view Mikey Weinstein`s - Military Religious Freedom Foundation

Thursday, August 28, 2014
Major General LaWarren Patterson, United States Army
Commanding General
US Army Signal Center of Excellence
Signal Towers, Bldg. 29808
Fort Gordon, GA 30905 - 5650
Major General Patterson,
Sir, my name is Michael L. “Mikey" Weinstein and I am the Founder and President of the
Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF). MRFF is a civil rights organization which
seeks to ensure that all members of the United States Military receive the full benefit of their
Constitutional rights to, among other things, the separation of church and state in the United
States armed forces.
To that end, MRFF has very recently been notified of just such an egregious Constitutional
church-state violation by an official DoD/Army organizational program at Fort Gordon,
Georgia; to wit, the Army Medical Command’s “Army Substance Abuse Program” (ASAP).
Army personnel associated with this program are handing out “free" copies of pastor Rick
Warren’s sectarian Christian book, “The Purpose Driven Life”, to be used as recovery tools
for soldiers who are currently struggling to confront the dangers and challenges of
substance abuse and have been directly and mandatorily ordered into that program by their
chains of commands.
General Patterson, you will receive a more detailed letter from me tomorrow on this matter.
However, I wanted to make it clear that MRFF demands that you immediately ensure that
the distribution of that particular Christian proselytizing book by your Army/ASAP personnel
at Fort Gordon stop forthwith, sir. Not only does it violate the United States Constitution’s
First Amendment (No Establishment Clause) but it also violates Clause 3, Article VI’s “No
Religious Test" provision. Further, it also absolutely and indefensibly violates foundational
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DoD Instructions strictly prohibiting the endorsement of non-federal entities as well as
prohibiting the provision of selective benefits to same. (Please see DoD Instruction 5410.19,
Sections 6.7.1 and 6.7.2)
For the record, MRFF has 34 clients (United States Army officers, NCOs and civilians) from
Fort Gordon on whose behalf it is speaking on this matter of blatant Constitutional breach.
Of our 34 MRFF clients at Fort Gordon, 31 are either practicing Protestants or Roman
Catholics.
MRFF demands that Fort Gordon cease and desist immediately from the distribution of the
evangelizing book “The Purpose Driven Life” to Army personnel who are currently assigned
to its ASAP Program.
Sincerely,
Michael L. “Mikey” Weinstein, Esq.
Founder and President
Military Religious Freedom Foundation
CC:
John M. McHugh, Secretary of the Army
General Raymond T. Odierno – Chief of Staff of the United States Army
Colonel Samuel G. Anderson – Commander, US Army Garrison Fort Gordon
Colonel John P. Lamoureux – Commander, Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center
Randal G. Mathis, Mathis & Donheiser P.C. – MRFF Lead Trial Counsel
Enclosure: Photo of book “The Purpose Driven Life (2002)”