House Injects Prayer Into Defense Bill

[cal04]

The House passed a $513 billion defense authorization bill yesterday that includes language intended to allow chaplains to pray in the name of Jesus at public military ceremonies, undercutting new Air Force and Navy guidelines on religion. The bill, which passed by a vote of 396 to 31, also contains significant adjustments to the Pentagon's original request, mainly by shifting hundreds of millions of dollars toward military personnel -- in the form of troop increases, protective gear and health-care benefits -- and away from new weapons systems.

The measure includes $50 billion for next year's cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. "We're not a rubber stamp," House Armed Services Committee ranking Democrat Ike Skelton (Mo.) told reporters. Before the bill reached the House floor, Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee added the provision on military chaplains. It says each chaplain "shall have the prerogative to pray according to the dictates of the chaplain's own conscience, except as must be limited by military necessity, with any such limitation being imposed in the least restrictive manner feasible."

Air Force and Navy rules issued in recent months allow chaplains to pray as they wish in voluntary worship services. But the rules call for nonsectarian prayers, or a moment of silence, at public meetings or ceremonies, especially when attendance is mandatory for service members of all faiths. Focus on the Family, the Christian Coalition and other evangelical Christian groups have lobbied vigorously against the Air Force and Navy rules, urging President Bush to issue an executive order guaranteeing the right of chaplains to pray in the name of Jesus under any circumstances.

Because the White House has not acted, sympathetic members of Congress stepped in. "We felt there needed to be a clarification" of the rules "because there is political correctness creeping into the chaplains corps," said Rep. Walter B. Jones (R-N.C.). "I don't understand anyone being opposed to a chaplain having the freedom to pray to God in the way his conscience calls him to pray."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/11/AR2006051102009.html

[saigon68]

1. Yes Jesus help us blow those Rag heads to Pieces

LOL

[niyad]

2. more fundie efforts at turning the military into the "army of god" and

pretending once again that they are poor, downtrodden, persecuted victims who are not allowed to pray. this is sickening.

[Ian David]

3. A bill forcing a captive audience to attend Evangelical services

They should fucking call it what it really is.

Oh, yeah.

Fuck the body armor.

All you need is Jesus.

Actually, the Fundamentalist Evangelical interpretation of what those fucking hypocritical bastards say Jesus is.

You know...

If this is what America has become, then we deserve to lose Iraq and we deserve to lose our own damn country.

We're a failed experiment.

The Enlightenment has lost.

[anitar1]

4. What a bunch of GD hypocrites. May God smite them

bigtime.

[kineneb]

5. And over in the corner

there is a penguin chanting Harry Fishnuts, Harry Fishnuts (Opus).

Yup, Congress Critters are definitely fishnuts. Gad, what a bunch of cretins. Prayers, if any, should respect the belief of the person being interred and their family. 'Nuf said.

[MsMagnificent]

6. Recommended

This is an outrage!

I'm Christian, but no way I'd force anyone to pray 'my way' nor would I want to feel imposed upon to recognize, let alone pray to, any other God!

The religious nuts are destroying our carefully crafted country, and the politicians who aren't pandering are playing 'Ostrich'!