For more information, please contact:
Ed Buckner, President 908-499-9200 (cell) or 770-803-5353 (office/fax)
Dave Silverman, Communications Director 732-648-9333
Kathleen Johnson, Vice President and Military Director 318-542-1019
MILITARY SHOULD SCRAP “JESUS CODE” RIFLE SIGHTS: “PROPAGANDA COUP FOR TALIBAN, OSAMA” SAY ATHEISTS
An Atheist public policy group said today that rifle sights marked with a secret “Jesus Bible Code” may provide Islamic extremists with a powerful propaganda tool and egregiously and dangerously violate the separation of church and state.
According to a report on ABC News, a Michigan-based company, Trijicon, has a $600 million contract to provide U.S. forces with 800,000 of the rifle sights which are being used in Afghanistan and Iraq. The sights are marked with citations from the Bible, including one that declares that Jesus is “the light of the world.”
Dr. Ed Buckner, President of American Atheists, said that he fears Islamic terrorists may take full advantage of “a major blunder that seriously risks efforts to reach out to people in Muslim countries threatened by groups like the Taliban and al-Qaeda.”
“Part of the U.S. message abroad should emphasize the core American value of secular government and respect for individual religious liberty — and instead the U.S. military is promoting Christianity, literally with the barrel of a gun. We call on President Barack Obama to repudiate this effort immediately.”
Kathleen Johnson, Vice President and Military Director for American Atheists, said that the religious inscriptions “clearly violate the First Amendment and the U.S. Constitution, as well as armed forces regulations against promoting sectarian religion.”
“We are not going to enjoy much success in trying to achieve ‘nation building’ and self-sufficiency for democratic governments in countries like Iraq and Afghanistan if our troops are seen as modern-day ‘Crusaders’ out to impose Christian fundamentalism,” said Johnson. She urged the Pentagon and Congress to open an immediate inquiry into how Trijicon won the lucrative contract and if military brass were aware of the Biblical citations on the gun sights.
“These rifle sights should be phased out of use as quickly as possible,” added Johnson. “The mission of the U.S. military cannot include proselytizing for Christianity or any other religion.”
What I want to know is what arse hole authorized such a stupid thing to begin with?
Now exactly who believes religion…particularly the Christian religion had no affect on America?
January 20
The 20th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1933,
changed the date of Presidential Inaugurations from March 4th to
JANUARY 20th.
Franklin Roosevelt stated in his Inaugural Address, 1945: “Almighty
God has blessed our land.”
Harry S Truman, 1949: “We believe that all men are created equal
because they are created in the image of God.”
Dwight Eisenhower, 1953: “This is the work that awaits us all, to be
done with bravery, with charity, and with prayer to Almighty God.”
John F. Kennedy, 1961: “The rights of man come not from the
generosity of the state but from the hand of God.”
Lyndon B. Johnson, 1965: “The judgment of God is harshest on those
who are most favored.”
Richard Nixon, 1969: “As all are born equal in dignity before God,
all are born equal in dignity before man.”
Gerald Ford, 1974: “To do what is right as God gives me to see the
right.”
Jimmy Carter, 1977: “‘What does the Lord require of thee, but to do
justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.’”
Ronald Reagan, 1981: “With God’s help, we can and will resolve the
problems which now confront us. And after all, why shouldn’t we
believe that? We are Americans.”
To phreedm
Of course the Christian Religion has had significant influence upon American History, the mass murder, enslavement and persecution of the American Indians, minorities and non Christian faiths and beliefs. Their dogged determination to prove that no belief is equal to their beliefs and that all non Christian beliefs are inferior to their beliefs.
In fact if one was to look at the low points of American History where we did things that were shameful or down right evil you would see the finger prints of Christianity there. Christianity has been one of the greatest motivators of evil in the Common Era.
