Saturday Evening, October 1, 2022 |
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VETERAN PRAISES MRFF’S FAST RESPONSE
REGARDING OUR BATTLE AGAINST
CHRISTIANS-ONLY BOOK DISPLAYS AT
VA MEDICAL CENTER "PATRIOT STORES"
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If you visit a "Patriot Store" in any VA Medical Center across the country, tough luck if you want some non-Christian reading material. Due to a VA contract with Choice Books, and quite unconstitutionally, the only books available in these
government-run stores are Christian books — for veterans,
their families (particularly children), and apparently even
for their pets, with a title called "Proverbs for Dogs"!!!
MRFF has received complaints from veterans across the country, including from the VA Medical Center where MRFF Founder and President Mikey Weinstein himself receives his medical care, about this exclusively Christian selection of reading material.
In April, MRFF submitted a FOIA request to find out how
Choice Books got the contract to be the sole bookseller in
the VA's Patriot Stores, but the VA has failed to respond.
Now that over four months have passed since the VA's
deadline to respond, MRFF is preparing to sue the VA
to force them to hand over the documents.
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Christian-only book display at Martinsburg (WV) VA Medical Center Patriot Store |
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Email praising MRFF from a veteran who reported
the Christians-only book display in the Patriot Store
at the Martinsburg (WV) VA Medical Center
Friday, September 30, 2022
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From: Veteran’s name withheld
Date: September 30, 2022
Subject: Christian Book display at the Martinsburg (WV) VAMC
When I sent an email to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, documenting the Christian-only book display in the Patriot Shop of the Martinsburg (WV) VAMC, I did not expect to get a message back from them in less than an hour. Chris (the MRFF Research Director) explained what is being done about this situation.
As someone who was brought up in a Christian home, I find it outrageous and distasteful that corporations are profiting from the blatant commercialization of any religion. As a veteran, I see the irony of the Veterans Administration—created to serve those who took the oath to “protect and defend the Constitution” — allowing that Constitution to be ignored in the halls of a hospital that takes care of those same people.
Today, it was my pleasure to make a small monetary donation to this organization, which pushes back on these kinds of infractions that otherwise would continue the disregard for not only the law, but the sensibilities of veterans, patrons and VA staff.
But obviously, not everyone is able to donate money.
However, there is another way to contribute to this organization. Contact them with your observations, your photos, your experiences in any military or VA setting that is clearly violating one of our nations’ most honored goals: To respect and value all religious beliefs by not showing favoritism to any of them.
If you take the time to contact this organization, you will feel validated, supported, and inspired that someone else is working to make the difference you might have hoped you could do as an individual. They can make you realize that the job, and the load, can be carried by us all, rather than by one person. Forwarding your concerns to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation may be one of the easiest, and most rewarding, things you’ll ever do, for all of us.
(Veteran’s name withheld)
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Prior email exchange between veteran
reporting Christians-only book display at
Martinsburg (WV) VA Medical Center and
MRFF Senior Research Director Chris Rodda
Thursday, September 29, 2022
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From: Veteran’s name withheld
Date: September 29, 2022 at 7:50:50 AM MDT
Subject: Christian Book display at the Martinsburg (WV) VAMC
Hello Mr. Weinstein,
I’m sending you photos of the book display inside the “Patriot” commissary at the Martinsburg VA here in West Virginia.
As you can see, the rack is labeled “Inspirational Reading” and includes ONLY, and exclusively, Christian books, including one titled “Proverbs for Dogs.”
Obviously, all the VA Patriot commissaries are contracted out, but we know from experience that they still must comply with government regulations for content.
Is this something you would check out? I’m attaching as many photos as I feel you could use, but I have more.
Thanks,
(Veteran’s name withheld)
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To: (e-mail address withheld)
Date: Sep 29, 2022, 10:41 AM
Subject: Re: Christian Book display at the Martinsburg (WV) VAMC
Hi (name withheld) …
I’m Chris Rodda, MRFF’s research director.
Mikey asked me to respond to your email and let you know that we are already all over this issue. It’s not just the Martinsburg VA. These Choice Books displays are at every VA medical facility across the country, including the one in New Mexico where Mikey gets his medical care, and we have gotten numerous complaints about them.
In April, we submitted a FOIA request to the VA to find out how Choice Books got the contract to be the sole bookseller in the Patriot stores, but the VA has not responded. Now that it is over four month past their deadline to respond, we are getting ready to sue the VA to force them to respond. Emails like yours will be very helpful (you will of course be kept anonymous).
We’ll be sure to keep you posted as things proceed.
Chris
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From: Veteran’s name withheld
Date: Sep 29, 2022, 12:10 PM
Subject: Re: Christian Book display at the Martinsburg (WV) VAMC
Hi Chris,
I’m so blown away by your response, not only the speed but the content, that I immediately went to your website and donated $100. I will be sure to let you know anything else I see.
Several years ago, I noticed an ad posted in the Optical Shop, featuring a sexy woman wearing glasses with the caption “they are so comfortable you’ll feel like you’re wearing nothing at all.” Of course, in her head-and-shoulders-photo she was wearing a strapless garment, letting the viewer imagine she was “wearing nothing at all.”
I hand-delivered a letter of complaint to the VA Director here in Martinsburg around 11AM. By 3PM, I was called by his assistant telling me that he’d seen my letter, got on the elevator, directly went to the Optical Shop and demanded that they remove the poster—which they did. He also notified the department of the VA which handles the contractors for the optical shops, as he assumed they all had the same poster. I still can feel the awe of how it feels to be listened to and respected. His name is Tim Cook, and he relocated to (I believe) Bay Pines in FL.
I try to be a whistle-blower every chance I get. Thanks for doing the work for me on this one.
(Veteran’s name withheld)
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Previous MRFF success at Raymond G. Murphy
VA Medical Center, Albuquerque, NM, where
Choice Books had an Easter display in addition
to its usual Christians-only book display
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