WASHINGTON UPDATE 04/17/2015

April 17, 2015 | Permalink A Morale Dilemma The slogan used to be "An Army of one." And if the military isn't careful, that's exactly what they'll have. America's soldiers are more disgruntled than ever, a new report in a depressing string of outcomes shows. Of the branch's 777,000 soldiers more than half (52 percent) are unhappy -- or worse, "rarely count(ing) on good things happening" to them. Almost as many -- 48 percent -- explain that what was once one of the most rewarding jobs on the planet is now anything but. Dissatisfied and disrespected, hundreds of thousands of soldiers say their commitment is waning. The warning signs have been there all along, but only recently have the surveys started to confirm what most long suspected: that this administration's radical policies are having a catastrophic effect on the troops. Only 28 percent of the Army and National Guard feel good about what they do -- a low-water mark for one of the nation's proudest traditions: military service. Two-thirds, USA Today reports, are "borderline or worse for an area called 'catastrophic thinking'" -- despite six years of an "optimism program" meant to make soldiers resilient. At $287 million, the campaign has been a dismal failure. Like most of the Pentagon's fixes, this one can't seem to overcome the toxic environment created by the President's attacks on faith, values, and brotherhood. The Army's "positive psychology" never had a chance in a culture of non-stop sexual engineering and foreign policy incompetence. Not to mention that this "optimism program" doesn't compete with the original one -- and that's faith! Why not save a quarter of a billion dollars and stop discouraging a source of real positivity: religion? Unfortunately for the military, leaders can't buy optimism -- they have to create it. That's extremely difficult to do when the commander-in-chief turns the military into his primary base for social engineering. It started with the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," worsened with women on the front lines, and continued right through to a full-scale war on religious expression. Back in 2010, when Congress rolled out the red carpet for homosexuals, FRC warned the consequences would be severe. A year later at our press conference, reporters asked me, "Where's all the fallout that FRC predicted?" And I'll tell you what I told them. It's impossible to gauge the full effect of sexualizing the military in one year. "But make no mistake," I said. "The repercussions have begun." Now, the same media is tripping itself to report the string of bad news: sexual assaults, suicides, tanking morale, dissatisfaction, recruitment problems. Is it any wonder 40 percent don't trust their fellow soldiers or superiors? Only 15 percent have confidence in the leadership of their chief superior -- President Obama. For now, the DOD is desperately trying to avoid the root issues. In fact, when USA Today asked for comment on the report, officials "disavowed (the Army's) results." "Sharyn Saunders, chief of the Army Resiliency Directorate that produced the data... (said), 'I've sat and looked at your numbers for quite some time and our team can't figure out how your numbers came about.'" When reporters sent her the data, Saunders claimed the formulas "were obsolete." They cooked the numbers and forwarded along new statistics ("but lowered the threshold for a score to be a positive result"). "As a consequence, for example, only 9% of the 709,000 score poorly in optimism." Well, the Army can change the formula, but it can't change reality. And that reality is that the constant wear and tear of war isn't the problem here; the President's battle against the timeless traditions and standards of the military is. This isn't what our brave young troops signed up for. And based on enlistment numbers, it isn't what future soldiers will sign up for either. On Persecution, a United Front at United Nations It's a rare moment in history when the United Nations is more concerned about religious liberty than the U.S. President. Unfortunately, that seems to be the case now, as the U.N. drives more nations to intervene in the plight of men and women of faith. This afternoon, at the U.N. headquarters in New York, FRC's Lt. Gen. Jerry Boykin and I were invited to deliver two of eight keynote addresses on religious freedom abroad. The session, "The Persecution of Christians Globally: A Threat to International Peace and Security," was done in collaboration with several NGOs, including the Holy See and Permanent Missions of Palau and Argentina. Like us, they fear the brutality of ISIS, Boko Haram, and others is only the beginning of mass genocide against God's people unless more countries stand in solidarity against the intolerance. As I told those assembled, the nations of the world, appalled by the horror of World War II, came together much like it did today to form the United Nations (U.N.) and adopt the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The mission in 1948 is as essential then as it is now: to address and prevent fundamental human rights violations. Member states pledged to ensure that "(e)veryone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance." Almost 20 years later, this same right was again enshrined in the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which explicitly "(r)ecogniz(es) that" religious freedom and other "rights derive from the inherent dignity of the human person." While the 1948 Declaration recognizes these same rights, it is not a binding legal instrument. The ICCPR is. Decades later, in the Middle East, the United States (and others) have an obligation to prevent genocide -- this conclusion should cut across political and social lines; indeed, it is shared by the former U.S. Ambassador to Croatia, among others. We must not fail to do so again. From the earliest days of our Republic until now, the United States has affirmed that our rights come not from the will of any government but from the hand of God. This "self-evident" assertion is the single most important claim of our national charter, the Declaration of Independence, and infuses the Constitution of the United States. "The international legal framework to protect religious liberty is in place," I said today. "What remains is for nations to fulfill their moral and legal obligation to enforce these rights, and ensure others do the same." To read my full remarks, click here. Stand for Marriage Sunday! No one, not even the Supreme Court, has the power to redefine the institution of marriage. But on April 28, plenty of people will try. On that Tuesday, nine justices will hear arguments on whether the United States should change the definition of a union as old as civilization itself. Before federal judges began to overturn marriage laws, 30 states had protected natural marriage in their Constitutions. Now the High Court is poised to decide for us all. Before that happens, FRC is urging Christians to make their voices heard in the Courts of Heaven and the Courts of Public Opinion. On Sunday April 26th, we're encouraging our entire network of Watchmen pastors and their millions of church members to watch a brief video, distribute the bulletin insert, and then spend time during worship in focused prayer for the court and our country at a special event -- Stand for Marriage Sunday: Religious Liberty at Risk. For more information on how you can join, click over to our website. Between now and then, take the opportunity to pray and speak out on the facts about marriage. You can find sample tweets, Facebook posts, and op-ed ideas on our website. The Christian community needs to show up and send a message to the Court that we will not stand by silently while family and freedom hang in the balance! ** Tonight around 9:15 p.m. ET, tune into Fox News's "Kelly File" as I join Megyn Kelly in-studio for a conversation about how the media covers the debate over late-term abortion. Tony Perkins' Washington Update is written with the aid of FRC senior writers.