Houston Cemetery Bans the Word 'God' from Military Funerals

American Thinker ^ | 06/30/2011 | Christine Biediger

[yoe]

( Congressman Poe calls for termination of Houston National Cemetery director)

As Americans and all Texicans should phone Congressman Poe and Governor Rick Perry....this woman needs to go immediately! Who is she????

Congressman Poe
Washington, D.C.
(202) 225-6565
(202) 225-5547 fax
(866) 425-6565 toll free

Rick Perry: Office of the Governor Fax: (512) 463-1849

[frogjerk]

You cannot allow evil in order to justify some sort of good to come from it. Innocent bystanders will be hurt by your allowing of evil. This is beyond human capacity and control. Only God Himself has the power and omnipotence to know the final outcome.

[darrellmaurina]

HiTech RedNeck posted on Thursday, June 30, 2011 10:08:41 AM: “I bet she folds when some Muslim soldier’s family wants to “hold a service in Arabic.” In which the imam gets to chant about Allah about 40 or 50 times. They may duly provide her the text — in Arabic of course. And she’ll rubber stamp it. Should Christians secure the services of someone who speaks New Testament Greek? Jews, Old Testament Hebrew?”

This is a key point. If the article is correct, she's prohibiting all forms of religious expression, rather than just some forms. The good thing about that is it's quite possible this will antagonize enough Jews and liberal Christians that veterans will get significant backing from groups like the ACLU which often take the wrong side of these issues, but generally defend free speech rights.

The bad thing is that it's legally much easier to bar all religious expression than to single out some forms as prohibited. A company or a government agency has every right, for example, to tell its employees that they will not use official email to send religiously-oriented messages and will not discuss religion on company/agency time.

I strongly suspect this is “a bridge too far” and will antagonize so many people that the cemetery policy gets changed and this woman loses her job. However, if that doesn't happen, serious damage could happen because the policy may actually be legally defensible on the grounds that failing to bar unsolicited religious statements could imply government endorsement of religion, and could set a horrible precedent if it were to stand up in court. That's not the current state of American law, but a bad precedent could create that outcome.

Let's just be glad this is happening in Texas and not San Francisco or New England where the judges might be less sympathetic.

[Publius6961]

director of the Houston VA National Cemetery, Arleen Ocasio, has ordered the burial teams to instruct that religious references, as well as prayer, are no longer to be included as part of the burial services.

Time for Ocasualty to start looking for a new job.

The arrogance of tenth-level bureaucrats is breathtaking, if not revealed for all to see.

What part of "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;" does this presumptuous harpy not understand?
Does she presume to not be held to the standards that Congress must meet?

I hope her email address is posted later in this article...

[Publius6961]

I don't understand why anyone needs her permission....just do it.

A national discussion in the aftermath of arresting an entire funeral party would wonderful to see.

What a total pervert idiot!

[yoe]

"...bull d***ke type ugly women pushing their feminist anti-American BS on the USA."

Her resemblance to Janet Napolitano is remarkable....more Political Correctness in American appointments...even in grave yards. A secular zealot? Or just another Hispanic puppet trying to overthrow American Values....or is she Muslim? Huston should be furious at those who appointed her....

[Publius6961]

Time to pack your carpetbag and go back to DU, loser!

Who left the &#@*(#)$( door open?

[yoe]

"...when God reminds them in ways only He can of who's world this is."

If you think any one of these hateful people would recognize a message from God, you are sadly mistaken....give them an inch and they take the proverbial mile and then some.

[paladin1_dcs]

Time to pack your carpetbag and go back to DU, loser! Who left the &#@*(#)$( door open?

If you think I'm a liberal, you're seriously deluded. Check my posting history before making such a fool of yourself again.

[yoe]

Is Ocasio following orders from the Department of Veterans Affairs officials? Who is the official who actually gave the order?

[Arrowhead1952]

DANG!! That looks like Janet Incompotento’s twin!!

[Publius6961]

If you think I'm a liberal, you're seriously deluded.

I'm confortable with being seriously deluded.
Being a smarmy wannabe intellectual spouting babble would trouble me more.

Have a nice day.

[paladin1_dcs]

I'm confortable with being seriously deluded. Being a smarmy wannabe intellectual spouting babble would trouble me more. Have a nice day.

So you're okay with being a seriously deluded, foul-mouthed fool? Suit yourself, it's your life.

[TexasRepublic]

Some un-godly person ought to kick her ass from here to Sunday.

[Rudder]

Perhaps Ocasio is not aware...

Perhaps, perhaps not.

Has anyone reported what Ocasio has to say about this? I've seen a lot of posts on this topic but no one, apparently, has tried get her to reveal WTF she is thinking.

[af_vet_rr]

This was posted tonight (Chron.com):

The Department of Veterans Affairs on Thursday said that invoking the name of God or Jesus is not only allowed, but common at VA National Cemeteries across the country.

Local veterans and volunteer groups have accused VA officials of censoring religious speech — including the words Jesus and God — at Houston National Cemetery.

In one example cited in documents filed this week in federal court, cemetery director Arleen Ocasio reportedly told volunteers with the National Memorial Ladies that they had to stop telling families "God bless you" at funerals and that they had to remove the words "God bless" from condolence cards.

Ocasio has not responded to the Houston Chronicle's requests for comment, but other VA officials say national cemeteries welcome appropriate religious recitations.

Here's the deal - apparently it comes out of something that was sent out in 2007:

Among the allegations raised in a federal civil suit against VA is a claim that Ocasio did not allow volunteer honor guards to recite prayers at funerals without approval of the deceased veteran's family.

The catch, according to the suit, was that the honor guards couldn't get approval because they were forbidden from providing optional texts to the families for consideration.

Cemetery guidelines released by VA on Thursday appeared to confirm that VA's National Cemetery Administration does not allow volunteer honor guards to submit any texts to veterans' families for review.

Prior restraint?

Such a policy is an unconstitutional prior restraint on speech, said Hiram Sasser, director of litigation for the Liberty Institute, a nonprofit that filed the suit.

"In this case they're telling private citizens that their speech is banned, and they're banned from even talking to the families and letting the families even know that there are options, religious or not religious," Sasser said.

A memo released by VA on Thursday was sent to all VA cemetery directors on Nov. 1, 2007, by William Tuerk, under secretary for Memorial Affairs at the time.

It states that cemetery employees, including VA-sponsored volunteer honor guards, "shall not provide texts of any such recitations to the deceased's survivors for consideration."

What the hell was going on in 2007 in regards to employees and volunteers being banned from providing "texts of any such recitations to the deceased's survivors for consideration."

Did somebody in Obama's administration decide that employees and volunteers could not provide such things?

[af_vet_rr]

Eeek, November of 2007 was Bush’s administration, not Obama, but it sure feels like Obama has been in office that long. Late at night brain fart on my part. Anyways, if you read through the article, it sounds like she took that ban and interpreted it liberally. I’d still like to know what the reason for the original ban was, but apparently the person who published the memo wasn’t kept around after Obama took office.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks SeekAndFind.

The director of the Houston VA National Cemetery, Arleen Ocasio, has ordered the burial teams to instruct that religious references, as well as prayer, are no longer to be included as part of the burial services. Requests for messages or prayers can be formally submitted for her approval, but the mention of "God" is not allowed.

She's in violation of the law, of her oath, and of the Constitution of the United States.

Amendment I -- Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Arleen Ocasio:

Google

[Do Not Make Fun Of His Ears]

One more thing I thought of. All our currency has “In God We Trust” on it.

That must really peeve this tyrant.