Canceled Fort Riley prayer breakfast rescheduled after war of words erupts
By Michele Katz|June 9th, 2016|Military News, U.S. Army|0 Comments
http://popularmilitary.com/canceled-fort-riley-prayer-breakfast-rescheduled-war-words-erupts/ The 97th MP Battalion was attacked by religious freedom supporters online for participating in a run with Kansas Law Enforcement to benefit the Kansas Special Olympics after the prayer breakfast was canceled (left). Prayer breakfast guest speaker, Lt. Gen. William "Jerry" Boykin (right).
The ripple effects are still being felt from the controversial cancellation of a prayer breakfast speaker, scheduled for D-Day at Fort Riley, Kansas.
According to the Hutchinson News “a war of words has erupted” over the decision to disinvite retired Lt. Gen Jerry Boykin from the breakfast– because of his supposed anti-gay and anti-Muslim views.
“I sincerely doubt that America can expect to win wars if the people who are tasked to do so are frightened by an old retired general with biblical views and a testimony of faith,” Boykin said.
Boykin admits he is outspoken about groups like Muslim Brotherhood – but says if people listened to what he actually said, he believes “a majority of Muslims don’t embrace jihad.”
Mikey Weinstein, founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, appealed to base commander Maj. Gen. Wayne Grigsby, weeks before the breakfast, saying he had complaints of people crying over this and they needed to cancel the event.
The congressman who represents Fort Riley in Washington called Weinstein, “anti-First Amendment and “un-American.”
Boykin told Fox News he doesn’t completely blame the controversy on Grigsby, but rather he blames the “condition of the military today” which is the result of Barack Obamabase commander Maj. Gen. Wayne Grigsbybase commander Maj. Gen. Wayne Grigsby’s policies.
Boykin –who spent over three decades in the Army and led the elite Delta Force — says today’s military is “demoralized, in rapid decline, and spends too much time doing sensitivity training.”
The removal of Boykin as speaker sparked outrage among supporters who said the decision “ignored the will of an overwhelming majority of Fort Riley soldiers,” the Topeka Capital-Journal reported.
The leaders there apparently disagreed and decided they needed to make every effort to ensure “everyone in our broad and very diverse community feels welcome.”
There had also been backlash from the LGBT community over comments Boykin made before a group of conservatives in Orlando back in March. “The first man who goes into the restroom with my daughter will not have to worry about surgery,” he reportedly said about the transgender bathroom issue.
He later said that the statement was meant to be humorous.
Base officials have since decided to reschedule the prayer breakfast and invite a different speaker.
