A union representing federal employees at Eglin Air Force base in Florida is demanding that two senior management officials be removed from their posts because they put decals on their personal trucks supporting Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson.

Alan Cooper, the executive vice president of the local chapter of the American Federation of Government Employees, said one of the officials also displayed the “I Support Phil” decals in his office last month and offered them to subordinates.

“The BUE (bargaining union employee) was clearly offended and disgusted that a senior management official would display the decal on their pod,” read an email Cooper wrote.

“We took offense,” Cooper told me in a telephone interview. “These two particular individuals have a great amount of influence over individuals who may be gay, who may be African-American – and we have a concern they should not be in a position to exert that influence when it comes to promotions.”

In an email that was sent to union members, Cooper said the Duck Dynasty decal may be a violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

“Phil Robertson has made disparaging remarks against a vast array of people, which created a firestorm in the media in the recent past,” Cooper wrote.

He was referring to comments Robertson made in GQ magazine last year about homosexuality and his personal observations about the pre-Civil Rights era. A&E briefly suspended Robertson from his popular reality television show. But the network reversed its decision after they were overwhelmed by supporters of the program. I write about how Robertson and his family were viciously attacked by the media and militant gay rights organizations in my new book, “God Less America.”

Cooper told me he wants the two civilian managers at the Air Force base removed from their positions.

“I don’t know how long these individuals harbored these views – could they have impacted employment opportunities for folks that have been disparaged by the likes of a Phil Robertson,” he said.

Regardless, he wants the Duck Dynasty fans dealt with, noting “it’s definitely 100 percent inappropriate for an organization that espouses a zero tolerance policy” to condone such activity.

“If it’s zero tolerance, it’s zero tolerance for everybody,” he said, referring to the military’s anti-discrimination policies.

I spoke with one of the individuals being targeted by the government union. He asked that I not disclose his name. He rejected the accusations that he was a racist or homophobe because he supports Duck Dynasty.

“My intent was not to offend anybody,” the individual told me. “My intent was to support the show and to show support for his Christian values.”

The individual told me he was especially upset after union workers took photographs of his truck and his license plate and emailed the images to other union members. That email was reportedly sent to hundreds and hundreds of personnel.

“I see the email that went out accusing me and my boss of being racist,” he said. “That couldn’t be farther from the truth.”

“I’m pro-family,” he said. “I’m pro-life. I don’t have a problem with anybody who doesn’t agree with me.”

He said he has absolutely no plans to remove the decal from his truck.

“I’m not taking it off,” he said. “If they want to make me retire early that’s what I’ll do. But I’m not backing down.”

The civilian worker told me it’s a First Amendment issue. He said there are plenty of vehicles on the military base that are plastered with all sorts of stickers.

“I disagree with 90 percent of what our Commander in Chief believes in, but I’m not asking anyone to take (an Obama decal) off their vehicle,” he said. “It’s a freedom of speech issue.”

And that’s exactly what the Air Force believes it is. They investigated the claims made by the union and determined that the two civilian workers were well within their rights to support Duck Dynasty.

“Brigadier General Dave Harris is not taking any action against the individual as the display of such a bumper sticker is considered legally protected speech under the First Amendment,” said Andy Bourland, director of public affairs at the military base.

Bourland also told me they looked into the incident involving the decals in the worker’s office. They also decided not to take action in that incident.

Eli Craft is a member of the union and he told me he is furious at how union leadership handled the incident.

“It was extremely, extremely upsetting,” he said. “The community we live in is a very faith-based community. For someone to say this individual was offensive and if you support him you can’t manage or lead a diverse work place – it blew my mind.”

Craft had nothing but praise for the two managers. He said they are long time veterans of the military and volunteer in the community.

“They are Christians – that’s how they live their lives,” he said.”

And around the Florida panhandle, Craft said there are plenty of Duck Dynasty fans.

“Heck yeah,” he said. “The Duck Dynasty folks represent a lot of the folks who hunt and fish and who are Christians in the panhandle. That family and that program represent a way of life we see here.”

Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, said the government union wants to shut down free speech.

“Could you imagine if someone demanded someone take an Obama bumper sticker off because President Obama is intolerant to orthodox Christian views?” Perkins asked. “Where does this stop?”

He said their attack on the two Duck Dynasty fans is an example of the Left’s intimidation and intolerance.

“They do not want anyone to have a choice to express themselves in a way that counters their own viewpoint and that’s very dangerous to our republic,” Perkins said. “This goes back to the underlying emphasis and goal – not to debate the merits of whether someone is right or not. It’s to shut down the debate. End of story. No discussion.”

For now – the jobs of the two Duck Dynasty fans are safe. It’s unclear at this point what the union’s next step might be. But they should heed this warning. I’m going to be keeping my eye on the American Government Employees Union. And should they try to retaliate against these brave Americans, it’ll be on like Donkey Kong. And that’s a fact, Jack.

The individual told me he was especially upset after union workers took photographs of his truck and his license plate and emailed the images to other union members. That email was reportedly sent to hundreds and hundreds of personnel.

 SilverMK2 wrote:
"People who share racist and homophobic viewpoints with other racists and homophobes shocked that some people may be offended by them publicly showing support of this attitude"

Top article there. Interesting that you do not add your source

 Ouze wrote:

 SilverMK2 wrote:
"People who share racist and homophobic viewpoints with other racists and homophobes shocked that some people may be offended by them publicly showing support of this attitude"

Top article there. Interesting that you do not add your source

Todd Starnes wrote it for Fox News.

Jihadin often does not cite his articles, it's not a conspiracy or anything. It's probably going to hurt his grades when Yakface grades us on OT 101 at the end of the year.

 Ensis Ferrae wrote:
Secondly, I do remember that particular GQ firestorm, and there was more made from it, because in part, the author of the article completely misquoted Robertson... It later came out that what he said wasn't "i hate gays" (as was basically published) it was, "I don't support the lifestyle, but God and the Bible call on us to love them regardless, and hope they come around"

 ScootyPuffJunior wrote:

 Ensis Ferrae wrote:
Secondly, I do remember that particular GQ firestorm, and there was more made from it, because in part, the author of the article completely misquoted Robertson... It later came out that what he said wasn't "i hate gays" (as was basically published) it was, "I don't support the lifestyle, but God and the Bible call on us to love them regardless, and hope they come around"

He was never quoted saying "I hate gays" nor was he misquoted in the GQ article. In fact, you can read the article yourself, the part about homosexuals is on the second page.

 Frazzled wrote:
Am I wrong in betting the two with bumper stickers aren't union guys. No conflict of interest there...

 hotsauceman1 wrote:

 ScootyPuffJunior wrote:

 Ensis Ferrae wrote:
Secondly, I do remember that particular GQ firestorm, and there was more made from it, because in part, the author of the article completely misquoted Robertson... It later came out that what he said wasn't "i hate gays" (as was basically published) it was, "I don't support the lifestyle, but God and the Bible call on us to love them regardless, and hope they come around"

He was never quoted saying "I hate gays" nor was he misquoted in the GQ article. In fact, you can read the article yourself, the part about homosexuals is on the second page.

He also said it is as bad as bestiality.

“It seems like, to me, a vagina — as a man — would be more desirable than a man’s anus. That’s just me. I’m just thinking: There’s more there! She’s got more to offer. I mean, come on, dudes! You know what I’m saying? But hey, sin: It’s not logical, my man. It’s just not logical…

“Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there. Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men.”

Robertson offered a more tolerant statement to Fox411, saying he is a reformed sex-drugs-and-rock-‘n-roll guy who found Jesus and “would never treat anyone with disrespect just because they are different from me.”

"I know Phil Robertson. I know his beliefs," Deirdre Gurney, executive producer of A&E's breakout hit, said during The Hollywood Reporter Reality Roundtable. "I know how he treats a crew that has several gay people on it.”

Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson came under fire after making anti-gay remarks in December 2013, prompting A&E to temporarily suspend him. Less than a week later, A&E and the Robertson family jointly announced that Phil Robertson would remain on the series during its fifth season, with no impact on production. The immediate uproar over Robertson’s incendiary comments, made during an interview with GQ, surprised producers Gurney Productions.

"I don’t think anyone expected it to be that kind of a reaction and get that much attention, so no one was prepared with what this really meant, what to say," Duck Dynasty executive producer Deirdre Gurney said during The Hollywood Reporter Reality Roundtable. “We were out of it as the production company. When this happens with talent or the network, it’s really the network’s job [to handle it]. We make it for them, but it’s their show -- it’s their job to decide how they want to handle it and what they want to do. The hard thing with that was it happened over Christmas holiday."

Gurney stayed mum during the ordeal, and admitted that being quiet was a difficult task.

"I wanted to be able to speak and explain, but we couldn’t," she said. "We know our talent. I know Phil Robertson. I know his beliefs. I know how he treats a crew that has several gay people on it and people of different races and people from all different places."

Panelist Tim Gunn (Project Runway) then chimed in, asking Gurney, "Are you saying he didn’t make the comments?"

"He made them, but he doesn’t deny who he is. He has beliefs and stands by them. But that isn’t how he treats people -- it is what he thinks. I think there’s a separation between what he thinks and how he thinks people should be treated. I don’t think he was saying anything about how people should be treated," she said, claiming she hadn’t heard Robertson make comments like that before.

"How I felt was, 'I wish I could explain to people the person I know.' When someone makes a comment to the press and things are taken out of context or reporters are dealing with people who don’t have media training and aren’t used to this and they’re maybe, at times, in general cornered into saying something that someone thinks is salacious or wants to make a headline out of."

The Real World executive producer Jonathan Murray wasn’t keen on how the situation was handled, referring to the network's statement distancing itself from Duck Dynasty when it said the comments were "not views we hold."

"Unfortunately, the network didn’t play it out. They didn’t look down the road as to the wisest course of action," he said. "The worst thing you can do as a network is to say something and then take it back. Ultimately, the viewers decide whether they’re comfortable watching that person or not. It’s tricky when someone is couching their beliefs in their religious beliefs. Don’t people have a right to believe something in their religion? It’s a fine line."

 d-usa wrote:

 Frazzled wrote:
Am I wrong in betting the two with bumper stickers aren't union guys. No conflict of interest there...

They are management.

 hotsauceman1 wrote:
I have read the whole article. He compared it to bestiality.

 d-usa wrote:
I always laugh at the whole "he said he would never disrespect anyone, so it wasn't disrespectful" argument.

If you say "I would never be disrespectful" and then you say something disrespectful, then you are being disrespectful.

 whembly wrote:

 d-usa wrote:
I always laugh at the whole "he said he would never disrespect anyone, so it wasn't disrespectful" argument.

If you say "I would never be disrespectful" and then you say something disrespectful, then you are being disrespectful.

 d-usa wrote:

 whembly wrote:

 d-usa wrote:
I always laugh at the whole "he said he would never disrespect anyone, so it wasn't disrespectful" argument.

If you say "I would never be disrespectful" and then you say something disrespectful, then you are being disrespectful.

That picture makes zero sense.

How about this:

"Whembly, I'm not saying you are a troll, but you are a troll. "

Did I call you a troll or not?

 whembly wrote:

 d-usa wrote:

 whembly wrote:

 d-usa wrote:
I always laugh at the whole "he said he would never disrespect anyone, so it wasn't disrespectful" argument.

If you say "I would never be disrespectful" and then you say something disrespectful, then you are being disrespectful.

That picture makes zero sense.

How about this:

"Whembly, I'm not saying you are a troll, but you are a troll. "

Did I call you a troll or not?

Only if I cared if you called me a troll. (I don't).