your name

Dear Military Religious Freedom Foundation:

You’ve got it wrong.

It should be the Military Freedom From Religious Freedom organization. I cannot believe you actually exist – the epitome of what is wrong with this country.

(name withheld)

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Dear (name withheld),

Thank you for your service to our nation. It is, and always will be, greatly valued and appreciated.

At MRFF, we have no problem with the general concept of your suggestion. Freedom, by its nature, implies both the ability to do something, or not to do something.

I’m not sure by the subject line of your email what exactly prompted your suggestion. However, in the event your email was spurred by recent news coverage of the US Air Force Academy’s participation in Operation Christmas Child let me share the following:

MRFF has done nothing to stop OCC at the USAFA. Absolutely no one at the USAFA is being prohibited from participating in the OCC. USAFA even has an internal (meaning tax payer funded) element that can encourage participation in this or similar activities. You may have even heard of this organization that exists within all branches of the US military, it’s known as the Chaplain Corps.

MRFF’s Founder and President Mikey Weinstein stated as much:

Thursday, November 3, 2011

UPDATE: AFA backs away from toy drive that sparked flap

Weinstein said he’d be fine if the academy was backing a secular toy drive, or if the religious charity was promoted by chaplains rather than cadet leaders. But having leaders apparently backing the worldwide evangelism aims of Operation Christmas Child is inappropriate, he said.
http://www.gazette.com/articles/religious-127840-academy-christmas.html?pic=1

This position on the USAFA handling of participation in OCC which I believe was clearly and precisely stated by MRFF was quickly followed by the USAFA agreeing with MRFF 100% in a press release:

Friday, November 4, 2011

Academy responds to cadet community project — Community project will continue, led by Academy Chaplains

http://www.usafa.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123278819

MRFF’s goal is, and has always been, to uphold the military’s command structure constitutional imperative to be totally neutral on religious affairs. In fact, this imperative is of such significance as to require a very recent command directive from the US Air Force Chief of Staff:

September 1, 2011

Schwartz: Don’t endorse religious programs

Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz sent a service wide memo Sept. 1 cautioning leaders at all levels to balance the Constitution’s protection of religious freedom and the prohibition on government intrusion.

http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2011/09/air-force-schwartz-warns-commanders-on-religious-programs-091611/

Was this command directive:

a) Not clear;

b) Over 2-months old and difficult to recall;

c) Applicable to all US Air Force elements outside of the USAFA; or

d) Not able to effectively cut through an existing, and un-constitutional, command structure religious bias?

Thanks again for your service and your suggestion.

Sincerely,

Andy Kasehagen