MRFF Featured by the Colorado Springs Independent – No problem with religion at AFA, retired general says

Hi Mikey,

Let me take some liberties two of the findings of this farcical report by editing them in red to reflect the truth:

“The general has spoken and the verdict, not surprisingly, is that the academy is not ready to address how it handles religious issues.”

“Based on our methodology and the allotted time, I assess the climate of religious tolerance at USAFA does not meet Air Force standards, and we need continue to drag our feet”

Is this some kind of joke? Did anyone notice that Generals Gamble, Cubero, and Wakin worked as Commandant, Dean, and Head of Philosophy and Fine Arts Department during the early to mid-1990s, when the minions of the New Life Church, both officers and cadets, were running unchecked destroying religious respect and tolerance at USAFA?

Did they not realize they were insulting our intelligence by assuring anonymity during their “private” sessions?

Were they being sarcastic by considering ONLY 100 cadets speaking a good representative number?

Are they that clueless by ignoring the fact that the vast majority of cadets would be hesitant to think it would be safe to talk to this charade of a team?

Did it even cross their minds to make members of fine organizations like the MRFF to be official members of the investigation?

Here is the official translation of some of these “findings”:

“Occasional cadet wing incidents have and, in our opinion, will continue to pop up involving a superior and subordinate, but we found that they were nearly always resolved, and usually at the lowest level” = “Occasional incidents will continue to be quashed at the lowest level, and we will continue our state of denial.”

“Reports of actual pressure to participate were rare and easily resolved by simply expressing that the invitation or speech was unwelcome. = “We refuse to believe that subordinates don’t feel any pressure when they are “highly encouraged” to attend unconsitutional events, such as the National Prayer Breakfast.”

“Of the few who say that problems still exist that remain to be addressed we found the context mainly centered around the Establishment Clause issues rather than the Free Exercise of Religion issues.” = “Establishment Clause? What’s that?”

“There were reports by faculty of feeling distressed about overt proselytizing and unwelcome religious conversation, and worries that religious affiliation could affect personnel decisions. But when this concern was pursued for details the examples were often several years old.” = “The concerns of the faculty were not important.”

“…we were unable to get a clear, consistent reading of all religious climate issues affecting permanent party.” = “We thought the permanent party would be stupid enough to think this was a serious, legitimate investigation.”

“Based on our interviews we suspect that in many cases the interpretation of “unwanted” may have been nothing more than a single invitation resulting in a polite refusal.” = “Single attempts of unsolicited religious approaches are OK.”

“Some religiously-devout cadets say that the climate is too secular and is overly restrictive of their free expression.” = “We need to try use this reverse-discrimination tactic to we can further stonewall by failing to address the concerns of the MRFF and other nuisance organizations.”

“Based on our findings the audience should not just be cadets, but should include faculty, staff, and leadership.” = “Notice we did not mention respected third parties such as the MRFF should be included in future training.”

“In my assessment, I believe that the only real threat to his effective endeavors continuing to be coherent is the threat to the exercise of good judgment brought about by over-reaction. Occasionally USAFA may still be buffeted by religious crosswinds, but… I recommend we stay the course.” = “Let’s continue to consider any concerns over the lack of religious tolerance and respect simply an overreaction.”

I tried to use some humor to highlight the lack of commitment by USAFA to address the concerns of cadets and permanent party. This negligence demonstrates a dangerous combination of arrogance, stupidity, disrespect, and ignorance that does not highlight the gravity of this situation.

At this point, I’m beyond disgust, but I see a ray of light knowing that the MRFF will never give up the fight.
(name, rank and USAF Academy Faculty Dept. and Position withheld)

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Hello Mikey,

I’m an Air Force Academy graduate and a current member of the Academy faculty.

Having looked over the 20-page Gamble Report aka “Assessment of Religious Climate at USAFA,” of 15 April 2011, I offer my following conclusions:

This paper falsely presents itself as an unbiased study of religious climate at the Academy. The entire 6-man investigative panel is loaded with previous Academy faculty and staff whom Gamble describes as “a panel of outsiders.” He immediately contradicts himself by admitting that the entire panel had “prior USAFA experience.”

And, you don’t do proper research with a self-selected sample – unless, of course, you are fishing for the answers you already want. If you want an answer which favors fundamentalist Christians, then by all means, sample only fundamentalist Christians. This entire study consists of interviewing a self-selected sample of 100 cadets and “more than a dozen” faculty members and staff from about a dozen different sects and religions. No doubt, well over 1/2 of their sample were self-selected Protestants.

This so-called Gamble Report is deliberately vague on how the CLR panel arrived at the sweeping conclusions that they could dismiss the complaints of religious intolerance were “virtually unsupported.” If the Gamble Report was honest about their sweeping conclusions, they would publish their actual data, the survey instruments, and their statistical analyses.

This study is pure whitewash – or may I say hogwash. I maintain my long-held opinion the Academy will do anything to avoid negative publicity, including disguising the truth in a bewildering sea of rosy legal-babble. .

Frankly, General Gamble, I expected better. This Gamble Report would be laughed out of committee as even as a master’s degree proposal. It doesn’t even make a good term paper

USAFA Graduate and faculty member