Sunday, August 14, 2005
by Wayne Besen
The death toll for U.S. forces in Iraq has surpassed 1,800, nearly 14,000 soldiers have been injured, there is no exit strategy and for all of our nation's bloody sacrifice we have accomplished little more than transforming a secular Iraq into another Iran. With all things swell in sweltering Babylon, it is comforting to know that the Pentagon is paying close attention to military affairs.
Just this week, for example, four-star general
Kevin P. Byrnes was relieved of his command as head of Training and Doctrine for cheating on his wife with a civilian. In a time when our armed forces can't drum up enough warm bodies, they are drumming out decorated warriors because they are decadent womanizers.
Not too long ago, our macho military men were encouraged, if not expected, to dock their ships in different ports. It may not have been moral, but it did often lift morale. Those days are long gone, as Neo-Puritan prudes supplant frolicking dudes and hard-nosed soldiers are replaced by blue-nosed ninnies. In today's military ethos, an empty foxhole is better than filling it with a soldier who shacked up with a fox.
Think about this for a moment. President Bush says we are in a life and death struggle. The war has cost us billions of dollars and put our economy at risk. Yet, we somehow have the time and treasure for pious prigs to fill the brigs with sinners who signed up for the military, only to find it had become a monastery.
In Byrne's case, we are using taxpayer's money to have the inspector general investigate the adulterous affair, even though it was consensual and did not disrupt military command. We even had Army chief of staff Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker take time away from war planning to upbraid Byrne and order him to drop his paramour.
"He was told to knock it off, and he ignored it and continued the affair," a senior Army official told The New York Times. Good thing our military brass isn't doing important things like replacing
ineffective body armor or training Iraqi security forces.
The creeping affect of fundamentalist culture on the armed forces has manifested itself in a plethora of equally devastating ways. The most obvious is how they have put their prejudice of homosexuals ahead of protecting the American people.
Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, a group that advocates ending the miserably failed Don't Ask/Don't Tell policy, recently unveiled a study that showed the military could woo as many as 41,000 new recruits if the ban on gay personnel were abolished. In the report, Gary J. Gates, Senior Research Fellow at the Williams Project, UCLA School of Law, analyzed census data that indicates the armed forces could close its recruiting gap by allowing gay soldiers. Clearly, this could be the difference of winning or losing in Iraq.
With more than 14,000 jihad websites, one of the largest impediments to stopping terrorist attacks is finding fluent Arabic translators. Yet, a recent Government Accountability Office report showed that between 1998 and 2004, the military kicked out 20 hard-to-find Arabic speakers and six Farsi speakers simply because they were gay.
While Neo Puritans are certainly not the only group who oppose gay and lesbian soldiers serving openly, they are undoubtedly the driving political force behind such illogical policy. Given the choice of pursuing Al Qaeda or punishing gay people, the right wing is on record choosing the latter. Their obsession with sex is putting us all at risk.
When not going after adulterers and gays, parts of the military are making it uncomfortable for anyone to serve who is not a fundamentalist. The Air Force Academy, for example, has become an out-of-control hotbed of Anti-Semitism and also hostile to other mainstream religions. Jewish cadets have been called "filthy Jew" and a chaplain who complained about the Biblical abuse was demoted.
The dangerous infiltration of our military by aggressive, proselytizing fundamentalists is best illustrated by comments made by Lieutenant General Jerry Boykin, deputy undersecretary of Defense for intelligence. At a time when America's diplomatic corps was working overtime to convince Muslims that we were not on a Crusade, Boykin confirmed their worst fears. Speaking to a religious group in June 2003, Boykin said radical Muslims hate us "because we're a Christian nation, because our foundation and our roots are Judeo-Christian . . . and the enemy is a guy called Satan."
It is time the military bring back adults who care more about winning wars than declaring a self-righteous war on adultery. We might be doing better in Iraq if the Pentagon started paying more attention to the military affairs of our country than the private affairs of our countrymen.
3 Comments:
Are you seriously suggesting there are 41,000 gays out there who are stupid enough to be willing to join the illegal invasion/occupation of Iraq and participate in the slaughter of a few more innocent Iraqi women and children while battling men whose only reason for resisting is to defend their homeland against unprincipled illegal invaders?
Forgive me for being an unsympathetic to that invasion Canadian, but perhaps that's the issue that deserves to be addressed, that American gays are that poorly educated.
You also say they may make the difference between winning and losing that war. You want the US to win the war now, and on the backs of dumb gays, do you?
Not your best thought out in advance post, Wayne.
To balance this criticism, I generally respect your views very highly.
