Back in August, 2010, we looked at the situation of U.S. Army troops who were punished for their refusal to attend the so-called "Commanding General's Spiritual Fitness Concerts." Huffington Post also looked at the outrage here. This Christian rock concert series was paid for with U.S. Army funds at the orders of Christianist wingnut commanding general, Maj. Gen. James E. Chambers (pictured at right), who has said he "was reborn as a Christian" at the age of sixteen." Sadly, the Army has decided to slap the wrist of a junior officer who has been made the scapegoat rather than address the impropriety of the forced concert series itself and to take disciplinary action against General Chambers. The efforts of Christianists in the military to force their religious beliefs on others is wrong and, indeed, a violation of the U. S. Constitution. Officers like General Chambers need to be removed from the military or reduced in rank to t a level where they cannot pull these kinds of outrages. Here are highlights from the Virginian Pilot on the Army's effort to sweep the matter under the rug: *
A staff sergeant erred when he banished dozens of soldiers to their barracks and ordered them to clean up after they refused to attend a Christian concert on a Virginia Army base last year, an investigation concluded.
*
The actions of the staff sergeant, who was not named, were referred back to his battalion commander for nonjudicial action, according to Col. Daniel T. Williams, a spokesman for the Army's Document and Training Command, who detailed the findings of the investigation in a telephone interview. He said any punishment, if it occurred, would be kept confidential.
*
"The command did not find sufficient evidence to indicate there was any malicious intent and therefore deferred any discipline down to the battalion command," Williams said.
*
Mike Weinstein of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, which first reported complaints by the soldiers, described the investigation's conclusion as typical for the military. "Blame some lower-ranking enlisted guy who didn't know any better," he said in an interview. "That is just a completely inappropriate and disgraceful statement." Weinstein called the Christian concerts "an absolute attempt to establish fundamental Christianity in the military."
*
About 20 [soldiers] including several Muslims, refused to attend based on religious beliefs, the solder said. Since then, the Army has reinforced the volunteer nature of the concerts through e-mails and training, Williams said.
*
Let's be blunt. The concert series needs to end and those who implemented it in the first place need to be disciplined. This resolution is a farce and all too typical of the U.S. military.
A staff sergeant erred when he banished dozens of soldiers to their barracks and ordered them to clean up after they refused to attend a Christian concert on a Virginia Army base last year, an investigation concluded.
*
The actions of the staff sergeant, who was not named, were referred back to his battalion commander for nonjudicial action, according to Col. Daniel T. Williams, a spokesman for the Army's Document and Training Command, who detailed the findings of the investigation in a telephone interview. He said any punishment, if it occurred, would be kept confidential.
*
"The command did not find sufficient evidence to indicate there was any malicious intent and therefore deferred any discipline down to the battalion command," Williams said.
*
Mike Weinstein of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, which first reported complaints by the soldiers, described the investigation's conclusion as typical for the military. "Blame some lower-ranking enlisted guy who didn't know any better," he said in an interview. "That is just a completely inappropriate and disgraceful statement." Weinstein called the Christian concerts "an absolute attempt to establish fundamental Christianity in the military."
*
About 20 [soldiers] including several Muslims, refused to attend based on religious beliefs, the solder said. Since then, the Army has reinforced the volunteer nature of the concerts through e-mails and training, Williams said.
*
Let's be blunt. The concert series needs to end and those who implemented it in the first place need to be disciplined. This resolution is a farce and all too typical of the U.S. military.
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