While much has been said and hurled in the face of the Bush Administration, due in part to their farcical and almost non-existent reasons for sending an occupation into once-independent Iraq, most of the detractors, including myself, cannot help but gasp in shock disbelief at the ridiculous incompetency of this woefully inept Administration.
According to the latest news from Iraq, US soldiers are in Iraq are getting far less specialized armored vehicles than designated, which really reeks and stings of political and military bureaucracy, considering that Americans are dropping like flies almost everyday from booby-trapped road side bombs:
Excerpts from Yahoo:
Pentagon cuts armoured vehicles due in Iraq in 2007
By Kristin Roberts Reuters - Wednesday, August 22 08:25 pm
Typical MRAP Vehicle - Great Against Road-side bombs and other Sneaky Attacks. Apparently, The Pentagon Has Trouble Sending them To the Beleaguered Forces In IraqWASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. troops in Iraq will receive at least 1,000 fewer special armoured vehicles than expected this year due to the amount of time needed for shipment, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.
"If we could get 1,500 to theatre by the end of this year, that would be a positive development," Morrell said.
Such breath-taking callousness towards America's troops by the Bush Administration is baffling, even if the insipid Republicans have a tendency of trivializing civilian deaths (remember "collateral damage"? A very stylishly-designed phrase used to designate friendly or civilian deaths): After all, these are Americans who have been dispatched into Iraq, a broken nation that seems destined to descend into a hopeless whirlpool of sectarian violence, anarchy, and religious extremism. And in the midst of it all, the American government is sending its sons into war.......without adequate armor?
Anyone in the US Congress or Senate with a decent sense of patriotism and common sense should at least bring out the issue, but wait......it seems, the Pentagon has hit upon a glorious, unprecedented idea! Now what would that be.......???
No Armour? Fine, We will Ship in the Bibles!Alright, ye condescending folks! So the Pentagon doesn't really have the adequate resources to "ship out" these life-saving army equipment...... not a problem! Ye of little faith, don't think the Pentagon generals are just sitting on their arses doing nothing......at least they are sending in the replacements.......oh yes, some replacements..........bible packages!!!
Holy shit, just as we thought the Bush Administration hasn't screwed things up any worst, the Pentagon wants to send "freedom packages" to its beleaguered troops!
According to LA Times.com (reposted from www.richarddawkins.net), the freedom package is a real must-have, almost equivalent to the MREs (Meals-Ready-to-Eat):
1. Bibles, translated into English and Arabic: A chance for evangelical Christian soldiers to proselytize to the "infidel" Muslims????
Left Behind: The Epic, Violent Game of Pious Crusaders2. The apocalyptic computer game "Left Behind: Eternal Forces" (derived from the series of post-Rapture novels), in which "soldiers for Christ" hunt down enemies who look suspiciously like U.N. peacekeepers. What a real novelty for the common foot soldier, who has to contend with all the slaughterings, as taking chances of being slaughtered on an almost daily basis.
Fortunately (or rather unfortunately, for those religious eager beavers in the US armed forces), a timely intervention and subsequent intervention by the Military Religious Freedom Foundation gave the Pentagon cold feet: The Pentagon disengaged from the project entirely.
I seriously cannot fathom how a leading military organization with as much reputation as the Pentagon can operate a war in such a dreadful manner: Instead on focusing on the more humane and practical aspects of war, the Americans are being hoodwinked and misled by a woefully incompetent misfit that relies on supernatural deities and religious hucksters to lead them by their noses.
Morals and ethics aside, as a former navy man myself, I find it thoroughly disgusting and abhorrent when the military leadership places the priorities of faith and religion over the safety and welfare of its own troops: Not only is this a form of treachery, it speaks of a leadership that has all but given up on its troops and the wars it has initiated.
Pentagon Flirts With Evangelical Groups
Another disturbing trend that emerged from the initial investigation was the Pentagon's somewhat discomforting relationship with Evangelical Christian groups.
As if the situation in Iraq is not volatile enough (Shiites vs Sunnis, Korean Christians kidnapped by Talibans, etc), these evangelical groups, such as the recent Korean Christians who were unfortunate enough to be kidnapped (2 has since been killed, 2 released. Where was God when they needed him most???), are akin to children playing with fire. The addition of evangelical christianity into what is already a potentially explosive cauldron of sectarian violence and deep-seated enmity between religious sects can only worsen the situation, as if it wasn't bad enough already.
As LA post elucidates:
The packages (Freedom Packages) were put together by a fundamentalist Christian ministry called Operation Straight Up, or OSU. Headed by former kickboxer Jonathan Spinks, OSU is an official member of the Defense Department's "America Supports You" program. The group has staged a number of Christian-themed shows at military bases, featuring athletes, strongmen and actor-turned-evangelist Stephen Baldwin. But thanks in part to the support of the Pentagon, Operation Straight Up has now begun focusing on Iraq, where, according to its website (on pages taken down last week), it planned an entertainment tour called the "Military Crusade."
Ah, the beautiful Crusades, the "Eternal" battle for human souls: Like their Muslim counterparts, these Christian "Crusades" may actually be itching for a share of the fight. By turning this into a bloody crusade, the evangelical agenda may be an all-out battle against the Muslim "infidels".
Without a shadow of doubt, these Christian fundamentalists have gone through great lengths to influence the Pentagon, and I am beginning to see a continuous pattern in the insurgency: Instead of turning the heat on Americans and the occupational forces, both the Muslims and Christians are turning on the heat on one another.
Turn the clocks back a couple of hundred years folks: We are now officially living in the fucking, good ole days of the Crusades.
The Crusades: A Great Time For Slaughtering, Pilfering and Proselytizing by the Sword"There once was a time when all people believed in God and the church ruled. This time was called the Dark Ages." - Richard Lederer
6 comments:
Your title "Pentagon Flirts With Evangelical Groups" says it all really. When you cater to these groups & they are your voting base then I guess you have to kiss their ass. I have a feeling the majority of kids that sign up for this "Holy war" have a religious back ground. At the Peace rallys I've been attending on Friday evenings, the flag waving troop supporters on the other side of the street, are mostly "Good ole boy Christians". They show up with their beer, their bibles, & flags to taunt us.
Ha! I wish you could of been there. The gas-guzzling flag wavers had a huge "God Bless our Troops" sign predominately displayed in the front for all to see.
I wanted to get a picture for you but I was obligated to hold a sign. Next week I'll get one. ;]
Lol, I>T.
What a pity. God, America, and beer......gee, doesn't that look like homer and his wacky ethics?
I saw a news article on Australian TV about the armoured personnel carriers that the Aussie troops have, that the Americans troops all wanted (designed and built in Aus). The article was saying that originally, the US military were going to buy them (about 3000) from us for their troops, but that now the sale seemed to be falling through "due to lack of funding". The designers were worried, though, that they were just going to copy the design and have it built somewhere cheaper. Obviously, they can't even do that right!
Ceryle:
I find it absolutely incredulous that the Bush Administration has enough funding for faith based initiatives, and not a couple of thousand life saving armor vehicles in Iraq.
If they can't finance the war, pull out. As it is, an american pull out will make no difference anyway. It is already screwed up anyway.
Alas, neither faith nor safety are on the Pentagon agenda as far as US troops are concerned. Winning the peace isn't either. It is all about raping and expatriating tax dollars out of US and into the corporate coffers of no bid contractors.
Iraq is a travesty to the people in Iraq and probably the greatest 'train robbery' of all time.
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