Posted on 10/22/2003 7:03:00 AM PDT by veronica
The latest proposed victim in our struggle against terrorism is Army Lt. General William G. "Jerry" Boykin, recently named Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence. His mission is to reinvigorate the search for bin Laden, Mullah Omar and other leaders of global terrorism. By training and experience he is marvelously prepared for his new duties -- having risen from a Delta Force commando to top-secret Joint Special Operations Command, through the CIA, to command of the Army's Special Forces. For a quarter century he has been fighting terror with his bare hands, his fine mind and his faith-shaped soul. It is that last matter -- his faith, and his willingness to give politically incorrect witness to that faith in Christian churches -- that has drawn furious media and political fire in the last week. The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Howard Dean, The Egyptian Foreign Minister and other less lofty entities have all called for his removal from office because of his expressed religious views. And, of course, these calls for his head are all made on behalf of religious tolerance.
While the full text of the general's comments will not been released by the Los Angeles Times columnist who secretly recorded them during the general's witness in churches in Oklahoma, Oregon and Florida, the purportedly scandalous bits have been selectively published in print and on television. General Boykin said the terrorists come from "the principalities of darkness," that they are "demonic," and they hate us because "We're a Christian nation, because our foundation and our roots are Judeo-Christian, and the enemy is a guy named Satan." The general also recounted the time he was chasing down a Somali warlord who was bragging that the Americans would not capture him because his god, Allah, would protect him. "Well," Boykin responded, "my God is bigger than his God. I knew my God was a real God, and his was an idol."
In short, General Boykin is being accused of calling America a Judeo-Christian country, the war on terrorism a religious war, and of expressing his belief in the truth of the New Testament of the Bible. While his critics concede that he has a right to express his religious views, they argue that his expressed opinions of the Islamic and Christian religions make him unfit to perform his duties of helping to lead in the war on terrorism. I am inclined to believe that he is splendidly fit for such combat, and I thank God that we have such a man as General Boykin in our midst.
The purported fear is that the general's comments may have ruffled the feathers of our esteemed enemy -- the millions and millions of fanatical Islamists, or that his statement may so inflame the passions of the millions of good Muslims that they will discard their peaceable ways and pick up the bloody sword of jihad. What utter balderdash. Whether or not American officials chose to call this a religious war, it is utterly clear that our enemy, bin Laden and the other terrorists, are motivated by Islamic religious fanaticism. They say so in their founding documents and every day, in every way, around the world. However peaceably we may interpret the Koran or assess the history of Islam, at this time and in these places one would have to be swayed by a spirit of detachment from the facts not to see that a sizable percentage of Muslims believe they are in a religious war with non-Muslims. They are consciously at religious war with the Jews in the Middle East, with Hindus in the subcontinent and with Christians everywhere. It shouldn't be a firing offense for the occasional American general to return the compliment. Indeed, I am heartened by General Boykin's fighting spirit.
Nor is it factually wrong or religiously insensitive to point out that the United States is a Judeo-Christian country. We are. It is an uncontestable historic and cultural fact. We are also a country that strives in both law and habit to be impeccably tolerant and respectful to all other religions and to those who believe in no religion at all. But in rallying our countrymen to the defense of our lives and property at this time of peril, we are entitled to invoke -- as Lincoln once did with such dignity and passion -- the mystic chords of our memory. And it is well to recall that when Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill met in Placentia Bay off New Foundland on the heavy cruiser Augusta on August 9, 1941, to rally our nations to our common defense, they sang three songs with the assembled sailors: "O God, Our Help in Ages Past," "Eternal Father, Strong to Save" and "Onward, Christian Soldiers."
So does America.
And so do most of the troops...
Bump. Amazing the bias of the media and liberals, they support every offensive and putrid action and speech, yet denigrate the truth. Thank God for men such as Gen. Boykin - I pray that we had a military FULL of men and women like him.
An election is common up and gotta start rounding the sheeple to vote their way. Salute to this General for his service to this nation!
The neocommunist, ultra-left wingers, especially those in the media, scream about being "non-judgmental," especially where non-Christian religions are involved.
They make a big deal about no link between Saddam and 9/11, like they knew, like it makes a difference. This general has clearly stated who the enemy is, it's the Muslims. The enemy is no more benign just because it is a religion than it would be as an "ism."
They'll scream about the loyal, good Muslims who are NOT terrorists. Let's see them! Trot 'em out! They are with us or against us and I see very few US Muslims coming out on our side. So long as the Saudis fund the terrorists, it is a world wide attack by Muslims, the fanatics doing the terror and fighting and the others supporting the terrorists.
One day the moderate factions may rule Islam, but what the General is saying is TRUE NOW.
No we do not outlaw Islam, how could we? We outlaw militant Islam extremists - they are relatively easy to spot. We should be asking those Islamic leaders who also fear the militant, to step forward and denounce those among them that are tearing at the fabric of Islam.
The last great war between Christianity and Islam was about 1500 A.D. This is a War about terrorism however the terrorists are of the Islamic faith; they are militant and they are abusing what their faith teaches.
The clear fact is a Jihad has been called for against all Christians...call that what you will.
Moderates are only the plumage of Islam. The world mistakes the leaves for the fruit at its peril. This time, the roots.
Who did the thwarting of the mission and why? I know it's fiction, but Ollie is probably couching the truth in the book.
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