Petraeus: Burning Quran Endangers Troops

Petraeus: Burning Quran Endangers Troops

www.military.com

KABUL, Afghanistan -- The top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan warned Tuesday an American church's threat to burn copies of the Muslim holy book could endanger U.S. troops in the country and Americans worldwide.

"Images of the burning of a Quran would undoubtedly be used by extremists in Afghanistan -- and around the world -- to inflame public opinion and incite violence," Gen. David Petraeus said in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Well, here we go again, where some Americans and ATS Members are going to evoke their right to free speech and a “two wrongs make a right” mindset to justify what is bound to be patently offensive and inflammatory to some.

As far as free speech goes, yes it’s protected, as it should be, but is it wise to simply use it as an excuse to be patently offensive towards others? Many imagine it is making a political statement of some kind to our own government to followers of Islam, but in my own humble opinion all it is saying is that people who aren’t going to have to bear the responsibility of their own words and actions find some virtue in being patently offensive and insensitive, even if it leads to violence.

Now that wouldn’t be so bad if say you were the kind of person who didn’t mind or enjoyed walking up to a long line of Motorcycles owned by an Outlaw Biker Gang where everyone of them not only outweighed you by a minimum of 125 pounds but were heavily armed to boot, and doused their bikes with gasoline in front of them, while proclaiming their modified exhaust pipes make to much noise, and then lit them afire and stood defiantly there.

But no, this isn’t what’s happening here; instead this will be done in a vacuum where the people who allegedly so offend those determined to be so offensive aren’t going to be there. They will do this in their little homogenous extremist groups becoming the exact kind of people they imagine their sworn enemies to be: Religious Fanatics bent on destruction.

It will be others who actually have to bear the liability for their hiding behind the free speech clause, and their bible and their little church which will possibly pay the most extreme measure, the fullest measure, for their right to be patently offensive to others, and claim that pouring gasoline on fire, which is literally what they are doing, is the best way to put it out.

No one can tell an American not to do this, just like no one can tell an American not to shop at Wal-Mart and buy foreign made goods that result in jobs being exported overseas.

What tells me these people will likely meet up at Wal-Mart before or after, and likely buy the Qurans they intend to burn their too, Qurans made in China.

Free speech is great when you don’t have to be responsible for what you have said, but just because you aren’t going to be held to account doesn’t mean some one else will be, yes, by someone just as ignorant on the other side of the coin.

Two wrongs don’t make a right, and free speech really is a responsibility not a permission slip to be patently offensive.


www.military.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

whether we burn the books or not they still want to kill us and cut off our heads just as much.... Nice find

If this Koran burning event goes ahead, then the Americans deserve all they get in my opinion.

If they don't want the troops to be in danger then why are they there??
If they are that worried about the troops then they should just bring them home.

Not all Americans would want this - I for one see it as nothing but hatemongering which will put our troops and other people in harms way. As the Op stated - two wrongs don't make a right. This is the type of action that starts wars!

This as pointless as burning a flag or any other book. They should spend their time and money doing something that actually matters.

Why on earth is this church planning on burning the Qur'an, anyway ?

Talk about incitement !

Can people not see how illogical it is to equate an entire religion, and its followers, with the actions of a few sick-minded individuals that profess to follow that religion ?

Seriously, people's illogical viewpoints like this, irritate me so much.


This church is apparently a ''New Testament'' church.

Burning the Qur'an is exactly what Jesus would do, isn't it ?


[edit on 7-9-2010 by Sherlock Holmes]

As the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks nears, a pastor in north Florida has come up with what may be the worst example yet of anti-Muslim bigotry.

Terry Jones, pastor of the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, wants to commemorate one of the most painful moments in American history -- a monumental crime fed by ignorance and hatred -- by sponsoring another event typically associated with ignorance and hatred: a book-burning.



Read more: www.miamiherald.com...

MiamiHerald

This is an Editorial in today's Miami Herald regarding this event:

I understand the fears that compell some people to act out in this way, but it seems to me, it's the kind of action that just makes one's fears come true by being so antogonistic and confrontational with others it literally begs an advaserial response.

