MRFF's Inbox
May 13, 2009
Dear Mr. Weinstein,
My name is (name withheld), and I am a freshman at (college name withheld) College in (U.S. state name withheld). I am a subscriber to Harper's Magazine, and I recently read the article entitled: "Jesus Killed Mohammed: The Crusade for a Christian Military" by Jeff Sharlet. This article really opened my eyes to a lot of things that I hadn't known were going on. I was, of course, well-aware of the conservative side of the military, and the conservative nature of military academics like the Air Force Acadmy. However, I had no idea the extent to which this religious insanity went, and frankly sir, it terrifies me. The fact that our military is being infiltrated by people who openly admit that they are (at least in their own minds) under-cover, who openly admit that they believe Islam is satanic and Muslims are demonic makes me very afraid for this country.
I believe that with the election of Barack Obama, this country is really at a turning point on the world stage. I think that this is the moment when the US can rise up and be a pinnacle of tolerance, of acceptance, of freedom, of equality, or the moment when, should we fail to live up to these standards, there may be no turning back. The fact that there are men in our military who are preaching extremism makes me very afraid. I do believe, sir, that extremism in any form is dangerous, whether it be Islamic extremism, Christian extremism, political extremism. Moreover, I cannot help but see certain leaders in our armed forces as blind to their own goals: on the one hand claiming to fight the war on terror and religious extremism, and then on the other hand practicing such extremism themselves. Could such a scenario be any more ignorant or hypocritical?
I am not the kind of person who goes around telling people what to believe or how to believe. I have enough on my own "moral plate," if you will, to have time to worry about other people. Moreover, I find that the more you go after people's beliefs, the more extreme and set in their ways they become. However, if I see someone doing something that I see as life-threatening, with consequences that could span far beyond him or her and affect others adversely as well, I would like to believe that I step up and say something. I realize that I am a college student, that I have no voice, that I cannot change the military or the people in it. But, Mr. Weinstein, I see wrong, and I see wrongs and attrocities being committed that shed not one drop of blood. I fear for this country, that paints croses onto tanks and tells Arabs that Jesus is their savior.
I write to you because I believe in you. I do not know you; I could not possibly know you, after a short article that quoted you for a page or two. No, sir, I do not know you, but I believe in you. I want you to know that there are people out there who hear what you have to say and feel hope. I want you to know that the next time you receive a piece of hate-mail or some attack on you or your property, that you can think of me, and millions of other people out there who believe in equality and freedom just as you do, not the perverted kind of freedom that these military types talk about, but real freedom: freedom of speech, of thought, of belief.
I want to wish you the best of luck in every effort that you pursue, in every challenge that you take on. Thank you for serving your country.
Sincerely,
(name withheld)
