George Washington would
not be welcome in today’s U.S. Armed Forces. Neither would Thomas Jefferson or Benjamin
Franklin, according to the Department of
Defense (DOD) training documents
that depict the Founding Fathers as extremists and conservative organizations
as “hate groups.”
The Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute training guide was
obtained by Judicial Watch under a
Freedom of Information Act Request. It
was acquired from the Air Force, but originated from the Pentagon. “This document deserves a careful examination
by military leadership,” Judicial Watch
president Tom Fitton told Fox News. “Congress needs to conduct better oversight
and figure out what the heck is going on in our military.”
Included in the
133-pages of lesson plans is a student guide entitled ‘Extremism.’ The DOD
warns students to be aware that “many extremists will talk of individual
liberties, states' rights and how to make the world a better place.” Under a section titled ‘Extremist Ideologies,’
the document states, “In U.S. history, there are many examples of extremist
ideologies and movements. The colonists
who sought to free themselves from British rule and the Confederate states who
sought to secede from the Northern states are just two examples.”
“It's disturbing insight
into what's happening inside Obama's Pentagon,” Fitton told Fox News. “The Obama Administration has a nasty habit of
equating basic conservative values with terrorism.”
The training guide
warned that participation in groups that are regarded as extremist
organizations is “incompatible with military service and is, therefore
prohibited.” “It's craziness,” Fitton
said. “It's political correctness run amok.”
The training documents also focus on
those who cherish individual liberty. “Nowadays,
instead of dressing in sheets or publically espousing hate messages, many
extremists will talk of individual liberties, states' rights and how to make
the world a better place.” The document
relied heavily on information obtained from the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC),
a left-wing organization that has a history of labeling conservative Christian
organizations like the Family Research
Council (FRC) as “hate groups.” Fitton said the reliance on SPLC material is troubling.
In 2012, a FRC guard was shot during an attack in
the lobby of their headquarters building. The gunman admitted he was influenced by the SPLC's branding of the Christian group
has a hate group. It's not the first
time the military has been caught using training materials that depict
conservatives and Christians as extremists. In April Fox
News obtained an email sent by a Lieutenant Colonel at Fort Campbell to
three dozen subordinates warning them to be on the lookout for any soldiers who
might be members of “domestic hate groups” like the FRC and the American Family
Association. When we see behaviors
that are inconsistent with Army Values – don't just walk by – do the right
thing and address the concern before it becomes a problem,” the email advised.
At the time, the Army
denied there was any attack on Christians or those who hold religious beliefs. “The notion that the Army is taking an
anti-religion or anti-Christian stance is contrary to any of our policies,
doctrines and regulations,” an Army spokesman told Fox News at the time. However,
in a separate incident, an Army training instructor listed Evangelical
Christianity and Catholicism as examples of religious extremism – along with Al
Qaeda and Hamas. The same Army spokesman
said the training session was an “isolated incident not condoned by the
Department of the Army.”
Fitton told Fox News the military seems to be having
a lot of isolated incidents and it appears the Pentagon is sending a message to
Christians. “They are putting out the
not-welcome sign to conservative Christians,” Fitton said. “They are trying to make the military an
unwelcome place for conservative Christians.”
I retired from the
rank-and-file of the U.S. Army one year ago.
If I had not come to my mandatory retirement date and remained to this
day, I probably (by now) would have been awarded (by the SPLC) the badge of ‘extremist’ … with several oak leaf clusters. I would wear it with ‘extreme’ pride …
knowing that I was among the likes of Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin.
Rev.
Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.
Chaplain
(Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army
Pastor,
Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel
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