The Atheists Declared Victory Over the Air Force

Did the anti-religious Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), which has made its mission to attempt to impede all makes an attempt to observe your religion on lively obligation, just get it butt-handed to it by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth? It is tough to inform from news stories, but it definitely appears that means.

On Thursday, Military.com, a reliably leftist outlet that covers the Armed Forces, reported that MRFF has acquired 34 complaints from 24 people over a period of “days and even weeks,” of some gate guards at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, saying “God bless you” or “Have a blessed day,” as they cleared people onto post. According to MRFF, these greetings constituted a “weeks-long blitz” and had been half of a nefarious plan, undoubtedly hatched by that infamous Christian Nationalist Pete Hegseth, to Christianize the U.S. army. A story on that nutbaggery also ran in Military.com. (Don’t get me incorrect. I’m all for returning to the days of obligatory chapel formation on Sunday, or whatever day you could decide to worship on.)

The MRFF complained to the commander at Kirtland AFB, and he promptly did what set up and garrison commanders across the army are well-known for doing: folding like a low-cost swimsuit.

By means of background, MRFF founder Mikey Weinstein alleges he was overwhelmed unconscious as an Air Force Academy cadet for being Jewish. He also has a h**d-on for Mel Gibson’s wonderful The Passion of the Christ. (Weinstein could very properly have been overwhelmed up for being a Jew at the notoriously macho and Christian U.S. Air Force Academy. Anything is feasible. I suspect he bought his butt stomped for other causes, assuming the occasions occurred at all).

Here is more of Weinstein’s work. 

Anyway, the greetings at Kirtland began, and Weinstein was soon figuratively twerking on social media to rejoice his victory over civility.

MRFF VICTORY! Weeks-Long Blitz of Religious Greetings from Air Force Base Gate Guards Stopped in Just Over Two Hours https://t.co/3f6IXCDM9S

— Mikey Weinstein (@MikeyWeinstein) September 3, 2026

That was at 10:31 AM

At 11:40 AM on Friday, Pete Hegseth entered the chat.

The MRFF is a radical anti-Christian, pro-atheist group that assaults any/all religion inside the @DeptofWar.

We will never cave to them. The @usairforce will confront this.

God bless our Airmen. https://t.co/7ilR0QqVrk

— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) September 4, 2026

The chef’s kiss was “God bless our Airmen.”

By 5:56 PM on Friday, Mikey Weinstein was on the verge of stroking out. 

In a spittle-flecked rant, he threatened to sue Hegseth for calling his seemingly, given the points listed above, radical anti-Christian, pro-atheist group “a radical anti-Christian, pro-atheist group.” He appears to threaten Hegseth with UCMJ motion, even though he is a civilian and boasts the Air Force is the only service that restricts non secular speech that seems to be problematic.

The Military.com article does not say what occurred, but this video doesn’t seem like the motion of a man who received, but quite a chump who was rolled. I’m open to being corrected if it’s confirmed that the order at Kirtland was not rescinded. That said, I’m guessing that someday between 11:40 AM and 5:56 PM, on September 4, the commander of Kirtland AFB had to determine who he feared most: Pete Hegseth or some man operating a non-profit, and that selection was exquisitely straightforward to make.

@PeteHegseth @SecWar @DeptofWar pic.twitter.com/TYWR7r2zwX

— Mikey Weinstein (@MikeyWeinstein) September 4, 2026

Hey, properly hi there, little Petey.

Guess what, we noticed what you said about us. Those had been some very imply issues. Of course, fully libelous, I’d add. False, lies, you may discuss to your attorneys about that.

On your Twitter account, your X account, “The MRFF,” which is us, “is a radical anti-Christian, pro-atheist group that attacks any/all faith inside the Department of War. We will never cave to them. The USAF will confront this. God bless our airmen.”

I feel you’re referring to our victory at Kirtland Air Force Base in stopping the uniformed…Air Force uniformed, armed gate guards from saying “have a blessed day” to all people coming in.