MH…spoken like a true liberal. You simply hate America. What a miserable life liberals must lead by constantly seeing the glass as half full and what can I be offended by today…
Bad news for KA…who believes that whatever a 20th century presidents states is truth…
President Harry S Truman stated in his address to the Attorney
General’s Conference, February 1950:
“The fundamental basis of this nation’s laws was given to Moses on
the Mount.
The fundamental basis of our Bill of Rights comes from the teachings we get from Exodus and St. Matthew, from Isaiah and St. Paul.
I don’t think we emphasize that enough these days.”
Truman concluded:
“If we don’t have a proper fundamental moral background, we will
finally end up with a totalitarian government which does not believe
in rights for anybody except for the State.”
Funny…I can’t find any news clips of a ground swell of opposition to Truman’s claims
Oh, sure I do – including WMD’s, & the ‘lawd told me to invade Iraq’, & ‘I did naht have sex w/that woman’.
The voices in your head must be doing a barbershop quartet right about now.
Nice attempt at cover KA…
By the way…your quote…”‘lawd told me to invade Iraq’,” which is attributed to Bush was never uttered. It was a comment made by a Palestinian official, after a meeting where no one else heard Bush say those words.
Of course, just like everything else, tell a lie often enough and it becomes truth…
It’s not an effort to ‘cover’ anything, it was illustrative of how some presidents do lie, & the accusation was that I thought anything any president said was fact.
Yeah, it was a meeting composed of Palestinian ministers. Of COURSE they’re lying, right?
Geez, justice isn’t the only thing wearing a blindfold around here…
Pointing out that past leaders of this nation were religious doesn’t really prove anything. Consider the evil acts of all of those Presidents and perhaps we could define them in that way.
Eisenhower denied democratic elections to the Vietnamese because he didn’t want them to be able to choose their own government. He, Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon were more concerned with their own image than the lives of American service members or the Vietnamese people – they all stood by while thousands were killed because they were afraid of being called a loser.
Kennedy nearly started a nuclear war because he wanted to prove that he could stand up to someone who had bullied him in the past. Countless people were close to dying over a big dick contest.
Carter blundered in the Middle East and Reagan is responsible for slaughter throughout Central and South America while installing puppet governments there.
Do those events define those Presidents? No more than your silly quotes do.
I love my country and served it for 8 years in the Marine Corps. I love it enough to understand its history and to not love it blindly. I love it enough to see our faults and work towards making it better.
A little background:
I had a ‘discussion’ w/phreddy about the separation of church & state (some time ago in fact), which he mistakenly claims is a ‘myth’. I demonstrated that 3 different presidents discussed SOCAS (2 in speeches, 1 in an interview), thereby providing evidence that SOCAS was no myth, else the presidents in question wouldn’t even be mentioning the damn thing. He of course immediately countered w/a claim of contextomy, & pulled a red herring by linking to an unrelated speech of Reagan’s.
But of course, if the presidents mention religion in a speech, it counts, but if they mention something religious folk are against, it doesn’t count. Or it was ‘out of context’.
Standard double standard, but I’ve come to expect that from phreddy phlintstone. Yabadabadoo.
To phreedm
There you go again, letting your self-righteousness get the best of you. Despising Christianity is not the same as despising America. But in your religious zeal you believe that Christianity and America are one in the same. America’s problems stem from Christianity not the other way around. America when it is acting as the secular nation that it was began as is pretty good, it is when Christianity gets authority that it goes down hill fast.
Also discussed here:
http://blog.aintnogod.com/no-jeebus/us-using-rifle-scopes-with-jeebus-brand-bible-references/
This puts all American military personnel and civilians in danger. What an amazing recruitment tool for the Taliban-Americas holy war against islam.
What a naive statement. We heard the same thing about entering Iraq. About GITMO.
Bottom line…the hate us for who we are. Free and a “Christian Nation”. They have always called Israel the small satan and America satan…
Get a grip and begin to focus on things in life that really have an impact on our security…
To phreedm
Oh Ye of short term memory and early stages of alzhiemers. Bin Laden did not become our enemy until Bush the Father sent Christian soldiers into Islamic Holy Lands during the first Gulf War. During the Russian/Afganistan war he was one of our supporters and allies. Bin Ladens hatred was for Israel not us.
