Message From MRFF President and Founder Mikey Weinstein
 Valued MRFF supporters,
The Military Religious Freedom Foundation has never been an organization which has shirked its duty to protect the brave men and women in the U.S. Armed Forces from the insidious juggernaut threat of an evangelical fundamentalist takeover. Towards this goal, we have utilized all possible platforms ranging from the legal front to a panoply of media tools in order to restore the shattered wall separating church and state.
The past month has been one of MRFF's most frenzied, active months since our founding. Not only have we kicked off the book-signing and speaking tour for my new book, NO SNOWFLAKE IN AN AVALANCHE: The Military Religious Freedom Foundation, its Battle to Defend the Constitution, and One Family's Courageous War Against Religious Extremism in High Places (Vireo, 2012), but the Washington Post
has agreed to begin running an op-ed written by yours truly twice a month on a regular basis. However, over the course of this last month the serious dangers posed by internal religious extremism to our core values and strategic interests have revealed themselves yet again.
As I write this, Afghan protestors have surrounded International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) bases throughout Afghanistan for the third consecutive day, hurling stones and molotov cocktails at the U.S. forces based there. 14 people have died in the violence, including two American servicemembers. President Barack Obama, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, and the commander in charge of ISAF operations in Afghanistan, U.S. Marine Corps General John R. Allen, have all offered their latest round of shamefaced mea culpas; this time for the disgusting act of piling copies of the Quran into a trash incinerator and burning them amidst base refuse.
While the office of President Hamid Karzai has demanded a public trial of those responsible for this reprehensible act, we at MRFF are demanding a deep and probing investigation of the internal culture of the U.S. military itself, which gave rise to such a hideous (not to mention foolishly careless) act.
Click here or see below for our statement on the matter.
Of course, General Allen called this latest act of hideous insensitivity towards the Afghan population "Unintentional" -- just like the "innocent" yet noxiously foul display of the Nazi Waffen-SS flag by USMC Scout-Snipers in Afghanistan, and the conspicuous act of naming a U.S. base there "Combat Outpost Aryan"(see below for more details on these sad episodes). These incidents (and the flimsy apologias offered by the top brass) beg the question:
how many "unintentional" insults and "accidental" displays contrary to the letter and spirit of foundational U.S. legal principles and values can be tolerated before we recognize that the ranks of the U.S. military are tainted by a wretched infection of religious exceptionalism, supremacy, and bigotry wrought from fundamentalist evangelical Christianity? Make no mistake, these sickening incidents are not "inadvertent," but the direct and indirect result of concerted efforts by a vocal group of extremists.
We at MRFF exist for the purpose of bringing such incidents to light and making sure justice is done, and we will unceasingly stand in defense of the U.S. Constitution, that thin red line which prevents the U.S. from devolving into a nightmarish tyrannical theocracy. As always, we are indebted to you for your support. Without your help, the resonant voices of over 27,000 clients in the armed services would not have been heard, nor would our frenetic media activism be possible. MRFF is proud to stand at the ready, at your service, in defense of the brave men and women in our armed forces, and in defense of the values which generations of servicemembers have shed their blood for.
Your Eternal Ally,
Michael L. "Mikey" Weinstein
Founder & President
Military Religious Freedom Foundation
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February 2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MRFF Contact: Bekki Miller
Tel. (337) 356-8696
[email protected]
MRFF STATEMENT ON THE MASS BURNING OF
QURANS AT BAGRAM AIR BASE, AFGHANISTAN
MRFF Denounces Culture of Religious Bigotry and Impunity Within
U.S. Mission
in Afghanistan, Calls for Swift Investigation of Quran Burnings
Thursday, February 23, 2012
The Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF : www.militaryreligiousfreedom.org) expresses our profound revulsion at the latest and, by far, most egregious expression of Christian supremacist chauvinism and exceptionalism aimed at the people of Afghanistan. The incident, a mass-burning of Qurans and other sacred Islamic material at Bagram Air Base, has had the predictable effect of exacerbating the already-volatile relationship between the United States and our regional allies while also dealing fatal blows to the already maligned reputation of the International Security Assistance Force mission in Afghanistan.
