ANGRY LETTER: Arrested soldier blasted U.S. view of Muslims

Union Leader ^ | 2/14/04 | ELIZABETH M. GILLESPIE , AP

[kattracks]

EVERETT, Wash. — A National Guardsman suspected of trying to share military information with al-Qaida is a Muslim convert who complained bitterly in a letter to a newspaper about “bigotry, hatred and mindless rage” in the United States.

Spc. Ryan G. Anderson, 26, was arrested Thursday and was being held at Fort Lewis. The tank crew member from the Guard’s 81st Armor Brigade was taken into custody just days before he was to leave for duty in Iraq.

Long before his arrest, he had made some of his beliefs known in strongly worded letters to the editor.

“In my three years as an observant Muslim, I’ve encountered nothing but kindness, patience, courtesy and understanding from them,” he wrote in a November 2002 letter to the Herald of Everett. “On the other hand, I have experienced bigotry, hatred and mindless rage from so-called ‘educated thinkers’ here in the U.S.”

Anderson also suggested that his allegiance to the United States was conditional.

In a 1998 letter published by The Spokesman-Review newspaper in Spokane, he warned: “Today I am a young soldier, sworn to protect and defend this country. But if tomorrow I find that this nation is no longer the one based upon the freedom I was taught to love, I’ll have little choice but to go where I can live in freedom.”

Speaking on condition of anonymity, defense officials said Anderson signed on to extremist Internet chat rooms and tried to get in touch with al-Qaida operatives. It is unclear how the U.S. government got wind of his alleged offer to supply military information to the terrorists. It does not appear he transmitted any information to al-Qaida, authorities said.

Anderson grew up in this city 30 miles north of Seattle, graduating from Cascade High School in 1995. He then attended Washington State University, where he earned a degree in history in 2002. He began studying Islam in 1999, according to his most recent letter to the Herald in 2002.

TV satellite trucks lined the street outside his parents’ home yesterday, but no one made an appearance. His father, Bruce Anderson, issued a statement saying the family was stunned by the arrest but is confident the code of military justice will afford the younger Anderson a fair trial.

It was not immediately clear if he had a lawyer.

[Fledermaus]

But you just lied since you corresponded again with nopardons that, you say, you weren't going to any longer.

As to someone saying your wife stinks, you just run and ignore. I know the feeling but I still tweak them and jump on them with facts, figures and common sense.

You think it's a waste of time and that's your perogative. But what did you think a forum like this was about? Sure, there are maybe one or two I totally ignore but they mostly totally ignore me because I intellectually beat them down.

If they post again to me I'll post back destroying them yet again with simple logic, common sense and reality.

But you go ahead and run away and hide and think you are principled even though this thread proved you WILL debate again with those you say you never will.

[nopardons]

Are you for real? Just how old are you ?

We aren't " corresponding ". Look up the meaning of the word.

Camping out on the floor,of someone's garage in Jo'burg, isn't LIVING IN SOUTH AFRICA !

You talk about wanting to go back in time, to a " freer " America, but what do you REALLY know about those times ? Do you know, for instance, what living conditions were actually like? Do you know what a hardsrapple life most people had?Yes, I know that you don't care about "roughing it ", but I mean what a back breaking,mind numbing existence so many people endured?

Is it that you want today's luxuries with yesterday's perceived freedoms? And free time WAS a luxury!

[nopardons]

:-)

[Prodigal Son]

But you just lied since you corresponded again with nopardons that, you say, you weren't going to any longer.

Aye, so I did. I was polite and thanked that person for their input, thinking he/she had forgotten momentarily about that request. But then when it became obvious that this was not the case, I posted to remind the person that I had no desire to correspond with them. What else can I do?

[nopardons]

Four times ? FOUR TIMES ? If I had a dollar, for every time someone insulted me, called me names here, heaped calumny on members of my family ( not to mention wishing them and me dead, told me to kill myself and how to do it! ), just because they disagreed with me and/or were losing the argument,I'd be wealthier than Donald Trump!

You can't take any heat at all!