MH…please try to follow the discussion.
Try rereading my post. They have always called Israel the small satan and America satan…
The new ruler,(of Iran) Ayatollah Khomeini, railed against the American government, denouncing it as the “Great Satan” and “Enemy of Islam.”
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h2021.html
That would be in 1979. Under Jimmy Carter’s administration. Bummer, eh?
phreedm:
I learned soon after he started posting here that he’s simply incapable of doing so…
To phreedm
You are comparing Shiite to Sunni Moslems. It is Iran (Shiite) that considers us the Great Satan, with the USSR being the lesser Satan at the time and Israel simply being the scum of the earth that should be blazed to the Ground.
As for hating us, first it was because of our backing that allowed Israel to exist. Then it was our scorning of their religious beliefs and culture which by the way was advanced while the Europeans were still hiding in their caves in their deer skins hoping their fire would keep the evil spirits and hungry animals out at night.
And then having some bumbling idiot called Bush the Father, lie cheat and steal his way into a war, that any idiot should have known would bring back memories of CRUSADER’s. And besides I was on topic with your post, Being the religious bigot that you are you lumped all of Islam into your statement and I was simply pointing out that we had little problems with Islam until Bush the Fathers manufactured war.
And Bush the Sons Holy Crusade to make the middle east safe for Christianity put the nails in the coffin. The Jihadists were more then satisfied with killing Israeli’s and only occasionally bothered Americans but for the most part did not expend the energy that it would take to hit us at home. Thanks to the Bush’s though they have been energized enough to spank us but good.
And now to get back on topic, my topic anyway. The Bible Lies, The Christian Priesthood Lies, Christian Doctrine Lies, and since you and JCC claim divine knowledge and authority to speak with Gods voice, you both are well you know, Liars.
CIA bomber’s widow: No tears for killed mom
“Both were angered by the U.S. invasion of Iraq. He had even volunteered to go fight in Iraq with jihadist groups…”
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/01/20/turkey.widow/index.html?hpt=T2
You were saying…Dumbass?
To Ren
I am not sure whether the dumbass was for me or Phreedm, though I must admit Phreedm does tend to dumbass more then me though I do have my moments. Read the article and believe it shows the reality of our situation more then anything else I have seen lately.
To Mark,
It was for Phreddy. Sorry for the confusion. New format and I don’t post often anymore so I was a little confused. I didn’t realize that when I replied to him, it would put me at the bottom of the list, otherwise I would have addressed he who’s name I would rather not utter.
To Ren
LOL not a problem, reminds me of Harry Potter in dealing with the one who not be named, I wonder if Preedm is related to the evil one in that story, or if comparing Preedm to the one who should not be named is actually an insult to him LOL
Political In-correctness run amok.
Man, that’s like wearing a headband with verses from the Koran as you slit the throat of the ungodly or thumb the switch to take you to heaven.
T.
I remember a year or so ago, there was a contributer here (I cannot remember his monaker) talking about his time in the military, and how the republican mindset was pounded daily into his brain.
I am reminded of the scene from the movie, “Full Metal Jacket” when the drill sargeant (R. Lee Ermey) is giving a speech in front of his company. Paraphazed (and I looked for the clip on the net, no success) but it is so classic. He said, “God has taught us to be killers, and in return, we will return that favor by keeping heaven stocked with fresh souls.”
