Monday Evening, August 15th, 2022 |
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MRFF HARSHLY CONDEMNS AND EXPOSES
COMPLETE TOOL OF AN ARMY OFFICER
WHO SHAMELESSLY BEGS TO BE THE NEXT MARTYR FOR CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM
On Saturday, 8/13/22, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) was sent a YouTube video made by Major Schwandt — a video that this whore for attention actually began (after revealing that he had COVID) by saying: “As an Army officer, this video
could get me into trouble, but I don’t care.”
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Mikey Weinstein responds to video by shameless
Christian Nationalist active duty army officer...
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MRFF OP-ED ON
DAILY KOS
#9 Trending Story on Daily Kos
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By: MRFF Senior Research Director Chris Rodda
Monday, August 15, 2022
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Watch Army Major Jamie R. Schwandt's video (23min and 50sec) |
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Like a child frantically jumping up and down, crying “Pick me! Pick me!,” Army major Jamie R. Schwandt is jumping up and down, crying “I want to be persecuted! I want to be persecuted! Please notice me OANN and Fox!!! Make me the next martyr!!!”
Major Schwandt is a real piece of work. Apparently having seen other military officers and NCOs become darlings of the Christian nationalist crowd by getting in hot water for violating military regulations with their anti-LGBTQ actions and contemptuous words against the president, all in the name of their “sincerely held religious beliefs,” Major Schwandt is doing his level best to violate those same regulations as publicly as someone with only 32 YouTube followers can, seemingly in hopes of getting himself harshly punished by the Army so he can join the ranks of the “persecuted” and get his fifteen minutes of “persecution” fame.
On Saturday, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation was sent a YouTube video made by Major Schwandt — a video that this whore for attention actually began (after revealing that he had COVID) by saying: “As an Army officer, this video could get me into trouble, but I don’t care.”
And get in trouble he did — well, at least sort of. Major Schwandt received a Letter of Counseling, which is merely a slap on the wrist.
But still trying his damnedest to be noticed and become a martyr, Major “See-what-I-got” did something quite unprecedented. He posted a photo of his actual Letter of Counseling on Twitter, in an August 11 tweet saying:
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I am a MAJ in the U.S. Army in North Carolina. I am being punished for saying “men can’t become women”, “men can’t get pregnant”, “abortion is murder”, and “we are human at conception”. Not sure why no one has picked this up yet? @CawthornforNC @OANN @jordanbpeterson @Jim_Jordan
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Seriously! In his shameless and farcically transparent quest to be noticed, this tool actually tweeted his tale of so-called “persecution” at Madison Cawthorn, OANN (One America News Network, the even-worse than-Fox news network), and Jim Jordan! “Pick me! Pick me!,” he cried, “I’ll be a great martyr! I’ll be the greatest martyr you’ve ever seen!”
Now, moving on to the actual content of Major “martyr-wannabe’s” Letter of Counseling, which he received on August 5, here is what it said:
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Purpose of Counseling:
To discuss your violations of Department of Defense Directive (DoDD) 1344.10 (Political Activities by Members of the Armed Forces) and Army Regulation (AR) 600-20 (Army Command Policy).
Key Points of Discussion:
On or about 1 AUG 2022, you created and uploaded a video to YouTube, in which you identified yourself as an Army officer multiple times (without disclaiming that your words did not represent the Department of Defense or the United States Army) and acknowledged that your words “may get me into trouble, but I don’t care,” or words to that effect.
While we support your right to free speech, we cannot condone speech that is: (1) prejudicial to good order and discipline and/or is service discrediting; (2) in violation of DoDD 1344.10 regarding political activities by members of the Armed Forces; and/or (3) in violation of Army Equal Opportunity policy pursuant to AR 600-20.
Your statements identify yourself as an Army officer, and express your lack of regard for any consequences of your actions. Further, your statements are prejudicial to good order and discipline and/or are service discrediting, and are unacceptable behavior for any field grade officer.
