Atheist Soldier Says Army Punished Him

[Synnical]

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iTPjkhPtGfRjsMUS9Q_F95TRAdcQD8V7JRIO0

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A soldier claimed Wednesday that his promotion was blocked because he had claimed in a lawsuit that the Army was violating his right to be an atheist.

Attorneys for Spc. Jeremy Hall and the Military Religious Freedom Foundation refiled the federal lawsuit Wednesday in Kansas City, Kan., and added a complaint alleging that the blocked promotion was in response to the legal action.

The suit was filed in September but dropped last month so the new allegations could be included. Among the defendants are Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

Hall alleges he was denied his constitutional right to hold a meeting to discuss atheism while he was deployed in Iraq with his military police unit. He says in the new complaint that his promotion was blocked after the commander of the 1st Infantry Division and Fort Riley sent an e-mail post-wide saying Hall had sued.

Fort Riley spokeswoman Alison Kohler said the post "can't comment on ongoing legal matters" and offered no further statement.

According to the lawsuit, Hall was counseled by his platoon sergeant after being informed that his promotion was blocked. He says the sergeant explained that Hall would be "unable to put aside his personal convictions and pray with his troops" and would have trouble bonding with them if promoted to a leadership position.

Hall responded that religion is not a requirement of leadership, even though the sergeant wondered how he had rights if atheism wasn't a religion. Hall said atheism is protected under the Army's chaplain's manual.

More: http://www.opednews.com/articles/genera_jason_le_080305_new_lawsuit_filed_ag.htm

Snippage:

"Immediately after plaintiff made it known he would decline to join hands and pray, he was confronted, in the presence of other military personnel, by the senior ranking ... staff sergeant who asked plaintiff why he did not want to pray, whereupon plaintiff explained because he is an atheist," the lawsuit states. "The staff sergeant asked plaintiff what an atheist is and plaintiff responded it meant that he (plaintiff) did not believe in God. This response caused the staff sergeant to tell plaintiff that he would have to sit elsewhere for the Thanksgiving dinner. Nonetheless, plaintiff sat at the table in silence and finished his meal."

Additionally, the complaint alleges that last July, when Hall received permission by an Army chaplain to organize a meeting of other soldiers who shared his atheist beliefs, his supervisor, Army Major Freddy Welborn, broke up the gathering and threatened to retaliate against the soldier by charging him with violating the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The complaint also alleges that Welborn vowed to block Hall's reenlistment in the Army if the atheist group continued to meet - a violation of Hall's First Amendment rights under the Constitution.

"During the course of the meeting, defendant Wellborn confronted the attendees, disrupted the meeting and interfered with plaintiff Hall's and the other attendees' rights to discuss topics of their interests," the lawsuit alleges.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

1. "Welborn vowed to block Hall's reenlistment in the Army if the atheist group continued to meet"

Talk about a blessing in disguise!

[Warpy]

2. Not if it's Hall's chosen career

and not just a default career instigated by poverty and unemployment.

Face it, some people really want to be soldiers. It's a good thing, because we do need to be able to defend ourselves.

Believers just can't conceive of having anyone fight a war that has been unblessed by the army's god.

[CarbonDate]

5. SPC Hall is falling on his sword with this lawsuit.

If he didn't realize it when he filed it, he does now. That's the price for challenging this kind of authority. You have to know that going in.

His career is over; there's no way he can recover from this, but other atheists might be able to go on.

I'm an Air Force Staff Sergeant, but our promotion system works differently. I'm also a John L. Levitow Award recipient (which is the top graduate from Airman Leadership School). Atheists can succeed in the military, but SPC Hall's case demonstrates that it's not an easy path, and one has to weigh the costs associated raising a stink over the military's religious traditions.

[FiveGoodMen]

3. They must have figured that he'd refuse to ever get into a foxhole.

[CarbonDate]

4. What's ironic....

...is that when I was a devout Christian, I was a pacifist.

I will just come out and say it: fundamentalist Christians in the military are rank hypocrites.

[General Delivery]

6. It has NOTHING to do with Religion.

While I was in the Army, I kept my religion to myself...it was never called
into question, nor mentioned - beyond what I wanted on my dog tags.

The "Religion" aspect is just a cover. It's all about POWER and AUTHORITY,
which using religion as a front makes it more palatable to the herds of
sheep who cannot see beyond the end of their noses.

Outside of the military it is much easier to avoid these power-hungry groups
(except, perhaps, in the corporate world.)

Bush and his pro-religion agendas has made it safe for these power-addicts
to rattle their chains and spit on the Constitution while pretending to
defend it.

Perhaps Specialist Jeremy Hall is a sacrificial lamb...I hope that real
Americans stand up and fight this affront to everyone who is defending or
has defended this nation against tyrants and despots of all kinds...even
those who hide behind religion.

Unfortunately, I don't hold much hope that anyone will do anything about this.
People are too wrapped up in their cell phones and iPods and television shows
to care about anything that isn't on YouTube or a "reality" TV show.