It’s hollywood, but the movie is acclaimed as the most accurate depictions of the Vietnam military experience. But, more than that, have you ever heard of any war where a side did not go into battle with some god on their side? You might claim the Chinese incursion into the Korean War was atheist, or the Stalin movement countering Germany’s invasion, or their rule on the eastern front after the victory in WWII. I actually admire their rules against teaching children religion, and you can call me wrong, but, those guys were pricks. And, the USSR, was not really atheist, they, like many states before them, established a state religion, the Russian Orthodox Church, protestant, did not believe in the infallibility of the pope. Go figure. Bottom line, even when radical dictatorships wish to sweep the power of religion aside, for the benefit of society, they end up compromising. If that example isn’t convincing enough, look at China and the Buddhists monks in Tibet. The road ahead is long and hard.
NeoWolfe
Neowolfe, I think you owe me an apology.
KA,
Yeah, yeah, yeah, we are sick and tired of your teleology.(Sound familiar?) You can claim you have no standing with AA, but your link betrays your lie. And you can be an opinionated prick, and just because you are not on the payroll, doubtful, that you can treat agnostics as though they were religious zealots. I reminded you in a kind way that your first post was rude and out of line, and you just kept escalating it. If Dave can put up with your shit, okay, it’s his website, but, if an apology is forthcoming it will be you to me. I could be wrong, but, I suspect since you’ve been absent the last couple of days, that Dave have has already laid out to you that you have been a total prick. Time to make it right.
NeoWolfe
You can’t be serious. That was a link to the original discussion.
No…you just keep lecturing people.
You may want to review that, I wasn’t the fellow who kept hollering rude names & declaring I’d win by default.
Yeah, you REALLY need to review the discussion, because I did apologize.
I need an apology in return, because I didn’t lie about a single fucking thing.
Wrong again. I’ve been around for the past coupla days, & no, David didn’t ‘lay’ anything out for me.
The truth of the matter is, you seem to be able to ladle out criticism, but are unwilling to take it.
Listen, KA,
I don’t really care what your affiliation is with AA. While the subject has come up, my issue with you is that you think that there is one truth, and it is your perception of reality. I do not share that affliction with you. While religion and superstition have been the bane of humanity since it was able to ask questions it was not ready to answer, and EVIDENCE supports that FACT, you make wild assumptions based on theories and conjecture of the origin of the universe, a subject on which even the leading minds in the field of astrophysics admit they “have no idea”. So, while you claim to be the logical thinker, in fact you are a presumptuous fool. You want to believe that the universe is an accident, without any proof, so, how does that make you any different from Phreedumb who assumes it was created by his god without any proof. You are both religious turnips, believing what is convenient. So, if it offends you, that I do not draw a conclusion until a clearer understanding of the facts exists, then learn to live with it. But, in no court in this country can you assume facts not already in evidence.
I don’t want any trouble with you, KA, but if you think you can look down on agnostics and humanists, you are no part of the solution to the human condition.
NeoWolfe
I still require an apology for your false accusations.
No I don’t, not sure where you got that idea.
Again, unclear as to where you got that. Rest assured, they ‘have some idea’. It’s not all guesswork, as you seem to insinuate.
Wait – I need to prove that it’s an ‘accident’? Are you talking about the philosophical definition?
The evidence leans heavily towards a directionless creation.
Hey, I’ll quote Ellison yet again: “You’re not entitled to an opinion, you’re entitled to an INFORMED opinion.”
Ever heard of circumstantial evidence? Deduction via induction?
Maybe you missed this part, so I’ll repeat:
I usually go after someone’s opinion, which is not the person.
You, however, tend to lecture everyone here about what it is to be a freethinker, which, to be honest, is somewhat arrogant.
Sounds like a simple case of selling a product that doesn’t meet contract specifications. The government should simply demand a refund. Of course, since it appears that the sights actually are functional, I’ll bet that any soldier using them, atheist or otherwise, could careless what is written on the side.
I also have to wonder how much of an uproar there would have been, outside of forums such as this, had the sights been stamped with “In God We Trust”.
Trijicom should be forced to replace everything they were contracted to make with secular versions lacking any bible code, be forced to eat every single one of those costs, eat the costs of disposing of the unconstitutional sights, and THEN discuss keeping their contract. If they refuse, the entire company should be shutdown overnight for arguably THE BIGGEST breach of national security to date and for one of the worst, most arrogant violations of our constitution in our history.
