The Crusaders

[TSO]

By: Robert C. Koehler

www.commonwonders.com

Sixteen words may be all that stand right now between the apparatus of government and the Founding Fathers' worst nightmare. And those words are starting to give.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . ."

When George Bush, in the wake of 9/11, puffed himself into Richard the Lionheart and declared he would lead the country in a "crusade" against terrorism - you know, crusade, as in slaughter of Muslim infidels - turns out . . . oh, how awkward (if you're on White House spin duty) . . . he may have been speaking literally.

What's certain, in any case, is that a lot of people in high and low places within the Bush administration - and in particular, the military - heard him literally, and regard the war on terror as a religious war:

"The enemy has got a face. He's called Satan. He lives in Fallujah. And we're going to destroy him," a lieutenant colonel, according to a BBC reporter, said to his troops on the eve of the destruction of that undefended city in post-election 2004.

"I knew my God was bigger than his. I knew that my God was a real God and his was an idol," Deputy Undersecretary of Defense Jerry Boykin notoriously boasted a few years back, speaking of a Muslim warlord in Somalia. And by the way, George Bush is "in the White House because God put him there."

And, of course, just the other day, Lt. Col. Ralph Kauzlarich, who conducted the first official investigation into Pat Tillman's death, opined that Tillman's family is only pestering the Army for the, ahem, truth about how he died because their loved one, a non-believer with no heavenly reward to reap, is now "worm dirt."

Until I read the newly published "With God on Their Side" (St. Martin's Press), Michael Weinstein's disturbing account of anti-Semitism at the U.S. Air Force Academy, I shrugged off each of these remarks, and so much more, as isolated, almost comically intolerant noises out of True Believer Land. Forgive them, Lord, for they know not what they do . . .

Now my blood runs cold. Weinstein, a 1977 graduate of the Academy and former assistant general counsel in the Reagan administration, and a lifelong Republican, has devoted the last several years of his life to battling what he has come to regard as a fundamentalist takeover of the Academy, turning it, in effect, into a taxpayer-supported Evangelical institution. He charges that the separation of church and state is rapidly vanishing at the school, which routinely promotes sectarian religious events, tolerates the proselytizing of uniquely vulnerable new recruits and, basically, conflates evangelical interests and the national interest.

If you think this is just a fight over some abstract principle, with ramifications only for atheist, Jewish, Buddhist and other cadets who may be "offended" by fundamentalist God talk, I urge you to check out Weinstein's book or website (militaryreligiousfreedom.org). He documents a chilling phenomenon: The whole U.S. military, up and down the chain of command, is coming to be dominated by members of a small, characteristically intolerant sliver of Christianity who truly regard themselves as Christian soldiers, on a God-appointed mission to harvest souls and battle evil.

Weinstein, whose family tradition of national service is pretty impressive, does not do battle lightly with those who now run his alma mater. One of his sons is a recent graduate of the Air Force Academy and the other is still a cadet there. The fact that both of them endured anti-Semitic harassment initially spurred him to take action. But this goes deeper than disrespect for other faiths. The attitude he has encountered in his attempt to hold the institution, and the rest of the military, accountable smacks of a coup: "The Christian Taliban is running the Department of Defense," he told me. "It inundates everything."

Can you imagine a contingent of religious zealots, with their contempt for secular values (and such manifestations of secular order as the U.S. Constitution) - and with their zest for holy war - in control of the most potent fighting force and weaponry in human history? Is this possible?

Well, said Weinstein, consider the 523rd Fighter Squadron, based at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., which calls itself The Crusaders, and whose emblem consists of a sword, four crosses and a medieval knight's helmet. Check 'em out at globalsecurity.org, which reports that the payload on the F-16s they fly consists of "a wide variety of conventional, precision guided and nuclear weapons."

And listen once again to Commander-in-Chief Bush, speaking in 2003 to Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz: "God told me to strike at al-Qaida and I struck them, and then he instructed me to strike at Saddam, which I did, and now I am determined to solve the problem in the Middle East."

If this is a religious war - a "clash of civilizations," waged by competing agents of God's will - victory may be indistinguishable from Armageddon. God help the human race.

Robert Koehler, an award-winning, Chicago-based journalist, is an editor at Tribune Media Services and nationally syndicated writer. You can respond to this column at bkoehler@tribune.com or visit his Web site at commonwonders.com.

