Posted on 10/31/2003 2:18:22 PM PST by JohnHuang2
Suffering intolerance in the name of tolerance
Posted: October 31, 2003
1:00 a.m. Eastern
By William J. Federer
© 2003 WorldNetDaily.comIn Islamic countries, there is an intolerance toward Judeo-Christian expression. Public execution may be one's fate for openly sharing faith in Christ. A "fatwah" a call by Islamist leaders for one's death may be made against one accused of opposing Allah.
In the United States, there is an intolerance toward Judeo-Christian expression. Lt. General William G. "Jerry" Boykin is facing near public execution for sharing his faith in Christ. Indeed, the politically correct, left-leaning media, along with several Democrat presidential candidates, have put out a "fatwah" calling for the death of his career.
NPR's Nina Totenberg stated regarding the general: "I hope he's not long for this world." When her shocked co-panelist reacted to what sounded like a death wish, she quickly responded, "In his job, in his job, in his job, please, please, please, in his job."
If she had made this Freudian slip about someone of any other race or religion, she would have been retired.
What is the 'crime'?
Gen. Boykin talked about his faith in God in a church and at a prayer breakfast!
Horror of horrors! How criminal! Whoever heard of such a terrible thing talking about your faith in a church and at a prayer breakfast!
What are Gen. Boykin's detractors doing anyway? Spying on people? Is every person's personal faith now under the scrutiny of the Orwellian "Thought Police"?
Are they copying Robespierre, the politically correct enforcer during the French Revolution, who sent thousands to the guillotine for expressing thoughts contrary to their new atheistic government? Hitler's SS and Stalin's KGB also carried away thousands who expressed thoughts contrary to their atheistic governments. In Tiananmen Square, thousands were massacred for daring to think thoughts different than the atheistic People's Republic of China.
Character assassination
Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the word "assassin" as coming from the Arabic word hashshAshIn, one who smokes or chews hashish, circa 1520: one of a secret order of Muslims that terrorized Christians and other enemies by secret murder committed under the influence of hashish.
When will the mean-spirited pundits stop their tactic of character assassination of those who do not line up with their political agenda? There is no freedom of speech unless one speaks what they want. Any public figure faces character assassination who does not embrace their agenda, be it Robert Bork, Clarence Thomas, Trent Lott, Roy Moore, Miguel Estrada, Mel Gibson or even Arnold Schwarzenegger.
As Richard Gephardt described in his book "An Even Better Place" (1999): "Our dirty little secret is that it comes so naturally to us as human beings to attack, to smear, to assassinate to revert to violence and near-violence in our social and political lives, figuratively killing one another through personal assaults upon one another's character."
Where is this tolerance they so proudly profess? Why don't they extend this same tolerance to people who disagree with them?
Why don't they give the same pass they gave to the philanderings of Bill Clinton, Jesse Jackson and Teddy Kennedy? Why the double standard?
Indeed, what they are doing to the general could fit the description of a hate crime slandering, vilifying, discriminating and persecuting him simply because his views are different than theirs.
Where is the ACLU when you need them? They claim to be champions of those who are persecuted for exercising their "freedom of speech."
Orwellian double-speak
"To show we are tolerant, we will not tolerate you."
George Orwell's book "1984" described a futuristic government with a Department of Truth that changed the definitions of words to mean their exact opposite. Has the definition of the word "tolerance" been changed to mean "intolerance" toward those who do not conform?
Doesn't it seem hypocritical that to be tolerant, we must be intolerant of individuals like Gen. Boykin?
Catherine the Great of Russia would dress up the peasants along the road to give visitors from other countries the false impression of prosperity, when in reality her people were suffering in poverty.
Is America trying to give other countries the false impression that we are tolerant, when in reality people of traditional values, like Gen. Boykin, are suffering intolerance?
Another general's behavior
(Warning: Viewing the following could be disturbing to those historically sheltered.)
After the Declaration was read to his troops, July 9, 1776, George Washington's first order was to appoint chaplains to each regiment, concluding:
"The General hopes and trusts, that every officer and man, will endeavor so to live, and act, as becomes a Christian Soldier, defending the dearest Rights and Liberties of his country."
