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)”