[Sarge]

Link?

Let me guess

Michealmoore.com?

Barberastriesand.com

Rosie.com?

[Cdowwe]

Link?

Let me guess

Michealmoore.com?

Barberastriesand.com

Rosie.com?

close...commonwonders it looks like

[Predicto]

Link?

Let me guess

Michealmoore.com?

Barberastriesand.com

Rosie.com?

Now that the source has been duly challenged, let's move on.

Sarge, you are a military guy. Have you ever heard anything about the claim this guy is making? I have heard rumors before, but it is not a subject within my area of knowledge.

[Sarge]

Now that the source has been duly challenged, let's move on.

Sarge, you are a military guy. Have you ever heard anything about the claim this guy is making? I have heard rumors before, but it is not a subject within my area of knowledge.

Which part?

[Predicto]

Which part?

The part about overt religious indocrination at the Air Force Academy. I have never heard anything about West Point or Annapolis or any of the other military institutions in our country, but I have heard it about the Air Force Academy before.

But I admit, I don't know anything much about the subject, and it may be that all I heard was someone talking about this particular guy's claims, and for all I know the guy is a nutball.

So I was asking you if you have heard anything.

[Sarge]

The part about overt religious indocrination at the Air Force Academy. I have never heard anything about West Point or Annapolis or any of the other military institutions in our country, but I have heard it about the Air Force Academy before.

But I admit, I don't know anything much about the subject, and it may be that all I heard was someone talking about this particular guy's claims, and for all I know the guy is a nutball.

So I was asking you if you have heard anything.

Well, if you take the liberal definition of overt, I beleive they still say prayers before each meal. That's about it.

There's no "Crusades 101" or anything

Now, if you were to ask if most of the cadets come from a conservative religious background, I'd say "yes". But it's the academies moral codes that attract these types of individuals to begin with.

Liberals just like to whine because military academies are one of the few places left that have rules that infringe on people's rights.

[Predicto]

Well, if you take the liberal definition of overt, I beleive they still say prayers before each meal. That's about it.

There's no "Crusades 101" or anything

Now, if you were to ask if most of the cadets come from a conservative religious background, I'd say "yes". But it's the academies moral codes that attract these types of individuals to begin with.

Liberals just like to whine because military academies are one of the few places left that have rules that infringe on people's rights.

Bah, don't bother with the shots at liberals please. I understand the purpose of military academies, and I think they are a very good thing, and create a core of professional military officers that has served and continues to serve this country very well. I respect the military and my family's background is military. (And as an aside, it is kind of too bad that we liberals have to say this every time we post anything related to the military in order to forestall the inevitable "keep quiet Jane Fonda you didn't serve so you can't have an opinion" nonsense...)

It was an honest question and I wasn't asking about all the academies or attempting to knock all the academies. I was asking if the Air Force Academy has a different, more overtly religious culture than the others. I thought you might know.

[Zguy28]

Bah, don't bother with the shots at liberals please. I understand the purpose of military academies, and I think they are a very good thing, and create a core of professional military officers that has served and continues to serve this country very well. I respect the military and my family's background is military. (And as an aside, it is kind of too bad that we liberals have to say this every time we post anything related to the military in order to forestall the inevitable "keep quiet Jane Fonda you didn't serve so you can't have an opinion" nonsense...)

It was an honest question and I wasn't asking about all the academies or attempting to knock all the academies. I was asking if the Air Force Academy has a different, more overtly religious culture than the others. I thought you might know.

Predicto, I do know there recently has been a big hoopla about chaplains and their right to pray according to their faith. Don't know if that's related or not though.

Since we are talking about Crusades, has anybody ever seen Kingdom of Heaven by Ridley Scott? I just bought it the other day and loved it.

It does a good job of showing how people can use God for their own agenda, whether Christian or Muslim.

[JMS]

The part about overt religious indocrination at the Air Force Academy. I have never heard anything about West Point or Annapolis or any of the other military institutions in our country, but I have heard it about the Air Force Academy before.

But I admit, I don't know anything much about the subject, and it may be that all I heard was someone talking about this particular guy's claims, and for all I know the guy is a nut ball.

So I was asking you if you have heard anything.

