washington | Republicans have thwarted one lawmaker’s efforts to have Congress pursue allegations of proselytizing and religious intimidation at the Air Force Academy, some Democratic officials and Jewish leaders charge.
Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.) withdrew an amendment to the Defense Department Authorization bill late last month after several Republican lawmakers complained about it at a session of the House of Representatives’ Armed Services Committee.
The provision called for a report to Congress on efforts to calm religious tensions at the academy, but some GOP members of Congress said the real problem was political correctness on campus.
“Many of my colleagues appeared to believe that the problem is not people who are coercing one religious view over another; the problem is the people who are complaining about being coerced,” Israel said.
The controversy at the Colorado Springs campus comes amid an increasingly partisan tone in Washington, as Christian conservatives are seen as gaining influence over domestic policy.
Democrats question whether some Republicans are supportive of evangelical efforts at military academies, and in public life in general, or are turning a blind eye to the issue because of support they receive from Christian conservatives. Either way, they said, the congressional debate raises questions about the constitutional separation of church and state.
For their part, Republicans dismiss the criticism, saying Congress should not get involved in an issue the Air Force is tackling internally.
Lt. Gen. John Rosa Jr., the superintendent of the Air Force Academy, met with the Anti-Defamation League this week and acknowledged that a problem exists. Rosa said the problem is “something that keeps me awake at night.”
This week, a graduating senior at the Air Force Academy sent an e-mail to 3,000 students that included quotations about Jesus. Wing Commander Nicholas Jurewicz told a local newspaper that it didn’t occur to him to remove the religious passages from his e-mail.
Capt. Melinda Morton, a chaplain at the academy who said she was removed last month as an executive officer to the senior staff chaplain for complaining about religious issues on campus, said cadets aren’t getting the message that they’re government employees, and therefore must adhere to laws limiting personal expressions of faith.
Jurewicz “goes into the Air Force now, demonstrating that he doesn’t have a clear understanding of separation of church and state,” she said.
The issue has become more partisan in recent weeks, as Democratic efforts to bring transparency to the military academies have been thwarted by Republicans, who say political correctness should not prevent cadets from expressing their personal beliefs.
Israel had hoped Congress would get involved. He offered two amendments to that effect last month, but said he was surprised by the reaction of some Republican lawmakers when he tried to get an amendment through either the Armed Services Committee or the Rules Committee, which oversees floor amendments.
During a floor hearing May 18 at the Armed Services Committee, Republican lawmakers balked at Israel’s amendments.
“This amendment would bring the ACLU into the United States military,” said Rep. John Hostetler (R-Ind.).
Matthew Brooks, executive director of the Republican Jewish Coalition, said there were problems at the Air Force Academy, but that military leaders had taken steps to rectify them.
Brooks said his organization would monitor the issue and call for congressional action if the Air Force does not resolve it.
JTA Washington Bureau Chief Ron Kampeas contributed to this report.