Boyd writes: "The first protest rally since the Vietnam era took place on Friday, March 8 outside the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA). This time the focus was not on the subject of war but on the pervasive Christian Dominionist indoctrination within the Academy in particular, and the military in general."
Boyd: 'Those who follow the increasing religious indoctrination within the armed forces wonder why the rest of the country isn't alarmed.' (photo: Sgt Rupert Frere RLC/PA)
The Defense of Freedom Begins in the Military
18 March 13
The United States Air Force Academy has been pushing its Dominionist Christian beliefs onto its personnel.
he first protest rally since the Vietnam era took take place on Friday, March 8 outside the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA). This time the focus was not on the subject of war but on the pervasive Christian Dominionist indoctrination within the Academy in particular, and the military in general. Over the decades, Colorado Springs - the home of the USAFA - has become ground zero for Dominionist Christianity. Perhaps there's something in the water. If not, it's most certainly in the air, for this is where Dominionist leaders the likes of James Dobson and the now-not-gay Ted Haggard cut their evangelising teeth with likely intent to Christianise our military.
Those who follow the increasing religious indoctrination within the armed forces wonder why the rest of the country isn't alarmed. That a nation so intent upon monitoring worldwide nuclear capabilities so willingly looks away from its own brand of religious extremists who are rooting for the end of the world - extremists who will one day potentially carry nuclear payloads on the planes - is tantamount to watching Nero fiddle while arsons set Rome on fire. If not for uber-watchdog Mikey Weinstein and his Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), the Dominionist Christian takeover of the military would be much further along.
Before writing the novel Being Christian, I spent several years tracking the modern marriage between the Religious Right and the GOP. The journey took me into mega-churches brimming with the desperate and gullible. I immediately knew I was witness to a culture-changing phenomenon that would not be going away anytime soon. To date, para-churches continue to spring up at a brisk rate, the inevitable result being that End Times demographics will ultimately dominate Christianity. The Religious Right is deeply funded, highly motivated and passionate, and their numbers increase daily. For low-information, poor or rural voters, their pastor is often their only source of information. For urban and suburban dwellers, the mega-church offers an enticing, feel-good, do-good community whose mission at base is about biblical inerrancy and End Times.
Before 2000, the electorate did not expect much less demand that candidates wear their religion on their lapels. Certainly, religion was an issue in 1960 when John F Kennedy warned against elected officials using "the engine of government to impose their religion on the nation". The George W Bush era introduced an unofficial religious litmus test via the social issues of abortion, same-sex marriage and stem cell research, a test that heightened with the entrance of Sarah Palin in 2008. As last summer's Republican primaries proved, any candidate who hopes to gain the Religious Right's substantial favour must necessarily campaign with Jesus at his/her side and once elected, he or she had better loudly support legislation that subscribes to the tenets of Jesus as Saviour if they don't want to be primaried the next time around. Today, every good campaign is riddled with the noise of dog whistle vocabulary, much of which still goes over the heads of John Q Public.
In continuing what has become an ever-growing list of Dominionist abuses within the military, the USAFA's most recent religious faux-pas involved the Jewish chaplaincy. In pointing cadets to the uncredentialed Orthodox Jewish site, www.JewFAQ.org, the USAFA Chaplain's Office was effectively directing students to Old Testament driven beliefs that reflect the kinds of fundamentalist teachings that only a religious extremist could love. Site disclaimers aside, when not likening homosexuality to kleptomania, JewFAQ.org trades in biblical nonsense, such as calling for the amputation of masturbating hands and for "death to the homosexual". With so many easily accessible sites about Judaism out there, that the USAFA Chaplain's Office chose this particular homophobic site speaks either to hurtful sloppiness or, more likely, to a deliberate intent behind the choice. Considering how deeply entwined the Academy and Extremist Christianity are today, such continual errant institutional judgment raises troubling questions. At the least, this latest incident continues the very real concerns about who the influencers behind choosing this particular site are as well as why the Academy continued to look away once MRFF brought the site's inappropriateness to their attention. Again, thanks go out to Weinstein and MRRF for bringing this most recent Constitutional abuse to the Academy's attention. It is because of his unrelenting attention that the USAFA finally removed the site, no apology for the offence included.