This latest outrage is the inevitable outcome of a culture of impunity within the U.S. Armed Forces whereby militant Christian fundamentalism and its attendant Islamophobic racism are coddled and nurtured, resulting in a near-total disdain towards internationally-recognized human rights norms and the values of the Afghan nation. It is no secret that the people of Afghanistan are a proud and deeply religious people, regardless of their attitude in support of or in opposition to the American role in the region. However, the events of the past month have depicted a pattern of surpassing arrogance and unprofessionalism on the part of U.S. military personnel in the country, ranging from the bestial act of videotaped Marines urinating on the corpses of dead irregulars, to the disgraceful display of the genocidal Nazi SS flag by USMC Scout-Snipers.
Incidents such as the foregoing pose a risk, first and foremost, to the lives of Americans serving in Afghanistan. For years we at MRFF have received reports detailing similar incidents which egregiously insult the religious sensitivities of the Afghan population and alienate them from U.S. efforts to establish peace in the region. Hard-fought struggles to gain the trust and confidence of the Afghan people are wholly negated when, as MRFF has reported in the past, local villages are used as the backdrop for fundamentalist Christian reality TV shows about evangelical missionaries preaching and distributing New Testament Bibles translated into the local Dari language alongside the U.S. Army. Indeed, the militant Islamist extremists’ primary propaganda tool is their depiction of the American presence in the region as one of "Crusader Occupation". By unceasingly bolstering this narrative, the religious extremists and anti-Muslim bigots within the U.S. military have ensured that U.S. service personnel will continue to pay the awful price for this illegal activity in blood.
As we at MRFF are fond of repeating, "any sufficiently advanced incompetence is completely indistinguishable from malice." The latest incident in this shocking pattern indicates a demoralization of United States service personnel that has been enabled by a culture which willfully denigrates the crucial strategic need for religious tolerance and respect for human rights, i.e. the foundational principles embodied by the U.S. Constitution which all servicemembers have sworn an oath to uphold. It is incontrovertibly clear that an activist clique within the ranks of U.S. Military leadership is hell-bent not only on sabotaging public perceptions of our mission in Afghanistan, but on causing onerous harm to the core values of the United States of America.
Disingenuous mea culpas excusing these hideous acts as "accidental" or "unintentional" literally strain credulity, and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta’s toothless and oft-repeated promises to launch investigations are now impossible to take seriously. The Military Religious Freedom Foundation repeats that the real-world consequence of this deeply ingrained and pernicious fundamentalist ideology is the loss of servicemembers’ lives and limbs. Thus, we immediately call on the Pentagon to launch a profound and comprehensive investigation of these extremely grievous offenses and to swiftly court-martial those responsible. The root of this ongoing crisis is the fundamentalist Christian extremist scourge within the U.S. Military. This tragic metastasizing trajectory has led to the sociopathic mindset that non-fundamentalist Christians are unworthy of basic dignified treatment as human beings and that their sacred texts, in this case the Quran, are undeserving of the slightest respect.
Michael L. "Mikey" Weinstein, Esq.
Founder & President
Military Religious Freedom Foundation
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MRFF FOUNDATION VOICE INVITED TO SPEAK AT FORT RILEY, THE HISTORIC "HOME OF AMERICA'S ARMY"*
On "Spiritual Fitness", the Supernatural, and the Constitution
by Pedro L. Irigonegaray, Esq., MRFF Advisory Board Member
Friday, February 17, 2012
Today I had the opportunity to speak before a group of soldiers from the “Fighting Sixth” of the United States Army at Fort Riley. The fort’s garrison, the “Big Red One”, carries the distinguished honor of being the oldest continuously serving division in the U.S. Army, having served in an unbroken chain of military campaigns dating back to the First World War. The rich history of this unit, which has been deployed across the globe for the purpose of defending our country from enemies both foreign and domestic, embodies the unbreakable devotion to this nation’s interests which are inextricably tied to the rights which we have inherited in the form of the United States Bill of Rights.... (read more)
*to learn more about the "Home of America's Army"/"America's Warfighting Center", which has played a key role in U.S. history since 1853, click here |
MAJOR MRFF VICTORY: NO MORE
NAZI
SYMBOLS FOR USMC
USMC Commandant James Amos issues official apology, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta pledges to launch investigation just one day after MRFF reveals photos to int'l press,
sends
letter demanding immediate investigation of Marines displaying
the
notorious, blood-stained symbol
Thursday, February 9, 2012
MRFF Demands that Marine Corps Leadership Immediately
Investigate
Usage of
Nazi SS Flag by Marines in Afghanistan
Friday, February 10, 2012
News coverage featuring MRFF:
NY TIMES - Panetta Calls for New Probe Into Marine Photo
CHRIS RODDA, MRFF SENIOR RESEARCH DIRECTOR - Those Marines Bought an SS Flag Without Knowing What it Was? Seriously? That's Your Excuse?
