Clearly he neither sees a violationa, nor believes that there should be a
separation.
Paul Finkelman
President William McKinley Distinguished Professor of Law
and Public Policy
Albany Law School
80 New Scotland Avenue
Albany, New York 12208-3494
518-445-3386
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] 05/18/07 4:10 AM >>>
Surely you should be allowed to say any prayer you want, in private. To
give a Christian prayer in church is no problem for me, and if you pray
to Jesus in a military service for Christians, fine.
To pray to Jesus in a general military service is improper, and I see
problems with any law which expressly allows you to do that.
I respect your feeling deeply about what you see as an important issue.
Allow me to feel equally deeply about your imposing a Christian prayer
on non-Christians. You don't see a violation of the separation of church
and state here?
Susan
Gordon James Klingenschmitt wrote:
> Since Eugene gave us the green light to talk politics....
> Below is my op-ed for today's Worldnet Daily, explaining the likely
> views of four Presidential candidates (Clinton, Obama, Brownback,
> Hunter) on a military chaplain's right to pray publicly "in Jesus name."
> Jesus for President?
> http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=55725
> Enjoy!
> Chaplain Klingenschmitt
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> WND Exclusive Commentary
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Jesus for president?
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Posted: May 17, 2007
> 1:00 a.m. Eastern
>
> By Gordon James Klingenschmitt
> OK, I admit, Jesus Christ is not running for president this year. He
> promised to return soon enough, to assume public office, but
> meanwhile, where do the 2008 presidential candidates stand on a
> military chaplain's right to pray publicly "in Jesus' name"?
> I'm not naming names, but let's start with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.
> When the Navy punished me, a chaplain, for quoting the Bible in the
> chapel during optionally attended Christian worship, I faxed a formal
> whistleblower complaint to my New York senator, asking for help. Did
> she protect her evangelical chaplain? No.
> I called her office nearly every day, but nobody returned my phone
> calls for weeks, until finally, I voice-mailed her press secretary
> about my interview with "Jewish Week" newspaper
> <http://www.persuade.tv/againstgoliath/JewishWeekStewartAin3Jun05.pdf>,
> telling how I was punished for requesting Kosher meals for my Jewish
> sailor. "Shall I tell them Senator Clinton doesn't care about Jewish
> service members?" I asked. Fearing bad press, Clinton signed a "letter
> of inquiry" to the Navy
> <http://www.persuade.tv/againstgoliath/Senators.pdf> for me that same
> day.
> But later, after Navy officials justified to her how I was also
> "properly punished" for praying "in Jesus' name" and how chaplains
> really should pray "non-sectarian" prayers in public, my sources
> witnessed Sen. Clinton taking bold action /against me/. Opposing a
> House bill to let chaplains pray according to their faith
> <http://www.persuade.tv/Frenzy6/WarnerSpeech2.pdf>, Clinton personally
> attended meetings to block our legislation, preferring to let the
> Pentagon censor our prayers.
> Sen. Barrack Hussein Obama wasn't any better.
> While campaigning in Iowa last month, Obama was asked his opinion
> about Judge Roy Moore, who couldn't display the Ten Commandments in
> the courthouse, and about me, a chaplain who was discharged for
> praying in uniform.
> First, Sen. Obama falsely claimed he wasn't aware of "the chaplain
> situation," when I'd personally faxed my whistleblower complaints to
> his office <http://www.persuade.tv/frenzy10/ChapsToObama.pdf>, and his
> staff acknowledged placing them on his desk.
> Even worse, Obama disrespected the Ten Commandments, claiming, "If you
> are not a believer, there would be a feeling that you wouldn't be
> treated as fairly as a Christian. We want everybody to feel they are
> treated equally."
> <http://thechurchreport.com/news_article.php?day=16&mon=04&yr=2007>
> Apparently, Obama believes God's Ten Commandments are unfair since
> they might hurt people's "feelings" (as if his pro-abortion laws don't
> hurt the "feelings" of the unborn).
> Would President Obama appoint judges who oppose Roy Moore and would
> jackhammer the 44 displays of the Ten Commandments from our U.S.
> Supreme Court? He still won't debate Judge Moore on the subject
> <http://www.onenewsnow.com/2007/04/judge_roy_moore_says_obama_nee.php>,
> yet Barrack Hussein Obama campaigns like a good Christian,
> soft-pedaling his Muslim upbringing.
> Conversely, Sen. Sam Brownback votes like he says he believes.
> When I first came to Washington, D.C., Sen. Brownback welcomed me to
> speak at his weekly Values Action Team meeting, where I enlisted
> dozens of pro-family groups and senators to vote for allowing prayers
> in Jesus' name.
> Brownback personally wrote President Bush to help chaplains, and when
> our legislation came to the Senate, Sam Brownback again reminded
> Values Action Team members to stand up for religious liberty. (But
> he'd never brag about this; he's too humble.) If elected, I've no
> doubt President Brownback would immediately sign an executive order
> protecting all chaplains' right to pray according to their faith.
> Presidential candidate Duncan Hunter also went to bat for chaplains.
> Leading 75 members of Congress with Walter B. Jones, Rep. Hunter (then
> chairman of the House Armed Services Committee) personally wrote and
> passed a House bill to let chaplains pray according to their faith.
> But when his bill got blocked by liberal senators, did he quit? No.
> Fighting to the last, Duncan Hunter helped negotiate a compromise with
> the Pentagon, forcing them to rescind their bad Navy prayer policy,
> even letting Air Force chaplains pray publicly "in Jesus' name." As
> commander in chief, I've no doubt Duncan Hunter would force the
> Pentagon to respect the 1860 law and once again let chaplains pray
> freely.
> Will our next commander in chief protect chaplains? Although Jesus
> isn't running for president, I remember his warning to discern true
> prophets from false: "By their fruit ye shall know them." The fruit of
> these candidates * Clinton, Obama, Brownback, Hunter * may be clearly
> seen by their stand for (or against) public prayer in Jesus' name.
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> /Gordon James Klingenschmitt is a former Navy chaplain who sacrificed
> his career to help change national policy, allowing military chaplains
> to publicly pray "in Jesus name" * even in uniform. He continues his
> fight to be reinstated. Klingenschmitt is available to speak and can
> be reached via email at: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. He encourages readers to sign his
> petition to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates: /
> https://secure.responseenterprises.com/DF_InJesusName/petition.php?a=
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Don't get soaked. Take a quick peak at the forecast
> <http://tools.search.yahoo.com/shortcuts/?fr=oni_on_mail&#news>
> with theYahoo! Search weather shortcut.
> <http://tools.search.yahoo.com/shortcuts/?fr=oni_on_mail&#news>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
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