Nine U.S. senators, including Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), along with 38 members of the House of Representatives, filed an amicus brief in U.S. Navy Seals v. Biden.
The 38 House Republicans were led by Mike Johnson of Louisiana, the House Republican Conference chair.
The lawsuit originated from 26 Navy SEALs and other Navy service members with sincere religious objections to receiving the Covid-19 vaccine are challenging the president’s vaccine mandate for the Navy.
The service members argue that both the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the First Amendment require the federal government to allow exemptions for their sincerely held religious beliefs, especially since they are willing to take other precautionary measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in lieu of vaccination and the Navy is already allowing medical exemptions.
Rep. Laddie Shaw, a member of the Alaska House of Representatives is a retired Navy SEAL, the only one in elected office in Alaska. He supports the lawsuit.
“I’m absolutely on board with that,” Shaw said. “I’m so against mandates. It costs a quarter million to put a Navy SEAL through a year of training. To go through all that hell, then get told they have to get a jab for something that has a 99 plus percent survival rate?”
The SEALs are some of the most fit people on the planet, with high cardiovascular capacity and low body mass index. They would not typically be in the “comorbidity” group.
“My class started with 112 and ended up with 18 because not enough people can do push-ups all day,” Shaw said.
In the amicus brief, the lawmakers wrote:
“Plaintiffs’ religious liberty and the government’s asserted interest in protecting our service members from COVID-19 need not be in conflict, especially where, as here, the individuals seeking an exemption are willing to adopt non-vaccination measures to protect themselves and others from the spread of COVID-19. They are only in conflict here because Defendants refuse to accommodate Plaintiffs’ religious objections even as they accommodate those who will not receive the vaccine for non-religious reasons. This violates RFRA by substantially burdening Plaintiffs’ religious beliefs without a compelling reason, and violates the First Amendment’s guarantee that government not discriminate against religion.”
“Defendants’ policies mandating that Plaintiffs be vaccinated in violation of their sincerely held religious beliefs does not come close to satisfying the strictest scrutiny Congress demands in RFRA. Defendants’ vaccine mandate forces Plaintiffs—individuals who have devoted their lives to the protection of the country—to choose between following their sincerely held religious convictions and effectively being discharged, losing their calling, and destroying their financial well-being.”
“Religious freedom is fundamental to every American’s liberty, but we have seen in recent years increasing hostility among elected and appointed government officials towards those who seek to exercise that freedom. . . . That same hostility to religion is on display with Defendants’ mandate. Defendants could easily accommodate Plaintiffs and similarly situated religious individuals given that Defendants are already accommodating individuals with medical issues or who received placebos in clinical trials. They have simply chosen not to do so.”
“[T]he impact on the military and our national security strongly counsels in favor of granting a preliminary injunction. The mandate is sidelining the deployment of soldiers on whose service our country relies. If this mandate (as currently being applied or threatened) is not enjoined, these Plaintiffs cannot fulfill their pledge to serve and defend our country, even though, based upon their training and experience, these Plaintiffs, as well as others similarly situated, are some of our most qualified, equipped, and fearless soldiers. Our men and women in uniform have fought to protect the freedoms that every American, regardless of belief, enjoys. Now they ask this Court to protect their religious freedom from encroachment by the very government they have sworn to protect with their lives.”
Established by President John F. Kennedy in 1962, the Navy SEALs are a nimble, elite maritime military force suited for all aspects of unconventional warfare. They:
- Conduct insertions and extractions by sea, air or land to accomplish covert, Special Warfare/Special Operations missions
- Capture high-value enemy personnel and terrorists around the world
- Collect information and intelligence through special reconnaissance missions
- Carry out small-unit, direct-action missions against military targets
- Perform underwater reconnaissance and the demolition of natural or man-made obstacles prior to amphibious landings
Where’s Dan Sullivan???? Hello?? Senator Sullivan??
Exactly! Dan’s a veteran. Freedom to choose is an ideal that he swore on a Bible to “protect from all enemies foreign and domestic.” Weigh in Senator Sullivan.
A basic tenant of EUA’s which is guaranteed by the the Nuremberg Code is right of refusal.. for ANY reason.
Dan is vaccinated. Our military is vaccinated. Those who refuse to comply with the rules of our military can leave anytime.
