As you may remember, my previous article entitled God Bless Our Military … Just Not At The Houston National Cemetery, shared how the Houston National Cemetery Director, Ms. Arlene Ocasio, was requiring grieving families and volunteer groups to not use the words “God” or “Jesus” at any funeral ceremony without her prior approval.  This has been a hot topic here in the Houston area, but Ms. Ocasio remains in her position as are her expressed requirements carried out by her employees to ensure prayers are more inclusive of other religions.

Earlier this week, the Department of Veterans Affairs defended Ms. Arlene Ocasio stating the accusations in the current lawsuit against the Department of Veterans Affairs and Ms. Arleen Ocasio were categorically false.  Congressman John Culberson, U.S. Representative of Texas District 7, took it upon himself to go undercover at a recent military hero’s funeral and found the truth.  He personally witnessed censorship of freedom of speech and freedom of religion at the funerals of our veterans.

Listen here as KTRH’s Matt Patrick talks to Congressman Culberson on this morning’s radio show. There is purposeful, deliberate and repeated interference occurring against the grieving families, the VFW Honor Guard and other volunteer organizations there in support of our military hero funerals.

As also reported by Nik Rajkovic at KTRH, Congressman Culberson is so upset with the Director’s actions that he’s threatening to “zero out” her salary unless she quits or moves elsewhere.  Congressman Culberson is Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee for the Veterans Administration.

Yes, I understand and agree there should be and are SOP’s for funerals at National Cemetery’s as with any governmental entity or even private business; however, in this particular case, the actions of this Director are unacceptable as her requirement has crossed the line on many separate occasions, as now evidenced personally by a United States Congressman.

We must remember that the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution reads:  ”Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” If the Houston National Cemetery and its Director are truly there to help and respect the military families, they will not continue to interfere with the Constitutional and dare I say, God given, rights to grieve and pray.  Period. Unfortunately, this freedom is not allowed at the Houston National Cemetery, but I have faith and hope this will soon change.

Join me in thanking Congressman John Culberson for going out of his way to find out personally what is happening at the Houston National Cemetery.  If only more elected officials were like him.  I agree with him that Houston wants a new Director.  Immediately.

Please also continue to help our military and their families by supporting one or more of the following wonderful organizations:

• Operation Home Front
• Veteran’s of Foreign Wars
• Wounded Warrior Project
• Gary Sinise Foundation
• New Beginnings for Military Families
• The Fisher House
• Remember Their Sacrifice
• And Troop Support – Links to multiple websites on how to help!

May God continue to bless our military and our great nation.  If you choose not to pray, that’s your choice. I respect all faiths and beliefs so I won’t force mine on you and you don’t force yours on me. Grieving families, the VFW Honor Guard and any volunteers there to assist the families with their needs should pray as they wish, when they wish, if they wish, without permission from a government entity.

Tears began swelling in my eyes early as we drove off the Sam Houston toll road onto the feeder road to a complete stop well before the signal light to turn onto Veteran’s Memorial Boulevard.  I felt great pride in knowing so many of my fellow Texans felt as we did and were able to attend this event.  We arrived with plenty of time, but with the turn out of what I’d say was close to 1,000 people, we ended up having to park at the far end of the cemetery and were a teeny bit late to hearing the first couple speakers.  But the hundred-degree heat was going to stop us. We all heard the call and we came.  As we walked up to the event, I heard “pardon the noise, but this is the sound of freedom.”  Cheers roared throughout the crowd. How sweet it is.

Make a note Texans:  All politicians representing the Houston area were invited to this event.  Some attended, many did not.  I’d like to thank those who I heard speak:  Dave Welch, Executive Director, US Pastor Council, Paul Bettencourt, Pastor Willie Davis, Congressman Pete Olson, State Representative Debbie Riddle, Pastor Scot Wall, Gold Star Mom Debora Wallace, my State Representative Allen Fletcher, Jay Guerrero speaking on behalf of Senator John Cornyn, Harris County Clerk Stan Stanart, Pastor Steve Riggle and Congressman Ted Poe.  I will remember these names.

