Posted on 04/09/2013 8:39:01 AM PDT by robowombat
Monday, 08 April 2013 09:48 Christians Are Extremists Like al-Qaeda, U.S. Army Taught Troops Written by Alex Newman
The Obama administration’s Department of Defense was caught training U.S. troops that Catholics, orthodox Jews, and evangelical Christians are to be considered “religious extremists,” even equating the major religions representing more than half of Americans with truly violent groups such as al-Qaeda, the Ku Klux Klan, and Hamas. After the explosive revelations hit the headlines, outrage promptly ensued. Now, critics are calling for an immediate public apology to the soldiers exposed to the hateful propaganda, as well as to the Christian and Jewish communities targeted in the presentation.
The latest scandal to hit the Obama administration and its handling of the military surrounds a so-called “Equal Opportunity” training course presented to U.S. Army Reserve forces in Pennsylvania. During the presentation, troops were subjected to a slideshow that included a segment on what was dubbed “religious extremism.” At the top of the list — the very first item — was “evangelical Christianity” in the United States. Also included were “ultra-Orthodox” Jews, Catholicism, fundamentalist Mormons, and “Islamophobia.”
Between evangelical Christians and orthodox Jews was the Muslim Brotherhood, a radical Islamo-socialist group ruling over Egypt that Obama is supplying with advanced military weaponry including fighter jets and tanks — not to mention billions more in aid. Along with the Brotherhood, al-Qaeda, the Nation of Islam, a Filipino Islamist group, and Hamas were listed, along with Sunni Muslims in general. The U.S. government claims to be at war with some of the Islamist groups, while others are openly receiving American taxpayer dollars, weapons, and training from the administration.
The KKK, identified as a U.S. “Christian” group, was also featured on the list along with other white-supremacist movements. An Indian Hindu organization, some American militias, and the Jewish Defense League were included on the slide as well. "Extremism is a complex phenomenon," the presentation says under the slide identifying Christians as religious extremists alongside al-Qaeda, defining it as views that are outside of the “ordinary.”
The presenter also apparently defined extremism as anyone who believes that their own religion is the correct one — including, of course, anyone who accepts the words of Jesus Christ as they are recorded in the Bible. “Every religion has some followers that believe that their beliefs, customs and traditions are the only 'right way' and that all others are practicing their faith the 'wrong way,' seeing and believing that their faith/religion superior to all others," claim the notes under the slide.
Religious people were outraged. Catholics, unsurprisingly, recoiled in horror, with the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services issuing a strongly worded statement. “The archdiocese is astounded that Catholics were listed alongside groups that are, by their very mission and nature, violent and extremist,” the AMS said, with multiple reports noting that Catholics make up about a fourth of the armed services. “The archdiocese calls upon the Department of Defense to review these materials and to ensure that taxpayer funds are never again used to present blatantly anti-religious material to the men and women in uniform.”
The far-left Southern Poverty Law Center, a largely discredited outfit founded by a man that even fellow leftists describe as a con-artist, denied being responsible for the deeply controversial content in the presentation. However, the presenter later claimed to have obtained the information from the SPLC. Indeed, even the very first page of the presentation, dubbed "Extremism & Extremist Organizations," cites the radical group as its source.
"The number of hate groups, extremists and anti-govt organizations in the U.S. has continued to grow over the past three years, according to reports by the Southern Poverty Law Center,” reads the opening segment of the scandalous presentation, which sparked outrage from Christians nationwide and garnered international media attention. “They increased to 1,018 in 2011, up from 1,002 in 2010 and 602 in 2000."
The presentation also claimed that the surge in “extremism” was due to the president’s skin color — another discredited talking point parroted by the SPLC and its dupes. For perspective, consider that among the SPLC’s “surge” in supposedly “extremist” groups are organizations such as the Granny Warriors, headed by a concerned 74-year-old patriotic grandmother with congestive heart failure.
Critics of the military training presentation blasted its reliance on the SPLC. Last year, the controversial group’s wild propaganda was even cited by a deranged shooter who attempted to slaughter innocent people at the Family Research Council, which was dubbed a “hate group” by the SPLC for supporting the traditional definition of marriage. However, even as the establishment press has slowly started exposing the SPLC’s shady antics and absurd fear-mongering, the radical group has also been exposed working closely with the Justice Department and other government agencies.
“Why is there such dependence upon the work of the SPLC to determine hate groups and extremist groups?” wondered Executive Director Ron Crews with the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty, one of the many groups that spoke out after the latest scandal erupted. “It appears that some military entities are using definitions of ‘hate’ and ‘extreme’ from the lists of anti-Christian political organizations. That violates the apolitical stance appropriate for the military.”
