Donald Trump and maga Republicans violate religious liberty of military make false claims about Armageddon

Military leaders pushing 'Armageddon views' on troops as Iran war begins: complaint pulished in RawStory by Travis Gettys.

A combat-unit commander told non-commissioned officers Monday that the Iran war was part of God's plan to usher in the End Times and bring about Jesus Christ's second coming, according to a complaint filed with a religious freedom watchdog.

The Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) has fielded more than 110 similar complaints about commanders in every branch of the U.S. military between the war's start on Saturday morning and Monday night, reported journalist Jonathan Larson on his Substack page, and the group told him the complaints came from more than 40 different units stationed in at least 30 military installations.

"These calls have one damn thing in freaking common; our MRFF clients [service members who seek MRFF aid] report the unrestricted euphoria of their commanders and command chains as to how this new 'biblically-sanctioned' war is clearly the undeniable sign of the expeditious approach of the fundamentalist Christian 'End Times' as vividly described in the New Testament Book of Revelation," said MRFF President and Founder Mikey Weinstein, a veteran of the Air Force and the Reagan White House.

"Many of their commanders are especially delighted with how graphic this battle will be zeroing in on how bloody all of this must become in order to fulfill and be in 100 percent accordance with fundamentalist Christian end of the world eschatology," Weinstein added.

Weinstein pointed out prohibitions in the U.S. Constitution and the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) against inserting religious beliefs into official military instruction or messaging, and a non-commissioned officer who filed a complaint with MRFF said their commander's comments "destroy morale and unit cohesion."

"This morning our commander opened up the combat readiness status briefing by urging us to not be 'afraid' as to what is happening with our combat operations in Iran right now," that non-commissioned officer said in a complaint filed Monday. "He urged us to tell our troops that this was 'all part of God’s divine plan' and he specifically referenced numerous citations out of the Book of Revelation referring to Armageddon and the imminent return of Jesus Christ."
"He said that 'Donald Trump has been anointed by Jesus🤥  to light the signal fire in Iran to cause Armageddon and mark his return to Earth,'" the complaint continued. "He had a big grin on his face when he said all of this which made his message seem even more crazy."

"Our commander would probably be described as a 'Christian First' supporter," the complaint added. "He has been this way for a very long time and makes it clear that he desires all of us under him to become just like him as a Christian. But what he did this morning was so toxic and over the line that it shocked many of us in attendance at the ops readiness briefing."

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has elevated a Christian nationalism theology that has simmered within the military for decades, Larson wrote, and he attends a weekly White House Bible study session led by right-wing pastor Ralph Drollinger, who preaches support for Israel is required by the Scriptures.

"Some Christians claim biblical prophecy requires Israel to exist for Jesus to return," Larson wrote. "But Hegseth’s Bible study leader, preacher Ralph Drollinger, teaches that the reason to support Israel is that God still blesses Israel’s allies and curses Israel’s enemies, even though Israel killed Jesus (this smear, the historic root of antisemitism, has been rejected by every major religion)."

The non-commissioned officer's complaint states that those views were passed down from their commander to troops deployed in their "ready-support" unit, and that individual said the group was troubled by the apocalyptic religious framing of the military operation.

"I and my fellow troops know that it is completely wrong to have to suffer through what our commander said today," that non-commissioned officer said. "It’s not just the separation of church and state as we discussed Mr. Weinstein. It’s the fact that our commander feels as though he is fully supported and justified by the entire (combat unit’s name withheld) chain of command to inflict his Armageddon views of our attack on Iran on those of us beneath him in the chain of command."

Trump's political wall is his "Dumpty-Trumpty" challenge

George Conway assessed the quickly gathering legal challenges Donald Trump is facing after FBI agents searched Mar-A-Lago two days before he was forced to testify in a New York investigation of his business practices.  RawStory report by Travis Gettys: 

Watch the George Conway YouTube interview here:

The former president pleaded the Fifth Amendment more than 400 times Wednesday in his deposition before New York's attorney general, as his allies fanned out across the media suggesting that FBI agents planted unspecified evidence during the hours-long search of his home, and Conway told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" that Trump's situation was grim.

"I think the walls are closing in on him," Conway said. "There are so many different investigations. There's also civil suits that are chasing him down. I think, bit by bit, we're finally going to see the processes apply to him. He had his deposition taken yesterday by the New York attorney general. There are some civil depositions coming up, and he is being forced, essentially, to put up or shut up in these investigations. Yesterday, he, you know, took the Fifth 440 times, which is basically the most respect I think he's ever shown for the Constitution of the United States."

