Atheist presses for hunt down of soldier responsible for 'God and Country' poster
PHOENIX (Christian Examiner) -- The Military Religious Freedom Foundation, a small but virulent anti-Christian group based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, accused some Arizona Army recruiters of "attempting to raise an army for a 'Holy War'" last Friday on Facebook, and pressed for a hunt down of the military member responsible for designing a poster using the phrase "God and Country."
The controversy began last week when Mikey Weinstein, a former Air Force officer and founder of the MRFF, verbally blasted a sidewalk sign featuring a unifrom with the Special Forces, Airborne and Ranger shoulder tabs with the words "On Mission for God and Country." The sign was displayed in front of a Phoenix recruitment center.
In addition to calling the poster "military stupidity" on Facebook, Weinstein wrote in a blog post for the Daily Kos last Thursday that it was a "stunning, unconstitutional disgrace."
According to the publication, the recruiting advertisement was removed immediately upon being brought to the Army Recruiting Command's attention Friday morning. It is unclear how long it was on display, but Fox News reported it may have been since October.
"Had the process been followed, the copy shown would not have been approved," Brian Lepley, a spokesman for the ARC told The Blaze. He noted there are guidelines and 47 pre-written taglines provided for local recruiters to customize their materials. The text on the poster was not among those drafted and pre-approved for use.
Despite the sign's removal, Weinstein says those who created it must be disciplined.
"Whoever, in any way, shape or form, allowed that poster to be designed, prepared and displayed, those individuals should be aggressively investigated and very visibly punished," Weinstein told the Army Times following the removal.
But the notion that the sign's verbiage was a point of attack from the MRFF has many conservatives concerned.
"[Saying that] 'On a mission for both God and Country,' is unconstitutional is an outright lie.There is absolutely nothing unconstitutional about it," said Terresa Monroe-Hamilton a writer for the Right Wing News.
"The saying has been around forever, and during battle, the military has always turned to God for comfort and for guidance," she continued. "Now, the American military leadership and Obama's administration have turned from God in a stark manner and God is likely to do the same in return. ... May God have mercy on our country."