As it is always with totalitarian radical leftists: “It’s my way or the highway!” Coercion is your one guiding principle.
Jefferson, the drama routine doesn’t work. Our military remains vaccinated, despite anti vaxx looney tunes claiming otherwise.
Stay in your lane. A mandate of an experimental clot shot is not a lawful order. Nice try though. Next!
Stay in your lane? So when did you get your PHD in vaccine research? If you want to talk vaccines, at least accept basic science before you leap.
Do you mean status quo Dan Sullivan, who campaigned as a fighter, who was silent when Americans were left in Afghanistan? Who was silent when the military left billions of dollars of hi tech equipment in Afghanistan? The Dan Sullivan that voted to bail out Biden who like murkowski does not vote the way the constituents wants but the way he wants. That Dan?
Oh great! Now I’m just waiting for the ignorant comments of the ‘they should just follow orders’ crowd or the ‘they are probably just scaredy cats’ crowd.
Anyway, God bless these brave and principled seals and those who support them. They probably all get what America is all about and realize that this is probably also about fighting the second most important civil rights issue of our day (abortion is obviously first).
Always the hypocrite with the snide remarks. That’s why nobody likes you.
Ted is just playing politics. Actually he’s gotten quite a bit weaker since he almost lost his seat. Americans follow many rules and laws. They don’t really get to pick and choose which ones they’re going to follow or obey the way things stand. The way to do it is with the rule of law and change the law legally. Not just decide one day I’m not going to follow that law anymore.
You are wrong, Greg. Morally at least, we ALL do get to, and have to, “pick and choose” which laws we are obligated to follow and which we are not. In a rational and freedom-oriented society, that is not really a problem, as the laws will almost exclusively be sensible and ethical. But now, in this rapidly degenerating, increasingly statist and morally corrupt society in which we live, we are more and more going to have to face the choice of obeying immoral, unconstitutional and unethical laws or disobeying them. And in that case, I hope that there are and will more people who believe as I do, and who are not simply kneejerk conformist sheep and lackeys for those in power, as you and a few others here (Bill Yankee, Evan Singe, and Steve-O) seem to be.
Without the rule of law, we have nothing.
A mandate of an experimental clot shot is not a lawful order. Nice try though. Next!
A challenge from Boto O’Wrecked made him weaker? ?
And you can’t even support our top tier operators because you think you know something they don’t?
Sad.
Greggg, I think you got hacked and replaced with an anti American leftist goober.
There are MANY infamous after action reports where SEALs have REFUSED lawful orders where they would endanger civilian life– that’s what sets SEALs apart from the Schutzstaffel.
Yes, they have that ability. It’s fluid as the mission evolves.
Oh dang it Gregg, you hurt my feelers and made me cry
Uuhh ok, so where is Dan Sullivan on this?
Thanks for reporting on this Suzanne.
We live in tumultuous times in America. In times like this we find out who the patriots are and who are the sheep. Rep. Laddie Shaw is a patriot. He is ‘making his mark’ when it counts by joining the law suit against vax mandates. Vax mandates are so unAmerican that resisting them is a no brainer. Of course, I expect nothing from Senator Murkowski on this. So no disappointment. But where does Senator Sullivan stand? Too controversial? Too busy helping pass Biden’s ridiculous and highly inflationary “infrastructure” bill? I suspect our Congressman is still mesmerized from his photo op extravaganza during Biden’s signing ceremony of that same “infrastructure” bill.
Most shamefully, why have our Congressional delegation left it it to a few other colleagues to protest the inhumane treatment of the January 6th pre-trial prisoners? They risk a lot; our people, not so much. So kudos to Representative Shaw. He is out there fighting the good fight while others are too busy adjusting to ‘new norms’ imposed by an out of control government.
If you have to be persuaded, reminded, pressured, lied to, incentivized, coerced, bullied, socially shamed, guilt-tripped, threatened, punished and criminalized…
If all of this is considered necessary to gain your compliance – you can be absolutely certain that what is being promoted is not in your best interest.
Is Senator Dan Sullivan no longer supporting our military? Has he been totally bought by the Leftist Soros crowd? This will be remembered at his next election, if Biden doesn’t destroy the USA before then,
Was Biden the one who sent his horde of supporters to attack the capitol? I thought not.