To his troops at Valley Forge, May 2, 1778, Gen. Washington stated:
"The Commander-in-Chief directs that Divine service be performed every Sunday at 11 o'clock, in each Brigade which has a Chaplain. ....While we are zealously performing the duties of good citizens and soldiers, we certainly ought not to be inattentive to the higher duties of religion. To the distinguished character of Patriot, it should be our highest Glory to laud the more distinguished Character of Christian."
On May 12, 1779, Washington spoke with the chiefs of the Delaware Indian tribe who had visited his Middle Brook military encampment:
"Brothers: I am glad you have brought three of the Children of your principal Chiefs to be educated with us. ... You do well to wish to learn our arts and ways of life, and above all, the religion of Jesus Christ."
Was he proselytizing while in uniform?
Black Hawk down
The movie "Black Hawk Down" depicted the 1993 horror in Somalia after Clinton denied equipment requested by the troops. Boykin was commander of those downed Special Forces, which were surrounded by warlord fighters. He probably still hears his soldiers' desperate radio calls for backup. The enemy not only killed the U.S. soldiers, but desecrated them, stripped them, tied cables around their necks hooked them to cars and dragged their bloody, naked bodies through the streets of Mogadishu.
Boykin is accused of being "insensitive" in his remarks about these Somalian warlords, yet most Americans would agree this treatment of our soldiers was demonic and whatever god those who perpetrated this act serve, it is not the same as ours.
'Peaceful religion'
We all applaud the president's use of "peaceful religion" rhetoric to encourage the Islamic world to continue cooperating in the war on terror, but there is a risk of appearing out of touch with reality, as every day headlines report Islamists involved in car bombings, suicide bombings, "honor killings," gang rapes, adulteresses facing stoning, snipers on trial, and converts to other faiths stoned. From stories of the Bali bomber to the Miss Universe contest in Nigeria to the millions killed in southern Sudan, not to mention the history that by A.D. 950, half of what had been the Christian world was conquered by followers of Muhammad.
It is certainly our desire to give every encouragement to those believing a moderate form of Islam, but we can do this without taking away from 84 percent of Americans, which the U.S. government's CIA.gov World Fact Book lists as Christian, their freedom of speech.
America prides itself in being the most tolerant country in the world. Wouldn't it be ironic that we defeat Saddam's intolerant regime, only to set up Saddam's intolerant policies right here on our own soil?
It is said, "The light that shines the farthest shines the brightest at home." If America is serious about spreading tolerance around the world, we should be an example of it first at home by demonstrating tolerance of Gen. Boykin's personal views.
New threatening Videotape raises fear to new levels
In chilling new videotapes, aired on all cable networks every hour on the hour, a top Pentagon General threatens al-Qaeda and other peaceful Islamic groups with further U.S. attacks in retaliation for Sept. 11. (Apparently this guy hasn't gotten the new Rumsfeld memo, which, says USA Today, proclaims the U.S. has already lost the War on Terror.)
The voice and image in the shocking videotapes was assessed to be that of Army Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin, whom investigative reporters have linked to several evangelical Christian church groups through speeches, prayer breakfasts, and other suspicious activities. In the tapes, the speaker, a suspected Christian, bashed Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein, casting the War on Terror, widely seen as a clash of radical Islam and western society, as a clash of radical Islam and western society. Even worse, the suspect in the tapes appeared to be saying western society is somehow better, despite artery-clogging McDonalds, pop-up ads, Reality TV (!), Reality TV awards (!!) spam mail (!!!) Ben and J. Lo (!!!!), Halliburton (!!!!!) and O'Reilly on Fox criticizing the heroic French (!!!!!!). It's time to wake up and smell the oppression ... of western culture!
Failing to understand the roots of Osama's rage, suggesting terrorists should bear some responsibility for terrorism, Boykin appeared to scapegoat suicide bombers for suicide bombing. Talk about blaming the innocent perpetrator! Scholars and keen observers, shocked and bewildered, wondered where Boykin gets this ridiculous idea that Judeo-Christian values are any more moral than Wahhabism. Obviously, Boykin needs to have a chat with Taliban "Jihad Johnny."
