Air Force Attacks Christianity?

The United States military spends the majority of its time and resources fighting to ensure freedoms in this country are not endangered by any outside forces.  Almost all military personnel would likely agree that this freedom includes those that they themselves may not agree with, but will protect anyway, because that is what America is about.  If you attack one freedom, you potentially attack the others as well.  They may not like something you do, but they will protect your right to do it, and die in the process, if necessary.

In a February 26, 2016 Raw Story article, Bethania Palma Markus discusses reactions by the conservative "non-partisan" foundation, Judicial Watch, to a "Freedom of Information Act [FOIA] request in October, seeking records about 'Earth-based worship' for the 2013/2014 academic year..." at The United States Air Force Academy.

"The Air Force Academy leadership is attacking traditional Chrisitian beliefs, but will fund witchcraft and magick?" Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton told Christian website WND.  "These records show the misplaced priorities in the Air Force and why traditional Christians increasingly feel unwelcome in the Air Force Academy."

That quote is the result of the following information:

• "Judicial Watch got documents showing the Academy paid $260 for two cadets to attend the Beltania Festival, an Earth-centered celebration in Colorado."

• "The academy also spent $120 for four cadets to attend the Denver Witches Ball."

• "The kicker here seems to be that in 2013, the Academy made the phrase "so help me God" optional in its cadet oath."

Why is it that every act involving religion that does not put Christianity front and center constitute an attack on Christianity?  And Christian attitudes, when they do allow for the far-fetched possibility that other religions may exist in the world, will embody the implication that those other religions are okay, as long as Christianity is the most important one, and the only one that is looked to on important matters, especially legal and political.  It is extremely needy, considering that it is based on a construct that is unprovable - hence the "faith."

The article goes on:

"In December, the academy said its cadets have the right to observe any faith, or no faith at all, after they received complaints about football players praying in the end zone."

"The United States Air Force Academy places a high value on the rights of its members to observe the tenets of their respective religion or to observe no religion at all," the academy said in a statement.  "The United States Air Force Academy will continue to reaffirm to cadets that all Airmen are free to practice the religion of their choice or subscribe to no religious belief at all.  The players may confidently practice their own beliefs without pressure to participate in the practices of others."

So, this is not really about Christianity being attacked, so much as the academy helping a few students participate in religious events that the Academy didn't provide for on campus. Which may pique curiosity:  What do they provide for?

At the Cadet Chapel, the academy offers:

Air Force Academy Worship

Catholic Program

During the academic year (August through May) Catholic Masses are celebrated weedays (except Friday and academic holidays) and Sunday.  Roman Catholic holy days are celebrated during the academic year.

Protestant Program

Protestant worship services are held every Sunday throughout the academic year (August through May) with special worship opportunities on holy days. Worship includes traditional and contemporary services.  During the academic year Holy Communion will be offered on the first Sunday of each month at the traditional service.

Jewish Program

The Jewish Chapel offers a wide range of religious services and education for Jewish cadets and military members.  Friday night Sabbath services are held weekly followed by a kosher dinner.  Specific Jewish holy days are celebrated in conjunction with the Jewish Community of Colorado Springs.  Services and meals are open to all regardless of religious affiliation.

Muslim Program

The Islamic Chapel offers a wide range of religious services and education for cadets, staff and families.  Noon "Zuhur" Prayers, Weekly Friday "Jumu'ah" Prayers and luncheons are conducted every Friday.  Islamic holy days, including the month of Ramadan, are celebrated with daily services and prayers.  Services and meals are open to all regardless of religious affiliation.

Buddhist Program

Buddhist services are held every Sunday and Thursday during the academic year, with additional services on dates of special significance.

They also offer Community Center Chapel Programs.  

This country was founded by colonists wanting freedom  and independence from King George and Great Britain.  Despite incorrect proclamations that the country was founded on Judeo-Christian principles, religious freedom was a major factor in this desire.  The factor was so important to them, that they wrote into the Constitution that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;..."

Many of the founders were Christians, many were deists, but the majority of them agreed that free exercise of religion means no definition or establishment of official religion, and that the 1st Amendment served as a "wall of separation between the Church and the State."

The Air Force Academy provides education to cadets seeking to join the Air Force, and prepares them to enter service ready to defend the country and the Constitution it is founded on. So providing a few cadets the ability to attend religious events that the campus does not explicitly provide or host on its own is the very embodiment of religious freedom. And doing so reinforces what those same cadets will be fighting to protect once they graduate from the academy.  Christians may make up the largest block of cadets, but the academy makes sure that they provide for the majority of the biggest religions on campus and, if necessary, they will provide means of access for any that aren't represented officially.