I think the religious persecution and anti Semites at the Air force academy is the only factual thing there. I think Weinstein son was called a Christ Killer by an upperclassman. The son informed his father, his father being a guy with quite a few political contacts and a graduate of the Air force academy himself. His father took it all the way up the chain of command and basically hit a stone wall. Wwinstein put together quite a convincing case for systemic anti semitism going on there. It's been featured along with the anti woman behavior by 60 minutes and a number of newspaper articles.

I think that very real event has colored Weinsteins vision on the rest. Basically the commandant is a fundamentalist whack job. He brought in a few subordinates and a school Chaplin who are whack jobs; and they've gone about weeding folks out who disagreed with them in a pretty organized fashion. The "christ killer" abuse weinsteins son endured was just the tip of the ice burg.

If you alienate the Yale school for divinity with your fundimentalist banter... You're doing pretty bad...

Here are a few stories which have made it into the press..

CNN Air Force probes religious bias charges at academy

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/05/03/airforce.religion/

NPR: Air Force Academy Embroiled in Religious Controversy

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4676698

CBS News: Air Force Sued Over Religion

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/10/06/national/main919947.shtml

[JMS]

Liberals just like to whine because military academies are one of the few places left that have rules that infringe on people's rights.

Sarge.. Weinstein was a Air Force Graduate himself. He also served in the Reagan administration as a political appointee. He's got one son who has graduated from the achadamy. He has another son who is there now.

the achademy has been sued, recently for religious persecution. Their have been more than 50 complaints on the grounds of religious intolerance over the last five years. The Entire academy was required to take a fifty minute coarse in religious tolerance. And visiting faculty from the Yale divinity school found the fundamentalist environment geared to persecution to people of other faiths.

Oh and Weinstein's kid was called a Christ Killer Jew to his face, no action was taken against the upperclassman. That's why Weinstein got involved in the first place. Dude, that's classic anti-semitism. That student could be expected to be expelled for that. I mean just for the historically inaccuracy and shear idiocy of the comment should have been enough to get the kid expelled. At least some sort of comprehensive review of history was in order.

[Teller]

CONGRESS SHALL MAKE NO LAW...

CONGRESS SHALL MAKE NO LAW...

CONGRESS SHALL MAKE NO LAW...

Why is it that libs can read "well-organized militia" but the above, doesn't even register?

If you're going to qualify one, you MUST qualify the other.

[JMS]

Bah, don't bother with the shots at liberals please. I understand the purpose of military academies, and I think they are a very good thing, and create a core of professional military officers that has served and continues to serve this country very well. I respect the military and my family's background is military. (And as an aside, it is kind of too bad that we liberals have to say this every time we post anything related to the military in order to forestall the inevitable "keep quiet Jane Fonda you didn't serve so you can't have an opinion" nonsense...)

It was an honest question and I wasn't asking about all the academies or attempting to knock all the academies. I was asking if the Air Force Academy has a different, more overtly religious culture than the others. I thought you might know.

I disagree with that. The Military academy's aren't important to the military any longer. Most of the general officers in the services don't come form the academies any longer. The vast majority of the graduates leave the military long before they become important for the service. Either because they can make more money in the private sector or because they wash out of the actual service because the academy experience ill prepared them for actual military service.

The academies are basically maintained for tradition. They are not where the majority or even the best officers come from.

Basically the academies are not important, nor do they or have they traditionally produced good candidates to lead the nations military. I know quite a few military academy guys. I don't think they benefited from the institutions; and they would have been better off going to a real institution of higher learning rather than where they did go.

Just my opinion on the last bit... What with folks getting charged with rape, or running stolen car rings, anti semitism, and religious persecution. Seems to me we don't even have adults running those institutions any longer, much less have a minimum level of maturity from the students.

[Brad_Edwards_Fan]

I disagree with that. The Military academy's aren't important to the military any longer. Most of the general officers in the services don't come form the academies any longer. The vast majority of the graduates leave the military long before they become important for the service. Either because they can make more money in the private sector or because they wash out of the actual service because the academy ill prepared them for it.

Basically the academies are not important, nor do they or have they traditionally produced good candidates to lead the nations militarise. I know quite a few military academy guys. I don't think they benefited from the institutions; and they would have been better off going to a real institution of higher learning rather than where they did go.

Come on...regardless of your feelings about the military you have to admit that the academies are among the best schools in our country.

[Sarge]

It was an honest question and I wasn't asking about all the academies or attempting to knock all the academies. I was asking if the Air Force Academy has a different, more overtly religious culture than the others. I thought you might know.

