthrow of the US Constitution (in their own words; “By ballot or bullet!”), and the establishment of their interpretation of an Old Testament theocracy, complete with “Biblical” Sharia-like laws, which would re-institute slavery (including for debtors), make capital crimes of homosexuality, adultery, loss of virginity out of wedlock (for women only), women wearing red dresses, incorrigible juvenile delinquency, and not keeping a kosher kitchen (among other things), with public execution by stoning or sword, etc. They have been correctly described as an “American Taliban.”

Anyone not considered “acceptable” or “Christian enough” by these people if they gain power (as they could well do) would be forced to either accept their warped version of Christianity or die.

The MRFF supports the Constitutionally mandated requirements that there will be no established religion, and no religious test for office, as clearly intended by the Founders both in their words and documents, as stated below;

>
> “. . . no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.” (Article VI, Section III, US Constitution)
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> “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . .” (1st Amendment, US Constitution)

Our Constitution and Bill of Rights clearly states here that no religion is or shall be preferred over any other, or made the official state religion, and that free exercise of ALL religions shall not be prohibited. All have freedom of conscience – Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Pagans, or any other religion or creed – or no religion – have equal rights to practice (or not) as they choose.

That in effect means that there is and must be a “wall of separation” (in Jefferson’s words) between church and state, since to sponsor or favor any religion over any other would be a violation of the Constitution. Q.E.D.

Successive decisions by the Supreme Court have upheld these clauses, and determined that to be their intent.

We in the MRFF are ensuring freedom of conscience for the military, (and for the nation), by opposing the attempt by elements of a far-right wing, anti-democratic group of aspiring theocrats who call themselves “Christians” to impose not only their beliefs but their will and rule on the members of the US Armed Forces, as well as elected and appointed officials, and ultimately upon the nation and the world – and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what their ultimate goals are, since they have stated them many times in speech and writing, as clearly as Hitler did in Mein Kampf.

I hope this helps clarify your understanding of the MRFF’s goals. All of us are fulfilling the oath we took when entering service to “…uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” We took that oath seriously, and wrote our country a blank check on our lives for it – not for a flag, which is just a piece of cloth, not for a politician or party – and most definitely not for someone else’s religious beliefs to be imposed upon us or anyone else – but to support the best work ever produced by imperfect humans in an imperfect world – to the death, if the need arises. As noted, we still take that oath very seriously – as we do any threats to the country or that document, whether by foreign enemies or domestic theocrats. If the latter really want to live in a theocracy replete with Bronze Age laws and punishments – let them move to the best example of that in the modern world – Iran. They will only establish one here over my dead body.

I hope this addresses your concerns. Please consider going to our website and supporting one of the few organizations that supports the right of all Americans, especially our service men and women to worship (or not) according to their own conscience and belief.

Sincerely,

F. J. Taylor
USMC (Ret.)

http://sites.google.com/site/usmccaposcar