Anderson Cooper 360° reports that the United States military discriminates against non-Christian warfighters. Army Specialist Anthony Hall, an atheist, is suing the Department of Defense and former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfield for “failing to protect his religious freedom.”

Two issues strike me as important in this case. First, one cannot be discriminated against for having different beliefs if those different beliefs are not expressed to others. A warfighter is a professional and their place of work is wherever the military specifies. One should not discuss religion or politics in the workplace unless doing so is directly related and necessary to the performance of a profession.

At first glance, this code of behavior appears to be censorship; however, this code of behavior is a matter of restraint. Religion and politics breed controversy. Controversy breeds conflict and conflict, especially internal conflict, inhibits cooperation. Warfighters cannot allow their beliefs to obstruct the performance of their duties. There is no place for philosophers in the theatre of operations; men must act lest they surrender their will to live, fight and defend, and honor their oaths of service.

Second, the critics of Specialist Hall who assert that he is “showboating” and suggest that he should “get on with his life” fail to recognize that he is performing his duty. Warfighters in service to the United States swear to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic” — foreign and domestic. Make no mistake: those who threaten our civil rights are our enemies. While they might not be combatants, they remain our foes.

Anderson Cooper 360°’s report also mentions the organization Officers’ Christian Fellowship, which hosts representatives on “nearly all military bases worldwide.” They envision “[a] spiritually transformed military, with ambassadors for Christ in uniform empowered by the Holy Spirit.” In other words, the mission of the Fellowship is to convert American warfighters into Crusaders? I am reminded of the Islamic militants who claim that their struggle against the United States is a holy war.

I’ve just returned from the monthly breakfast meeting of the San Diego Military Advisory Council. This morning was more of a celebration than a standard event. Proposition A was defeated!

Several months ago at one of our breakfasts, Congressman Brian Bilbray (who was also re-elected) said that the proposition was intended to be defeated for political reasons. The vote was 62.04 to 37.96%.

This morning the guest speaker was Major General Michael Lehnert whose career as a Marine spans thirty years. “Some days are diamonds, and some days are coal,” said Lehnert. “Today is a diamond.”

In his eyes, this victory represents public acknowledgement and support of those who serve in the name of liberty. He spoke at length on the importance of our efforts and provided the story of Marine Sergeant Timothy Connors to drive that point home.

Early this morning, I attended the annual Fleet Week Breakfast sponsored by General Atomics. The breakfast was hosted at the Admiral Kidd Club on the Fleet Anti-Submarine Warfare Training Center overlooking San Diego Harbor.

During the mixing period prior to the speech, I was introduced to Captain Mike Allen, Chief of Staff for Navy Region Southwest, who sat across the table from me. I also discussed entrepreneurship and other business topics with Jim of DRS Technologies, whose MBA is in Organizational Development.

Opening the program was Lisa Richards, who twenty-plus years ago established Hospitality, which operates Picnic People of Southern California. As the 2006 Chairwoman of Fleet Week San Diego and President on the Board of Directors, Lisa introduced the speaker — The Honorable B. J. Penn, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Installations and Environment. Penn paid tribute to and thanked military men and women for serving in defense of the nation and as volunteers for community improvement.

In retrospect, the event was solid with an attendance of around 250 people. Being an entertainer and a marketer , I’m more attracted to events that have a little more pep, but excitement is not why people attend these socials.

Last night, I attended a cocktail reception held at Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza to support the fight against the ballot initiative (Proposition A) for a commercial airport at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. The reception was joined by California Assembly Republican Leader George Plescia, and San Diego City Councilmembers Jim Madaffer and Brian Maienschein.

Towards the end of the reception, the councilmembers were introduced by retired Rear Admiral Bruce Boland of the United States Navy. Bruce is a director of the San Diego Military Advisory Council, a cofounder of the NO on Prop A Committee, and the former president and chief executive officer of United Way of San Diego County.

Councilmember Jim Madaffer spoke fiercely on the issue. I learned from his remarks that the reconstruction efforts on Interstate 15 are worth a billion dollars, seven bridges are being destroyed, and the project is expected to be completed by 2008. The San Diego Airport Authority wants to move I-15 to solve the major traffic problems that would be caused by moving Lindbergh Field to MCAS Miramar. This would cost a billion dollars more, which Jim described as “ridiculous”.

Ahoy m’hearties! Vice Admiral Wally Massenburg spoke this morning at the monthly breakfast meeting of the San Diego Military Advisory Council. The presentation concerned the Naval Aviation Enterprise and the history behind the transformation of the United States Navy to an enterprise system.

The interesting cultural aspect of the meeting was the acknowledgment of International Talk Like A Pirate Day and the proceeding imitations of pirate accents by the Vice Admiral. Fitting that the Navy would embrace this special day! Yar, says I.

This morning I attended the monthly breakfast of the San Diego Military Advisory Council at the Admiral Kidd Club on the Navy ASW Training Center. Congressman Brian P. Bilbray was featured as the guest speaker. He spoke on a number of topics, but most importantly on the Miramar issue.

For those who are not aware, the San Diego Airport Authority wants to use Marine Corps Air Station Miramar for commercial aviation. They claim that Lindbergh Field isn’t sufficient for the needs of San Diego travellers. "The Airport Authority has no authority," said Congressman Brian Bilbray. “It’s one of many great misnomers since political truth Don’t laugh! It’s like military intelligence."