Free Republic

A Republican politician has sparked religious fury by demanding all Muslims be forced out of the U.S. military. Tennessee State Representative Rick Womick claimed serving Muslims posed a significant threat and needed to be kicked out of the armed forces because their religion commands them to lie. Interviewed on Veteran's Day by the Think Progress website he said: 'Personally I don't trust one Muslim in our military because they're commanded to lie to us. 'And if they really are a devout Muslim and follow the Koran and the and the Sunnah, then I feel threatened because they're commanded to kill...

Muslims around the country are calling on state officials to rebuke Rep. Rick Womick, R-Murfreesboro, for saying the U.S. should purge Muslims from the military. But if they want strong denunciations, Gov. Bill Haslam isn't their guy. He might be the chief executive of this state and the head of the Tennessee Republican Party, but he clearly doesn't see standing up for freedom of religion or striking a blow against bigotry as top priorities. Asked today what he had to say about Womick's remarks, the governor declared: "I don’t think I would agree with Rick on that." OK, governor, but...

A bill requiring presidential candidates to provide their birth certificates to Tennessee's secretary of state as a condition of getting on the Tennessee ballot was killed Wednesday in a House subcommittee. Also dying Wednesday was a proposal to establish a legislative committee that would review federal laws and regulations then recommend which, if any, should be nullified by the General Assembly. Rep. Rick Womick, R-Rockvale, was House sponsor of the birth certificate bill. He said it was inspired by constituents who doubt that President Barack Obama was born in the United States. Passage of the bill, he said, would "put...