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StrangerThan -> RE: OH MY GAWD SOMEONE DID IT (9/11/2010 7:15:35 PM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: juliaoceania
You know what, the fact you are so dismissive about an action that could be used to recruit more radicals to the cause of killing our troops doesn't surprise me in the least
I understand your sentiment Julia. At the same time, the question that comes to my mind is how far and how often do you step around Islam in order to keep them from their most recent explosion of outrage? I'm just curious.
When I joined the military, I freely admit being one of those who felt he had no other option. I was 17, had a wife, a year old baby and zero chances at any sort of economic future that ventured above the poverty level. Aside from the fact that the military is a way of life in my family, I'd have gone anyway because it was the only road that offered some chance. I ended up in places like Saudi, Pakistan, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, the northern section of Yemen, along with a handful of other countries in the region, riding shotgun to fend off terrorist attacks.
Somewhere along the line being accepting does not carve out a special place for religion. Nor is a way of life maintained by allowing anyone to carve out that a special place through fear and threats. It is one thing to believe. It is quite another to demand that everyone else respect what you believe and erupt into caveman antics when they don't.
Our troops are exceptional men and women. We hold them to higher standards than those in conflict against them. Regardless of the barbaric acts that may be perpetrated upon them, we hold them to clear and defined rules of engagement. We do it at times even when it puts them at greater risk. It's why we can look at outrages from someone else with shock and anger, but when they come from our troops in places like Abu Ghraib, we carry it like a personal slap in the face.
Soldiers don't pick and choose their wars. They go where they're told to go and do their best to accomplish the task they're given. A big part of that is to protect the rights of stupid people to do stupid things whether it be burning the koran, filling a jar with piss and sticking a statue of Christ inside of it, or tossing Mark Twain from the local library. A bigger part is maintaining a society where one should not have to fear or bow to the religion down the road.
So first we stop someone from burning a koran. Then we tiptoe around where mosque's will be built. Maybe a cultural center will be erected and if it doesn't get enough visitors, will that too be seen as an insult?
I'm asking because I don't have the answers. One answer I do have however, is that the resolution is not going to be running scared anytime they threaten.
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