NAVAL CHAPLAIN FILES FORMAL COMPLAINT OVER CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION

breitbart ^ | june 11, 2015 | austin ruse

[Gene Eric]

Thomas More Law Center might be a good option resources permitting.

www.thomasmore.org

[Norm Lenhart]

Right now, a soldier is a target. They cannot fight back without someone giving them vetted permission.

Soldiers should leave at the earliest opportunity. If we get invaded, they won’t be allowed to do anything but die anyway. We rapidly built a citizen army once when the need arose. We could do it again if we had to.

We don’t need invisible aircraft at a 1/4 bil a pop. We need Patton and Reagan.

[lentulusgracchus]

Anyone who has been paying attention in the last 35 years saw this coming after the Anita Bryant thing.

[Lumper20]

Only the ones during the period of about 1973-1990’s.Very few conventional or even SF saw action during that period. The first real combat OPS since Vietnam were in Afghan when SF jumped in to link up with CIA and Northern alliance types. That South America mess in the 80’s was by a few. The problem we had going into Iraq and Afghan was lack of combat experienced Company grade officers and NCO’s plus most Gens had no combat experience. In Vietnam I had a WWII and Korean war experienced CO, our NCO’s had either Korea and/or Laos experience and others had a tour or more with SF in Vietnam before 68. We had all kinds of experience. Sadly the leaders have terrible ROE’s today. I would not serve today with these rules and fags.

[ScottinVA]

So it is now essentially illegal to be a practicing Christian in the chaplain ranks. The military has become a secular-progressivist spiritual hellhole.

[PubliusMM]

Norm Lenhart wrote, “The voters are the people responsible for this.”

In truth it was the vote-counters, too, be they human, mechanical, or electronic. We have NO assurance that the tallies in the last three quadrennial elections were accurate in any sense of the word.

[Norm Lenhart]

True. But ultimately it is the voter that lost faith in enough numbers to make that possible.

[Does so]

Get out there and vote for lesser evils no matter what. We can hold their feet to the fire later.

Withholding your vote doesn't cancel a vote for Hillary; in fact, it doubles the effect of each Hillary vote. I don't know any President who didn't back away from his campaign promises.

[don-o]

bump

[Norm Lenhart]

Who said withhold or not vote? I’ll bet if I try real hard, and I will, I will find someone to vote for out of about 100,000,000 eligible people in America.

And he or she will be a conservative. If people prefer a liberal on TV, thats their choice.

[Guenevere]

Bttt

[Alas Babylon!]

If people prefer a liberal on TV, thats their choice.

Oh, we've already reached that point.

Exhibit A:

There are now too many of THEM, and not enough of US.

The majority prefers to vote straight-up greater evil.

Coming next:

[xzins]

I have followed this case from the first time it showed up in the media. As an Army chaplain, I can’t speak in detail to every difference between the Army & Navy chaplaincies, but I can say with absolute certainty that the law governing both is exactly the same. In fact, many of the tradition are the same as well.

This chaplain is being persecuted by this commander. There is no doubt in my mind that this is true. (I, in fact, believe this chaplain was set up. Otherwise, why another ‘officer observer’ in his office asking supposedly benign questions about this chaplain’s beliefs.)

That says to me that this commander is acting out some kind of animosity either toward this chaplain, in particular, or toward chaplains in general. I would not at all be surprised to find this commander is either an atheist or a homosexual and is exacting some kind of vengeance.

The chaplain has NEVER claimed to be other than a chaplain from a charismatic based denomination AND has never acted outside what one would expect from a chaplain endorsed by a charismatic endorsing denomination.

No doubt in my mind.

So, to hear that his legal team has filed against this commander is no surprise. I’m glad they’ve done this. I hope the real truth comes out.

[q_an_a]

This is why all the “MOE MONEY “ for DOD is crap - they have too many people making new PC rules instead of getting troops ready to fight

[xzins]

Liberty Institute Exposes Holes in Case Against Chaplain Modder—Urges Navy to Restore Him to Service

On behalf of client U.S. Navy Chaplain Wes Modder, this week Liberty Institute sent a response letter to Rear Admiral Mary M. Jackson, USN, Commander, Navy Region Southeast. Admiral Jackson is now reviewing Captain Jon R. Fahs’s requested career-ending punishment of Chaplain Modder.

The detailed, 18-page letter asks Rear Admiral Jackson to reject Captain Fahs’s request that Modder be detached for cause (the military equivalent of being fired), removed from the promotion list, and sent to a Board of Inquiry where he could be involuntarily forced out of the Navy. 

Captain Fahs is Modder’s commanding officer at the Naval Nuclear Power Training Command in Goose Creek, South Carolina. He declined to meet with Chaplain Modder’s attorneys to discuss the case.

MAJOR HOLES AND VIOLATIONS

Liberty Institute’s review of the facts and law uncovered numerous major holes in Fahs’s initiation of, and response to, the internal investigation of Chaplain Modder.  Additionally, the letter spells out why the proposed punishment of Chaplain Modder would violate a host of federal and military laws and important procedural safeguards.

