Sweet… Finally Some Repurcussions From the Christian Embassy Video
by: Rev. DanSAN FRANCISCO, Sep 5 (IPS) - The head of the U.S. federal government agency that doles out benefits to disabled veterans is under fire for saying Bible study is “more important than doing [my] job.”
Two organisations, Veterans for Common Sense (VCS) and the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), demanded an investigation Tuesday of Daniel Cooper, President George W. Bush’s undersecretary for benefits at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Their complaint stems from an appearance Cooper made in a fundraising video for the evangelical group Christian Embassy, which carries out missionary work among the Washington elite as part of the Campus Crusade for Christ.
In the video, Cooper says of his Bible study, “it’s not really about carving out time, it really is a matter of saying what is important. And since that’s more important than doing the job — the job’s going to be there, whether I’m there or not.”
Veterans for Common Sense and the Military Religious Freedom Foundation believe Cooper violated the first amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits government officials from advocating a particular religion while on the job.
They also believe Cooper violated ethics rules that prohibit government officials from using their name, picture, or title for proselytising or fundraising.
Thank you for posting this to your web site. Veterans need help, yet we aren’t getting it at VA. If the current anti-veteran behavior by top Bush political appointees continues, there may be a catastrophe for our returning Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans. Best, Paul Sullivan. Veterans for Common Sense.