Freedom could not be more perfectly represented.

Bernie Hates You

You know you are having too much success with what you are doing if a bunch of billionaire hedge funders create a new SuperPAC just so they can run attack ads on you.

So this new Person (remember, corporations are people too...), named Future 45 (I do not know why that has not made the list of most popular baby names), has created an ad.  It's not a particularly good one:

                   

BUT it does hit a bunch of trigger words that people think make it a good ad:

• STAGNATING incomes
• PRICES RISING
• WEAK ECONOMY

ergo, Bernie wants

• To raise the minimum wage to $15/hr, which HURTS SMALL BUSINESS
• HIGHER TAXES on banks and corporations (read: "The Good Guys aka Job Creators") that would KILL JOBS
• FREE (read: "Takers") college and health care for all, paid for by RAISING TAXES (verified in the ad by playing the first four (detail-less) seconds of a minute long detailed answer to a question)

Translation: Bernie wants to hurt Small Business and kill jobs.  Bernie wants to hurt people.  Bernie hates people.  Bernie hates YOU.  Why would you ever vote for someone that HATES YOU? Don't vote for Bernie.

The sober reality:

• $15/hr may be a bit high, but at least tie the minimum wage to inflation or the Consumer Price Index (CPI).  So $12-13/hr.  It's called a Cost Of Living Adjustment, (COLA).  We are supposed to be keeping up with the COL, but the COL left wages behind a long time ago.

• Higher taxes on banks and corporations Do.Not.Kill.Jobs.  We are primarily a consumer-based economy.  If people buy more (because they have more money to do so, see Minimum Wage above), companies will try to produce more to keep up with demand, and hire more people, as needed, to do so.  Not complicated, really.

• Consumers are the job creators, not corporations, no matter what those CEOs are espousing from the deck of their 200-foot yachts.  Higher taxes do not kill jobs any more than lower taxes increase them.  Lower taxes only increases corporations' bottom lines, which maintains or increases their P/E ratio, which maintains or raises stock values.  They are not going to screw with that by hiring more people just because they got tax breaks.  Hiring statistics going back decades have proven this, no matter which party the president has been in.  Productivity was through the roof back in the days of the 80-90% tax rates.  The economy was booming, and families still made a decent income.  This fallacy of "higher taxes kills jobs" has been way overplayed, for a very long time, despite evidence to the contrary, yet it is always presented as innovative thinking.

• Free College:  I do not agree with this at face value.  If it is going to be done at all, it should be merit-based.  Tax payers should not be paying for substandard students.  If you get good grades, then tax payer funded college that educates students so they can contribute to the country's economy might be worth it.  But it should be renewable annually.  A student's first year is covered.  If they get good grades, they get a second year.  And then a third, and so on.  But if their grades are crap?  They have to pay for the next year - and if they bring their grades up, they can file for reimbursement of costs.  College is an investment.  If students can not prove they are worth the investment with solid effort, they do not deserve it.  I also think students should have to contribute to an area of the economy that the country lacks, that their degree can contribute to.  We pay for your college?  You can still hunt for the job you want, but you help us out in this area part-time for a year or two.  And employers are not allowed to hold that requirement against a prospective employee.

• Health Care:  Bernie wants Medicare for all.  The following information is taken directly from Bernie's campaign site:

         The typical family earning $50,000 per year:

                  •  Now pays an average of $4,955 in premiums

                  •  Another $1,318 in deductibles for care that is not covered

                  •  And the covered costs aren't covered until the deductible is met.

         The same family would only pay $466 annually into the Medicare for all program

         Businesses would save more than $9,400 per year, from an average cost per worker 

         of $12,591 to just $3,100.

         Medicare for all would be paid for with:

                  •  2.2 % health care premium (per rules for federal income taxes)

                  •  6.2 % payroll tax on employers (the $3,100 mentioned above)

                  •  Estate tax on wealthiest 1%

                  •  Reducing outlays for taxpayer-supported health care expenditures

          So everyone would be covered, taxes raised a little bit, but insurance premiums and 

         deductibles eliminated, leaving families with an extra $6,000-ish dollars per year in 

         their pockets on average.  And that would be BAD.  'Cause Bernie hates people.

         Bernie hates YOU.

And remember, these people are not attacking feasibility.  They are attacking intentions.  So whatever you agree or disagree with, Bernie's intentions at least seem to be looking out for everyone's financial well-being.  Whether it can be done is a whole other debate.

What are your intentions, Future - ahem - Mr. 45?  Whatever the hell your name is.