Bunker Mulligan "Let us endeavor so to live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry." ~Mark Twain

April 12, 2004

Religion of Peace

Filed under: Bunker's Favorites,Society-Culture — Bunker @ 2:02 pm

It is time someone finally came out and said it. Since our politicians can’t or won’t, they either don’t believe it, or don’t feel they can survive saying it. If they don’t believe it, they are in denial.

We are in a war against all of Islam.

We are not in a war against fanatics. Islam is not a religion of peace, except in the form muslims identify with. That is, peace is a result of all the world’s population being muslim and following the Quran and hadiths. There is no tolerance in Islam for any other religion. And there is no tolerance for atheism. There is no allowance for any government because Islam is religion, government, and culture all neatly tied up in a single package.

Not convinced? Take a look at the “Terrorism Essentials” page for some insight into Islam. I’ve offered sites both pro and con so you can make up your own mind. Maybe I’m wrong.

Of course, there are many Muslims who are not true believers. They drive cars, listen to music, accumulate wealth. These, too, will eventually have to choose between Islam and the rest of the world.

Last week, someone in San Antonio threw gasoline on three different convenience stores and set them on fire. All three were owned by muslims. At first, I was mad that anyone would do something so vile and hateful. Then the radio folks interviewed one of the victims. “Everyone in the community needs to support us in this.” My sympathy changed instantly to something else. I wanted to ask that woman whether she supported our fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq.

I don’t know why my attitude changed so quickly. It was like a switch which changed instantly. I obviously don’t want to see people singled out by religion. But there has been no support from the American Muslim community for our actions to eliminate terrorism. So what makes them feel we owe them support when they are, themselves, terrorized?

If they want me to believe the “Religion of Peace” line, things will have to change.

UPDATE: I found someone with another point of view, similar in many ways, but far more literate. Theodore Dalrymple is a name which may be familiar to many of you. He thinks Islam may be about to self-destruct. And he equates the fall to a devotion we might find odd:

But if we made a fetish of Shakespeare (much richer and more profound than the Qu?ran, in my view), if we made him the sole object of our study and the sole guide of our lives, we would soon enough fall into backwardness and stagnation. And the problem is that so many Muslims want both stagnation and power: they want a return to the perfection of the seventh century and to dominate the twenty-first, as they believe is the birthright of their doctrine, the last testament of God to man.

They just can’t seem to get past the past.

Always seem to find good stuff at Arts&Letters.

Signs

Filed under: Society-Culture — Bunker @ 12:17 pm

A young woman I’ve known for many years came to visit a couple of weeks ago with her church group. She lives in Columbia, Missouri, a left-wing haven in the heart of the US. We talked about Iraq, and Birdie (who still hasn’t made it back!), and what she saw in Columbia regarding the war. She made one observation that I think needs to be explored a bit more.

In Columbia, as it probably was elsewhere, it was common to see people along the side of the road holding up signs that said, “Honk if you oppose the war.” She thought that was pretty stupid. What difference did it make? I told her it probably made those folks feel good because they could say they were involved. “Look at me! I’m involved! I care!”

My thought is that next time someone stands along the road with a sign like that, it would be interesting to see what would happen if someone else showed up with a sign that said, “Honk if you support the war!” We could have a real contest of conscience. Two signs with opposing viewpoints, both requesting drivers to honk if they agree. Of course, drivers will honk. The only question would be, which sign did they honk for?

Which of the two sign-holders do you think would get mad? Maybe even violent?

Foreign Fighters

Filed under: International — Bunker @ 10:43 am

NPR News this morning had a report from one of their reporters in Baghdad. He told Bob Edwards that the Marines found a building filled with weapons, bomb-making supplies, and letters home. Edwards wanted to focus on this, and the reporter seemed hesitant to commit to a conclusion.

“Yes, Bob. It appears that in this particular town, in this particular building, there were indications that some of the fighters came from other countries. I can’t say with any certainty that’s the case in other areas where fighting is going on, but in this particular location, it appears there may have been foreigners involved.”

Does the word “Duh” mean anything to you? We would certainly hate to let it leak out that the Iraqis aren’t involved in a mass uprising after all, wouldn’t we? I guess they were really just “alleged” fighters.

R&R Issues

Filed under: Military — Bunker @ 5:53 am

R&R for military folks is always a bit of a hot-button issue. Both Shannon and Sarah, two Army wives, have posted about it this weekend. The consensus is this is a situation where RHIP is not the right thing to do. I agree. Neither is it a case where the lowest ranking soldier should have priority. Leadership requires decisions, and sometimes the junior soldier has less reason to go than a senior one. Judgement.