I don't think so. No more so than any other academy

[Sarge]

I disagree with that. The Military academy's aren't important to the military any longer. Most of the general officers in the services don't come form the academies any longer.

Just my opinion on the last bit... What with folks getting charged with rape, or running stolen car rings, anti semitism, and religious persecution. Seems to me we don't even have adults running those institutions any longer, much less have a minimum level of maturity from the students.

You obviously have no understanding of what goes on at the academies. And most of the general officers still come from the academies

As for the second assertation, just a reflection on our lax assed society and lack of morals

[Predicto]

CONGRESS SHALL MAKE NO LAW...

CONGRESS SHALL MAKE NO LAW...

CONGRESS SHALL MAKE NO LAW...

Why is it that libs can read "well-organized militia" but the above, doesn't even register?

If you're going to qualify one, you MUST qualify the other.

I have no idea what you are talking about. Did you post in the correct thread?

[JMS]

Come on...regardless of your feelings about the military you have to admit that the academies are among the best schools in our country.

I think they are respected among the ivy league schools. I think the students who attend them compare favorable with most other schools. I don't think the military academies compare favorable or even statistically with Ivy league schools in reality.

Academics is only a small part of the experience at these schools and all the stress, hazing, and BS which goes along with Academy life is just more about sadism and immaturity than it is about learning or leadership. If you had 100 good young men. I think you would get more well adjusted leaders out of a normal college experience than you would out of the academy's.

Most general officers in our militarise do not come from the military academies and haven't for decades. Guys like Colin Powell are more the rule than the exception. Military academy guys wash out early in their careers or they decide to drop out after they've put their time in. They can make more money in the private sector. Thus these schools do not fill the need they once did; to make sure the nations militaries had a pool of young liberally educated leaders to fill it's ranks.

I've got history here. So I have strong opinions. I just think the facts don't support the hype.

[JMS]

You obviously have no understanding of what goes on at the academies. And most of the general officers still come from the academies

Wrong and Wrong...

Chairman of the joint cheifs of staff Colin Powell was not an academy graduate.

Nor was General John Shalikashvili the guy who replaced him.

Nor was Hugh Shelton who replaced him.

Nor was Richard Myers who replaced him.

In 2000 when Shelton was in office two -thirds of all generals and admirals in the Army and Navy were not academy graduates.

West Point grads exit service at high rate

According to statistics compiled by West Point, of the 903 Army officers commissioned upon graduation in 2001, nearly 46 percent left the service last year -- 35 percent at the conclusion of their five years of required service, and another 11 percent over the next six months. And more than 54 percent of the 935 graduates in the class of 2000 had left active duty by this January, the statistics show.

The figures mark the lowest retention rate of graduates after the completion of their mandatory duty since at least 1977, with the exception of members of three classes in the late 1980s who were encouraged to leave as the military downsized following the end of the Cold War.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/04/11/west_point_grads_exit_service_at_high_rate/

As for the second assertion, just a reflection on our lax assed society and lack of morals

Are you saying that an Annapolis cadet was not just expelled for behavior unbecoming relating to raping a fellow cadet a few months ago?

Are you saying that 5 Annapolis students weren't ejected in the late 1990's because they were running a car theft ring?

http://www-cgi.cnn.com/US/9604/12/newsbriefs/index.html

Are you saying the entire Air force academy wasn't required to attend mandatory religious sensitivity classes and the commandant wasn't ordered to vet his speeches to the student body through the secretary of the Air Force?

If you're saying any of these things, It would seem I know more about what goes on the in the academies than you do.

[Sarge]

Are you saying that an Annapolis cadet was not just expelled for behavior unbecoming relating to raping a fellow cadet a few months ago?

Are you saying that 5 Annapolis students weren't ejected in the late 1990's because they were running a car theft ring?

http://www-cgi.cnn.com/US/9604/12/newsbriefs/index.html

Are you saying the entire Air force academy wasn't required to attend mandatory religious sensitivity classes and the commandant wasn't ordered to vet his speeches to the student body through the secretary of the Air Force?

If you're saying any of these things, It would seem I know more about what goes on the in the academies than you do.