“We appreciate the opportunity the Navy afforded us to respond to Captain Fahs,” says Mike Berry, Liberty Institute Senior Counsel and Director of Military Affairs. “We believe that based on the evidence, the Navy will exonerate Chaplain Modder and restore him to continue his true calling of ministering to sailors and Marines as he has done for the past 19 years [4 years as a decorated U.S. Marine, and then as a Navy chaplain for the past 15 years].”

“GRAVE INFRINGEMENT” OF RELIGIOUS LIBERTY

Although Liberty Institute’s findings contain three major grounds for dismissing Fahs’s request for extraordinary punishment of Chaplain Modder, the most critical is the devastating effect such punishment could have on morale, religious freedom, and fighting readiness in the U.S. military.

This concern stems from the fact that the charges against Chaplain Modder originated over objections to his expression of religious beliefs in private counseling sessions—even though his expression is protected by law and required by the denomination that “endorses” (i.e., sponsors) him as a chaplain.

“[T]he proposed actions would effect a grave infringement of Chaplain

Modder’s rights under the Department of Defense (“DOD”) and Navy religious freedom regulations, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, and the First Amendment,” the letter states.

The attorneys for Chaplain Modder warn, “This is a matter of serious concern not just for Chaplain Modder, but for the military as a whole, particularly as the military seeks to accommodate the significant and often unique spiritual needs of an increasingly diverse workforce.”

ACCUSED . . . FOR SERVING SPIRTUAL NEEDS

With a Doctorate in Military Ministry, Chaplain Modder is a respected and decorated chaplain. After his stellar service, including as Force Chaplain for Naval Special Warfare Command, in 2014 Chaplain Modder was assigned to the Naval Nuclear Power Training Command at the request of a 4-star Admiral.

A very small number of military personnel in private counseling sessions asked Chaplain Modder for spiritual guidance regarding certain personal conduct. Since Chaplain Modder is endorsed by the Assemblies of God—the respected Bible-believing denomination to which he belongs—he is required to provide spiritual guidance in line with their viewpoint, as he has consistently and faithfully done for 15 years. But in this case, these few individuals at Chaplain Modder’s relatively new location did not agree with his traditional, biblical views regarding their inquiries and they complained.

Berry explains: “They were looking for someone to simply tell them what they wanted to hear. And when they didn’t hear what they wanted to hear, they complained.”

Captain Fahs responded to the complaints by initiating an investigation. When the investigator recommended no punishment, Captain Fahs did the exact opposite and requested severe, potentially career-ending action against Chaplain Modder. He also removed Modder from his unit and isolated him at the base chapel. The chaplain has been cut off from his sailors, and he is forbidden from ministering to their spiritual needs.

 In a video interview, Chaplain Modder said that his “hope and prayer is that truth will prevail. It has to be the outcome, because that’s who we are as America.”

THREE STRIKES AGAINST THE ACCUSATIONS

Believing that the Navy is now taking its duty of review seriously and that a careful examination of the record will exonerate Chaplain Modder, Liberty Institute has offered Rear Admiral Jackson three reasons to reject Captain Fahs’s request:

PROBLEM #1:

The Requirements for Punishing Chaplain Modder

Simply Have Not Been Met

According to Navy regulations, “detachment for cause” on the basis sought by Captain Fahs must be supported by a showing of “one or more significant events resulting from gross negligence or complete disregard of duty.” Yet the investigation report fails to identify a single event resulting from gross negligence or a “complete disregard of duty.”

Significantly, Boards of Inquiry “are reserved for the investigation of major incidents . . . or serious or significant events” such as catastrophic loss of life or property. In the past, Boards of Inquiry were mainly used for incidents such as vessels being sunk due to alleged performance failures. In the Navy, because Boards of Inquiry are expensive and time-consuming they are typically reserved only for the most serious matters such as running a ship aground. 

The allegations in Captain Fahs’s report of investigation fall well short of constituting a major incident, or even a serious or significant event. To the contrary, according to Modder’s attorneys, the alleged conduct at issue, if it occurred, “represents nothing more than Chaplain Modder’s efforts to fulfill his duty to provide counsel and care to service members to allow them to serve their country effectively.”

The letter cites other instances where Fahs’s requested punishment of Chaplain Modder and the conduct of the investigation fail to comply with military procedure.

PROBLEM #2:

The Investigation Was Incomplete and Overlooked

Key Evidence and Witnesses

According to the response from Liberty Institute, "From the outset, the investigation evidenced a rush to judgment against Chaplain Modder and disregard for the procedures governing command investigations.”

The letter specifically cites problems such as Captain Fahs appointing an officer of the same rank as Chaplain Modder with no prior investigative experience, against which Navy regulations caution.

Similarly, Captain Fahs couched the order for the investigation in language skewed to pre-determine the outcome. This would have caused the investigator to believe his commander desired a particular result. Even then, however, the investigating officer recommended only that Chaplain Modder be given an alternative assignment and a letter of instruction—not potential expulsion from the Navy!

