Air Force Trainee Jonathan Bise and others will be offered a chance to recite and sign a secular oath as part of their graduation ceremony on Tuesday, after officials noted that they had erred in including the phrase, "So help me God" as mandatory in both written and verbal versions.
"Our previous legal advisors were mistaken in advising us that it was required," Maj. Stewart L. Rountree wrote in a letter, addressing the planned revision. "Our current legal advisors made me aware and we will ensure it reaches all corners of our program."
Bise, of Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama, had earlier contracted the help of the American Humanist Association’s Appignani Humanist Legal Center and the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers, asking them to step in on his behalf after allegedly being forced to sign a pledge contrary to his "deeply held beliefs" last month.
“A non-religious person cannot be forced to affirm the existence of a God,” said Appignani Humanist Legal Center Coordinator Bill Burgess in a statement. “The law is clear that such demands violate the constitutional mandate of church-state separation and the right to freedom of conscience. This officer-to-be must be allowed to omit theistic language from his commissioning oath.”
A letter to Air Force officials at Maxwell from the group similarly warned that the initial language of the oath was a violation of Bise's constitutional rights, and that a failure to offer Bise a secular option would subject the base to a suit in federal court.
As you know I view protecting the rights of the non-religious in much the same way I do protecting the rights of the LGBT community, and hope very much that we can have a movement equally successful in the years to come.
Remember Atheists and Humanists don't want to take anything away from religious people we simply do not want religion or God forced upon us, or used as a way to oppress or isolate us.
O/T Cover of Palin's upcoming book
ReplyDeletehttp://www.amazon.com/Good-Tidings-Great-Joy-Protecting/dp/0062292889
Lucky for us... no pic of her aging mug on the cover!
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #875,084 in Books
DeleteWhy does the book blurb say Palin has 5 children and one grandson? Did she murder Track's daughter?
DeleteWow. She's managed to get in all her feel-good vocabulary words, and to make a parallel argument about the taking of Christ out of Christmas and taking away our Constitutional rights for freedom. I don't think she's ever taken a course in logic.
ReplyDeleteShe also repeats what she's posted on Facebook before -- that Christmas is "the centerpiece" of her (and presumably all Christians') faith. It sounds all warm and cozy when she talks about baby Jesus. It's nice that he was born -- but the real bedrock of Christian faith is Easter: his death and resurrection.
Despite the fact that the spring Equinox and Easter bunnies have been grafted onto Easter, betrayal, a gruesome death, and the miracle of rebirth is what Christianity is all about. That's the purpose of the entire religion: its centerpiece, if you will.
Mistletoe, carols, creches, wreaths, pageants presents under the tree and Johnny Mathis have nothing to do with Christianity. My most devout Christian friends precisely want Christ reserved for December 25, and don't want the nativity watered down with the rest of the holiday cheer, which belongs to everyone. (Why is Sarah a Scrooge who wants to deny a happy winter holiday for all mankind?) Some Christians (like our Puritan forefathers) don't celebrate Christmas at all.
From the promo on Amazon for her book:
"Interwoven throughout are personal memories and family traditions, as well as more than a dozen family photos, which illustrate the reasons why the celebration of Jesus Christ's nativity is the centerpiece of her faith."
Can't wait to see those Palin family photos, which I'm sure will be inspirational for all Walmart shoppers.
The cover of the book also trumpets that Sarah Palin is a New York Times bestselling author.
DeleteHorror of horrors! Why is she endorsing a lamestream media outlet right there for everyone to see? If The New York Times is lazy and evil, why give it credence by quoting its bestseller list? That's like endorsing the findings of Nate Silver's 538.
Wow, a whole 'dozen family photos?' One would think that Sarah and her precious family would have albums (or Snapfish accounts) full of photos. Is she admitting that this loving family is never together long enough to snap a pix? Wanna bet we've seen all of these before? Remember her last tome, which was supposed to be Sarah's favorite poems, essays, and writings on America? Instead it was a nasty sermon on what is wrong with America. I expect this is more of the same rancid red meat for her masses. What..no recipes?
DeleteMore lack of logic is shown when it says that the family tradiitons illustrate why faith is central to her faith. It should be the other way around. Her faith should be the reason that the famly has the celebration.
DeleteThis comment was posted on Gryphen's post about Baldy....http://theimmoralminority.blogspot.com/2013/03/do-you-know-how-you-can-tell-that-you.html...today.
