Rumsfeld defends general who commented on war, Satan

http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/10/16/rumsfeld.boykin.ap/index.html

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are defending a new deputy undersecretary of defense "who has reportedly cast the war on terror" in religious terms.

Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin, whose promotion and appointment was confirmed by the Senate in June, has said publicly that he sees the war on terrorism as a clash between Judeo-Christian values and Satan, the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday.

<snip>

Asked about this Thursday, Rumsfeld told reporters he had not seen the videos and did not know the "full context" of Boykin's remarks. But the secretary did say, "We do know that he is an officer that has an outstanding record in the United States armed forces."

President Bush has often said the view of the administration is that the United States is in a war against terrorism, "not a war against a religion," Rumsfeld said, but rather a war against people who "have tried to hijack a religion."

"There are a lot of things that are said by people that are their views," he said, "and that's the way we live. We are free people and that's the wonderful thing about our country, and I think for anyone to run around and think that can be managed or controlled is probably wrong."

WMD
Torture Chambers
Mass Graves
Link to Terra
etc,

But, subtley, they have been working in this ordained by God thing. Bush* has God speak to him (kinda like that guy on my wife's caseload who goes to the state hospital each year for a tuneup). So, all else has failed and they are back to the tired old saw that that God is on our side and Bush* is our ordained leader. :puke:

Oh my name it is nothin'
My age it means less
The country I come from
Is called the Midwest
I's taught and brought up there
The laws to abide
And that land that I live in
Has God on its side.

Oh the history books tell it
They tell it so well
The cavalries charged
The Indians fell
The cavalries charged
The Indians died
Oh the country was young
With God on its side.

Oh the Spanish-American
War had its day
And the Civil War too
Was soon laid away
And the names of the heroes
I's made to memorize
With guns in their hands
And God on their side.

Oh the First World War, boys
It closed out its fate
The reason for fighting
I never got straight
But I learned to accept it
Accept it with pride
For you don't count the dead
When God's on your side.

When the Second World War
Came to an end
We forgave the Germans
And we were friends
Though they murdered six million
In the ovens they fried
The Germans now too
Have God on their side.

I've learned to hate Russians
All through my whole life
If another war starts
It's them we must fight
To hate them and fear them
To run and to hide
And accept it all bravely
With God on my side.

But now we got weapons
Of the chemical dust
If fire them we're forced to
Then fire them we must
One push of the button
And a shot the world wide
And you never ask questions
When God's on your side.

In a many dark hour
I've been thinkin' about this
That Jesus Christ
Was betrayed by a kiss
But I can't think for you
You'll have to decide
Whether Judas Iscariot
Had God on his side.

So now as I'm leavin'
I'm weary as Hell
The confusion I'm feelin'
Ain't no tongue can tell
The words fill my head
And fall to the floor
If God's on our side
He'll stop the next war.


Dylan - With God on Our Side

poem. By Bobby Dylan

Rummy did everything he could to avoid answering the question. He changed the subject. Finally, he called on Icelandic journalists who were visiting and had questions about US bases there.

It was crystal clear that he did NOT want to say anything critical of this general who spoke those words IN UNIFORM. When asked if that violated any military rules, he told the military guy with him to answer--and he said oh it was a grey area. So generals can go out and spread this GARBAGE, but the troops in Iraq can't even sqeak without the WH and gang getting angry. IMO this was approved in advance--probably to appeal to the religious nuts (who have been complaining, with their own odd dissatisfactions with Bush*).

I didn't recognize the reporter who asked the question, though I've seen him before. I used to think he was maybe FOX--now I wonder. I wish the official transcripts of press conferences included the names of the journalists, but they don't. I hope this question gets asked again and again. If widely known, it will disturb a lot of people.

but then we knew that.

oil, power and religion. What odd bedfellows. Not so strange in capitalistic christianity of america.

Who would have thought that Mann Coulter would have been right after all!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

Sen. Lincoln D. Chafee of Rhode Island said he had not been aware of Boykin's statements as reported in the news media, then added, "If that's accurate, to me it's deplorable."


A Muslim civil rights group on Thursday called for Boykin to be reassigned.


"Putting a man with such extremist views in a critical policy-making position sends entirely the wrong message to a Muslim world that is already skeptical about America's motives and intentions," said Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20031016/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/general_religious_views_4

Boy, if anybody should be worried about hell and Satan, it's Rumsfeld. After all the things he's done. I've seen the glittering eyes, the ghastly smile, when he talks about killing people

Comment #2 - the notion that the Taliban hijacked a religion (Islam). Maybe he should look a little closer at his boss and the fundamentalists.

.

You are a subject of the imperium, and the imperium has uses for loons like Boykins. Boykins has just the right combination of unshakeable delusions that would make it easy for him to lead massacres, pogroms and jihads.

Have no doubt that that's what Rummy and Cheney has in store for the world. Cheney has at least twice in the last 4 months promised us that 10s of thousands of us are going to die in a terror incident. I would take him seriously if I were you. And when that happens, the people will cry for vengeance and the blood of the usurper. Boykins and people like him are ready and willing to provide it.

"There are a lot of things that are said by people that are their views," he said, "and that's the way we live. We are free people and that's the wonderful thing about our country, and I think for anyone to run around and think that can be managed or controlled is probably wrong."

ummm hum. and of course, this is what they said about war protestors(commies, why don't you go to France), natalie mains (boycott her!), soldiers complaining (shut up), democrats, patriot act. I shouldn't be surprised by anything these idiots say but somehow I always am. Then they say we should GIVE Iraq all the money instead of making some of it loans or they might think it was about oil or religion! ya think!

When in the military you do not have protections of the bill rights. You are under Military Rule and it is NOT Free. You are GI and that means Government Issue or Government Property. An officer can not state his politics or any opposition to a political figure. It is not allowed. Rummy knows that and still LIED point blank.

"and the enemy is a guy called Satan."

Gen. Boykin will be more temperate in public according to this recent article.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-3275496,00.html

I think we had a movie called the Blues Brothers :bounce:

Wish he'd make his mind up. This administration is in such disarray.