WP: Air Force to Examine Fundraising E-Mail Sent by a General

[DeepModem Mom]

Air Force to Examine Fundraising E-Mail Sent by a General
Message Praised Candidate's Christianity
By Alan Cooperman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, May 6, 2006; Page A03

The Air Force is investigating whether a two-star general violated military regulations by urging fellow Air Force Academy graduates to make campaign contributions to a Republican candidate for Congress in Colorado, Pentagon officials said yesterday.

Maj. Gen. Jack J. Catton Jr., who is on active duty at Langley Air Force Base, sent the fundraising appeal on Thursday from his official e-mail account to more than 200 fellow members of the academy's class of 1976, many of whom are also on active duty.

"We are certainly in need of Christian men with integrity and military experience in Congress," Catton wrote.

Defense Department rules prohibit active-duty officers from using their position to solicit campaign contributions or seek votes for a particular candidate. An Air Force spokesman said yesterday that "appropriate officials are inquiring into the facts surrounding these e-mails."

Catton's e-mail was provided to The Washington Post by the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, a nonprofit group founded last year by Michael L. "Mikey" Weinstein, White House counsel in the Reagan administration....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/05/AR2006050501535.html

[babylonsister]

1. Oops! Church and state needs separating, and more! nt

[tanyev]

10. Church and politics and military need separating.

:scared:

[TheMadMonk]

12. And it seems like Generals (ex & active) need not stay out...

of politics when rooting for the "home team"

[Erika]

2. Back to Christians thrusting their beliefs down our throats

while calling themselves victims. Get rid of these people.
Our "Christian" founding fathers owned slaves for crying out loud.

[havocmom]

3. It's stuff like this that makes me worry about Iran

Seems the brass in the other services have the good sense to avoid another war. We don't really have ground troops for it. But, the Air Force seems full of wigged out fanatics and THAT worries me. Afraid they might just follow an illegal order if it meant mushroom clouds over non-believers.

Dr Strangelove is alive in the hearts of too many.

[alittlelark]

4. I can only say...

:puke: :puke: :puke: \

edited for freeper spelling

[blitzen]

5. Kristofferson: "Good Christian Soldiers"

Not so long ago in Oklahoma the son of an Okie preacher knelt to pray
He said Lord I wanna be a Christian soldier just like you
And fight to build a new and better day
Now many years and miles from Oklahoma
That same young Okie boy still kneels to pray
But he don't pray to be no Christian soldier anymore
He just prays to make it through another day
Cause it's hard to be a Christian soldier when you tote a gun
And it hurts to have to watch a grown man cry
But we're playin' cards writin' home havin' lots of fun
Telling jokes and learning how to die

Now the things I've come to know seem so confusin'
It's gettin' hard to tell what's wrong from right
I can't separate the winners from the losers anymore
And I'm thinking of just giving up the fight
Cause it's hard to be a Christian soldier when you tote a gun
And it hurts to have to watch a grown man cry
But we're playin' cards writin' home ain't we hadn't fun
Turning on and learning how to die

[UpInArms]

6. it seems the General is also in violation of the Hatch Act of 1939

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatch_Act_of_1939

Content

The original Act forbade intimidation or bribery of voters and restricted political campaign activities by federal employees. It prohibited using any public funds designated for relief or public works for electoral purposes. It also forbade officials paid with federal funds from using promises of jobs, promotion, financial assistance, contracts, or any other benefit to coerce campaign contributions or political support.

The most restrictive measure was brought about by Republicans in the Senate. It dictated that persons below the policymaking level in the executive branch of the federal government must not only refrain from political practices that would be illegal for any citizen but must abstain from "any active part" in political campaigns.

An amendment on July 19, 1940 extended coverage to state and local employees whose salaries included any federal funds. This amendment also set an annual ceiling of $3 million for political parties' campaign expenditures and $5,000 for individual campaign contributions.

[YDogg]

7. What a fuckin' tool.

Wonder what the outcome of this'll be?

[gatlingforme]

8. Bush and his minions are scum

[saigon68]

9. Taliborn Again thugs and war criminals

And the SHEEP sleep on.

[Nomen Tuum]

11. Why, General Catton has Jesus on his side...

AND

This is the group that controls the Armed Forces:

http://www.forceministries.com