As a member of the Armed Forces on active duty, you are prohibited from engaging in conduct identified in DoDD 1344.10, paras 4.1.2 and 4.1.3. Of particular concern are the following statements yo made, among others, which are or have the appearance of being partisan political activity, and use of contemptuous words by a commissioned officer: (1) the President has made a “horrible decision to cancel the Keystone Pipeline”; (2) your words implied that the President was senseless and unrealistic, and that his proposed solutions to economic and energy policies are impractical and don’t work; (3) human beings “must be recognized from the moment of conception” and that “abortion is murder”; and (4) the President must “turn away from the evil that you’re doing”; or words to that effect.
As an Army soldier, you are prohibited from engaging in conduct in violation of AR 600-20. Of particular concern is the following statement you made, among others, which are or have the appearance of being in violation of Army Equal Opportunity policy: “the unintelligent and imaginary world of gender reform where a man can be a woman, and a woman can be a man, and a man can get pregnant,” or words to that effect.
You are an officer on active duty, which means that you represent the Army at all times. This video’s presence online in an ongoing publication of these unacceptable comments to a public forum. Continuing to allow this publication to be posted online is an ongoing violation of DoD and Army policy and/or the Uniform Code of Military Justice. While the prejudicial effects of this video’s publication cannot be undone, your removal of this video from all public forums may mitigate future harm.
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“Continuing to allow this publication to be posted online is an ongoing violation of DoD and Army policy and/or the Uniform Code of Military Justice,” the Letter of Counseling says. So what has Major “I-need-to-get-in-bigger-trouble-to-get-noticed” done? Why, he’s left the video up on YouTube, of course! As of the writing of this post, a full ten days after the date of the Letter of Counseling, the video is still there.
In his spare time, besides making military regulation-violating YouTube videos, this pathetic excuse for an Army officer writes lengthy David Barton-esque posts on Medium all about how America was founded as a Christian nation. Big surprise there, right?
Now, on a very serious note, please watch the video in which MRFF founder and president Mikey Weinstein compares the slap-on-the-wrist punishment received by the white and Christian Major Schwandt to the career-ending and potentially career-ending punishments received recently by two of MRFF’s Army officer clients, both of whom happen to be black and Muslim, for doing nothing wrong at all. Click on the links to read more about the cases of former 1LT Ize Alimi and 1LT Khadijah X.
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A few of MRFF's many successes over the years getting regulation-violating posts and videos
from military officers removed
from social media sites
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“Message of Support”
From: Civilian Medical Staff
Subject: Message of Support
Date: August 11, 2022 at 11:07:57 AM MST
Mikey,
You and your NGO are providing an essential service for our military members. It is impressive what you have built these past 20 years. You are well placed to deal with the christian nationalist supremacy movement in the military.
It was amazing that we were on the phone within an hour of my email and I was impressed with your network, legal knowledge and ability, and zeal to deal with “religiosity” infractions. You folks hold nothing back….and you have our backs. Our service members can feel empowered and know that they are not alone when faced with the christian conversion machine.
As an aside, as civilian medical staff, many service members express to me their dissatisfaction and frustration with the military christian hegemony. They are looking for other religious options, but don’t find much else that the military offers.
Strong work!
(name withheld)
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“Gratitude Expressed by New MRFF Muslim Affairs Coordinator, Ize Alimi, in Response to MRFF’s Call on All of Albuquerque to Aid Law Enforcement Efforts to Stop Killer of Muslim Neighbors”
From: Ize Alimi <email withheld>
Date: Aug 10, 2022, at 9:07 AM
Mikey and MRFF Team,
I am thanking you on behalf of the entire Muslim Community. I am deeply touched by MRFF’ devotion to every religion and specifically to Islam. I also appreciate the fact that you are keeping 1LT X’ story and mine alive. That mindset is somehow very rare nowadays. MRFF is the only organization that continued to work with me after my separation from the US Army on 1 July 2022. That speaks volume!
MRFF is second to none. I would love to see your organization grow and surpass all of these so-called ” civil rights advocacy organizations” nationwide.
Thank you for your caring support. Keep up the good work!
Ize Alimi
MRFF Muslim Affairs Coordinator
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