ADL.ORG - U.S. Marines And Defense Secretary Panetta
Praised
For
Response To Nazi SS Photo
ARMY TIMES - Amos sorry for Marine use of Nazi SS logo
MILITARY.COM - Panetta Orders 'SS' Photo Investigated
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
GUEST VOICE: KENT GOOCH, RETIRED USMC SCOUT SNIPER INSTRUCTOR – On the white supremacist, neo-Nazi roots of SS sig runes in the U.S. Marine Corps |
JUST IN! EVANGELICAL FUNDAMENTALIST RADIO SHOW "WALLBUILDERS" ATTACKS MRFF WITH BOYKIN AS GUEST
"Why Doesn't God Have a Place in Our Military, Anymore?"
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Detractors credit MRFF with wielding "shocking"
influence on
leaders in the military:
"Our guest today is General Jerry Boykin. Freedom of religion is under attack, not just
through out country, but also in our military. The Military Religious Freedom Foundation
has been working to stop expressions of religion by our military men and women. They
are beginning to influence the attitudes of leaders in the military to a shocking extent.
General Boykin was recently denied the opportunity to speak at West Point because of
their influence, denying him the ability to share Biblical messages about God and his hand
over our country. God has historically shown favor on our military men and women.
What happens when we no longer look to him for their protection?"
Click to hear audio
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MRFF FEATURED BY HUFFINGTON POST
Yes, There is a Base in Afghanistan Named
"Aryan," and it is Spelled "Aryan"
by Chris Rodda, MRFF Senior Research Director
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Selected Article Excerpts:
- When it came to light earlier this week that our military has a base named "Aryan" in Afghanistan, the DoD was quick to come up with excuses to explain it away. They claimed that it was the Afghan National Army, and not our military, who named the base; that it was spelled Arian, not Aryan; and that Arian is just a variation of Ariana, the ancient name of the region that includes Afghanistan.
- Wait a minute! The same military that just last week was excusing the use of the Nazi SS flag by our Marines by saying they were too historically ignorant to know it was a Nazi flag are now saying that our military members are such a bunch of history whizzes that it would be general knowledge among them that Ariana was the ancient Greek name for Afghanistan?
- MRFF has also obtained emails showing that an employee of the United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) alerted their chain of command months ago to this base being named Aryan, asking if a different name could be designated for the base and requesting to be provided with an explanation for the choice of the name. This request was ignored.
- Some of our American troops at this base started joking that Afghanistan was now an "Aryan nation" because it has a base named Aryan. The Afghan soldiers realized that our troops were taunting them, which started a shoving match that almost erupted into a fist fight, but was broken up after the first punch, which missed, was thrown.
- The name of this base needs to be changed immediately, and the military needs to initiate an investigation to find out who decided to name the base Aryan and who approved this name.
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"NO SNOWFLAKE IN AN AVALANCHE" BOOK-SIGNING TOUR
VIDEO: Mikey Weinstein Presentation and Speech
Mikey Weinstein presents his new book, "No Snowflake In An Avalanche: The Military
Religious Freedom Foundation, its Battle to Defend the Constitution, and One Family's
Courageous War Against Religious Extremism in High Places (Vireo, 2012).
He then answers questions from those attending.
This video was recorded at Page One Bookstore in Albuquerque, NM on February 15, 2012.