So some protesters who entered the Capitol (the Holy-of-Holies for statist worshippers of governmental power and coercion such as yourself), damaging essentially nothing, constituted an “attack”? As opposed, presumably, to the “most peaceful ‘protesters’ ” who burned and looted hundreds of buildings last year?
Jefferson, the more you deny reality, and sympathize with criminals just because tey happen to align with you politically, the more you look like a criminal sympathizer in general. Is it worth it? Are you prepared to kiss off any credibility you might have once had? Because you have lost it all, when you try to pretend an attack on our capitol had no lasting impact. 5 people died as a direct result of your so-called love fest. The attack on our capitol was a violent attack. It was unrelated to the riots that occurred in other parts of the country. Gain some composure and accept the facts.
John Seeless said:
Jefferson, the more you deny reality, and sympathize with criminals just because tey happen to align with you politically, the more you look like a criminal sympathizer in general.
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Back at you X100, John.
It is you radical leftist extremists who deny reality at every turn, every time. You live in a fantasy world of your own perverse creation.
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Also, the more you hype the essentially non-violent nature of the patriots who protested in the US Capitol on January 6th, the more you make yourself look like even more of an idiot than you regularly do.
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Every real American should be proud of the January 6th Capitol protest! Government SHOULD live in fear of the people, not the other way around!
For a guy who has it all figured out, I would expect you to have an independent thought once in a while.
Biden and his ilk are subversive traitors who need to be dealt with accordingly.
“When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty”-Jefferson.
GFY BIDEN!
Where’s our Team … “Ski, Sully & Yung” in support of this common sense legislation?
Oh, thats right, their AWOL!!!
Thank you, Laddie Shaw, for speaking up and standing up for not only our elite forces but for every Alaskan who makes their own health choices.
Where’s the Dean Don Young?
So frustrating.
It’s time Alaska
It’s time Alaska to retire Young officially.
Vote for Freedom and Liberty.
Anything less is a vote for big spending and more regulations.
It’s time Alaska.
Mr Young voted twice (at least twice) for red flag gun confiscation buried deep inside feel good laws that no criminal would ever follow, this session.
this is absolutely unconstitutional and a direct attack to American Freedom.
tyranny is among us, vote for your freedom
ski
Lion Ted.
The title of the article is incorrect. Legislators cannot join the lawsuit as they have no standing, they are exempt from the mandates. In fact, over 200 of them have been treated with Ivermectin, according to news releases. The federal and state legislatures have both failed to stop the mandates. Filing an amicus brief is a publicity stunt.
i hope they display the type discharge available to those Navy Seals permanently injured from side effects of experimental jab. Good for the patriotic Senators to stand with them.
What’s the plan when the lawsuit is tossed out?
Some facts. 1. COVID is infectious and spreads between people relatively easily. 2. Once infected people need to be isolated to not infect others. 3. If you are a member of a team and don’t do everything to be prepared to fulfill your mission you are choosing to reduce your teams effectiveness. Other vaccine required to serve in the US Armed forces to ensure force readiness:
Adenovirus
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis B
Influenza
Measles, mumps, rubella
Meningococcal
Poliovirus
Tetanus-Diphtheria
Varicella
Anthrax
Haemophilus influenzae type B
Japanese encephalitis
Pneumococcal
Rabies
Smallpox
Typhoid fever
Yellow fever
How many of these are unproven experimental mRNA shots? #noneofthem
over 8 billion doses have been delivered and we are all fine. The pandemic is now a product of the unvaccinated and their willingness to propagate the virus and its mutations. I know you won’t believe but when the MRNA technology is curing cancer, you will sign up. ‘https://www.nbcnews.com/health/cancer/mrna-vaccines-frontier-cancer-treatment-rcna8886’
Good grief, where to start.…?♀️
Start with trump saying the vaccine works and go from there.
Mark…You’re fine? It’s been a year and you being fine is fact? Rigorous testing is now underway The science will be coming in on this new technology and delivery approach, for years. That would be very poor science to draw a conclusion so quickly. Every boost is a new set of data to collect. Your body is creating spike protein after each injection. Nobody knows if that’s going to end well.
