Army soldiers attending an October 17th pre-deploy meeting at Fort Hood in Texas are reporting that they were told that Conservative Christians and the Tea Party are a threat. As Fox News’ Ted Starnes reported:
“The American public should be outraged that the U.S. Army is teaching our troops that evangelical Christians and Tea Party members are enemies of America, and that they can be punished for supporting or participating in those groups,” said [Michael] Berry, a former Marine Corps JAG officer. “These statements about evangelicals being domestic enemies are a serious charge.”
Other “radicals” to watch are members of the pro-life movement. The American Family Association (AFA), another group singled out by the Army as dangerous, explained that Fort Hood isn’t an isolated incident. A similar briefing occurred elsewhere earlier last month:
AFA was listed alongside domestic hate groups like the Ku Klux Klan, Neo-Nazis, the Black Panthers and the Nation of Islam during a military training session at Camp Shelby in Mississippi. … Later in the briefing, the soldiers were reportedly told that they could face punishment for participating in organizations that are considered hate groups.
The Army has since ordered a stand-down directive, and all such training sessions in which Christians and conservatives are labeled “extremists” or “threats” have been suspended. This kind of expansive directive has not occurred since the Navy’s Tailhook scandal in 1991—indicating just how serious and widespread this issue really is.
The Army’s claim that these are isolated incidents is becoming increasingly suspect. What is more likely is that the behavior is part of a centralized effort to discredit and attack conservative and Constitutionally-based views—especially among those with strong religious beliefs.
Members of our military take an oath to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States.” Thankfully, many brave soldiers did just that by speaking out about what was going on behind closed doors.