To recap, the Houston National Cemetery Director, Arleen Ocasio, requires grieving families to not use the words “God” or “Jesus” at any personal funeral ceremony without her written approval.  I wrote about this censorship and travesty in a post last week. Ms. Ocasio has stated that she was only trying to make prayers more inclusive of other religions. Hmm. If she truly is trying to make prayers more inclusive of other religions, why has she:

1. … instructed Veterans of Foreign Wars District 4 to remove prayers from its burial rituals and to no longer utter remarks when handing the discharged shell cases from the rifle salute to the family of deceased veterans?
2. … instructed American Legion Post 586 to remove prayers from its burial rituals?
3. … told the National Memorial Ladies that they could no longer include “God Bless” in their condolence cards or speak religious messages to veterans’ families?
4. … shut down the Cemetery chapel and use it now for only a storage and meeting facility?

• Operation Home Front
• Veteran’s of Foreign Wars
• Wounded Warrior Project
• Gary Sinise Foundation
• New Beginnings for Military Families
• The Fisher House
• Remember Their Sacrifice
• And Troop Support – Links to multiple websites on how to help!

If you stand with us, please sign Liberty Institute’s Petition to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs demanding they end these abuses immediately. Thank you in advance for your support of our veterans, their families and freedom.

Last Saturday, the President hosted several hundred military families for trick or treating. Also invited were children of White House staff and about 2000 children from eleven D.C. area elementary schools.

In a press release published at their website, key Obama ally Code Pink  – a group co-founded by one of Obama’s top funders Jodie Evans, announced they were targeting military families for what can only be called psychological abuse by conducting a macabre protest of the war in Afghanistan as the families waited in line to enter the White House grounds.

Video of the Halloween protest shows members of Code Pink, including co-founder Medea Benjamin and Condoleezza Rice stalker Desiree Fairooz emotionally waterboarding the children in front of their parents.

Benjamin, whose work prolonging the insurgency in Iraq with humanitarian aid and political support for the terrorists is believed by many military families to have led to the maiming and killing of thousands of American soldiers in Iraq, has now focused her energies on helping our terrorist enemies defeat America in Afghanistan by propagandizing against reinforcements for our troops.

Dressed in fatigues with a bloody bandage wrapped around her head, Benjamin loudly moaned as she emoted being a ‘zombie soldier’, while holding a black cut-out of a rifle and wearing a pink sign that read, “The White House is haunted by the ghosts of Bush’s war.”

That’s just what children of soldiers fighting for our freedom should see, yes? Well, if your intent is to wage psychological warfare on the families of our troops to aid our terrorist enemies then the answer would indeed be, “yes.”

Fairooz, convincingly portraying a witch (as the Buck Owens song says, all she had to do was ‘act naturally’), called out to the children, telling them she wanted “young blood” for the war. (1:25 mark in video.)

Reuters was so disgusted by the display, the newswire’s photo caption accused Code Pink of taunting the children:

Members of the protest group Code Pink taunt local school children with chants about the war in Afghanistan as the children and their families arrive for a Halloween reception by U.S. President Barack Obama and his family at the White House in Washington, October 31, 2009. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES CONFLICT POLITICS SOCIETY)

Two days later, Reuters posted a blog entry responding to criticism of the caption by a Code Pink supporter:

“Nobody is paying us to ‘run such captions.’ Our photographer says the protesters said things to challenge and confront the children and their parents. For example, one protester dressed as a Wicked Witch was saying things like, ‘More pretties to die in my war! More pretties!’

“He said they were not just protesting the war in general but were, in effect, telling these families that their children were going to die at war. That sounds pretty much like taunting to me: GBU Editor”

In the press release issued last Friday about their Halloween protest at the White House, Code Pink explicitly stated they were targeting military families:

“While the Obamas host a Halloween Party outside the White House for military families, peace activists will also don costumes and call on Obama to oppose the surge in Afghanistan and end the wars… The activists will be dressed as zombie soldiers, ghosts of war victims, a monstrous Obama’s Afghanistein and more.”

The video of the protest shows the shocked and bewildered looks on the faces of the children in reaction to the real-life ghouls from Code Pink.

One wonders what will it take for President Obama to renounce the support of Code Pink and Jodie Evans. A commander-in-chief who truly cared about the troops and their families wouldn’t have to be told to do the right thing.  It would come naturally.