OPINION:
The commander of Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming — Col. Stacy Jo Huser — caved to pressure from the zealot-driven Military Religious Freedom Foundation and removed the Bible from a POW-MIA display.
Once again, chalk a win for the MRFF’s perennial crybaby-in-chief, Mikey Weinstein. Founding Fathers never would’ve suffered this madness; this whole backlash against the Bible in the public sphere is a figment of progressive-slash-socialist-slash-angry-atheist imaginations.
Huser, in a statement, said she just didn’t want to offend those of religions other than Christianity. But in so doing — she offends Christians. Big time.
“One of our focus areas,” she said, the Family Research Center reported, “is increasing the sense of belonging for all our airmen; a large part of that effort is ensuring the religious and non-religious feel included and cared for. … [As such, the 90th Missile Wing will] replace the Bible on the POW/MIA table with a ’book of faith’ containing scriptural writings and prayers from the five DOD chaplain-appointed faith groups, and a sixth set of blank pages to represent those who find solace by other means.”
One important point to note: The POW/MIA display with the Bible aren’t Air Force policy violations.
So Huser had no real reason to remove the Bible; her action was simply for political correctness, to appease the MRFF’s Weinstein, the guy who makes a living off ousting all-things-biblical from U.S. military bases.
He’s been doing it for years.
That’s his claim to fame.
And what’s of especial significance is Weinstein masks his anti-Christian crusades as religious freedom — as ensuring the religious rights of all, including the right of no-religion, are upheld.
If Weinstein truly wanted to uphold the concept of religion freedom, he wouldn’t campaign so hard for the removal of religious displays — but rather, the addition. This is not brain surgery, people. Nothing stands in the way of those of different religion, or atheistic bent, from creating their own POW/MIA displays, secular or otherwise, alongside or in addition to the Bible-based ones.
Taking out the Bible is a needless slap in the face.
As William Perry Pendley, who was born in Cheyenne and then went on to become president of the Mountain States Legal Foundation, wrote of Huser’s actions: “As the nation awaits the return of its heroes from Korea, loved ones, families and friends are seeking comfort from the bible that the commander removed from a memorial honoring these very men. Shame on her.”
Shame on Weinstein, shame on MRFF. And really, shame on any Christian who doesn’t stand tall on this issue and join the fight for the right to display the Bible on military bases. It is, after all, part of what the military fights for, stands for and defends.
• Cheryl Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com or on Twitter, @ckchumley.
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