Has this caused any soldier/marine to read the bible and become conflicted about their duty as soldiers/marines.The purpose of infantry troops is to find, fix and destroy the enemy. Our youth aren’t on a mercy mission they are going eye to eye with stone cold killers and to survive they will have to be just as tough.It makes me sick that we will screw around afghanistan a few more years than leave and what will the blood and treasure spent have gained us?
Haiti had a another 6.1 quake.We can only hope that out of their current misery a better and brighter tomorrow will rise.
Perhaps the rifle sites should come custom made….a Skull with Crossbones would be cool, or perhaps a little Devil with horns, or an aliens theme. Hey, whatever gets the troops in a killing mood right?
Maybe O’Same will sell (or even give) some to David Bahati (author of the execute the gays bill) at the Family’s prayer breakfast. It would be the christian thing to do.
So why exactly did we (American Atheists) campaign for him?
What’s the old saying? Oh yeah – ‘praise the lawd, pass the ammunition.”
Amazing how these ‘turn the other cheek’ types sure do love their guns.
Oh, no way! All this time the supposed hidden Bible message was in the serial numbers on the scope?????? You guys must be getting bored or desperate. That’s just lame.
NeoWolfe
Huh. Watch the video, & then tell me how often you see a colon in a serial number.
http://news.yahoo.com/video/us-15749625/17700769
I had already seen it, KA,
And the fact that a defense contractor hid scripture codes on a rifle scope as a christian jihad, is so irrelevent that even the “Daily Show” didn’t even pick it up.
Irrelevence seems to be your main media. Explain to me how you are different from Whutthole?
NeoWolfe
It does seem to be a tempest in a teapot.
How often do you see a colon in a serial number? I’ve never seen 1.
I see…anyone who disagrees w/you is automatically an asshole. Nice to see you put the ‘thinker’ in ‘freethinker’, or so you tell yourself.
Andreas von Bulow former minister of defense federal republic of Germany has a well written book ‘Die cia und 11 september’.The truth is far more ugly than bible citations on scopes.There are other writings out there by respected former members of allied security establishments in europe and japan as well as retired Russian military officers.
Lay a map of where the war on terror is and overlay it with a map of known/suspected oil/gas reserves and transits routes.Like the phoney war on drugs its all about money/power.Marine General Smedley Butler said war is a rackett and he wasn’t lying.
Our country is run by the rich for the rich.
Actually, LACKOFREASON,
The largest known oil reserves are in the Alaskan wilderness and Kurdish no fly zone of Iraq. Either one dwarf the Saudi reserves in orders of magnitude.
But, that does not mean that your statement that the rich, big business are handling our destinies and our standard of living as a choice of a board of gready directors, proxied by yet another group of greedy investors. Like it or not, capitalism does not work either, and we are witnessing the end game as the greedy comsume each other and we are the victims.
Corrupt politicians bought by campaign contributers on reciprical aggreements. America is dying, and despite the joy my son has brought me, to know him and watch him grow, I wonder if I would have done him a favor by wearing a condom. There is nothing good on the horizon, just corporations too big to allow to fail, continuing to suck what’s left of our economy into their bankvaults and paying themselves billions in bonuses. And after our grandparents built this economy after WWII for US!!!! the fat cats have figured out how to sell it off and put it in their own pockets.
I suspect I have lived too long.
NeoWolfe
Tis one of the many reasons that I remain happily childless. I love my barren womb!
A little late to the party, but I just came across this and thought it relevent.
As in other areas, the military is undermanned when it comes to mental-health experts. The Army reckons it has only about 400 psychiatrists handling more than half a million troops. That may have been one reason the Army was reluctant to nudge a strangely performing Hasan, who had trained as a shrink, out of the service: it needed him.
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1940694-3,00.html