Mark, you do not have science or facts on your side, only the parroted talking points of the completely discredited corporate media and the self-serving political establishment.
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Please go tell the tens of thousands who have already died as a direct result of the insidious-promoted experimental jabs, and the millions who have already suffered lasting side effects, that “we are all fine” as a result of this unprecedented and evil experiment on the global population.
Tens of thousands have died as a result of getting the shot? That blew my mind. LoL
It would be good to see where the 10,000+ number comes from, sounds like someone just repeating the talking points of the completely discredited corporate media and the self-serving political establishment to me. But at least Jeff isn’t claiming the covid vaccines have killed 4,500,000 Americans like some have.
Dang, Mark, that kool-aid you’ve been drinking isn’t strong enough. Would you please drink some more until the drivel stops? Thanks.
do research, please
Ski
Sounds like snowflakes shouldn’t be in the military. In case they forgot, our military is vaccinated against everything under the sun, and it’s never been an issue.
You said it. Just following orders.
No, military personnel have never before been subjected to a mandatory, purely experimental, mRNA technology, so-called “vaccine” (sic). It is a violation of all medical ethics, the Nuremberg Code, and the Hippocratic Oath to subject anyone to such treatment, most especially for an almost completely non-fatal disease.
Good thing this latest vaccine is as experimental as all the ones prior. You can forget that bogus argument. so what else you got? Why are you interested in our military being unprepared during a pandemic? Are you opposed to our military readiness? Are you anti-American? The questions for why you would support a weaker US military are endless. So spit it out, Jeff.
John, it is of course an undeniable fact that the current gene treatments being peddled as “vaccines’ against the Wuhan Virus are indeed experimental, almost purely so, as they have, and CANNOT yet have, any of the normal multi-year double-blind studies behind them demonstrating both their efficacy AND their long-term safety, all your pro-establishment propagandistic bleating to the contrary. As such, any medical practitioner advocating for their widespread public use, much less their mandated and coerced use, is in blatant violation of both their Hippocratic Oath and of general medical ethics more generally. And that is not even taking into account the widespread and serious side effects, not to mention the tens of thousands of outright deaths, that have occurred as a result of by far the largest medical experiment in world history. All in the ostensible name of fighting a disease with a less than 0.3% fatality rate.
My doctors have all had their shots. Are they being hypocrites to themselves? I doubt it.
Yes, they are, Greg. Because doctors are just as prone to group-think, conformism and spinelessness as anyone.
Jefferson, you speaking from experience as a group thinker?
As a conspiracy subscriber, I need to know, where do you think the Roswell aliens are being kept?
What a bunch of armchair jackasses. A Navy SEAL is not a snowflake. Could you pansies appear any mor ridiculous with a statement? (I know you have trouble with questions like this. The answer is no.)
A mandate of an experimental clot shot is not a lawful order. Nice try though. Next!
Uh, did someone get offended by a comment on the internet? Oh noes, run and tell mommy!
But to be sure, these 26 seals should accept that they are snowflakes.
John, you are consistently nothing but the purest of trolls here, and Suzanne would be fully within not only her rights, but her duty, to ban you from posting here.
The guy above him has him beat. Stalks people, then resorts to name calling like a 10 year old.
Jeff, just because you don’t like what someone writes, or don’t believe in it doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be able to write it. After all, didn’t Suzanne get the vaccine shots? Are you calling her an idiot for doing so? Tell us please.
Jeff,
That’s hilarious coming from you. It might be worth your while to think about what you say and post before calling for people to be banned based upon what they say and post.
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Merry Christmas!
Said the clearly-not-a-SEAL
Not coincidental that the most intelligent and capable branch of the Armed Forces is telling the Tyrant in Chief to GFH. Oo-Rah!
When did we start talking about the space force?
Space Force, aren’t they the guys who have to call the South African freeloaders UBER rocket just to get to work in a morning. I’ll take the SEALs (sea, air or land)– those guys can get further up than Space Force in a modified weather balloon. ?
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Merry Christmas Greg, any snow in Florida yet? #lastsnow1984
Hee hee. I wish. I miss the seasons. It was 35 one morning. I could see my breath. The seals always catch a ride with somebody. The space force boys have been up there since the early 80s. Black ops ya know.
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