Delete"Sirran Wilkes6:49 AM
Ohhhhh my goodness... I see that everyone here is not a Palin fan... actually they are Palin and Christian hatemongers... I understand that everyone will use the "free speech" as a defense to all the nasty things that have been posted on here about Palin, her family as well as Southeastern University and Christianity. I have noticed that a vast majority of you all have posted your comments as "Anonymous" I believe you should support, stand behind what you say, and not hide....Now let me make something VERY clear... CRYSTAL Clear... I am not a Palin fan by any means... I came across this post because my 21 year old asked me to take a look Southeastern University... Let me say that again...MY 21 year old is looking at this school all on her own...to be honest I has never heard of this school until she mentioned it' My daughter is looking for a college to complete her degree, and yes she has been praying, asking God to lead her to the school that He wants her to be at. He has been leading her to this school. Yes he will and does speak to you...Not many folks understand the difference between Christianity and begin religious... Christianity is a personal relationship with our Father in Heaven, the Son of God ...Religion is just the ritual of anything... you can be religious about anything...from excising to satanism. I am a CHRISTIAN (personal relationship with God) and very proud of it and will defend Christianity to the day I die. With that said... Shame on all of you for being hatemongers... and blaspheming... take heed and hear my words... GOD IS IN CONTROL... and WE ARE DEALING WITH SPRITUAL WARFAR... and have been since the beginning of time... and will be until Jesus comes again. I do want to point out the issue that I have with all the post and comments is when someone questions or has a negative comment to say out President Obama and his current administration and the lack of LEADERSHIP all the liberals get their shorts in a twist... and then call the folks speaking out 'RIGHT WING EXTREMIST',... let me assure you I AM NOT A RIGHT WING EXTREMIST” I am however, an extremist when it comes to the truth...peace... and from what I have read here you all do not want the truth... you all just want to continue to do is spread hate and spew hateful vomit. I guess I am one of the those unique folks I can clearly see the downfalls from both the right or left... it doesn't mean I don't like someone that doesn't have the same option as I do or that I want to verbally bash them or their family, or a group of people,on the internet. Just like my kids... I have three... they are all Christians... and very good kids overall--- however I am not one of those parents to be so mislead and blinded that my kids never do anything wrong... they do... do wrong and make bad choices...because they are not perfect and they are not expected to be. I just expect them to strive to do the right thing... it may not be popular, or the in thing... I want them to do what is right. That’s what we all should strive for... not spending our time slandering others."
This is who will buy Baldy's Christmas book of bullshit...the INSANE! LOL!!!
"This is who will buy Baldy's Christmas book of bullshit...the INSANE! LOL!!!"
DeleteThink of it this way: Acting in the true Christian spirit, Obamacare will cover their mental illness, even if it is a pre-existing condition!
Things are changing and it's wonderful to see. The USA is becoming less and less Christian and it's driving those on the right nuts!
ReplyDeleteYup, because without their Bibles to hide behind, someone might actually see that they offer nothing to the people but lies.
Delete"Remember Atheists and Humanists don't want to take anything away from religious people we simply do not want religion or God forced upon us, or used as a way to oppress or isolate us."
ReplyDeleteThat's right - and by the same token:
Members of other faiths should also have the right to end their oaths with
"...so help me Allah"
or
"...so help me Marduk"
or
"...so help me [insert deity of choice]"
and they should all be required to swear with their hand on a copy of The Constitution.
This is just another example how the Christians are the most persecuted minority who ever lived on the planet...
DeleteHere is a good Christian doing the work of Jesus from a wheelchair being persecuted for his beliefs...
http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2013/08/06/maple-grove-man-charged-for-vandalizing-pro-gay-marriage-church/
Will this madness ever end???
RAMEN everyone.....
The Air Force high command was took over by a Christian doomsday cult many years ago. They wanted to insure that whoever started WW3 was a warrior for Christ. (Who Would Christ Nuke?) These Dominionists need to be outed and forced out of the military and government.
ReplyDeleteI'm concerned about the oath the President takes. It should be changed before we elect a person who doesn't believe in God. How would it be changed?
ReplyDeleteAccording to wiki, the "So help me God" part has been added by various Presidents, but it's not part of the official oath, which is found in the Constitution.
DeleteSome Presidents have put their hands on copies of the Constitution instead of on the Bible.
It will take a brave man or woman to be sworn in nowadays without a Bible and without invoking a deity.
You just leave out the Bible and the swearing to God part. Didn't Roberts try to screw that part up to make Obama look 'illegitimate' the first time? There is no oath to God required to be POTUS. None.
DeleteInteresting point. Surely Roberts knew the oath, yet he tried to get Obama to say it inaccurately. Was that a republican/Koch brothers/ALEC/tea party plan?