The academies themselves still have discipline, but the kids coming into the military today (both officer and enlisted) generally do not have the same moral upbringing as the ones coming in 20 years ago

[Predicto]

The academies themselves still have discipline, but the kids coming into the military today (both officer and enlisted) generally do not have the same moral upbringing as the ones coming in 20 years ago

Or is the difference that 20 years ago, if a cadet raped someone, they would just get away with it.

[Sarge]

Or is the difference that 20 years ago, if a cadet raped someone, they would just get away with it.

Now, if you want to go into treatment of women, that's different, and the academies have had their share of issues with rapes. What's worse is that the officers running the academies often let it slide, which was ****ed up

[headexplode]

Wrong and Wrong...

Are you saying that an Annapolis cadet was not just expelled for behavior unbecoming relating to raping a fellow cadet a few months ago?

Are you saying that 5 Annapolis students weren't ejected in the late 1990's because they were running a car theft ring?

http://www-cgi.cnn.com/US/9604/12/newsbriefs/index.html

Are you saying the entire Air force academy wasn't required to attend mandatory religious sensitivity classes and the commandant wasn't ordered to vet his speeches to the student body through the secretary of the Air Force?

If you're saying any of these things, It would seem I know more about what goes on the in the academies than you do.

You seem to be taking some isolated incidents of bad behavior, which the Academy dealt with, and making it seem like craziness and stupidity are endemic to the school. All institutions deal with things like this at one time or another. Rape is a major problem at most colleges and universities across the country, and it's hardly ever reported properly. Many students on campuses everywhere are doing illegal and immoral things. I know--I used to be one of those students. My roomate was a pot dealer who was in business with other people on campus. Many professors and administrators abuse their positions of authority to project their beliefs and opinions at schools when they really have no business doing so. When you have a large concentration of people--and a sizeable contingent of idiots and weirdos and lunatics make up that body of people--you're going to have problems with behavior. You're going to have "unsavory" headlines in the paper. Headlines shape perceptions. Perceptions aren't always true.

[JMS]

You seem to be taking some isolated incidents of bad behavior, which the Academy dealt with, and making it seem like craziness and stupidity are endemic to the school. All institutions deal with things like this at one time or another. Rape is a major problem at most colleges and universities across the country, and it's hardly ever reported properly. Many students on campuses everywhere are doing illegal and immoral things. I know--I used to be one of those students. My roommate was a pot dealer who was in business with other people on campus. Many professors and administrators abuse their positions of authority to project their beliefs and opinions at schools when they really have no business doing so. When you have a large concentration of people--and a sizeable contingent of idiots and weirdos and lunatics make up that body of people--you're going to have problems with behavior. You're going to have "unsavory" headlines in the paper. Headlines shape perceptions. Perceptions aren't always true.

First off we're not talking about isolated incidents. We're talking systemic problems. Second off thes institutions aren't doing their jobs.

I'm just saying that of the last five chairmen of the joint chiefs. four did not come from the military academies.

Colin Powell...............no

John Shalikashvili........no

Hugh Shelton.............no

Richard Myers............no

Peter Pace.. current... yes

I'm saying two thirds of all generals and admirals serving in 2000 did not attend the military academies. We spend a billion dollars a year on those institutions and they aren't run very well. The fact that currently 50% of the graduates get their 5 years in and then drop out is typical.

they aren't a good investment. They don't produce good leaders. They don't have a particularly good record in recent years. There is a lot of hype and tradition around those institutions. That is not based in fact.

[headexplode]

First off we're not talking about isolated incidents. We're talking systemic problems. Second off thes institutions aren't doing their jobs.

I'm just saying that of the last five chairmen of the joint chiefs. four did not come from the military academies.

Colin Powell...............no

John Shalikashvili........no

Hugh Shelton.............no

Richard Myers............no

Peter Pace.. current... yes

I'm saying two thirds of all generals and admirals serving in 2000 did not attend the military academies. We spend a billion dollars a year on those institutions and they aren't run very well. The fact that currently 50% of the graduates get their 5 years in and then drop out is typical.

they aren't a good investment. They don't produce good leaders. They don't have a particularly good record in recent years. There is a lot of hype and tradition around those institutions. That is not based in fact.

You may be right but I don't think the few examples of bad behavior you provide qualify as systemic.

Are they effective institutions? Perhaps not, but I wasn't addressing that point.

I think the military in general is run by short-sighted idealogical goons but I believe a lot of our universities are failing as well and that should be noted.