God Help Us
Let the Air Force Academy witch hunts begin...
Last night there were several comments on God and Country. I agree, a couple of knuckle-heads probably offended some folks with aggressive Bible-thumping. If so, this needs to stop. However, this morning, Aim Points released more troubling information.
Here is what I gleaned from the article...the scope of the allegations appears to be extending to the entire Air Force...soon it will get into the other services...God help us.
From the Aim Points release...read the threat from the AUSCS (emphasis added):
“I’d have to hope the Air Force doesn’t try to whitewash this task force, and if they do, that will become obvious and we will act accordingly,” said Americans United spokesman Rob Boston. “We are counting on the Air Force to do this job right. If they do a cursory examination, it’s only going to make matters worse.”
Boston also said his organization has received e-mails in the past week from active-duty and former members of the Air Force, other service academies and government agencies “complaining of similar problems at military bases.”
“This may be a wider problem than some misunderstandings at the academy,” he said, and Americans United will investigate if the complaints appear to be serious.
Hmmm...what does that mean? Who are these active-duty and former members of the Air Force? Who gets to decide if the Air Force does a more or less cursory examination? Sounds like AUSCS has already decided (duh). You bet they will widen their witch hunt.
No doubt, the Air Force has set itself up to fail. How much time is the Air Force going to waste on these silly witch hunts? It is sad that the Air Force has allowed a small group of left-wing idealogues (see the AUSCS website...lots of left-wing anti-Christian rhetoric) to send it on this wild goose chase.
I'll make it easy so we can get back to fighting the War on Terror. Here is what AUSCS will find across the services (see A Force For Good Indeed). I have added emphasis to make my point:
This is a great op-ed from the NYT's Robert D. Kaplan. (HT: RealClearPolitics) We need to hear this more and more...here is my favorite passage:
"Liberal democratic societies have commonly been defended by conservative military establishments, whose members often lack the sensitivities and social graces of the elites whom they protect...I've learned that marines swear all the time out of habit, and love to be in on a fight, or otherwise they would not have joined the Marine Corps."
"Yet those same swearing marines are capable of a self-discipline and humanitarian compassion - drawn, often, from an absolute belief in the Almighty - that would stun the average civilian...In Iraq, there was nothing more natural for marines (and soldiers, too) than to go from close-quarters urban combat to providing food and medicine, and back again."
Guilty as charged. I am all for religious tolerance...just not the religious intolerance the AUSCS is promoting under the guise of "religious freedom."
If my core value of "Integrity First" offends anyone that is unfortunate. I just need to label AUSCS for what it is and what it is trying to do.
It is hard to to put "Service Over Self" and achieve "Excellence In All We Do" when you strike at the core of "Integrity." Religion has a big part to do with "Integrity" and the whole person concept.
Oh yeah...folks need to be watching the back door. While we are blogging about religious intolerance (seemingly distracted)...watch what else is happening in terms of policy, legislation, acquisition, reorganization, and the QDR. {Hopefully this time we won't be too focused on wearing a Bus Driver uniform while we reorganizing into composite wings or implementing a RIF like we did in the early 90's...Air Force veterans know what I am talking about}
UPDATE: I was finally able to download the entire report. Frankly, I see both points of view (HT: No Angst Zone...the truth lies somewhere in the middle).
Indeed, there were some knuckle-headed acts that should be cleaned up (and not in a tongue in cheek manner). However, the charges of
"flagrant and egregious violations of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, as well as a general climate of religious coercion and official hostility toward those who do not practice evangelical Christianity"
seem a bit overboard to me. Especially since sources are not named in the report. How do I know AUSCS isn't embellishing or maybe even making things up?
Also, I know lots of non-Christians in the Air Force...many of them Academy grads. All good people with great careers.
Clearly, what is really under attack is Christianity itself. Plain and simple. Just visit the AUSCS home page and it practically tells you what the motivation behind the report is.
UPDATE II: CDR Salamander makes some more great points...particularly with the AAR for Cadet BCT II as well as the background of its signers. However, here is my favorite passage:
One or two things happened here: (1)-No one in a blue Army suit did their homework on Ms. Leslie and YDS, or (2) the people who did bring them in knew exactly what they were bringing in, agreed with the bias coming their way, and wanted this outcome. Either way, the good people in blue better clean house, or they are going to live under a PC anti-religious dictat that will make a Soviet Political Officer proud.
I believe both things happened...worse, the Air Force is a sucker for anything that has "Yale" or "Harvard" attached to it...as if the name makes a biased report any better. Somebody (or a group of somebodies) was definitely steamrolled and has set the service up for failure...can anybody guess what the AUSCS opinion on the investigation board results will be? Duh.
MAAP cell is engaged...thanks for standing by.