We have 34 airmen there that are complaining, 24 of whom are Christian. Just like our shopper load which is properly over 100,000, and a number of hundred new ones each month, is constantly 95 % Christian. Like our employees, paid and volunteer all over the world, is 84 % Christian.

So, I’ll depart that to the attorneys with regard to the libel you just perpetrated on us.

I did need to say a couple of fast issues, though. I need to provide you with some homework for the long Labor Day weekend. Before I overlook, f**ok you! You nugatory Christian supremacist, nationalist piece of s**t.

But getting back to the legal aspect, we have now one thing called Air Force Instruction 1-1, Section 2.16, in the Air Force. We helped foyer for that years in the past. The Air Force is the only department that has this. And Kirtland Air Base is in the Air Force, of course.

It makes it clear that leaders must insure their phrases and actions can’t be construed fairly as supporting one religion over another religion, for that matter, no religion in anyway. Violating that can lead to prosecution under the UCMJ. You know, type of stuff you do whenever you’ve your month-to-month “Jesus praise” companies in the largest auditorium in the Pentagon during the obligation day with people in uniform. When you carry people in like Doug Wilson, your favourite pastor, who is a full White Supremacist, helps slavery, thinks that Jews are complicit in the execution of Jesus Christ, completely misogynistic, transphobic, and homophobic.

Five phrases: inform it to the decide, Petey.

Twelve hours later, Air Force Chief of Staff General Ken Wilsbach amplified the message.

Defenders at our gates not only shield our installations but also welcome everybody getting into courteously and professionally.

The Department of the Air Force’s insurance policies are unchanged. We will not be limiting the use of common greetings while getting into our bases.

— General Ken Wilsbach (@OfficialCSAF) September 5, 2026

Wilsbach’s tweet does not appear to have been essential past offering legal cowl for anybody focused by one of the 24 people who filed complaints with Weinstein’s group.

This appears to comply with the same sample as a related incident at Robins AFB, Georgia, in 2016. The same man filed the same grievance about gate guards greeting guests with, “God bless you.” The base commander promptly “caved in like a sand castle in the surf.” But greater command lifted the base commander’s ban; see Robins AFB Can Still Have a Blessed Day–For Now – RedState.Weinstein had a cow when that occurred, too.

“They talk about, ‘It’s a military base all of Middle Georgia can be proud of;’ unfortunately, the Constitution to these people — and Air Force regulations — do not apply simply to ‘Middle Georgia.’ They also don’t apply to Middle Earth. They apply to the United States of America and this is a vicious savaging of the constitutional protections that are afforded by the First Amendment along with Department of Defense regulations. The Air Force has not heard the last of this.”

I’m assured that any lawsuit Weinstein recordsdata against Hegseth is not going anyplace. Given the historical past of MRFF, labeling them anti-Christian is what most people would do. I’d also like to level out that the Air Force regulation Weinstein touts not only does not say what he appears to assume it says (I’m assuming he is aware of this but hopes you do not), but might be on life assist because it’s getting used as a cudgel to assault non secular expression.

2.16.  Balance of Free Exercise of Religion and Establishment Clause.  Leaders at all ranges must steadiness constitutional protections for free exercise of religion and the constitutional prohibition against governmental institution of religion.  They must guarantee their phrases and actions don’t discriminate against any particular person or group because of their religion, perception, or absence of perception, or prolong preferential treatment for the same.  Leaders must guarantee that their personal expression just isn’t fairly related with their authorities position, but could interact in such expression per DAFI 52-201, Religious Freedom in the Department of the Air Force. 

The open expression of religion is an American army custom. George Washington prayed in the snow at Valley Forge. George Patton had prayer playing cards printed and distributed throughout the Third U.S. Army in 1944. We cannot enable the fervently anti-religious to create a heckler’s veto over non secular liberty. Having a stand-up man like Pete Hegseth become involved in this battle over a very basic freedom-of-expression issue exhibits me the Department of War is in good palms.

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