Crews, a retired colonel, also slammed the presentation itself, as well as its characterization of billions of people around the world as religious extremists. “We find this offensive to have Evangelical Christians and the Catholic Church to be listed among known terrorist groups,” he was quoted as saying. “It is dishonorable for any U.S. military entity to allow this type of wrongheaded characterization…. Men and women of faith who have served the Army faithfully for centuries shouldn't be likened to those who have regularly threatened the peace and security of the United States.”
Incredibly, the training scheme also claimed that “extremists” — presumably, based on the presentation, including Christians — were not welcome in the armed forces. "Extremist Organizations' goals are inconsistent with the Army's goals, beliefs and values with regard to equal opportunity," states the material, which was filled with factual, spelling, and grammatical mistakes. “The Army realizes individuals do not set aside their prejudices, biases, and perceptions in favor of the Army’s values immediately upon joining the Army, however, it is vital that all Soldiers and Civilians are educated on Army Policy and what is expected of them while serving either in our ranks, or in support of our Soldiers.”
The presentation appears to conflict with American values in other ways as well. "American soldiers are supposed to be defenders of democracy," the training program claimed. The United States and every state, according to the U.S. Constitution that all military officers take an oath to uphold, are supposed to be governed by a republican form of government based on the rule of law — not the whims of a majority. Indeed, the Founding Fathers of America wrote extensively on why democracy was not a desirable system.
In the wake of the scandal hitting the headlines, the Army promptly distanced itself from the effort to paint Christians as extremists. “After receiving a single complaint following the presentation, this person deleted the slide, and it was never again shown,” Army spokesman George Wright said in a widely quoted statement, adding that the view of Christians as extremists did not reflect official government policy or doctrine. “This person apologized for any offense it may have caused, and we consider the matter closed.”
While the Army says that demonizing Christians in front of its troops is not official policy, the Obama administration has been hard at work on what many critics view as a “war” on Christianity and religion within society and especially the military. In 2011, authorities even tried to adopt a policy stopping visitors from bringing Bibles to wounded U.S. troops at military hospitals, sparking a public outcry that eventually forced them to back down.
At the same time, the U.S. government has been caught on multiple occasions attempting to portray returning veterans as potential terrorists even as it seeks to disarm them using various pretexts. Also potential terrorist threats, according to official documents published by multiple federal agencies, are pro-life activists, supporters of individual liberty and the Constitution, opponents of illegal immigration, gun rights activists, constitutionalists, Ron Paul supporters, critics of genetic engineering — virtually anyone, actually.
“I see it as the government’s complete abandonment of the ideals and principles given to us by our Founders that is a threat to our national security,” noted Pastor Roger Anghis, president of The Damascus Project aimed at getting Christians more involved in politics. “They have become the threat to our freedoms and rights and we must recognize this and use our election process to correct the problems that we ourselves have created by not paying attention to who we put into office. The choice is ours.”
The federal demonization of Christians, conservatives, and libertarians, meanwhile, has even percolated down to the state and local level. Last year, for example, the Justice Department was caught teaching police that popular political bumpers stickers supporting the Bill of Rights or national sovereignty could be potential indicators of domestic terrorism. Just last week it emerged that law enforcement in Colorado was being taught that organizations and individuals who take the Bible literally may present a danger to police officers.
“Among those groups, [Colorado State Patrol Trooper and future Homeland Security functionary Joe] Kluczynski had listed, were those who believe America was founded on godly principles, Christians who take the Bible literally, and ‘fundamentalists’,” wrote Prowers County Undersheriff Ron Trowbridge, who attended the “training” session and became alarmed. “Kluczynski did not explain what he meant by ‘fundamentalists’ but from the context it was clear he was referring again to those who took the Bible literally or ‘too seriously.’” Participants were also asked if they would seize firearms, Trowbridge reported.
Meanwhile, at the federal level, the Obama administration has recently been conducting military “urban warfare drills” complete with black helicopters firing blanks out of machine guns over major U.S. cities. Law enforcement was recently caught ordering targets of children and pregnant women, also fueling suspicions. The Department of Homeland Security has been under fire for months after contracting to purchase billions of bullets while deploying armored personnel carriers and other “weapons of war” for use on American streets.
Apparently, however, at least according to the administration, concern about the developments — what Obama calls his “fundamental transformation” of America — constitutes “extremism” and should be carefully monitored, if not yet criminalized. For critics of the direction the nation is heading in, though, it is time for Congress to investigate and stop the extremist policies coming from the executive branch itself.
Alex Newman is a correspondent for The New American, covering economics, politics, and more. He can be reached at anewman@thenewamerican.com.
The whole “gays in the military” agenda is to drive the Christians from the armed forces.
O is at war with God, and he is at war with the people who are the bedrock of this country.
