Tony Perkins, FRC: Former Air Force lawyer Michael Weinstein, who sued the U.S. Air Force Academy in 2004 for religious discrimination, has now taken a shot at the Pentagon. At Weinstein's request, the DOD agreed to investigate seven military officers for their appearance in a video for an organization called The Christian Embassy. Weinstein's group, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, charges that the officers violated the regulations that prohibit personnel from appearing in uniform during "speeches... rallies, or any public demonstration... which may imply Service sanction of the cause." The government's 47-page report concurred, finding the officers guilty of violating ethical policy. However, the report did not substantiate Weinstein's biggest claim that these men violated the Establishment Clause by lending their support to a religious entity. In fact, the report didn't even touch on the nature of the video; it simply reiterated that officers cannot endorse a non-federal organization while in uniform at the Pentagon. Although the report called for "corrective action," Weinstein is calling on Congress to hold oversight hearings. Disappointed that the DOD didn't reprimand the officers for "dismantling" the so-called "wall between church and state," Weinstein hopes to plead his case on Capitol Hill. It is an unfortunate reality that even cases like this, which deal strictly with military protocol, are used by Mr. Weinstein in disingenuous ways that violate not the Establishment Clause but the equally important Free Exercise provision of the First Amendment. See also: Officers' Roles in Christian Video Are Called Ethics Breach Tags: FRC, military, religous freedom, Tony Perkins To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
0 comments:
Post a Comment