My letter(s)/emails re Turner amendment to NDAA

From: (name withheld)
Subject: My letter(s)/emails re Turner amendment to NDAA
Date: June 26, 2023 at 9:42:17 PM MDT
To: “[email protected]” <[email protected]>

Mikey or Chris ….  You have my permission to republish as or if you wish but please withhold my name.  Thanks!  $$ on the way, too.  (Well, not $$ but $. All I have is fixed income.) (name withheld)

To:  Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ6)       
Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ3), Ranking Member, House Armed Services Subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations     
Sen. Mark Kelly, (D-AZ) Senate Armed Services Committee

 “I write to call your attention to an amendment by Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio, to the National Defense Authorization Act of 2024, (HR2670) and I ask that you work to see Mr. Turner’s amendment removed from the bill before it comes to the full House floor [or remove it in the Senate if the amendment survives the House.]

The amendment (on p. 17 of the text that I have) clearly targets the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), the leading advocate of separation of church and state in the military and for the religious freedom of all members of our armed services to worship (or not) according to their own conscience.

MRFF has repeatedly and successfully been a resource for underlings when superiors in the chain of command have unfairly used unspoken intimidation to warp the positive and good order aspects of military discipline to pursue personal religious agendas with their subordinates. To be blunt, these commanders have made it clear to their subordinates that career advancement in their chosen branch of service depends on allying with and adhering to the fundamentalist, arch-conservative Christian perspective and outlook. MRFF gives those subordinates some place to turn to help remove or deflect the extortionate pressure from a “higher-up.”

The net effect of Mr. Turner’s amendment is to make contacting the Military Religious Freedom Foundation a violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) and an offense subject to court-martial. This is utterly unacceptable.

 Full disclosure: I am a veteran of the United States Air Force, I am not a Christian, and I am a financial supporter of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF.)

 Thank you for your time. Again, please work to remove the Mr. Turner’s unconscionable amendment from the National Defense Authorization Act. I will be following this issue intently.”

Name Withheld
<MRFF Supporter>
Tucson AZ

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