Take a look at who taught the class. There is no law that says somebody who works for the Democrat party for 28 days of the month cannot be an Officer in the National Guard or Reserve. We rely on their being able to separate their civilian job from their military job, but people are people. Democrats are Democrats first. This should involve a letter of reprimand and a career-ending evaluation, but I wouldn’t bet on that happening.
This comes from the top. The commander in chief hates Christianity and loves the middle eastern death cult.
This goes back farther than Obama, at least to Bush II.
I will go you one better. How about purging registered Democrats from the Officer Corps? Oh, I’m being extreme, you say? Well let’s consider. Which political party has proven itself, over and over again to be anti-military, and anti-America? Which political party has made it a mission to indoctrinate Americans into believing that their own country is evil? I will give you a hint: It’s the Democrat Party.
So could someone please explain to me why this cancer is allowed to spread within the ranks of our military?
From: rtrowbridge@prowerscounty.net To: forknown@hotmail.com Subject: CSP Training Date: Fri, 5 Apr 2013 10:30:22 -0600
On April 1, 2013 I attended training in La Junta, Colorado hosted by the Colorado State Patrol (CSP). The training was from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm and covered two topics, Sovereign Citizens, and Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs. I was pretty familiar with motorcycle gangs but since we often deal with the so-called sovereign citizen groups I was interested to see what they had to say. The group consisted of police officers, deputies, and CSP troopers. There were about 20 people in attendance.
Trooper Joe Kluczynski taught a 2-hour section on sovereign citizens. Kluczynski spent most of his two hours focusing on how, in his view and apparently the view of Homeland Security, people turn to the sovereign citizen movement. Kluczynski started off by saying there are probably some sovereign citizens in this room and gave a generalized list of those groups that have sovereign citizen views. Among those groups, Kluczynski had listed, were those who believe America was founded on godly principles, Christians who take the Bible literally, and “fundamentalists”. Kluczynski did not explain what he meant by “fundamentalists” but from the context it was clear he was referring again to those who took the Bible literally or “too seriously.”
While Kluczynski emphasized that sovereign citizens have a right to their beliefs, he was clearly teaching that the groups he had listed should be watched by law enforcement and should be treated with caution because of their potential to assault law enforcement. Kluczynski explained why he believed these groups were dangerous saying they were angry over the election of a black president. When someone in the group suggested the failing economy was probably much more to blame, Kluczynski intimated that those who are not going along with the changes in America will need to be controlled by law enforcement. Kluczynski even later questioned some of the troopers present if they were willing and prepared to confiscate “illegal” weapons if ordered to.
Kluczynski’s assignment with the CSP was an Analyst for the Colorado Information Analysis Center, (CIAC). CIAC is funded by Homeland Security funds and run by the CSP. Kluczynski said he gets his information from the Department of Homeland Security. Kluczynski said he was leaving the CSP at the end of that week (March 29, 2013) to begin his new career with Homeland Security. I thought he was perfect for the job.
Ron Trowbridge
Undersheriff
Prowers County Sheriff’s Office
It is articles such as this one that give me reason to doubt the military goal of the US military forces in today’s time frame. Our current (p)resident is anti American and as CIC he is the one responsible for the actions of our military today.
I do not believe that our military forces are fighting to preserve the US Constitution, the Bill of Rights or the most cherished symbol of liberty, the Declaration of Independence today.
How can they be when they have a CiC who is anti American?
True story: In a required “sensitivity training” class at Grand Forks AFB in 1976, a captain asked the instructor if anything had been set up to evaluate the progress of the quota system towards phasing it out when goals had been met. The instructor snapped: “No, what do you know about discrimination!”. The captain said: “I’m a Jew!”. The instructor angrily said: “You are just the people that need to give it up!”. Room went dead silent (except for jaws hitting floor). The next week, I heard he brought his son to sit in the first row and the commander kicked him out of the USAF. Communist are non-discriminatory religious haters; we all know useful idiots when we hear them. Maranatha.
Kluczynski explained why he believed these groups were dangerous saying they were angry over the election of a black president. When someone in the group suggested the failing economy was probably much more to blame, Kluczynski intimated that those who are not going along with the changes in America will need to be controlled by law enforcement. Kluczynski even later questioned some of the troopers present if they were willing and prepared to confiscate “illegal” weapons if ordered to.
Funny also how the Democrats always end up getting us into wars, but leave it to the Republicans to bail them out?
White Christians have carried too much of the volunteer army’s burden up to this point. When our country was Christian and had a constitution, and the military was geared towards protecting US interests rather than socialism, Islam, and globalism, it was one thing. Today it is a completely different globalist thing. American Christians really don’t have an automatic fight in the military anymore.
Lets see if the Islamists and atheists who wrote this hate screed against Christians sign up. Christians need to adjust with the reality of the times we are in.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.