CLICK HERE FOR FUTURE BOOK-SIGNING EVENTS! Wednesday, February 15, 2012
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THE VOICE OF ALBUQUERQUE IS HEARD
Bookworks Bookstore Reconsiders Rejection,
Invites Mikey Weinstein for Book Signing
Saturday, February 18, 2012
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2/21/12 HUFFINGTON POST – Christian Air Force General Doesn't Expect His Subordinates Not To Do Dumb Things
2/17/12 AIR FORCE TIMES - 3-star ripped for presentation reference to God
2/15/12 MSNBC – Afghanistan combat outpost 'Aryan' draws protest
2/15/12 MARINE CORPS GAZETTE – The SS, Snowflakes, and Supervision
2/15/12 NEW YORK DAILY NEWS – Watchdog group and military argue over alleged use of 'Aryan' as Afghan outpost name
2/14/12 ARMY TIMES – Combat outpost name sparks controversy
2/13/12 HUFFINGTON POST – Afghanistan Base 'Aryan' Raises Objections From Soldiers Over Name
2/13/12 WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE PRAYER BREAKFAST – "A forum to... assemble
together
and build
relationships in the spirit of Jesus Christ"
2/10/12 GODSOWNPARTY – FOUNDATION VOICES (LEAH BURTON) – A Proud "American Patriot"
Tells Us What it
Means to be a Real American
2/6/12 MILITARY.COM – Lawyer Links AF Academy to Instructor's Dog Poisoning
2/6/12 VIDEO – NO SNOWFLAKE IN AN AVALANCHE by Michael L. "Mikey" Weinstein and Davin Seay
2/3/12 BBC NEWS MAGAZINE – Can the US Army embrace atheists?
2/2/12 HUFFINGTON POST – William Boykin, Anti-Muslim General, Withdraws From West Point Speech After Outcry
1/30/12 LA TIMES – Another misstep in the fight over crosses
1/30/12 ALTERNET – Freshman cadet 'counseled' for proselytizing in e-mail
1/30/12 COLUMBUS DISPATCH – OSU grads fight for troops' religious freedom
1/25/12 MILITARY.COM – House Bills Promote Religion at War Memorials
1/24/12 WALL OF SEPARATION (AU) – Pious Political Posturing Alert!: U.S. House Set To Vote On Bills Promoting Religion
You can see the above stories, as well as
much more, at MilitaryReligiousFreedom.org
MRFF's Inbox
We at MRFF receive an enormous amount of email both from our supporters and our detractors. "MRFF's Inbox" allows us to share these emails with you. The following is a small sampling of the sometimes vibrant, sometimes vile correspondence which we've received within the past month:
Today is a great day
Lt Gen Boykin
Air Force Academy Cadet "Insurgent" Speaks
A letter from an "Accidental Insurgent" at U.S. Air Force Academy
West Point Faculty Member/MRFF Client Speaks on Boykin
Marine Snipers
Vanguard News: "if these Marines apologize profusely and beg forgiveness to the supremacist kikes"
Schutzstaffel Symbol
SERIOUSLY an SS SYMBOL GET A LIFE
F*CK YOU JEWBOY
Click here to read the many more emails which MRFF
has received in the MRFF Inbox!
MRFF Needs Your Constant Vigilance to Uncover
Unconstitutional Religious Incursions in the Military
The constitutional violations occurring in our military are so numerous and widespread
that we can't possibly find all of them ourselves. MRFF counts on its supporters and volunteers --
the indispensable "eyes and ears" who alert us to everything from the most egregious of constitutional
violations to articles we might be interested in.
So, keep the emails coming, and never think that anything is too insignificant or assume
that we might already know about it. You never know -- you might have stumbled into the
next bombshell
of a story and not even realize it.
Please report anything that may be of concern to: [email protected]
SUPPORT MRFF!
Your Generous Support Allows us to Continue our Fight in the Courts and in the Media
The media outlets referenced in the links above have no affiliation with the
Military Religious Freedom Foundation, nor have expressed endorsement thereof.
While we make every effort to ensure that news articles pertaining to our Foundation
remain available for you to access,
we are unable to guarantee that the articles linked
above will remain online and unchanged indefinitely
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