Using words eerily similar to Bush's, another notorious Saddam-hating, Osama-basher, Boykin scandalously accused Mullah Omar and other terrorists of fanaticism and religious intolerance, alleging that terrorists hate America because of their religious intolerance -- towards Jews and Christians, especially. As if their hatred of Jews and Christians had anything to do with religion! All experts at Reuters know that's not the case. Even more outrageous, Boykin said the enemy in the War on Terror is Satan, rather than the Great Satan, led by George Bush! Democrats charge Boykin's comments injects religion in this war, something terrorists Osama and Mullah Omar have cautiously avoided doing thus far. Terrorists, Democrats note, have never considered this a religious war. Now terrorists, thanks to Boykin, will be really, really mad. And more religious than ever. They may even start to hate us. The General's remarks have sparked fear that, by not complimenting Islamicists as generally peaceful, a new wave of violence by Islamicists could result.
Democrats also accuse Boykin of harboring uncivilized 14th century religious beliefs, urging him to join the 21th Century, just like Somali Warlords and Wahhabis have done.
Although Boykin on Tuesday called for a full Inspector General's probe of his dangerous beliefs and troublesome church associations, critics note the suspect, a week after the incriminating videos surfaced, has yet to be questioned.
Tolerant Muslim groups say Boykin's reprehensible Taliban-Osama-bashing merits only the stiffest punishment -- getting canned from his job as deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence. "I think they need to remove the general," said Tolerant Muslim leader James Zogby, president of the Arab-American Institute in Washington. With charges of affiliation with known Christian groups swirling around him, Boykin "is unfit for the position he is being called upon to serve," added the Tolerant Muslim leader in an interview on PBS. Tolerant Sen. John F. Kerry, who served in Vietnam, blasted Boykin's remarks, noting that the chilling videos reveal an alarming pattern of Christian activities and statements by Boykin which are "wrong" and "un-American." Kerry, who served in Vietnam, also says it's wrong and un-American to call Kerry wrong and un-American simply for expressing a different political or religious belief.
Three-thousand 9/11 victims still could not be reached for comment on Gen. Boykin.
Democrats argue that, since government officials have no business meddling in personal religious beliefs, Boykin's outrageous comments, delivered before shadowy groups like the First Baptist Church of Daytona, Florida, demand that government officials meddle in Boykin's personal religious beliefs. To be fair, this is not to say liberals aren't respectful of religious differences; it's Christianity where they draw the line.
The videos were seized by Democrats as just the latest evidence the Bush administration is run entirely by right-wing Christian ideologues. Democrats also complain the Bush administration is run entirely by right-wing Jewish ideologues -- or neo-cons.
More damaging still, Gen. Boykin, unlike tired army Gen. Wesley Clark, failed to contest the legitimacy of Bush's Presidency in the tapes. Many Democrats feel strongly that the election was stolen from Al Gore in Florida by Bush getting more voters to vote for Bush than for Al Gore in Florida.
Anyway, that's...
My two cents...
"JohnHuang2"
I think a parallel example is how the schools and teachers are treated regarding the first amendment. The Left wants it both ways with teachers -- 1) schools are a de facto arm of government, so we can have no talk of religion in schools (separation of church and state), and 2) teachers have first amendment rights to speak out on their beliefs (gays, sex ed, etc.).
So, how does the teacher/government dichotomy compare/contrast with the officer/government dichotomy regarding first amendment freedom of speech?
-PJ
Thats easy. Officers are forbidden to engage in speech that offends the left, while engaged in wars that offend the left.
That was Alabama's Chief Justice Roy Moore's argument. The Constitution wasn't meant to eliminate state governments, it was meant to define how the states interact with each other and the people. The first amendment was a prohibition on the establishment of a national church, not a prohibition on how the states individually view religion.
-PJ
In her job, in her job, in her job, please, please, please, in her job!
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