[NewRomeTacitus]

You guys are really supplying the chuckles for the real enemies of America. This flaming stuff does no one any good. This was about how a soldier allowed himself to be mind-wiped by Islamic dogma and turned on his fellow soldiers. I thought the point was to spot and circumvent this sort of thing in an environment that asks us to pretend we aren't engaged in a religious war.

[MarMema]

Amazing that a kid from Everett, of all places, would be a convert to islam. It is the most blue-collar, down-home, All-American place. You go to McDonalds and men hold the door open for you.

I am genuinely curious as to where/how this kid went to islam.

[MarMema]

Oh wait, is that the home of Evergreen College?

[ThirstyMan]

Amazing that a kid from Everett, of all places, would be a convert to islam. It is the most blue-collar, down-home, All-American place. You go to McDonalds and men hold the door open for you. I am genuinely curious as to where/how this kid went to islam.

Reminds me of that other traitor who was caught fighting with the Taliban. All I can say is I guess our gene pool isn't pure.

[MarMema]

No doubt some of our locals from Seattle got hold of this kid somewhere in time. Seattle is definitely home to the major players and supporters of the islamic terrorist type.

Only Portland, down south a few hours, beats us for hosting them.

[NewRomeTacitus]

Actually, previous posts pointed out that the problem is in Ft. Lewis itself. D.C. sniper John "Mohammed" got his religion there from an Islamic chaplain (who was eventually arrested for subversive activities). All Islamic chaplains need duties converting armadillos out in the artillery ranges, for the sake of sanity.

This guy was converted in college earning his major in "Middle East Studies" and joined the Army with that mindset. Today's political correct BS denies us the right to look awry at that until they're firing a weapon at sleeping soldiers or transmitting details on the weak points of armored vehicles.

[MarMema]

This guy was converted in college earning his major in "Middle East Studies"

At Pullman? No Kidding??? That is amazing.

To think that they have radical ( or any) islamics at Pullman is incredible.

[MarMema]

Cyber, what's it like over there at Pullman?

[MarMema]

All Islamic chaplains need duties converting armadillos out in the artillery ranges, for the sake of sanity.

Sounds good to me. Thanks for the info in your post.

Having encountered and argued with some very radical islamic types in this area, I am always interested in attempting to keep track of them somewhat.

[livius]

I'm glad our security agencies appear to be keeping track of these folks, too.

However, it looks to me like the press is setting up poor little Ryan to be a misunderstood hero, and that they are going to give him the sympathetic treatment they gave Johnny Taliban.

The only thing that might work against this scenario are his earlier neo-Nazi, militia type activities and statements. In that case, watch for the mention of his Islamic movitation to quietly disappear, and we'll have just another white supremacist crazy like Timothy McVeigh (who, of course, also had extensive connections with Islam).

But maybe I'm just too cynical about the press.

[skip2myloo]

Except for his alleged diversion to Islam, this guy's letters to the Spokane paper (Link at #22) sound like something a Freeper would write.

What concerns me -- is how did the Feds catch this guy ??

Just what were they watching ??

[LibKill]

Shooting would be too noble for this swine.

Hang him.

[livius]

He posted on a lot of usenet groups and left a pretty extensive trail.

Actually, except for what I think of as our radical libertarian contingent here, I don't think most Freepers share his opinions. However, there are some other boards, the names of which escape me, where his ideas are pretty common.

That's why I'm sure this is going to be spun by the press in such a way as to move the true reason, Islam, out of sight, and attack what they will vaguely refer to as "right wingers."

[skip2myloo]

Will be interesting to see how the government handles this guy ??

Like Padilla, I wonder if they'll hold him incommunicado for two years, deny him counsel, etc., etc. ??

Seems like he deserves his day in court as much as Johnny Jihad ??

[skip2myloo]

All I've read are those three letters to the Spokane paper (they were posted over on Drudge too), so my insight to his cause is limited.

At the bottom line, it seems the point he was trying to make is that the Federal government is out of control.

I believe a lot of Freepers would agree with that summary analysis.