Here’s An Idea! Let’s Antagonize Muslims In The Middle East! What Could POSSIBLY Go Wrong?
on May 1, 2012 at 1:18 pmBack when Bush the lesser was busy getting us involved in wars of choice, he, for a very short time referred to our presence there as a “crusade.” The Crusades, of course, were a series of incursions by the Catholic Church into Muslim territory for strictly materialistic reasons cloaked under guise of “freeing Jerusalem” from the heathens. In other words, a war of choice.
Bush backed off of this rhetoric for a variety of reasons, not the least of which was avoiding making it seem like the United States, a Christian-majority country, was waging war on Islam itself. Nothing sends a population into a rage like attacking their deepest held beliefs. Not that this stopped various religious right wing fanatics from declaring that “I knew my God was bigger than his. I knew that my God was a real God and his was an idol” but deliberately inciting Muslims was, and still is, frowned upon.
A few weeks ago, the right threw a hissy fit about some soldiers raising a rainbow flag in Afghanistan because it was a threat to national security. Why? Because Extremist Muslims hate gays just as much as Extremist Christians. Yes, the irony was completely lost on them.
Now, however, I eagerly look forward to the resounding silence from those same people about something that will actually offend Muslims of all stripes, extremist or otherwise. The Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 122, renamed the “Werewolves” in 2008 as it prepared to deploy to Iraq is going back to its previous name under its new commander, Lt. Col. Wade Wiegel. OLne would think that being deployed in a Muslim country and calling your unit the “Crusaders” might be not only offensive but just plain stupid. Apparently not. They’ll be putting a nice and big Crusader shield with attendant cross on the tail just to make sure anyone who sees it knows exactly what they’re looking at.
Lt. Col. Wade Wiege claims he is just honoring the history of the unit, which turned seventy this year. I’m not sure how putting a giant bull’s eye on his men is “honoring history” but not all of them are happy to be used to push a religious agenda. Mikey Weinstein, president of Military Religious Freedom Foundation (a group that has received numerous death threats from our own troops), is expecting to take action on part of several marines that find the move dangerous and offensive, including one marine in the 122 itself:
“This universally disgraceful ‘renaming’ action by Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 122′s Commander is a literally breath-taking example of a wretched alloy of both blatant unconstitutionality and boundless stupidity. It will absolutely serve as a priceless propaganda bonanza of jovian magnitude for our nation’s fundamentalist Islamic foes and, thus, represents a veritable national security threat to the United States of America. Likewise, it will incontrovertibly, directly and indirectly hasten the maiming and deaths of our armed forces members. To this world class cretin masquerading as the MFAS 122′s Squadron Commander, I ask, has your motto now become ‘The Few. The Proud. The Crusaders?’ We’ll be seeing you in Federal Court, chump.”
Instead of focusing on the actual threat created by this provocative move on the part of Lt. Col. Wade Wiege, i expect any right wing outlet that reports on this to complain of yet another “attack on Christianity.”
Maybe they think Wiege’s god is bigger than their god so he’ll have nothing to worry about.
No need to anger other countries when there are many minority groups in this country
that are getting mad for being ignored. Those of us in the autistic spectrum that are Aspies have playfully formed the ALF Asperger Liberation Front or the ALA Asperger Liberation Army because we are tired of all the labels of being weird, or odd, or strange, or excentric. And we are tired of trying to explain to Neuro Typical majority that we need a bit of support and aid and much of what is civilization today major contributions have been from those of us in autistic spectrum in various places.
Some of us do just fine in society but some of us more towards the extremes have great difficulties and very little help from governments world wide. Government doesnt need to piss off muslims when they piss off the residents of the US that have been crying for help for years and have been ignored for being inconvenient to status quo of being ‘perfect’. We who need help are too inconvenient so what are we left to do?
It really breaks my heart Major that Pappy Boyington’s old unit… originally called “The Candystripers” then named in WW2 to “The Werewolves” is being led by an idiot. This isn’t a return to history as Wiege says….it is a deliberate move. If you want to honor the Squadron’s history…take it back to the name “Candystripers.”
Candystripers? I say go for it! Just imagine the nose-art possibilities!
I used to worry about offending people, then I realized they never cared if they offended me. Did they gain respect when they changed their names to Werewolves so as not to offend? People look for the silliest of reasons to be offended, going to great lengths to proclaim to others how offended they are. But they never bother to think how offending they can be. If this is your true feeling, I say Lead By Example.
Apologize for your actions to offend others and maybe you would be taken seriously? Bush the lesser, potentially offensive. Hissy fit, potentially offensive. Comments on Christians, potentially offensive. Telling people what to do with their own lives, potentially offensive.
Quit telling people how to do things right unless you are willing to show them how it is done.
Sorted.
Bush the lesser, statement of fact. Hissy fit, statement of fact. Comments on Christians, statement of fact. Telling people that when they deliberately set out to antagonize Muslims it’s a bad idea, statement of fact.
Yup, that’s how it’s done. Thanks for sorting that out.
Oh, so it is Do as I say, not as I do….understood. Hypocrisy 101 has just concluded.
If you were capable of doing as I do you wouldn’t bother drawing false equivalencies between calling Bush a lesser president than his more competent father and pointing out that telling Muslims that you’re a Crusader on a mission to kill them (because that is what Crusaders did) is a really bad idea.
Go back to class, kid. You haven’t learned anything beyond straw man arguments.
One of these days some poor bastard is going to try to tell the Wieges of the world that … it’s the same god.
(It is. Shhhh ……)
BLASPHEMY!!!!!