I just got it from a reliable source that retired Islamophobic Lt. Gen. William “Jerry” Boykin has been disinvited from speaking at West Point’s annual National Prayer Breakfast. Score one for the fight against religious bigotry and Christian nationalism!
UPDATE: thinkprogress.org is reporting that West Point’s official statement says that it was Boykin who withdrew from the event. I find that a bit hard to believe, but either way he’s not speaking at West Point, which is the important thing.
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Email that just came in to MRFF from one of the 27 faculty members at West Point who opposed Boykin speaking there:
Mikey,
I am one of the West Point Faculty leaders who reached out to you and the MRFF via a late night teleconference merely 4 days ago about the horrible invitation which West Point extended to that well known Muslim bigot retired LGen William Boykin to speak at our annual U.S. Military Academy National Prayer breakfast on 8 Feb 12. We have just learned that Boykin will no longer be coming to West Point for this event.
On behalf of all 27 West Point faculty who are MRFF clients in this matter, and the 74 West Point cadets who are MRFF clients here as well, we all send our sincerest thanks and respect for an excellent job well done! And none of us had to reveal our identities in the bargain, Mikey. None of us had any place to turn for help, without real fear of reprisal, other than you and the MRFF.
As it turns out, Mikey, you and the MRFF were more than up to the challenge! From all of us here at West Point to all of the MRFF, we thank you for taking our fight to the Army and Pentagon and Presidential powers that be.
(West Point Faculty member’s name, rank and Academy Faculty Dept. withheld)
11 comments
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Justin Griffith
January 31, 2012 at 1:43 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Awesome! Way to go MRFF! Seriously, the real shit-kickers in the fight for an equal playing field for minority religious preferences in the US Military.
The world will never know how many stories like this you don’t even make public.
Chris Rodda
January 31, 2012 at 1:54 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
The other shit-kickers in this one were VoteVets.org.
paulburnett
January 31, 2012 at 4:01 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
See http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/30/10273196-extremist-speaker-withdraws-from-west-point-event-after-protests and http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/31/us/lt-gen-william-boykin-known-for-anti-muslim-remarks-cancels-west-point-talk.html
Good job, everybody!
F
January 31, 2012 at 4:09 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Oh hell yeah.
Zinc Avenger
January 31, 2012 at 4:49 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I echo the sentiment. Way to go MRFF!
I’m glad to know that sanity isn’t quite dead yet.
ashleybone
January 31, 2012 at 12:59 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Great job! The MRFF rocks.
frankboyd
January 31, 2012 at 3:25 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Islamophobia, huh? Fascinating how closely your stance against bigotry tailors with the requirements of having a quiet life and avoiding any point requiring principle or integrity.
Good thing noone’s accusing you of “christianophobia”, I suppose…
Aquaria
February 1, 2012 at 12:54 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
#7
Word salad is word salad.
And it’s not christophobic to point out the evil and lying and other assorted scumbagggery that christians do. They do a lot of it, you know.
Fuck off.
peterh
February 1, 2012 at 1:33 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Next step: chuck the prayer breakfast entirely.
frankboyd
February 1, 2012 at 10:44 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Yar. Prayer breakfast – baaad, must be condemned. Force marriage of nine year old girls – er, better leave that to someone else to handle. That’d be, what’s the word, Islamophobic! That’s the ticket.
The group that’s talking about those forced marriages, btw? Christian Concern. Q.E.D.
Tyrant of Skepsis
February 1, 2012 at 6:14 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Q.E.D.? Q.E.D.??? The garbled mess you pass as an argument is not even close to D. anything.