Former Secretary of the Army Togo West and retired Navy Admiral Vernon Clark recently published an 86-page report documenting their investigation into the murder of 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas, earlier this year. You'll probably recall the incident, in which an Army doctor named Nidal Hassan opened fire on a group of other medical personnel preparing to deploy to Iraq and Afghanistan.
That incident has been exhaustively investigated and reported in the press, and the West-Clark report (which you can read or download here) represents the Army's official investigation and resulting recommendations.
Oddly enough, though, the report makes no mention - at all - of the role played by Mr Hasan's religious beliefs as a contributing factor, nor does it mention Mr Hasan by name.
It just wouldn't do to offend Muslims, you see.
It's quite all right for Muslims, in the name of their religion, to forbid others to worship according to other faiths. It's all right for Muslims to riot and kill and burn churches in response to real or perceived "insults" to their religion. It's all right for Muslims to go to court to forbid Christians to even use the word "allah" as a reference to God, and to riot when the legal decision goes against them. But somehow, it's not all right to point out the role of radical fundamentalist Islam in the mass murder of American citizens.
When the adherents of a religion are so insecure in their faith that they must resort to violence to defend it, and to forbid others to worship God in any other way, something's wrong with that religion. But when a nation which prides itself on its freedoms of speech and religion turns a blind eye to the abuse of those freedoms in the name of political correctness, something's even more wrong.
It's clear that not all of the world's Muslims are murderous fanatics. But we must not lose sight of the fact that their faith and traditions seem uniquely able to justify and encourage the most horrible of crimes. Ignoring this in the pursuit of some ill-considered political correctness keeps Muslims from looking inward to see what's wrong with their faith, and keeps the rest of the world from taking the steps necessary to protect itself.
Mr West and Admiral Clark have compiled a flawed report. It's utterly useless because it ignores the fundamental issue that drove Malik Hasan to murder the people he, as a doctor, was sworn to protect and care for - a religion that not only permits, but encourages and glorifies the oppression and murder of those who worship differently.
I detested political correctness before, but in most cases it's just a stupid annoyance. In this case, it's criminal ignorance that puts us all at risk.
Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.
Bilbo
5 comments:
I like the label for your post--stupidity in action!
wv: comander--the mander in the right seat.
Right on, Bilbo!
Read correctly the Koran is both a manual for permanent wars of conquest and the primary propaganda document for that campaign. Why is it that almost all the major world religions except one are dedicated to the preservation of human life, civilized relations among people, control of base emotions, and encouraging kind actions, while encouring communicants to build a future in the diverse afterlives by developing positive virtues that enable society to exist beyond a Hobbesian state? And when will the exception to the rule learn that hate, death, and violence must be cast out from a religion, lest God take his vengeance upon its adherents? Perhaps He already has; it would appear that by its penchant for violence and suicide, one religious group is far more unhappy than the Christians, Jews, Jains, Sikhs, Hindus, Buddhists, Ba'hais, Native American spiritulaists, animists, and even the atheists!
Eminence Grise, for once in complete agreement with Bilbo!
Its encouraging that we still have 'free speech' to 'read between the lines' (as Bilbo has), to analyze treatises based upon 'political correctness'. The scary thing is that 'political correctness' is a tool to be utilized in a greater plan to usurp a society, and its a tool wielded with impunity, just like beheadings, but I digress. We have spent decades letting our society decay...and now our laws and Constitution are just being plain ignored. If you dare to disagree with current dogma...'political correctness' will be thrust at, upon, and over you to get you to march in line...maybe even a goose step or two...but I digress again. The American dream still exists, but its now buried, like snow, under a blanket of 'political correctness'.!
One word: ARGH!
Just for you - a "Jesus is Allah" tshirt and a ticket to Malaysia. Wear your running shoes.
Post a Comment