When her spouse was killed in Afghanistan, Tracy Johnson drove across town to her mother-in-law’s house — clutching her marriage certificate — so she could hear the Army’s formal notification. No one from the military came to her door.

She later watched as the American flag that cloaked the coffin of her spouse, Donna Johnson, was offered, not to her, but to Donna Johnson’s mother – the next of kin, as U.S. law stipulates. She was denied death benefits, she said, that are standard issue to heterosexual spouses of service members who die in action: free health care, tuition assistance, and monthly indemnity compensation of about $1,200.

(via ’What’s right is right’: Widowed lesbian pushes for equal military benefits)

Why the “government shouldn’t be in any marriage therefore I don’t support gay marriage” argument is a load of bullshit.

The military uses some of the most technologically sophisticated machinery and innovative medical techniques in history. But a disturbing current of pseudoscience in the military is wasting money, perpetuating myths, and putting our troops in danger.

(via How a US soldier finally got his Pastafarian dogtags - Boing Boing)

Justin Griffith, an atheist in the US military, tells the story of how he ended up with ATHEIST/FSM on his dogtags. It all started when he enlisted as an atheist, only to have his recruiter record his religion as “Baptist.” Even switching recruiters didn’t end up with the error corrected. At boot camp, recruits were only allowed one “holy book” from their stated religion, so he brought The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, which became the most-loved book in camp, much-borrowed and re-read by the other recruits. Even his drill sergeant liked it. Kinda.

Atheists, freethinkers in uniform standing up for themselves in the face of Evangelical oppression.

SEVERSON: In 2010, Colonel Sicinski, at the urging of base chaplains, approved and supported a Billy Graham Evangelistic Association event called Rock the Fort to boost morale and, in the colonel’s words, “bolster the faith.”

GRIFFITH: We were “treated” to a just massive festival, and they were actually very successful. They converted hundreds of soldiers onstage.

SEVERSON: And when Sargent Griffith asked for a similar event for atheists and humanists, Colonel Sicinski declined at first. Months later he changed his mind, and that set the stage for this event called Rock Beyond Belief. The keynote speaker was the British biologist and famous atheist author Richard Dawkins.

On Fox News over the weekend, Liz Trotta belittled proponents of women in combat and derided “feminists” who complain that uniformed ladies “are now being raped too much” by male soldiers. As evidence, she cited a recent DOD report that assaults on women had risen 64 percent in the past six years. “Now, what did they expect? These people are in close contact,” she told anchor Eric Shawn. (via Fox Pundit: Women in Military Should “Expect” to Get Raped (Video) | Mother Jones)

Socialistexan turned me on to this, but I like this image better than the one going around.

THIS FAGGOT IS A SIX-YEAR DISABLED U.S. ARMY VETERAN!

Last night we reported that Joey Boots, a LGBT activist and 6 year military veteran was called a “faggot “ by a Brookfield Security Guard guarding Zuccotti Park at  Occupy Wall Street

News has just come down that Brookfield Properties finally has done at least one decent thing and has  just fired the homophobic low-life neanderthal.

John Del Signore with Gothamist reports:

Matthew Cherry, a spokesman for Brookfield, tells us, “His comment was offensive and inexcusable, and we have a policy of zero tolerance for such behavior. In accordance with our code of conduct he’s been terminated from his work with Brookfield.” Cherry clarified that the unidentified man was a security subcontractor; when asked what company was doing the subcontracting and whether it was still under contract with Brookfield, Cherry declined further comment.

I hope yopu enjoy the unemployment line homophobe and may the video of you calling a gay military veteran “faggot” on camera haunt you the rest of your life.