George
posted by , at
3:53 PM
心中一阵不安升降机，因为我忽然又想起了那道剑光升降平台，可怕的剑光升降台，美丽的剑光登车桥。为什么那一剑是那么的美丽货架，却又那么的可怕呢集装袋？在我倒下之前我说地磅，好美的剑塑料托盘，好恨的剑塑料托盘。我倒下了仓储笼。在我失去知觉之前仓储笼，我听到他说北京货架，这叫艺术超市货架，剑的艺术北京货架。
我并没有死广州货架，原来我的心是在右边仓储货架，而是不是左边货架厂。所以在那穿胸一剑之下我并没有死南京货架。
是一阵暴雨把我冲醒了货架公司。听说雨是上天的眼泪深圳货架，也许这天又有人死在那美丽的剑光之下吧服装货架！我张开嘴巴托盘，任雨水打进我的嘴托盘，直冲我的胃塑料托盘。我的伤口又开始流血塑料托盘，但已经不痛了木托盘。试问：仓储笼一个心已经死了的人仓储笼，肉体上的疼痛又算得了什么呢仓储笼？我知道我的刀再练一百年也无法那么美丽仓储笼，那么恨托盘，而且永远别想杀了他托盘。
我退出江湖了手推车，我没有通知江湖上的朋友们静音手推车，并来一个什么金盆洗手静音手推车，因为我的朋友们差不多都被他杀了置物架。我悄悄的走了置物架，隐进了山林之中堆垛架。俨然一个世外高人的样子堆垛架，每天一壶绿茶登高车，放在身边的几上登高车，然后或盯着一朵白云超市手推车，或盯着一片树叶物流手推车，或双目紧闭物流台车。我的刀在玉盆中泡了七七四十九天角钢货架，已经没有血腥味了角钢货架。然后我把它放在我的屋顶轻型货架，任它风吹雨打轻型货架。
十年就这年过去了中型货架。为何今天天忽然想起那柄剑中型货架，那道剑光重型货架？而且内心为什么如此不安重型货架？不应该是这样的仓库货架，对于一个喝了十年绿茶的人来说服装货架，面对死上海货架，也已不再惧怕精品货架，不再不安苏州货架，但今天又为何如此呢托盘货架？
莫非是他青岛货架，和他的剑库房货架，加上他的剑光沈阳货架。我已不问江湖之事天津货架，想他十年前也应该坐上武林盟主的位子了杭州货架，一个武林中人做了武林盟主山东货架，这一生还有什么要求的呢文件柜？
我不停的喝着绿茶工具柜。绿茶静心工具柜。但此时怎么也静不下来零件柜。茶已尽工作台。平时茶尽之时工作台，正也是日落之时工作桌。
一定快有什么事情发生了工作桌。
剑还是那美丽的剑Google左侧排名，如果再加上一道剑光吹塑机，就会形成剑的艺术色带，武学的艺术电源插座。
我问反光背心：为何还来找我滚针轴承，我已在十年之前就退出江湖了夜光粉。
他说文化石：因为你没死缎带，因为我没有对手风火轮。
我说激光打标机：十年前已不是你的对手平衡机，何况现在十年未动刀大功率led。
他说磁力泵：放眼天下梯子，只有你一个人是我的对手网眼袋，也只你一个人对我的威胁无尘布。
我不再说话手摇手电筒，因为我不知道说什么手板，我知道我十年前就开始找我毛巾布，发现我没有死就开始找我磁钢。我不死促销台，他心不安模具钢材。
他说时尚配饰：拿出你的刀筛网。
我说齿轮泵：我已无刀天使花房，命托辊，亦可有可无色丁。
他盯着我广告衫，握剑的手越来越紧钢坯，我知道那道美丽的剑光可能随时发出过滤网。在那美丽过后疏水阀，我的生命将画上句号胸章。
阳光照在了刀上发热管，反射到他的脸上手机耳机。他发现了那把刀螺杆，我的刀插销，宝刀蝴蝶，没有鞘的刀工具包。
刀已在我手中点钞机，刀还是那把刀配电箱，人却已不是那个人流苏，因为心不是那颗心沙滩巾。
他为了杀我竟找了我十年氯化镁，而为了和我比武竟帮我从屋顶拿下我的刀来双面胶带，并放在我的手中碳纤维。我忽然发现排线，他也变了汽车座垫，他在后悔十年前将所有高手都杀绝珍珠奶茶。
高手的悲哀太阳伞。
我握紧了刀桥架，我看着他的眼tpr，已经不再像十年前那样明亮了钢丝。
他的剑划出柴油发电机组，划出一道美丽的剑光护栏。我想围栏，这十年他大概在不停地使自己的剑光更美围栏。
我的刀也出了隔离网。简单的动作隔离网，一刀刺进了他的胸网片。那道美丽的光忽然停止网片，停在我的衣服上南京货架。
他说北京货架：这也是艺术北京货架，杀人的艺术北京货架，想不到你十年不动刀还懂这个艺术仓储货架。
我说仓储货架：因为我不想再让你痛苦了广州货架。
他说广州货架：谢谢货架厂。
我走了货架公司。我头也不回的走了塑料托盘。没有取回我的刀塑料托盘，因为我觉得它在我身边已经没用塑料托盘，我后悔我十年前为什么不扔了它塑料托盘？我听到了尸体倒下的声音塑料托盘。我流泪了塑料托盘，我真的不想杀他仓储笼，十年前不想仓储笼，十年后也不想仓储笼，因为我下山时答应过师父仓储笼，一切让着他仓储笼。
我叹了一口气仓储笼。远去仓储笼。
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