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MRFF Information/Contact: (505)-250-7727
Wednesday, August 15, 2018
LYIN' ON A PRAYER!
FOX NEWS' TODD STARNES DEFENDS TEICHERT, CALLS MRFF "CHRIST HATERS"
Fox's Fiends Bombard MRFF!
MRFF Inundated With Thousands of Caustic Comments, Phone Calls, and Social Posts
TODD STARNES, OF FOX NEWS, TOTALLY OFF BALANCE, NATURALLY MISSES THE POINT IN RANT ON MIKEY/MRFF
Todd Starnes: Air Force general is attacked by extremist group because he prays for others
Tuesday, August 14, 2018
By: Todd Starnes | Fox News
Date: 8/14/2018
Several months ago I was delivering a speech to a group of patriots in our nation's capital when I suddenly became ill and collapsed.
The following day, as I was recovering in the cardiac wing of a nearby hospital, I received a visitor – Col. John Teichert, then the commander at Joint Base Andrews.
[...]
I was particularly moved by the colonel's kindness and his compassion - a brother in the Lord who took time out of his very busy schedule to pray at the bedside of a stranger.
So you can imagine my surprise when I received a news release from the Military Religious Freedom Foundation calling for the arrest of now Brig. Gen. Teichert – the new wing commander at Edwards Air Force Base in California.
[...]
Weinstein demanded that Defense Secretary James Mattis launch an immediate investigation – calling Teichert a "fundamentalist Christian tyrant and religious extremist predator."
The Military Religious Freedom Foundation claims to represent 41 people at Edwards Air Force Base who are allegedly offended by the general's personal website.
[...]
AIR FORCE TIMES COVERS MRFF
"Air Force general faces questions over his Christian website"
Tuesday, August 14, 2018
By: Kyle Rempfer | Air Force Times
Date: 8/14/2018
Earlier this week, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, or MRFF, demanded that Defense Secretary James Mattis conduct a "full and vigorous investigation" of Air Force Brig. Gen. E. John Teichert, according to a copy of the letter provided to Air Force Times.
There, Teichert wrote that his website is designed to "encourage Bible-believing Americans to take time to specifically pray for our nation at lunchtime every day."
[...]
While Defense Department policies do prohibit proselytizing, they don't prevent service members from engaging in their religious beliefs on their own time.
And that's the issue at hand here, according to retired Army Col. Phil Wright, the executive director of Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty, a group that works to secure the religious liberties of military chaplains and those whom they serve.
"One of [Weinstein's] attacks is that [Teichert] is proselytizing, forcing his religion onto someone... but you have to go to the website, no one is forced to go and you can turn it off at any moment," Wright said.
Also at issue is whether Teichert's behavior is ever conducted while in uniform and claiming to represent the U.S. Air Force.
"This general, on his own time, as an expression of his faith, with a non-military website from a non-military computer can state his beliefs," Wright said.
[...]
TRU NEWS ATTACKS MRFF
"Air Force General's Faith
Under Fire Over Website"
Tuesday, August 14, 2018
By: Tru News Team
Date: 8/14/2018
The misnamed Military Religious Freedom Foundation is demanding Defense Secretary James Mattis immediately investigate Air Force 412th Test Wing Commander Brig. Gen. John Teichert over a website he hosts that promotes praying for our nation at lunchtime every day.
MRFF, which claims to represent 57,000 active-duty members of the military, reservists, national guardsmen, civilian Defense Department employees, and veterans, sent its demand letter to Mattis via Rochester, N.Y., attorney Donald Rehkopf on Sunday. In the letter, he claims to represent 41 people - 32 of which are "self-identifying as Christian" - who are "in mortal fear of retaliation should they be personally identified in this matter."
[...]
REPRINTS OF YESTERDAY's,
8/13, LOS ANGELES TIMES ARTICLE ON MRFF & TEICHERT
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
ON MRFF & TEICHERT
TURKEY's
ANADOLU AGENCY INTERVIEWS MIKEY & COVERS MRFF
"Expert warns of military 'religious oppression' in US"
Tuesday, August 14, 2018
By: Elif Selin Calik Muhasilovic
Date: 8/14/18
ISTANBUL
The steep rise in fundamentalist Christian evangelizing and religious bigotry in the U.S. armed forces since President Donald Trump took office constitutes a "national security threat," according to an expert on religious liberty in the military.
