Tuesday Afternoon, July 18, 2023

NOTABLE NATIONAL COVERAGE OF

CHRISTIAN NATIONALIST HOUSE NDAA 

AMENDMENT TO SHUT MRFF DOWN —

RACHEL MADDOW BLOG • NPR • LEE FANG

Christian nationalist Rep. Mike Turner's amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to SHUT MRFF DOWN by making it ILLEGAL for members of the military to even communicate with MRFF is now part of the GOP-led House's version of the NDAA, WHICH HAS BEEN PASSED BY THE WHOLE HOUSE WITH TURNER’S DESPICABLE, VINDICTIVE, AND UNCONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT STILL IN IT!!!

If Turner's amendment is allowed to remain in the final, bicameral version of the NDAA, it will obliterate MRFF's ability to protect and advocate on behalf of our service members facing religious discrimination, harassment, and aggressive proselytizing!

The MaddowBlog, NPR, and prominent journalist Lee Fang cover the passage of Turner's NDAA amendment by the House.

RACHEL MADDOW BLOG

COVERS MRFF

GOP’s defense bill tries to restrict

interactions with civil liberties group

By: Steve Benen

Tuesday, July 18, 2023

The MaddowBlog aptly describes Rep. Mike Turner’s NDAA amendment to shut MRFF down as the House Republicans’ “new plan,” saying:

“To that end, House Republicans settled on a new plan: If American servicemen and women have concerns about religious liberty, they would no longer be permitted to contact the Military Religious Freedom Foundation — whether their concerns have merit or not.

“What’s more, if the Military Religious Freedom Foundation brought a legal problem to the attention of a military leader, commanders would have no choice but to ignore the issue without the direct approval of the Defense secretary, who presumably has other things to do.”

NPR

VIA TEXAS PUBLIC RADIO

COVERS MRFF

House defense bill would bar service members from contacting a prominent civil rights organization

By: Carson Frame

Tuesday, July 18, 2023

Texas Public Radio covers Rep. Turner’s NDAA amendment to shut MRFF down, interviewing MRFF Founder and President Mikey Weinstein. Audio interview picked up by NPR nationally.

From Texas Public Radio:

“‘This is an absolute abject attempt at assassination of a respected civil rights organization by legislation,’ said MRFF founder Mikey Weinstein, an Air Force veteran and attorney. ‘It also viciously violates the First Amendment rights of members of the military, which includes their freedom of speech, and certainly their right to petition their government for grievances.’

“Weinstein said MRFF is working to remove the clause from the defense policy bill, but added that he’s prepared to challenge it in federal court if it passes the Senate.

“‘This is blatantly unconstitutional,’ Weinstein said, equating the provision to a bill of attainder, a legislative act that declares a person or group guilty of some crime, and punishes them, often without a trial.”

LEE FANG

COVERS MRFF

Lawmakers Slip Censorship Provisions

into Pentagon Spending Bill

By: Lee Fang

Tuesday, July 18, 2023

Lee Fang, calling Rep Turner’s NDAA amendment to shut MRFF down a “particularly alarming provision,” and describing Mikey Weinstein as “a pugnacious and, at times, ornery figure, eager to fight for his clients and his organization’s mission with little regard for pleasantries, quotes Mikey saying of the amendment:

“It is unprecedented in American history that Congress has ever tried to basically extinguish or assassinate a civil rights organization.”

Lee Fang, formerly an investigative reporter at The Intercept, interviewed both Mikey Weinstein and MRFF Advisory Board Member Col. Lawrence Wilkerson (ret.) for the chilling new documentary “Praying for Armageddon.”

Previous MRFF coverage of

Christian nationalist Rep. Turner's amendment

This form submits a letter to Congress on your behalf, which

will be sent to your U.S. Representative in the House and your

U.S. Senators urging removal of Christian Nationalist Rep. Turner's

blatantly unconstitutional NDAA amendment and, additionally,

sends a copy to the entire Senate Armed Services Committee.

A handful of MRFF's numerous run-ins with

Christian nationalist GOP Congress members

and Senators over the years