Onward Xian Soldiers
26 April 2008 by Bob
Seriously, at this stage of the game, are we really that surprised?…
Soldier Sues Army, Saying His Atheism Led to Threats
FORT RILEY, Kan. — When Specialist Jeremy Hall held a meeting last July for atheists and freethinkers at Camp Speicher in Iraq, he was excited, he said, to see an officer attending.But minutes into the talk, the officer, Maj. Freddy J. Welborn, began to berate Specialist Hall and another soldier about atheism, Specialist Hall wrote in a sworn statement. “People like you are not holding up the Constitution and are going against what the founding fathers, who were Christians, wanted for America!” Major Welborn said, according to the statement.
Major Welborn told the soldiers he might bar them from re-enlistment and bring charges against them, according to the statement.
Last month, Specialist Hall and the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, an advocacy group, filed suit in federal court in Kansas, alleging that Specialist Hall’s right to be free from state endorsement of religion under the First Amendment had been violated and that he had faced retaliation for his views. In November, he was sent home early from Iraq because of threats from fellow soldiers.
So, if people ever uses the old “atheists in foxholes” canard in your presence, you can (1) tell them that they’re probably right, because the other xian soliders in their platoon would turn their guns on them and shoot them if they said anything else; or, (2), simply point them here (or here).
Ah, xians — just gotta love ‘em…
(You know, because they’ll KILL YOU if ya don’t…)
27 April 2008, on 1:36 am
An officer’s job is not to bully their enlisted; it’s to take care of them and make sure they’re squared away. Major Welborn is failing his job because he is putting himself before his soldiers. He needs to realize that it’s NOT ABOUT HIM. When I recieve my commission from the Navy, I don’t care if my sailors are Christians or atheists or Hare Krishna, as long as they are doing their jobs to the best of their abilities and taken care of.
27 April 2008, on 9:40 am
Bob:
I’m not sure if you’re aware of the situation at the AF academy. There’s been a wholesale takeover of the Academy by KKKristians and they’ve done what they can to root out the evil jews and other apostates in their midst. I remember from my time in the AF (68-72) that religion was way down the list of what young airmen wanted to do with their free time–and I never, ever heard mention of it in any official setting. Sadly, it seems the Skyboss delusionalistas have gotten a lot of their numbers into the US Armygeddon and the other branches. Imagine those fucking idiots with nu-Q-lar weppins at their disposal. And we’re worried about the Iranians and North Koreans?
27 April 2008, on 10:14 am
Hall and Mikey Weinstein of the MRFF are supposed to appear on CBS News’ Sunday Morning today. Unfortunately, my local affiliate does not appear to carry it. Hopefully, others can find it.
27 April 2008, on 2:18 pm
I think the military’s strict hierarchy concentrates policy decisions too much in the hands of too few, so cultural change only occurs when discrete influential generals or admirals finally retire or die. They seem to be a de facto gerontocracy by design. This might explain why the official military policies/culture seem to remain a step or two behind what the enlisted personnel culture seems to think of as normative behavior. God may have died in the hearts and minds of many younger enlightened soldiers, but not yet for the relics that run the Pentagon. My guess is this struggle for equal rights for atheism in the military is going to last quite a bit longer than the one we civilians have to make.
27 April 2008, on 9:09 pm
Zealots with guns: Always a comforting thought.