DeleteO/T and presuming Gryphen’s forbearance:
ReplyDeleteIf you’ve ever wondered what life was like for a little farm girl in northern Minnesota in the middle of the last century, THREADBARE is free to Kindle or a Kindle app tomorrow, August 8, 2013. After that, it will be in the Kindle Lending Library for a while. My other books will follow the same path.
Spam it may be, but it’s FREE spam, and there’s nary a “Christ has been taken out of Christmas!” sermon in sight.
Darlene
www.VermillionRoadPress.com
Re: Sara's new book - does she really believe jeebus was born? And born on December 25th? Let's get serious here folks. The best estimate from the star gazers is jeebus was born, if he was born at all, in the late spring. The Roman church hijacked the winter solstice as a way to tear down the unfaithful and convert them to their brand of religion. Christmas used to be fun, now it's just a shopping orgasm.
ReplyDeleteSarah: you clearly know nothing about history, and, specifically, American history. If you did, you'd know that many of our revered Founding Fathers did not "celebrate" Christmas.Neither did super-patriot Paul Revere!!!
DeleteHere's a little lesson for you. Note that these anti-Christmas views dominated in New England for more than two centuries. The "interregnum," in case you don't know (and I'd wager you don't) was the twelve-year rule of Puritan Oliver Cromwell in England, which took place after King Charles I had his head separated from his body by Cromwell's followers in the mid-17th c., just a few years after the Puritans and Pilgrims (entirely different groups) first set out for North America --
"Christmas celebrations in Puritan New England (1620–1850?) were culturally and legally suppressed and thus, virtually non-existent. The Puritan community found no Scriptural justification for celebrating Christmas, and associated such celebrations with paganism and idolatry. The earliest years of the Plymouth colony were troubled with non-Puritans attempting to make merry, and Governor William Bradford was forced to reprimand offenders. English laws suppressing the holiday were enacted in the Interregnum, but repealed late in the 17th century. However, the Puritan view of Christmas and its celebration had gained cultural ascendancy in New England, and Christmas celebrations continued to be discouraged despite being legal. When Christmas became a Federal holiday in 1870, the Puritan view was relaxed and late nineteenth-century Americans fashioned the day into the Christmas of commercialism, liberal spirituality, and nostalgia that most Americans recognize today."
At the SEa of pee the bots like RAM and others are pushing hard to get those donations up.
ReplyDeleteAlameda Republican said I can't believe all of the hype they're making about Sarah PAC's spending. First, they look only at this years spending when there are so few candidates running. So, yes it's not surprising that Sarah spent only 1% on candidate contributions this year. If you look at the two years prior, Sarah PAC gave over 6% of their revenues to help endorsed candidates. This is very similar to what Marco Rubio's PAC has done but you don't hear people complaining about that.
blah, blah, blah
Without Sarah PAC, Sarah's relevance wouldn't be as extremely high as it is now. Let's give thanks where it's due. Give heavily to Sarah PAC today if you can!
Sarah 2016!!
Easter is actually more important cuz it celebrates Christ's resurrection into heaven, which is the goal of every Christian, being forgiven for your sins and entering the Kingdom of God.
ReplyDeleteI remember once many years ago there was some knucklehead who was arguing that William Shakespeare didn't write the Shakespeare plays and sonnets and other things. He said it was SOMEONE ELSE named William Shakespeare who wrote them.
DeleteHe was laughed completely into oblivion. I wish we could do that to the hard line believers (of any religion) - laugh them into oblivion, that is.
I, personally, don't give a DAMN which is more important or whether or not something was stolen from another religion. I don't care when they claim jesus was born. Frankly, I don't really care about any of it.
I don't even care if THEY believe all the stuff - on one condition: KEEP IT OUT OF MY LIFE AND MY GOVERNMENT!!!!!!!!
Try to cram it down my throat and I will retaliate in whatever legal, non-violent manner I have available to me.
I am really happy to hear this. I had a helluva time just getting dog tags that read Atheist!
ReplyDeleteThis is a huge win considering the Air Force is the most evangelical of all of the branches of the military.
ReplyDeleteIt's really a stupid consideration by all involved on both sides of the augment. What a waste of the courts and everyone else's time. In the end it makes no difference for either side. If there is any loss it is the respect for others and their beliefs no matter what they are. The loss of morals is overwhelming and the proof is in the hateful comments against others just because they have different beliefs then each other. It is all the behavior of children and I would expect more from adults!
ReplyDelete