Stripes letters: Dining facitilities for dining/Weak leaders the problem

[lebkuchen]

DFACs are for dining

I am pretty sick of hearing the religious mafia rationalizing its evangelizing. “Dear God freaks,” please respect other people’s spaces. Everyone needs somewhere to escape for quiet or camaraderie or just to think about nothing but their delicious meal. The church’s intrusion into the dining facility during meal times is unacceptable and shows a lack of respect for soldiers who do not wish to attend the services, singalongs or whatever.

The fact that folks have rationalized this intrusion is absurd. The letter writer who stated that he does not eat in their church is the only one who got it right (“DFACs not for religion, June 3).

I recommend that every soldier who deems it appropriate should grab a burger and soda and head to the nearest chapel, take a seat and chow down. And don’t forget to tell dirty jokes and anything else the evangelists might find offensive.

Maybe then the evangelists will get the point that the DFAC and church are both good, but need to stay in their own lanes.

Maj. Phil Franklin
Stuttgart, Germany


Weak leaders are the problem

Lest we make the same mistakes again, let’s remember something. The first 10 amendments to the Constitution of the United States, commonly known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791. That’s a long time ago. I’m inclined to believe that the framers of the Constitution took a great deal of time, thought and effort before the first word was printed. I think they meant exactly what they said, when they said it, in hopes that their statements were clear enough, without “interpretation” needed in future generations.

The First Amendment states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for redress of grievances.”

At no time does it say that any particular religion was the law of the land. Neither does it say that prayer services of one denomination or another cannot be held in the mess hall (yep, it’s still a mess hall). It also says there shall be no law abridging the freedom of speech. It does not say that you have a right to be listened to though. There seems to be some confusion as to just what, exactly, the phrase “separation of church and state” means.

The phrase “In God We Trust” is not exclusively a Christian phrase, despite the fact that a large number of the founders of our great nation were indeed Christians.

I don’t care what your religion, faith, belief, etc., is, just don’t try to force me to accept your version of what is “right.” Let’s concentrate instead on those people in leadership positions who wouldn’t know leadership if it bit them on the backside and who prefer to spend their time building empires, engaging in petty politics, destroying fully functional and outstanding, proven programs and in general acting like dysfunctional 2-year-olds. It’s these people who should be taken to task and required to explain their actions to a higher authority, not someone who authorized a religious meeting in a mess hall.

Lawrence Sanders
RAF Lakenheath, England


http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=125&article=29948