The issues at hand are manifold. Church/State separation aside, religion should be available to cadets and soldiers alike as a comfort, not a cudgel. Despite the elimination of DADT (Don't Ask, Don't Tell), many gay cadets remain closeted lest they risk public shaming. Believe it or not, the same thing goes for those who don't openly embrace the desired Dominionist beliefs, traditional Christians included. Additionally, by promoting Dominionist Christianity over all religions, the USAFA denies cadets the comfort each might get from his or her own religion. One young cadet who appealed to MRFF on this specific issue put it most eloquently:
I am gay, female and Jewish. I am not "out" either as a gay person or a member of the Jewish faith. Because if I was, life here would be much harder than it already is. It would be brutal. That's messed up but that's the way it is. My future in the Air Force would be clouded forever.
This was written by a young woman who signed on to defend her country, a country that, despite our supposed church/state separation, despite the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, supports individuals who seek to deny her her very humanity.
At its simplest, it is clear that the USAFA and other branches of our military have permitted and continue to permit - if not encourage - high-level End Times believing leaders who abuse their positions of influence and power by imposing their very specific top-down religious dictates. It is well past time to hold the military to the standards of the offices they are sworn to uphold as well as to the Constitution.
I say, thank whatever Lord you pray to that Weinstein and the Military Religious Freedom Foundation continue to act as sentries on the watchtower.
KC Boyd is a novelist and the author of the viral sensation, Being Christian: A Novel.
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Re. hope and change, OhBombAh's kicked us more than twice, so shame on him.
If he does veto it, my guess is that he is pretty sure his veto will be voted down and it will go on the books as Law -- to threaten us all until God himself takes this horrid Congress down. Where IS conscience in everything he has done in the past three years? And if he is indeed threatened, or in fear for his family -- not at all surprising -- then why does he not just say so and step down? Must he take America with him?
IMO, there's not a sincere bone in his body. Either he says he won't sign it but will, or will oppose it for the wrong reasons, (to make it worse) or to make himself look good (to the hopelessly naive) for awhile, so they can go back to sleep.
Don't buy any of this. Its a psy-opps, a distraction. The state wants these powers and its going to get it unless we give them something else to think about, (and no, not elections... sigh).
Thank you all for willingness to care to see through the garbage. With people like you amongst us, there's still hope.
NEVER VOTE REPUBLICAN !!
NEVER VOTE REPUBLICAN !!
This is a craven ploy, plain and simple.
Read Glenn Greenwald at salon.com.
According to Greenwald, Obama's objections have nothing to do with Constitutional issues over the rights of U.S. citizens.
Obama's argument is, essentially, that: it is not the role of Congress to legislate the President's authority to designate non-U.S.-citize ns AND/OR U.S. Citizens as terrorists or enemy combatants, to be detained indefinitely and without due-process by the military apparatus, because the President, without Congressional legislation, already has that authority.
His issue against this legislation, just as it would be for GW Bush/Cheney, is because of the idea that the President's existing executive power precludes -- or renders superfluous -- statutory authority, so he is making this threat as negotiating leverage for that concession.
Obama takes his blind, ignorant, apologist, fool supporters for granted.
He (and rightfully so) gives them no credit for intellectual capacity to realize the irrelevance of their opinions by standing by him and/or supporting (or not supporting) his decisions.
They are all mindless numskulls with nothing to say, nor do they stand for anything.
CTPatriot also uses a word that I have been meaning to use, but I keep forgetting -- to describe the Obama apologist's reaction to anything that triggers their Republican-fear ing (and I would say, lack of) sensibilities; the word is reflexive.
So even a Republican can occasionally do something correctly.
Or do you just so reflexively support him that you could care less about the actual meaning or outcome of his actions? If Obama does it, it must be good, right? How are you different from what we once called "Loyal Bushies"?
Not only do the GOP/TP want President Obama out of the W.H. BECAUSE he's a Democrat -- but there is no doubt in my mind that the GOP has racism in their agenda. Newt came right out and said he wanted to put the children in "those" districts (the working poor) to work as janitors helpers bc they have no role model! Other examples are clear.
