Washington Gadfly

Religious Liberties Group Demands Army Depot Expunge Bible From POW/MIA Display

Evan Gahr Investigative Journalist
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Yet another POW/MIA Bible display was just hurled over the wall between church and state, if you believe the Military Religious Freedom Foundation.

MRFF president Mikey Weinstein, who just convinced three VA clinics and one military base medical center to remove the good book from their own tables for fallen and missing soldiers, demanded Monday that the Tobyhanna Army Depot in Pennsylvania follow suit.

With his typically oblique language Weinstein emailed Depot commander Colonel Gregory Peterson that, “Your utilization of ONLY the Christian religious scripture in your POW/MIA memorial display is a pernicious example of unconstitutional, fundamentalist Christian primacy, supremacy, exceptionalism and triumphalism. It is in direct violation of America’s Constitution, its construing Federal and State case law as well as a plethora of DoD and Army directives, regulations and instructions which specifically exist to protect the civil rights and liberties of all Army military and civilian personnel, not merely those who adhere to the ‘correct’ version of the Christian faith.”

Perhaps mindful of suggestions from Breitbart.com and Rep. [crscore]Doug Collins[/crscore] that he is waging an anti-Christian jihad, Weinstein noted that he was speaking for primarily Christian clients at the installation.

“MRFF represents over 100 of the Army personnel under your absolute command at Tobyhanna Army Depot and the overwhelming majority of them happen to be active CHRISTIAN practitioners; either Protestant or Roman Catholic. What do THEY clearly see and know about this matter that apparently YOU and your staff do not, sir?

Peterson did not reply to requests for comment but could take flack from Republicans if he does as Weinstein and his flock want.

Congressman Mike Turner last week sent a letter to the commander of the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base  calling the removal of a Christian Bible from their POW/MIA display table an assault on “religious freedom.”

UPDATE:  Weinstein late Tuesday morning told the Washington Gadfly that the Bible, which contained the Depot’s official logo, was just removed from the display table. He commended Colonel Peterson for doing the right thing, albeit under “duress.”

 

 

Evan Gahr