http://news.yahoo.com/fc?tmpl=fc&cid=34&in=us&cat=us_armed_forces http://www.latimes.com/news/nationw...0427,1,4015017.story?coll=la-headlines-nation
The White House and America in general had better take care of this and distance away from this guy really, really quick.
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Thursday he had not seen Boykin's comments, but he praised the three-star general, who is the Pentagon's deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence. "He is an officer that has an outstanding record in the United States armed forces," Rumsfeld said at a news conference. The defense secretary said he could not prevent military officials from making controversial statements. "We're a free people. And that's the wonderful thing about our country," Rumsfeld said. "I think that for anyone to run around and think that that can be managed and controlled is probably wrong. Saddam Hussein could do it pretty well, because he'd go around killing people if they said things he didn't like." [This coming from the man who extended soldier's tours of duty for making comments against the war]
This is unbelievable. He criticises people for using their freedom of speech by putting down the war efforts and Bush in general, but someone comes out with something like this and he uses it as an excuse to talk about how wonderful it is that America allows you to say whatever you want?? As if we didn't already know, this is the proof that Rumsfeld is an evil f#@king prick. F#@k him and ANYONE who agrees with him on this.
Members of the US Armed forces are not free people, and for the defense secretary to claim otherwise is pretty scary.
If Kobi is guilty he should try this strategy as well... "Sure I raped one woman, but that's completely insignificant compared to the systematic rapings under Saddam Hussein."
Agree and military people should stay out of politics, even international politics, until they retire. I can't see how his fellow servicemen will want to work with him now. He stepped in his own $hit on this one.
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2003/10/16/secret_service/index.html It's an account of how the Bushies use the Secret Service to treat people differently at presidential appearances based on their political views.
Political profiles? Hilary had what, 900 FBI files on her "enemies"? Buddies always get the good spots. In related news, in Israel there are extreme views on both sides and a soldier killed their own leader, but ever been to a pizza shop on a friday night in Israel? While I think every citizen should have the president's ear, it is rather impossible today. You can't walk up to the White House and have ole dubya answer the door, right? But, if you have the cash, you can come down to the ranch or have a pillow fight in the Lincoln bedroom. Don't act surprised.
Well at least this Boykin guy has finally given a legitmate reason that Bush is president even though he lost in 2000: "Why is this man in the White House? The majority of Americans did not vote for him. He's in the White House because God put him there for a time such as this."
If the guy wasn't potentially commanding American Muslims of his own, I'd kind of have no problem with it, apart from disagreeing with him. But his opinions don't have a direct effect on his job. Well, unless you accept the basic fact that a certain amount of diplomacy is necessary, since we're not technically fighting a nation, and we're certainly not fighting Islam....screw it. It seems more like a Dusty Baker thing to me than a Trent Lott thing. I don't think you can fire him just for this, but if he ducks up even once, he's got to go. EDIT...maybe he does have to go right this minute. Unless we're finally getting the message that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia aren't our friends, and we're going to Pearl Harbor them. He's all but said he can't work with our (nominal) allies. That's a firing offense.
ummm.. why? guys, without flying off the handle in oh so typical fashion, lets look at what he said. His comments were geared toward muslim "extremists". He wasnt refering to all Islamists... And Rumsfeld was quick to point this out: " Appearing in dress uniform before a religious group in Oregon in June, Boykin said Islamic extremists hate the United States "because we're a Christian nation, because our foundation and our roots are Judeo-Christian. ... And the enemy is a guy named Satan." Rumsfeld on Thursday repeated the Bush administration position that the war on terrorism is not a war against Islam but against people "who have tried to hijack a religion." I see nothing wrong with what was said..
From the LA Times article: Discussing the battle against a Muslim warlord in Somalia, Boykin told another audience, "I knew my God was bigger than his. I knew that my God was a real God and his was an idol." "We in the army of God, in the house of God, kingdom of God have been raised for such a time as this," Boykin said last year. On at least one occasion, in Sandy, Ore., in June, Boykin said of President Bush: "He's in the White House because God put him there." First, W uses the word "Crusade." Then the administration enages in all kinds of gymnastics and marching bands about this not a religious war against Islam. Now this. Even if I didn't think Bush was a blithering Cheney sockpuppet, I'd think they would want to do some serious damage control against this guy. And, no, that does not mean a Rumsfeld news conference. Speaking of..... Did I hear the radio correctly this morning? Did Rumseld call the news corp a blood thirsty pack, the likes of which he had not seen since "Charley's summary executions?" This is an honest question: Is that what he said? And if so, was he actually likening reporters to the Viet Cong? And if so, is he high all the time or does he just get blasted before facing the media?
Are some of you saying here that we should not have freedom of religion? A general, or any other American, is free to talk about his religious beliefs, especially if he is doing so at a place of worship. At a place of worship, people are free to express their beliefs. A Christian can say that his God is the greatest and so can a Muslim or a Jew or anybody else. Now if this general is saying those things to those who report to him, and it is affecting the way he conducts his job, then he should be fired.
YES! YES! YES! That is EXACTLY what I and many, many others are saying and deeply, deeply believe. Burn the churches, burn the mosques! Burn the Jews for Jesus informational Kiosks! Down with Krisna, Mitra and Visnu! Fuera Buddhist Monks! And Bahai junk too! You've found us out, you rascally you!
This moron is a fundamentalist. Christian, muslim, hinduist or jew it doesn't matter. Come on! He is crazy. "God put Bush in the White house" ???? Any fundamentalist is potentially dangerous. And he is three-star general... "We in the army of God, in the house of God, kingdom of God have been raised for such a time as this" ????? Armageddon? The Pentagon's deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence...
Implying that this is a holy war and America has an interest in turning this into Christian V. Muslim is going to turn this country into a battleground. The armed forces have a job to protect the American people, not the Christian religion. This war was never supposed to be about Islam as a religion, but rather terrorists of any religion or political belief.