The situation made me think a bit about my own career in the Air Force. I had some good role models. I also ran into a few losers. It is like the Jimmy Buffett lyrics,

“Read dozens of books
about heroes and crooks,
and I learned much from both of their styles.”

I think I did a pretty good job of things. My bosses certainly thought so. It’s harder to say about my troops. Some did, some didn’t. But selfish folks don’t survive in the military except in rare circumstances.

I was in Kuwait last spring working with a National Guard unit. The guys were restricted to post except when they served as shooters on a convoy. Any vehicle going out had to have two shooters. Their officers (a group of four) went out on an irregular basis, and had even been tagged by MPs downtown at an eating establishment. Don’t think word of that didn’t get around quickly.

We needed some piece-parts, and none were available through supply. Someone needed to drive up to Kuwait City to find them. You guessed it. Our four illustrious “leaders” took on that chore themselves.

Now, I’m an old NCO and Aircraft Maintenance Officer. I was pissed. We had soldiers, Guardsmen, who hadn’t seen anything but tents, sand, and the mess hall for five months. Camp Arifjan isn’t a hell-hole, but when you are a captive audience, a break will do wonders. So, I confronted one of the officers and suggested they take a couple of the guys out next time they went. “I’ve heard that shit before! When we go out, it isn’t for a pleasure ride! We go out for a reason!”

Hmmmm, I thought to myself. Asshole. He just doesn’t realize I was an asshole long before he got out of diapers. So I gave him a bit of Captain seasoned with NCO. Once I had his attention, I managed to explain things in terms of “appearance”, because it was obvious he couldn’t deal with reality. We didn’t speak the rest of the time I was there, but a few soldiers did get out afterwards. They still always shared the ride with two officers.

That mentality is around. Soldiers are simply tools in some folks’ minds. That’s how many politicians view them. That’s how they were treated during the ’90s. But it is unconscionable for any leader in uniform to ever feel that way. Every general started out as a butter-bar. Every sergeant major began his career as a private. The military doesn’t collect resumes to fill its leadership positions. It looks at who is available in the ranks to move up into a vacancy. Those folks must always remind themselves of where they came from. Nothing will destroy morale quicker than those of higher rank playing the RHIP card. Yes, it’s there to be used. It just can’t be used as a trump.

April 11, 2004

Post Turtle

Filed under: Politics — Bunker @ 2:40 pm

While suturing a laceration on the hand of a 70-year-old Massachusetts business Tycoon (whose hand had been caught in a fence while working at his country home), a doctor and the old man were talking about Senator John Kerry possibly being in the White House one day. The old Tycoon said, “Well, ya know, Kerry is a ‘post turtle’.”

Not knowing what the old man meant, the doctor asked him what a ‘post turtle’ was. The old man said. “When you’re driving down a country road and you come across a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that’s a post turtle.”

The old man saw a puzzled look on the doctor’s face, so he continued to explain. “You know he didn’t get there by himself, he doesn’t belong there, he can’t get anything done while he’s up there, and you just want to help the poor stupid bastard get down.”

October Surprise

Filed under: Politics — Bunker @ 10:17 am

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Masters Sunday

Filed under: Golf — Bunker @ 6:31 am

I woke up this morning to thunderstorms. I play in heat, cold, dry, wet, but no longer do cold/wet in combination. Just getting older. I don’t do sparks. The weather is a disappointment because I was hitting irons very well yesterday. If I hadn’t had 36 putts, I would have scored my best round of the season, in spite of the temperamental driver. I’ll just make some biscuits and gravy this morning and watch the Masters this afternoon.

Chris DiMarco and Phil Mickelson had better days yesterday.

I don’t get excited about golf tournaments except for the Masters, US Open, the Open Championship. I still watch others, but they are like watching an NFL game when neither team is one you really follow. The PGA Championship doesn’t come close in my mind, and I don’t consider it a major.

Each of the three true majors has a particular reason for being in the group. The two Opens are special because they are “open” to all, not just pros. The Masters is special because it is Bobby Jones’ tournament and, as Blogger Vance points out, it is a rite of spring for those up north who haven’t had the luxury of playing golf through the winter.

Today will be a full day of golf among the azaleas. I have my special veggie dip ready, and the big leather easy chair is big enough for me and the two dogs. They like golf, too.

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