Not content to accept the investigating officer’s recommendations, Captain Fahs instead escalated the matter by seeking the detachment for cause, removal from the promotion list, and a Board of Inquiry.

PROBLEM #3:

Chaplain Modder’s Actions Are Protected

by the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA),

Military Regulations and the First Amendment

As stated by the Liberty Institute response, “Chaplain Modder is called and compelled to accomplish his chaplain duties—which include pastoral care and counseling—in accordance with the doctrinal tenets of the Assemblies of God denomination and his sincerely held religious beliefs.”

Granting Captain Fahs’s proposal “would violate [Chaplain Modder’s] rights under federal law and military regulations.”

The letter specifically cites the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 (RFRA), which prohibits the federal government from substantially burdening an individual’s sincerely held religious beliefs without a compelling interest that is furthered by the least restrictive means.

“By threatening to end Chaplain Modder’s Navy career as a result of expressing religious beliefs,” states the response, “Captain Fahs has placed a substantial burden on Chaplain Modder’s sincerely held beliefs, and no compelling government interest has been cited to justify Captain Fahs’s actions.”

That makes this case a potential tipping point for religious freedom in the U.S. military.

As the letter states, “If it imposes the proposed adverse actions against Chaplain Modder, the Navy would infringe his rights to express his religious beliefs in the context of providing counsel and care in violation of the Free Speech and Free Exercise clauses of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.”

CONFIDENT OF CHAPLAIN MODDER’S EXONERATION

The law is on the side of Chaplain Modder, all chaplains, and all members of the U.S. military who want to exercise their faith. But as always, rights on paper must be fought for—including the use of forceful legal action—or they can be violated and made insignificant.

Chaplain Modder’s case, as the letter of response to Admiral Jackson notes, is reviewable by a federal civilian court, because men and women in the Armed Forces do not lose their religious freedoms when they join the military. 

Yet Liberty Institute is confident that the Navy will—after reviewing the information included in its response—reject Captain Fahs’s unwarranted request and will exonerate Chaplain Modder so he can continue ministering to sailors and Marines and fulfill his duty of service.

[sport]

Well, My FRiend, Two times the voters of America went to the polls to select someone to lead them for a period in time of four years. Once on November 4, 2008 and once on November 6, 2012. Both times a majority of those whom that voted said, via their votes, that they wished to be ruled by a muslim. To dispel any doubts that this is what they desired, at their National Convention in 2012, the members of his political party booed the mention of the name of God three times in succession on national t.v. To add insult to injury, scads of self professing Christians said , via their votes, agreed with the majority. How can anything good become from this?

[sport]

I think you answered your own question and the answer is in your second sentence.

[Travis McGee]

Jesus wept.

[Travis McGee]

Natural laws learned over thousands of years were mocked, ridiculed, overturned, and even outlawed. Toward the end, homosexual drill sergeants prowled the barracks grooming receptive teenage recruits. Hey, we were told, it’s their business, and who are you to judge them? Later, they could get married in the post-interfaith worship center by a military spiritual advisor (“chapels” and “chaplains” having been purged from the lexicon for favoring the Christian faiths) and then move on to adopting children.

And finally, the last old-guard bunker to fall: the Boy Scouts, completing the cycle of government-approved sodomite corruption. For a century the Scouts were morally straight? According to whose definition of straight? So why shouldn’t adult homosexual Scout leaders share tents with teenagers in our brave new world? Don’t be a homophobe, we were told. Each child can make his or her own free choice about their gender identity, but now with helpful adult mentors to guide them along the formerly forbidden paths.

If it feels good, do it. Or have it done to you. Or even do it unto the little children. Tommy wants to become Tomasina before heading to kindergarten? Her brave new mommy agrees? A government-provided surgeon will perform the “gender reassignment” operation. And if kindergarten isn’t soon enough to put the kids on the unrepressed road to gender identification, then start them on Heather Has Two Mommies and Prince and Prince cartoon books in the government-subsidized day care centers.

Smiling experts assured us that we were merely throwing off the shackles of our repressed sexualities. Dissent is hate, and hate is not tolerated around here, mister, so shut up and get with the program. Well, I couldn’t get with the program, so I quit my public high school job. As a world history teacher, moving from a public school to a Christian academy (at less pay and fewer benefits) gave me a couple more years of insulation from the social wreckage cascading down.

I kept looking up for the big asteroid, but we didn’t need God to smite us from outer space. In the end, we smote ourselves with our hubris, believing that we were replacing God’s wisdom with our own. The proud decadence and in-your-face cultural perversions didn’t cause the Rupture, but they were surely flashing red signs warning that the end was near.

Click the pic to the full-text Free Republic thread.

Alas, Brave New Babylon 60-second Youtube trailer

[sport]

We, as a Nation, are now firmly in the mindset of, as long as it is not my ox that is the one being gored, I do not give a damn, My FRiend.