You have no idea how this is playing in the bayous and backwoods of the bible belt. Oh my gosh the absolute riot that any muslim who takes offense should be crucified (direct quote).... Ouch...
You have no idea how this is playing in the bayous and backwoods of the bible belt. Oh my gosh the absolute riot that any muslim who takes offense should be crucified (direct quote).... Ouch...
Sam Liles
Selil Blog
Don't forget to duck Secret Squirrel
The scholarship of teaching and learning results in equal hatred from latte leftists and cappuccino conservatives.
All opinions are mine and may or may not reflect those of my employer depending on the chance it might affect funding, politics, or the setting of the sun. As such these are my opinions you can get your own.
Can anyone tell me about what exactly those being deployed to Iraq are being taught about Islam's views on converts? Specifically what is being taught about those who convert from being Muslim. From what I've read, this is the most evil of actions. Infidels are apparently better than those who convert away from Islam. (This isn't meant to sound critical. I am actually curious about what troops are being taught.)
Adam L
You cannot single-handedly accomplish the mission. But you sure can screw it up.
Flagrant stupidity should be an offense meriting judicial punishment under UCMJ. It is certainly more damaging to the mission than smoking pot during leave or getting a DUI (both candidates for UCMJ action).
Target practice with a Koran in Iraq (a Lithuanian Soldier and two ANA Soldiers were killed in Afghanistan after people freaked out over this) and handing out coins with bible verses in Fallujah (thanks for reinforcing the AQI propaganda) seem to fit neatly into that category.
You are absolutely right. It's hard to get things right, but it is too easy to screw things up. Incidents like this have almost unlimited utility as propaganda for our enemies. It actually plays into their long running propaganda that we have been waging a holy war against them. On your point of judicial punishment, you have a good point. I am not familiar with the UCMJ. As far as I am concerned, with it being all but impossible for someone not to know how people have reacted to similar incidents in the past, this is reckless endangerment at minimum.Originally Posted by Schmedlap
Adam L
Ironically enough, this "Christian" gets a FAIL for "obeying the authorities God has placed over him...."
We have an idiot on post who tries this crap with our COBs. He hasn't been UCMJ'd.... yet.
The unformulated question in my mind is could this be an example of America producing our own radical Christian analog to Al Queda? That is likely a poor way to phrase it, but this Marine went against all of his training, did something so far from mission, and all of this following another severe incident involving the physical destruction of the Koran.
If it isn't psyop/IO on the part of Al Queda they aren't trying hard enought.
It could just be media sensitivity to the issue rising from the previous incident.
When patterns start to emerge there is usually agency behind them even if we don't understand it.
Musings sorry.
Sam Liles
Selil Blog
Don't forget to duck Secret Squirrel
The scholarship of teaching and learning results in equal hatred from latte leftists and cappuccino conservatives.
All opinions are mine and may or may not reflect those of my employer depending on the chance it might affect funding, politics, or the setting of the sun. As such these are my opinions you can get your own.
I think the answer is probably no
The key things to remember here are
1- Soldiers have a mission and that is to secure a population so that it's governance can learn how to take care of it.
The key thing missing in the thought processes behind both incidences (besides perhaps a little bit of psychosis in one) is the understanding that for that population the one thing they have felt secure in throughout all the crap in their recent history is their faith(emphasis added). As a soldier the issue of whether their faith is correct or even fair is irrelevant but as a human being our soldiers also carry beliefs which help them make it through trying times.
The real question is how to get everyone to accept that if you truly believe what you believe then it can and will speak for itself through your actions, words. I don't think this soldier sat at home making up those coins but probably some very caring individuals here who don't know the culture nor see the implications on a mission they don't understand probably provided them.
That said there is a point at which we should set forth limits for our actions in so far as if we become expected to put aside our own beliefs and yet are required to be receptive to the local messages then we are failing to set the example of freedom of religion within our own ranks. This is an area where we simply let actions speak louder than words. We probably just need to work harder on making sure our soldiers know what that really means.
(more musings)
Any man can destroy that which is around him, The rare man is he who can find beauty even in the darkest hours
Cogitationis poenam nemo patitur
Do you mean something like this?
http://www.jesuscampthemovie.com/
You should see what Salafi sites saying on all this... It is not that small incident for them.
This story remind me on time when Catholic "humanitarian" organization (CARITAS) refused to gave food and milk to people unless they can show them that one is Christian... So, I guess, story is big in many different circles regardless on polarity and with different reasons.
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