Comments on: Pentagon again addresses rumors of crackdown on Christians https://wthrockmorton.com/2013/05/09/pentagon-again-addresses-rumors-of-crackdown-on-christians/ A [retired] college psychology professor's observations about public policy, mental health, sexual identity, and religious issues Sat, 07 Sep 2013 18:40:32 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.3 By: Tom Van Dyke https://wthrockmorton.com/2013/05/09/pentagon-again-addresses-rumors-of-crackdown-on-christians/#comment-55904 Sat, 07 Sep 2013 18:40:32 +0000 https://www.wthrockmorton.com/?p=14388#comment-55904 Ah, this one says “Throckmorton” all over it. Gay issues, Gen. Jerry Boykin and the FRC, the US Air Force and military religious freedom. What’s not to love?
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2013/09/06/Christian-Airman-Punished-by-Lesbian-Commander-Now-Charged-with-Crime-for-Talking-to-Media-Court-Martial-Possible

Updating our earlier report on Senior Master Sergeant Phillip Monk, a Christian serving in the Air Force whose unit is now commanded by a lesbian: according to Monk’s complaint filed with his superiors, he was relieved of duty for refusing his commander’s order to say he supports gay marriage.
Now the Air Force has taken the first steps to criminally investigate Monk for talking to the media about his situation. Despite the fact that earlier this year the Obama-Hagel Pentagon said they would never court-martial a service member for their Christian faith, they have taken the first steps to possibly court-martial Monk.
On Aug. 27, an Air Force investigator met with Monk and his attorney, Mike Berry from Liberty Institute. Berry expected it to be a routine meeting to take a statement from his client, but during the meeting the investigator said that he would read Monk his Miranda rights.
Monk was advised that he is being investigated for committing a crime by the U.S. military for making a false official statement, that he has the right to remain silent, and that he has the right to an attorney. The Air Force then assigned military defense counsel to him and is deciding whether to formally charge him with a crime, at which point Monk would either have to admit guilt and accept further punishment or face a court martial.
Monk is being investigated and might be formally charged for violating Article 107 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), which makes it a crime to make a false official statement. But Monk’s explaining his situation to the media is not an official statement.
More than that, another element of this alleged crime is that Monk must be making a statement he knows is false or that he reasonably should know is false. All Monk is saying is that he believes he’s being punished because of his traditional Christian beliefs.
Monk explained in a statement to Breitbart News, “I immediately got the sense that this was a retaliation against me for coming forward with my religious discrimination complaint.”

]]> By: Tom Van Dyke https://wthrockmorton.com/2013/05/09/pentagon-again-addresses-rumors-of-crackdown-on-christians/#comment-85634 Sat, 07 Sep 2013 14:40:32 +0000 https://www.wthrockmorton.com/?p=14388#comment-85634 Ah, this one says “Throckmorton” all over it. Gay issues, Gen. Jerry Boykin and the FRC, the US Air Force and military religious freedom. What’s not to love?
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2013/09/06/Christian-Airman-Punished-by-Lesbian-Commander-Now-Charged-with-Crime-for-Talking-to-Media-Court-Martial-Possible

Updating our earlier report on Senior Master Sergeant Phillip Monk, a Christian serving in the Air Force whose unit is now commanded by a lesbian: according to Monk’s complaint filed with his superiors, he was relieved of duty for refusing his commander’s order to say he supports gay marriage.
Now the Air Force has taken the first steps to criminally investigate Monk for talking to the media about his situation. Despite the fact that earlier this year the Obama-Hagel Pentagon said they would never court-martial a service member for their Christian faith, they have taken the first steps to possibly court-martial Monk.
On Aug. 27, an Air Force investigator met with Monk and his attorney, Mike Berry from Liberty Institute. Berry expected it to be a routine meeting to take a statement from his client, but during the meeting the investigator said that he would read Monk his Miranda rights.
Monk was advised that he is being investigated for committing a crime by the U.S. military for making a false official statement, that he has the right to remain silent, and that he has the right to an attorney. The Air Force then assigned military defense counsel to him and is deciding whether to formally charge him with a crime, at which point Monk would either have to admit guilt and accept further punishment or face a court martial.
Monk is being investigated and might be formally charged for violating Article 107 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), which makes it a crime to make a false official statement. But Monk’s explaining his situation to the media is not an official statement.
More than that, another element of this alleged crime is that Monk must be making a statement he knows is false or that he reasonably should know is false. All Monk is saying is that he believes he’s being punished because of his traditional Christian beliefs.
Monk explained in a statement to Breitbart News, “I immediately got the sense that this was a retaliation against me for coming forward with my religious discrimination complaint.”

]]> By: Patrocles https://wthrockmorton.com/2013/05/09/pentagon-again-addresses-rumors-of-crackdown-on-christians/#comment-55903 Mon, 13 May 2013 09:59:34 +0000 https://www.wthrockmorton.com/?p=14388#comment-55903 The aims of Weinstein and the army seem not to be identical, but only overlapping.
Weinstein wisely avoids any attack on “proselytizing” and concentrates on abuse of power by superiors. (Weinstein seems to copy the succesful business idea of the SPLC at the smaller range of the army – uncovering the Great Evangelical Conspiracy To Overthrow the U.S. Army – which logically must come top-down – and finding well-to-do people who are terrified and send him money. Which explains why he speaks about “sedition” and “treason” and this way suggests the idea of “court-martialing”.)
But the army itself seems not so much interested in the activities of superiors. I bet their dark vision is that they’ll get riots between different groups of plain soldiers because of religious controversies, and they want to forecome this.

]]> By: Patrocles https://wthrockmorton.com/2013/05/09/pentagon-again-addresses-rumors-of-crackdown-on-christians/#comment-85640 Mon, 13 May 2013 05:59:34 +0000 https://www.wthrockmorton.com/?p=14388#comment-85640 The aims of Weinstein and the army seem not to be identical, but only overlapping.
Weinstein wisely avoids any attack on “proselytizing” and concentrates on abuse of power by superiors. (Weinstein seems to copy the succesful business idea of the SPLC at the smaller range of the army – uncovering the Great Evangelical Conspiracy To Overthrow the U.S. Army – which logically must come top-down – and finding well-to-do people who are terrified and send him money. Which explains why he speaks about “sedition” and “treason” and this way suggests the idea of “court-martialing”.)
But the army itself seems not so much interested in the activities of superiors. I bet their dark vision is that they’ll get riots between different groups of plain soldiers because of religious controversies, and they want to forecome this.

]]> By: ken https://wthrockmorton.com/2013/05/09/pentagon-again-addresses-rumors-of-crackdown-on-christians/#comment-55902 Fri, 10 May 2013 10:38:55 +0000 https://www.wthrockmorton.com/?p=14388#comment-55902 JD says:
May 9, 2013 at 10:54 pm
“the military, when asked, it could provide exactly zero examples of that happening. Ever.”
Who said there were zero examples of it happening? I would also point out, not being able to provide examples is not the same as it not happening. there are other reasons someone might not be able to provide examples, ex. confidentiality, not having direct knowledge of the situation(s), not having a procedure for reporting/cataloging those specific types of complaints etc.
And despite Weinstein’s vitriol, MRFF has documented such examples.
As for why this is an issue, it is because people (ex. Starnes), have been mis-representing the air force’s stance on this issue, implying they are going to court-martial service members for being christian.

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