Mikey Weinstein, founding chair of U.S. - based Military Religious Freedom Foundation and a U.S. Air Force veteran, says that applications to his group -- which provides legal counsel to victims of religious freedom violations in the U.S. armed services -- have doubled since November 2016, the month Trump was elected.
[...]
Weinstein said he founded the Military Religious Freedom Foundation in 2005 to counter the spread of bigotry and advocate for broad religious freedom and freedom from religion within the military.
According to Weinstein, the foundation has provided legal counsel to over 50,000 complainants in the military, most of them Christian Protestants who object to their faith being portrayed as radical and oppressive.
[...]
AIR FORCE VET AND MRFF SUPPORTER CHANGES
HATE MAILER'S MIND!
"General"
Tuesday, August 14, 2018
From: (name withheld)
Date: August 14, 2018
To: Mikey Weinstein
Subject: General
You guys are idiots
(name withheld)
____________________________
From: MRFF Supporter, Retired AF Vet
Subject: Re: Fwd: General
Date: August 14, 2018
Dear (name withheld),
Thanks for you e-mail. Mikey and the MRFF asked me to respond to your comment below–and I'm more than happy to oblige. First, it's entirely possible that you father worked on aircraft flown by my father (he flew "The Hun" F-100 in the early '60s) as well as my brother (he flew "The Lawn Dart" F-16 from 1983 until his retirement early in this century). For that, I thank your dad. As for me, I'm a retired AF officer who served in uniform for more than 35 years. Both of my sons served (one as an AF officer, the other as a Marine enlisted infantryman) and my bro-in-law is a Navy O-6, so you could say that I have some perspective and experience. (BTW, All mentioned above also range from devout Catholic to evangelical atheist in terms of religious preference)
I agree completely (as does the MRFF) that every member of the military should be allowed to pray according to their personal beliefs and that commanders should permit such religious practice within their command–at least to the extent that it does NOT have a negative impact on the mission. For example, you say commanders should "allow them to pray and do what they wanted on the flight line when it came to their beliefs." Clearly, that has at least SOME limits, because, for example, I can’t imagine a commander allowing a crew chief to suddenly fall to their knees on the tarmac with aircraft taxiing to face Mecca and pray, nor can they just stop what they’re doing mid-mission and decide that now is the time that all around them should join hands and pray to Jesus or Jehovah or Huitzilopochtli.
So, can we agree that there are limits to religious practice in the military and, in fact, in almost any workplace? Outside of the workplace, however, there are very, very few restrictions for the military and the MRFF and I have devoted our lives to defending that freedom.
[...]
A 35+ Year Air Force Vet
_____________________
From: (name withheld)
Subject: Re: General
Date: August 14, 2018
To: Mikey Weinstein
Thank you for your response it was very enlightening and very educational and I'm glad you were able to respond to me in a great positive way thank you. I'm sorry I called you guys idiots it was just a reaction instead of a response.
(name withheld)
Your a disgrace!!!
Tuesday, August 14, 2018
From: (name withheld)
Subject: Your a disgrace!!!
Date: August 14, 2018
People like you are a disgrace to the uniform!! My god bless you and your family because you guys need it.
(name withheld)
I would be ashamed
to have you as a father
Tuesday, August 14, 2018
From: (name withheld)
Subject: I would be ashamed to have you as a father
Date: August 14, 2018
To: Information Weinstein
Mr. Weinstein I am actually amazed that you actually took my call. I wasn't sure it was really you at first. You got balls I give you that.
As I said I know of your daughter Amber as we both work for the Army at Fort (name withheld).
Just wanted you to know how ashamed I would be if you were my father. I feel bad for Amber having to have you be hers. I hear she is nice. You are not like her. You are fiendish and cruel but only to Christians.
You are such a mean attack dog going after that Christian General at Edwards AFB. For just sharing his Walk with our Lord Jesus Christ on his special website.
If that Godly General was jew or islam you would not have done it would you?
You just hate all Christians. What a bad example you are for Amber and I shall pray for her. A father should be good but your are pure evilness.
You are beyond praying for even though I told you on our call that you are going too hell and will burn forever.
Goodbye and I will never contact you again.
Additional Hatemail Received 8/14/18
MRFF Information/Contact: (505)-250-7727
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