And this time it’s screwing with someone with the Air Force. It’s been a while since I re-enlisted or processed a re-enlistment, but I’m guessing an active duty member of the US Air Force re-enlisting is likely a Staff Sergeant (E-5), at least, on his/her first re-enlistment. So, a faithful (sorry about the bad pun) NCO is being told “Fuck you, you unbeliever” by the government he’s been supporting for a few years already. Nice job, DC!
What’s so hard about this, you congresscritters? There’s SOCAS and there’s also this other nifty bit in the Constitution:
So, according to those jackasses in DC, I guess I wasn’t really a soldier, wasn’t really a Sailor, wasn’t really a witness in two courts-martial after all. Each time I enlisted or re-enlisted, and each time I was a witness in court, I merely affirmed instead of swearing. Odd thing is that I didn’t do that because I’m an atheist. To the contrary, I believe in a deity and I also believe that swearing by said deity is offensive to said deity.
But, what the hey, those bastards in DC just give a hoot about getting other jackasses to vote for them and to hell with people whose rights disappear, hey?
I await informed, intelligent posts from those who understand the issue and, of course, ridiculous uninformed posts from jackasses who knee-jerk like the critters mentioned above.
Pertinent question. Another good one is why is the USAF digging in their heels on this instead of quietly correcting their instruction to allow the secular affirmation? Dumb.
It was clearly unconstitutional and the Secretary of the Air Force took full responsibility when he let it go through. The Administrative branch should never have allowed it.
The law was enacted in 1950. An amendment in 1962 added the words “so help me God.” The change in 2013 was not to the statute, but to the USAF instructions.
ETA: BTW, the words “or affirmation” were removed in 1989, and the definition of “oath” was made to include affirmations.
On other fronts, the phrase “under God” was inserted in the Pledge of Allegiance by Dwight Eisenhower, although it had earlier been proposed by various Democrats. It’s still there, despite the whole church/state thing, although school children are not required to say it.
That’s the issue only because the USAF took away the alternative, not because Congress recently changed anything. -Not that I think Congress wouldn’t try to do the same thing if they took it into their pointy heads to do it. Either way, the judicial branch will probably have to correct the executive and/or legislative branches.