Posted on 09/07/2010 6:19:50 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
The United States' top commander in Afghanistan has warned that a planned Koran-burning event in Florida could put US troops in danger.
Gen. David Petraeus added his voice to mounting protests from both the US and abroad over the Dove World Outreach Center's plans to burn Korans on Saturday to mark the anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks. His comments ratcheted up the pressure on once-obscure pastor Terry Jones to call off the event.
The controversy comes as some 120,000 US and allied troops are waging a counter-insurgency campaign against the Taliban in Afghanistan, a campaign whose goals include winning support for the US-backed government from the largely Muslim population.
General Petraeus said that burning Korans "is precisely the kind of action the Taliban uses and could cause significant problems – not just here, but everywhere in the world we are engaged with the Islamic community," according to CNN.
""It could endanger troops and it could endanger the overall effort in Afghanistan," Gen. David Petraeus said in a statement issued Monday ...
"Even the rumor that it might take place has sparked demonstrations such as the one that took place in Kabul yesterday," he said. "Were the actual burning to take place, the safety of our soldiers and civilians would be put in jeopardy and accomplishment of the mission would be made more difficult."
"Mr. Jones, the pastor of the center in Gainesville, Florida, has touted the activity as "International Burn the Koran Day." Jones also authored a book titled "Islam is of the Devil," which has a Facebook page and Twitter account.
(Excerpt) Read more at csmonitor.com ...
The brainless think that the troops' primary mission should be appeasing the enemy.
What is right? In whose opinion? I can only make that call for myself, as you can only make that call for yourself. It is EXACTLY this point that the Founding Fathers made by saying that these rights are not given by the govt but by the Creator, equally to all.
You clearly don't get the Declaration of Independence nor the Constitution. To me you have a "statist" or collective view of the world whereas I believe I have an individualist and Constitutional view of the world. When was the last time you actually read and thoughtfully considered the words of the US Constitution, Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence?
...and what is the Ground Zero Mosque doing to morale on both sides over there?
Our troops are currently fighting for our FREEDOM...freedom of religion and speech, freedom to carry weapons, etc.
So, Dove Outreach currently has the FREEDOM to burn the Koran. This Freedom has been secured and protected by spilling the blood by tyrants and patriots.
You are a remarkably poor reader. Troops are supposed to close with and destroy the enemy. If they want to hurl insults while they do so, I am fine with that. If you would actually read what I have written for comprehension, you would understand that I am opposed to people sitting comfortably in the United States committing acts that incite a volatile enemy to additional anger, thereby endangering our troops. Burning that Muslim book can only serve to bring additional enemies into the fray who have up to this point in time refrained from violence. You are not good with tactics, particularly when you personally are at no risk.
And I know you’re willing to run your mouth on matters of which you have NO understanding.
I understand those documents very well. I also understand that Free Speech carries a burden of responsibility. Free Speech is not intended to bring harm to individuals, it is meant for criticizing and adjusting our governance.
One can be prosecuted for yelling "FIRE" in a crowded theater when there is no fire. Such an act endangers the patrons for no purpose. Burning Muslim holy documents has the same affect on the well-being of our troops.
Free Speech was intended to constructive and well intentioned purposes, not to be confused with insults and inflammatory diatribe.
Free Speech is protected only as an instrument of bettering out government through the political process. It is not a license for thoughtless rabble rousing for personal satisfaction.
I would guess that you are the one who does not understand those Founding Documents nor their philisophical roots.
I guess that gives us all license to get more of our troops killed. After all, that's the way they'd want it.
I understand what I am saying, and I have excellent grounds for the understanding. You are perverting Rights into something they were not intended to be. Furthermore, you can't seem to grasp the concept of responsible citizenship.
I take my understanding straight from correspondance between the Founders that transpired during the fabrication of the Constitution. Do some reading.
I almost short-circuited your use of this cliche in a previous post but I left it out. I'll put it back in now..
Before you try to tell me that I can't yell "FIRE" in a crowded theater let me tell you that I, in fact, CAN yell "FIRE" in a crowded theater IF IT IS TRUE.
Everything I say is, to the best of my ability, true and verifiable unless it is simply an opinion that can't be measured. That's the way I have trained myself since my youth (and I am no longer young.)
You are entitled to you opinions. I don't share them. If you consider yourself to be a true Conservative then it is my opinion you ought to reconsider.
Good bye.
I can only imagine how you'd object to patriotic speechmaking from the relative comfort of the Virginia Convention.
"Easy for you to say Mr Henry, its not you risking your neck out on the plains of Boston."
In the 1942 case of ‘Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire’, the Supreme Court held that so-called “fighting words...which by their very utterance inflict injury or tend to incite an immediate breach of the peace” are not protected by the First Amendment and can be punished. The Court based its decision on the concept that such utterances are of “slight social value as a step to truth.”
Of course, given the state of the area...it might be considered 'urban renewal'.
Throw in detroit and we'll call it a deal! (of course we'll give non-moslems a week to move out first)
BFL. it’s always interesting to see the knee-jerk reactions to book burning by folks who don’t really understand the danger of the islamic cult.
Then take me to court and we’ll test the holding power of that ruling. In the meantime I’ll voice my opinion and disagree with yours, 0bama’s and Petraeus’.
BTW: This sophistical exercise on your part became boring to me several posts back when you failed to answer direct questions and simply changed the subject.
“Good Bye” means, to be direct, post if you like but I’m outta here. I’ve read your posting history and have lost interest in an endless loop of poorly phrased and ill-conceived arguments.
It has been my understanding that the Founders conducted all of that work in a gentlemanly fashion, always refraining from personal insult. Read George Washington's comments on gentlemanly behavior. He never cast dispersion upon one's beliefs in an insulting or derrogatory manner. He restricted his comments to logic and law.
The Founders never intended Free Speech to include insults or deformation of character. Free Speech was, in thier view, orderly discussion of any ideas, even if they went against the governemnt. It was never coarse, crude, or insulting. It is not possible to find compromise in governance if arguments are suppressed. Progress is more easily made whenever insults or other diatribe is avoided.
I do fully understand that today's young people have no idea how gentlemanly discourse sounds, or how to conduct it. If you think heaping insults at Muslims is a good use of Free Speech, then please do so. If increasing the risk borne by our troops doesn't bother you, then sleep peacefully. You will wisen as you age.
I've answered all the questions I know of, maybe you don't understand the connection to what I wrote and how it answered the question. Tag them for me, and I'll try again.
RE: “It won’t make them hate us any more. Hell, a couple of years ago they were literally driven to suicidal violence over CARTOONS. It’ll always be something. Trying to appease muslim sensibilities through overblown sensitivity is a fool’s errand. I don’t particularly like the Koran burning thing but the right response is to shrug indifferently, cite our principle of free speech, and move on, rather than get all culturally self-critical and show weakness to the Muslims.”
************
Agree with your post — ‘they’ would not be satisfied until every last NON-Muslim of any other religion was wiped off the face of the earth so yeah, cite the First Amendment in this country and if they are scandalized by cartoons or Koran burnings or rules re dress codes while working at Disneyland — TOUGH!
What do they think will happen if we actually do give up all our rights because of violent muslims?
Before you say you aren't calling for "all our rights" to be given up, please explain any incrementalist philosophy you espouse. Also, since I guess I'm continuing this thing, let me say that I have thought a lot about my position on this since we started and feel even more strongly that I am correct. So if you can come up with some additional, new argument to convince me otherwise I'm listening (I really am) but you have not come close with what you've offered so far.
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