When the African Americans fought for equal rights - they did not come in under "equal right protection" - but under something called "equal social right protection" - and you're smart enough to figure out the difference!
The war on drugs is designed to punish the black/Hispanic districts because I know white districts where the users/dealers are not told to empty pockets and even the drugs targeted by police are different (White = cocain) (Black=crack cocain)
Although we know the minorities have suffered more than other groups (e.g. jobs & houses especially) - they will not be the only groups to lose under GOP leadership - all of the 99erswill lose. That is 100% for sure because the GOP candidates have told us so. You just have to listen to them.
The GOP priority is not jobs
2012 - register early + mail-in ballots VOTE DEM VOTE OBAMA (BarbaraK)
Neither one of these corrupt parties is going to change that dynamic. The day you recognize that is the day you will stop spouting bullshit about "the art of the possible".
"It would require that terrorism suspects be held by the military, and either be tried by US military commissions or in some cases be held indefinitely.
The White House sees the provisions as a constraint on the administration' s ability to transfer prisoners from Guantanamo Bay to the United States, try them in civilian court, or even transfer them to foreign countries."
So they're blowing smoke, really. No veto for detention, just veto "if you don't play ball ABOUT HOW to detain" my way.
This passive-aggress ive stuff is what we have been used to getting from Obama. I saw the movie "Blow" last night for the first time, and it reminded me about how people in power play both ends against the middle, gerrymander their propaganda to look like they're gonna do something FOR the people, but...NAH...not happening.
Article a day or so again on RSN said it all: Obama' just not into us...for real.
N.
But the herd will buy anything if the $multibillion-p rofit news media says its so.
However this all represents hills and valleys of degree in the advance of the Police State -or Corporate ditto- it's all the same.
Ob's real test if he survives to be president with a decent majority, will be how he conducts his second term (Gawd forbid any of the current crop of chowder-heads on the right even comes close to being elected -but never underestimate the "Idiotocracy" quotient of the American once-every-four -years electorate!
Those who end their comments with 'Never Vote Republican' do not address the real problem. The real problem is and has been the uselessness and cowardice of the Democrats in Congress who are apparently just as corrupt as their G.O.P. counterparts. Only THREE Democratic Senators voted against the final bill here. The rest, including my own state's Boxer and Feinstein, voted with those who would throw away my constitutional rights.
I'm not voting for any Republican I can see at this point, but I am also never again voting for Democrats who betray our trust, and there are a lot of them.
"Sophistry" which Socrates used in his famous dialogues(writt en by Plato) to demonstrate the antithesis of Greek Ethics which is based on Universal Truth.
He's doing the daddy act. He's telling the country he can either make your life h*ll or he can give you paradise-and you'd BETTER choose the right side or he will punish you.
Obama is a slave that thinks he's the slavemaster.
Twenty dollars says there will suddenly be (Israel placed) an "uprising" here in America that makes obama reconsider.
Then he will drag this act back out, tell us we were naughty, and punish us.
Roosevelt,Kansa s City Star, May 7,1918
Remember who elected you and why.
We don't care if you're sincere or agree with us. We just want you to do the job you were hired to do. The repug party didn't hire you. We did. Do you want us to show up at the polls next year?
Stand OUR ground. This is bigger than you.
Nay IA Harkin, Thomas [D]
Nay UT Lee, Mike [R]
Nay OR Merkley, Jeff [D]
Nay KY Paul, Rand [R]
Nay VT Sanders, Bernard
Nay OR Wyden, Ron [D]
www.govtrack.us/congress/vote.xpd?vote=s2011-218&sort=vote
When there is a clause, as was in this defense bill, that Americans can be held without charge or trial threatened one of our basic fundamental rights promised in our Constitution.
But should read: It would require that terrorism suspects be held by the military, and either be tried by US military commissions or in most cases be held indefinitely if desired by the captors, all without the (supposedly) Contstitutional guarantees of Due Process of Law.
Never Vote Republican.
Mr. President Veto this Bill.
If you don't want a complete police state then get over your anger at Obama.
Him staying in office and voting out the republicans in house and senate is our only hope.
Give the guy some credit for trying. He is our only hope.
You don't think one of those bozo candidates would be better do you?