Well, fuck. I’d like to say this is unbelievable, but unfortunately it’s not. Let me lay this one out for you:
1. Fort Bragg hosts Rock the Fort, an Evangelical Christian event meant to convert people. This includes spending $54,490 of government controlled funds on the event.
2. People point out this is a violation of the separation of church and state. Fort Bragg responds that if any other group wants to host a similar event, they’d support it too.
3. Sgt. Justin Griffith and other volunteers decide to put that statement to the test. They organize Rock Beyond Belief, a secular event open to everyone featuring great music and big name speakers (Richard Dawkins, anyone)?
4. Fort Bragg’s Legal Department okays the event and encourages the Garrison Commander to sign off on the event.
5. The Garrison Commander approves the event…but refuses to give it any money, and says all advertisements much include disclaimers that Fort Bragg is not associated with the event. Aka, he’s a lying hypocrite who has no intention of supporting anyone other than Evangelical Christians.
6. Rock Beyond Belief is forced to cancel due to a lack of funds.
I’m obviously disappointed. On a personal note, I was looking forward to speaking, rocking out to the music, and being able to say I was on the same speaking lineup as Richard Dawkins. But I’m mostly disappointed in how dishonest, and not to mention fucking stupid, US military officials are. Don’t they know the shitstorm this is going to cause?
Justin, even though the event is no more, you’ve done so much for this movement. Exposing the hypocrisy and favoritism of US military officials toward Christianity will have a long lasting, significant effect – more so than enjoying some godless talks and music. Though that would have been pretty fabulous, too.
EDIT: The Freedom From Religion Foundation has contact information for various military officials and local newspapers. If you want to help out, voice your disapproval.
Well shit.
I have a way of never stopping once I start an anti-military rant. Since I have other things to do during my lunch break, I’ll refrain from pointing out all the numerous ways in which this is exactly par for the course for military.But I will say that I am not surprised. Not surprised in the slightest.
I’m not at all surprised by this. I know a few military people and they have mentioned a shocking amount of anti-secular sentiment. And its not just the American military either. Its quite similar with the Canadian military. Perhaps its time for a secular organization that focuses specifically on secular/skeptical activism in military matters.
From what I read, it looks like the General went against his JAG office’s recommendations. So it’s more, “fuck the General” than “fuck the military”, especially since soldiers are the ones that volunteered to get the event running.
It makes it even more infuriating that absolutely no one is surprised by this.
It appears there already is one: http://www.militaryreligiousfr…
Good attitude, Jen. You guys just keep getting the information out there!
I hope someone knows some good lawyers…the organizers should sue
The general must not get out to the target range much; he’s just shot himself in the foot.
Egocentrically assuming that this was at least somewhat directed at me, since I was the first to express any actual anti-military sentiment, I will respond simply that no matter how isolated this may be as an event, there are less isolated, more policy-based issues, which this general’s decisions were clearly informed by.
The military and the Boy Scouts have pretty tight ties. Remember the Boy Scouts requirement that everyone associated with them believe in a deity. And if you start questioning, it could be really bad for discipline, too.
So one general’s opinion or bias towards a particular religion speaks for the millions serving in all five or six different branches of the military? Good to know.
It wasn’t directed at you. It’s directed at the idea that this is the military’s policy/fault. The same military composed of thousands of people of dozens of faiths. Yes, unfortunately, there has been a trend of higher ranking members imposing their personal religious beliefs on others but that doesn’t mean that that it’s the entire military’s fault. Again, soldiers like Sgt. Griffith and the general’s own legal counsel suggested he support secular causes and he made his own ill-advised decision. So I think the vitrol should be reserved for him and him alone and not everyone who wears the uniform. I’d hate to be painted with the same brush as him just because I wore the uniform.
I’m angry.
“If you could reason with religious people, there wouldn’t be any religious people.” – Gregory House
Edited for clarity, since that wasn’t what I was trying to say. I guess I considered “the US military” equivalent to “US military officials who actually run the military, compared to the majority of people who have to just follow orders and did nothing wrong.”
You’re assuming he’ll be held responsible for this. I don’t think he will. In fact, stay tuned, because I’m sure that this will be dragged out until around the time they would consider another “Rock the Fort”, then a policy will be formed prohibiting funds being used for this purpose. Conveniently they’ll be able to claim the trouble-making atheists are persecuting the Christians by forcing this decision.Maybe I’m too cynical.
It looks as though billygraham.org had several articles about Rock the Fort as recently as February, which have now been deleted. Would it be paranoid to think that the site was scrubbed?
Here is the letter I just sent to Fort Bragg and a few papers:Hello,I wish to express my deep, deep disappointment in Fort Bragg’s decision to not support the event, Rock Beyond Belief. It is a breach of trust and a betrayal of our Constitution, as well as a failure to comply with a number of DoD directives, to support an evangelical event and then pull the rug out from under a secular one.My husband is activity duty Coast Guard. We had planned to attend, along with our teen son. Another family was attending with us. We even had our room at the Army lodging reserved for the weekend. For this to happen has an implication that only evangelical Christians are welcome at Fort Bragg. It has an implication that my spouse’s service doesn’t matter.I had thought more highly of the Army, that it stood by the principles it is sworn to defend. I am hoping that this will be resolved and we won’t have to cancel our plans for that weekend. Darlene
I will do what I can to let people know about this.I think Jon Stewart and Colbert could be good allies here if anyone has an in to draw their attention to this.Rachel Maddow too, perhaps.Must. Get. Word. Out.
I’m not surprised by this…they have big balls, huh? Well, they know God’s on their side, and that’s what’s important…It’s gonna be interesting to see how our Super Christian Military deals with openly gay men and women serving with them….Gee, seeing it in print, I see there really is a “them”…and an “us”…a division…..religion is good at that….dividing people.
Surprise, surprise.No chance at all of getting the funds somewhere else, so that the event can at least go through? Then the legal battle can come afterwards.Also: fuck the brass.
So… the NEXT time some Army base puts on a Jesusfest, and then swears they would support a non-Christian festival equally, point to the sequence of events at Fort Bragg as evidence that the Army is not to be trusted and only agree not to kick up a fuss about the Christian event unless the non-Christian event is held FIRST. Jesus had his turn.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…Just so you know.
I have a feeling the GC wouldn’t have supported a “Rock Valhalla” event either.
Seriously. If ever someone was dumb enough to pile up a mountain of evidence of a First Amendment violation, it’s the brass at Fort Bragg.
As a general rule, when someone says “the military” while talking about policy decisions they’re not talking about individual soldiers, they’re talking about the brass. The simple fact is that this general seems to be reflective of attitudes, opinions, and policies enacted at the highest levels throughout the military, if simply because he was promoted to a high position and allowed to continue this behavior and never reprimanded or disciplined for violating the Constitution he is sworn to defend. It is possible that if there’s enough heat from this incident he will get a slap on the wrist, but that’s all, because military brass are terrified of offending religious people. It’s quite a stretch, perhaps born of some defensiveness, to think that when Jen (or others) said “military” that they were in any way referring to individual soldiers, a group that we all know is incredibly diverse in terms of beliefs, ethnicity, sex, and orientation.
I thought it was clear what you meant.
That’s not what she wrote and you know it.
I was a vocal atheist in the foxhole because I had many non believing friends that didn’t think their lives would be better for coming out of the faith closet. Having a unique personality, I’ve managed to get away with the unthinkable… which shouldn’t be unthinkable in the military but it is. It’s hard work pushing commanders to think.
My congressman is on the House Armed Services Committee, so I’ve written him asking to look into this blatant preferential treatment given to a particular denomination.