Last November, Jim was recruited to the team of Telegraph bloggers and writes a blog on defence. His in-depth knowledge of military matters, together with experience in the field make for some first-rate commentary on matters of current concern. His post today looks at the political correctness that has pervaded the Department of Defense and makes an observation that will have a familiar ring to many people outside the military:
Despite the negative effects on morale and efficiency these policies have had, they could not be criticised by anyone who valued his or her career.He examines the report on the Fort Hood tragedy last year when a Muslim US Army Major killed 13 soldiers and wounded 28. He obseves:
The report failed to note some of the central facts of the case. For example, the perpetrator, Major Hassan, was never refereed to by name but as “the alleged perpetrator.” The report concentrated its efforts on issues such as base emergency response plans. In a way, this is a good idea because the politically correct policies of the Obama administration will do nothing to prevent future Islamist-inspired attacks and so we’d better have a good casualty response system ready for the next mass killing.See: Pentagon report on Fort Hood is a travesty that doesn't even mention Islam
9 comments:
Sorry Father, That is a pathetic pro war, jingoist post. You should be asheamed og yourself
Father - I just re-read the post carefully to see if I could find anything to justify you saying this. To have good information about military matters does not make one "pro war". (I am not pro-war.) I share Jim's concern that the lives of soldiers are put at risk by political correctness.
Some of his other posts offer interesting comment on the situation in Afghanistan that does not toe the standard line and I'm happy to give readers the opportunity to find it.
EFpastoremeritus. I subscribe to several international magazines, including ones that major on defence matters. Does that make me a "pathetic, pro-war, jingoist" ? Patently not. I abhore political correctness. Does that make me a "pathetic, pro-war, jingoist" ? Patently not. I, respectfully, suggest, dear Fr EFpastoremeritus, that you have gone off "half-cock" and have got the (totally) wrong end of the stick. [ Is one allowed to say that, these days, or is it politically incorrect ? ]
"Don't let's be beastly to the Germans
For you can't deprive a gangster of his gun
Though they've been a little naughty to the Czechs and Poles and Dutch
But I don't suppose those countries really minded very much
Let's be free with them and share the B.B.C. with them.
We mustn't prevent them basking in the sun.
Let's soften their defeat again-and build their bl**dy fleet again,
But don't let's be beastly to the Hun."
Now THATS a pathetic pro-war jingoist post. Naughty, naughty Noel Coward.
Fr Tim and EFpastor I'm so glad to see these two comments.
I so wanted let rip but instead I said the wdtprs prayer
before logging on to the internet:)
Almighty and eternal God,
who created us in Thy image
and bade us to seek after all that is good, true and beautiful...
during our journeys through the internet we will direct our hands and eyes only to that which is pleasing to Thee
and treat with charity and patience all those souls whom we encounter.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
and now you've both said more or less what I needed to hear!
Anyone who doesn't toe the standard line is alright by me
Now let me think why ‘Obama administration will do nothing to prevent future Islamist-inspired attacks and so we’d better have a good casualty response system ready for the next mass killing’.
I believe Obama has no love of Christianity but a stronger connection to Islam then is being publicly disclosed.
As a candidate, Obama made regular visits to local Christian church emphasizing the importance of the local church community to his family
Since he was elected President, there has been no relationship with any local Christian church.
He did not even attend any Christmas services celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. Yet in September 2009 President Obama praised American Muslims at a White House dinner to celebrate the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
Along with his lack of church involvement since being elected President, Mr. Obama has shown other troubling signs regarding the depth of his Christian faith. A faith which he says is a foundational aspect of his life.
The President covered up a white cross and a symbol for the name of Jesus at a Georgetown University speech.
President Obama did not publicly celebrate the National Day of Prayer at the White House yet celebrated Gay and Lesbian Pride Month as well as Islamic religious observations at the White House.
“For the first time in 43 years, the Obama Administration banned a military flyover at a “God and Country Rally” in Nampa, Idaho.
On a White House Christmas tree, the President asked that no religious ornaments be displayed, yet displayed an ornament with the image of the brutal dictator, Mao Zedong, a leader who oversaw the deaths of over 50,000,000 million of his own people.
Obama refused to meet with the Dali Lama to discuss human and religious rights after the Chinese government asked him not to. (ChristianNewsWire)
America has much to Pray for.
from Jim Corum today:
"I saw your note in your blog to the Fr. who said I was pro-war. Good response.
Well, I see my blog as being especially important - there are few things more serious than conflict and I think it is especially important for people to have really good information and analysis. Few people have military experience and background - and I have a lot.
So - from the perspective that national defence is a necessary and good thing - I make it a point to present some very carefully written and factual blogposts to the readers - with the sole intent of helping them understand conflict and defence issues.
I do not think I have ever written anything on war that would be in conflict with the teaching of the Church - and I am pretty well up on Church teaching.
So I am less "pro-war" than about "pro informing the public." Best to have someone with expertise writing about such things."
Elizabeth:
I don't believe that President Obama is secretly associated with Islam. Rather, I believe that his political orientation (basically secular anti-colonialism) points him toward a stance that justifies Islamist/extremist/fundamentalist activities and attempts to mitigate reaction to those activities through those justifications.
As far as the actual report, its look at the massacre and the rise through the ranks of the 'perpetrator' beforehand are examples more of the insidious nature of 'political correctness' in the US government since 9/11 than any direct involvement by President Obama.
Thank you, Jim Corum, we need more people like you opening our eyes to the truth and helping our soldiers. It has nothing to do with being pro-war, nobody is pro-war. Pro the truth is what we all want.
My son is very keen to join the army and as a mother it really worries me. Yesterday I went to an Army Recruitment talk with my daugher and the soldier spoke so passionately about the army. He kept saying it is YOUR army, which is exactly what it is.
I am definately not pro, war is a horrible thing. Those who serve risk not only death but mutilation, madness, and all that might have been without these things. And any parent will tell you the loss of their own life is nothing to the loss of a child. Yet all of this is placed in the scale by those who answer the call of duty, and lost by many of them.
As G.K. Chesterton wrote "The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him." If nothing is worth dying for, nothing is worth living for and nothing is worth living with.
So once again thank you Jim for what you do. It is not a case of being pro or anti war. War will always be with us, but we need to know the truth to protect our soldiers and all the other innocents in this crazy world of ours.
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