September 7, 2010

At least one of the seven - walking a very fine line

A minister in Florida announced several weeks ago that he was planning to burn a copy of the Koran on Saturday 9/11. General David Petraeus at the Wall Street Journal:
Petraeus Condemns U.S. Church's Plan to Burn Qurans
The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan said the planned burning of Qurans on Sept. 11 by a small Florida church could put the lives of American troops in danger and damage the war effort.

Gen. David Petraeus said the Taliban would exploit the demonstration for propaganda purposes, drumming up anger toward the U.S. and making it harder for allied troops to carry out their mission of protecting Afghan civilians.

"It could endanger troops and it could endanger the overall effort," Gen. Petraeus said in an interview. "It is precisely the kind of action the Taliban uses and could cause significant problems. Not just here, but everywhere in the world we are engaged with the Islamic community."

Hundreds of Afghans attended a demonstration in Kabul on Monday to protest the plans of Florida pastor Terry Jones, who has said he will burn copies of Islam's holy book to mark the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Afghan protesters chanted "death to America," and speakers called on the U.S. to withdraw its troops. Some protesters threw rocks at a passing military convoy.
From FOX News:
State Department Calls Plan to Burn Korans 'Un-American'
The State Department described as "un-American" plans by a controversial church to burn Korans in memory of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks -- though the head of that church says he is not deterred.

State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley called the plan "inflammatory" at a briefing Tuesday and said it would put U.S. troops and interest around the world at risk, echoing a concern expressed by the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan.

"It doesn't represent the vast majority of American views," Crowley said.
What an idiot -- my guess as to why he announced the burning several weeks ago was that he wanted to bask in the light of publicity. The Deadly Sin of Pride. Wrath enters into the picture too as this is a hating move. Had Rev. Jones announced that he was also burning a Bible and a Torah, that would be one thing but just a Koran and to blat it out to the media, this is the work of an idiot. The Taliban is our enemy. They have said so repeatedly and they are waging asymmetrical warfare against Western culture. Our soldiers are bound by the Geneva conventions and dress like soldiers and act with honor. The Taliban soldiers dress like civilians, use human shields and take refuge in Mosques and Hospitals. What a lot of people fail to really grok is that these sons of pigs and monkeys are not stupid. They have studied our culture very well and know how to slant a news item to derive the most effect from the Progressives and the Conservatives -- to help separate them from each other to destabilize our Nation. What this minister is doing, with his prideful wrath, is throwing gasoline onto the fire that is now, finally being put out throughout the Middle East. I can only imagine the special reception waiting for him when he passes over. Not quite what he expected... The contact page for the church in question can be found here. Posted by DaveH at September 7, 2010 8:28 PM | TrackBack