"But the Georgia case, I think, is particularly one to keep looking out for," Conway continued. "It's the one that sort of seems to be moving
ahead the most quickly, but I think this documents investigation is one that we haven't heard the last of. I mean, [Washington Post columnist] David [Ignatius] is absolutely right about the innate cautious and by-the-book nature of Merrick Garland. I think that he is handling this absolutely perfectly. I don't think the Justice Department should be saying anything more than it already has said, which is basically nothing about this, because that's what the rule of law requires. That is what grand jury secrecy requires."

"The whole point of this exercise is that nobody is above the law," he added. "The law applies equally to you and I, to the rich and the poor, to ex-presidents and just regular citizens. 

Mar-a-lago is not your typical Florida ranch style house!

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) received a legal search warrant to enter Mar-a-lago to find and remove high security documents.  Agents entered peacefully and a receipt for all the items taken was given to the Trump attorney.

One of those protection people have is grand jury secrecy and the presumption of innocence. The reason why the Justice Department does not say anything about ongoing investigations, except in unusual circumstances or when indictments are there, is to protect the reputations of those that are the subject of investigation. If he really thinks that there is a witch hunt going on with these documents that were at Mar-A-Lago, he should tell us exactly what happened. Show us the search warrant. What was the government looking for? What did they take? He has a list of what they took, or should have a list, and that would tell us a great deal. But he doesn't want to say anything because he knows it's not going to be helpful to him, I'm sure. Just as actually answering questions from Letitia James yesterday wasn't going to be helpful to him."

Former Guy is responsible for thousands of COVID deaths

"A lot of blood on his hands", Anastacia Kelley in West Virginia.

Echo article published in RawStory by Travis Gettys:

Woman blames Trump for anti-vaxxer friend’s COVID-19 death: ‘He could have saved so many lives'

After a West Virginia woman died from COVID-19, her best friend blames former president Donald Trump's refusal to enthusiastically embrace vaccinations.

The former president got his shot in private before leaving office and has offered meager approval since leaving the White House, and Anastacia Kelley feels certain her college roommate would have gotten one for herself, if Trump had gotten his in the public eye, reported The Daily Beast.

"The exact quote was, she was not going to put that shit in her body," Kelley said, asking to keep her friend's last name private. "I said, 'You'll eat a cheeseburger from McDonald's and you have no idea what's in it'."

Kelley knew her friend's husband was a strong Trump supporter, and she regrets not pushing her friend more to get the vaccine, despite her skepticism and their political differences.

"I was the one person she listened to," Kelley said. "She might have listened to me. I just let it go with her, not thinking the worst would happen."

Kelley saw a March 19 Facebook post by Lizzie's sister lamenting that her family had COVID-19 after making "one mistake" after being careful about the virus, and she knew that Lizzie must have caught it, as well.

She called her friend, who confirmed she had tested positive, on the following day, and Kelley shared

"Absolutely, without a doubt," Kelly told the website. "If he had come out and even taken a picture of himself getting it, he could have saved many lives."

Kelley and Lizzie had remained friends since college, but Lizzie had drifted toward conspiracy theories after moving back home to West Virginia, and she expressed skepticism about the vaccines.

"The exact quote was, she was not going to put that shit in her body," Kelley said, asking to keep her friend's last name private. "I said, 'You'll eat a cheeseburger from McDonald's and you have no idea what's in it.'"

Kelley knew her friend's husband was a strong Trump supporter, and she regrets not pushing her friend more to get the vaccine despite her skepticism and their political differences.

"I was the one person she listened to," Kelley said. "She might have listened to me. I just let it go with her, not thinking the worst would happen."

Kelley saw a March 19 Facebook post by Lizzie's sister lamenting that her family had COVID-19 after making "one mistake" after being careful about the virus, and she knew that Lizzie must have caught it, as well.

She called her friend, who confirmed she had tested positive, on the following day, and Kelley shared tips for dealing with the infection, but Lizzie texted March 26, to notify her that she was being admitted to a hospital after other family members had been, as well.

"I can't breathe, I feel awful. This is the worst thing I've ever been through," Lizzie said in the text.

Once in the hospital, she was placed in isolation with COVID-related pneumonia in both lungs, but an allergy prevented her from receiving steroid treatment and she was placed in intensive care on March 28.

Lizzie's condition worsened March 31, and her Trump-loving husband sent a Facebook message later that day notifying Kelley that she had died, and Lizzie's sister died Tuesday in ICU unaware that her sister had preceded her.

"All this could have been avoided," Kelley said, haunted by the vaccine hesitancy that she blames on the former president. "He has a lot of blood on his hands."