Yet in all reality it won't be the smattering of book burners dealing with that response. It will be travellers and tourists, and random citizens who end up representing all of America the same way people like the book burners want all Muslims to represent a few extremists.

It just sets up an endless cycle where each side engages in the same kind of acts and prejudices with each side claiming the moral high ground.

It isn't the 4H Club, or Kiwis, or Girl Scouts of America doing this, but a church, a church and it's parishoneers afraid of religious extremism engaging in religious extremism.

Pot meet the Kettle, Kettle meet the pot.

reply to post by ProtoplasmicTraveler


Talk about a sure fire way, pun intended, to piss of Muslim's.

I am sorry this is absurd of people to do and while I certainly understand the protest, it is reminiscent of Nazi's burning books, with Christians leading the way.

As if the constant continuance of the Crusades was not insane enough?

Because that is all our fight with the Middle East is and has been.

A continuance of an ignorant belief of one religion being better than another.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/ff58fa70a51e.jpg[/atsimg]

When one religion wars with another it is the people caught in the middle who get killed.

The innocent who do not care for either side.

This is just another ramping of religious idiocy if you ask me.

Originally posted by Kram09
If this Koran burning event goes ahead, then the Americans deserve all they get in my opinion.

The problem is, that it's going to be a very small group of Americans participating in this event, just like its a very small group of Muslims who turn to extremism to make political statements.

I find this act that the participants are labelling as a "Protest" to be basically abhorent and insane, yet there is no mechanism that allows me to prevent it, any more than there is a mechanism for me to prevent the small group of Muslim extremists from committing their own ahborent and insane acts.

So what we see on both sides of the coin is how the perverse and angry actions of a few then paint and tarnish the whole.

That's the most troubling thing, is that the most extreme ellements in both cultures then get to set the agenda through action to prompt reaction, instead of the moderate and rational ellements.

It seems to illustrate to me that all religious extremists are dangerous.

Now when you get to the very fact that Christianity preaches charity and these particular congregants would rather spend money on a book they see no value in and have no respect for, and to burn it, rather than taking that same money to provide charity to the needy in their own community and congregation tends to speak volumes about just how they interpret their own gospels.

They will hide behind the American Flag, twisted versions of Jesus and God, the Constitution and the right to free speech, but it really is just the politics of hate and fear no matter what kind of ribbon you wrap it in or bow you stick on top.

reply to post by ProtoplasmicTraveler



Traveler, there must be more to this than a simple bunch of idots burrning books. It fits to many bills. Looks staged. Like "how convenient" can it get.

Pure insanity.

I next look to read about this Terry Jones pastor getting his own TV ministry. Tremendous publicity after all! Oh no, he takes no sh__ from Muslims! Christians, time to get behind a real American pastor, who isn't afraid to "do the right thing"...

And no doubt he will take a small percentage of the money people send him, to buy more Qurans...Oh, I just can't wait for 9/11/2011. What will this bozo do for an encore?

JR

I cannot support any form of book burning even if it is the Quran. I would hope that there is no place left in society for book burning but obviously I am wrong.

What an ill thought out idea this is...
Do they not realise they will look as idiotic as the masses of jihadis burning bush/blair/obama efiigys?

Plus how much is a Koran these days,and where does that money go?
Maybe some korans sold donate the money to exremists-so in effect by buying and burning Korans they could be actually funding those who they claim to stand against.

Or are they going to steal all their korans to burn?

Bit out there for a so called christian church to do this-did they ignore most of the stuff Jesus said about tolerance and compassion or what?

Originally posted by Kram09
If this Koran burning event goes ahead, then the Americans deserve all they get in my opinion.

They are getting raped in Afghanistan already, with this event you can see the second phase I have been talking about start. The first phase is already finished.

Ohh this is soooooo damn similar to USSR's defeat, I can't believe it, it is like dejavu.. Can't spell it, but getting there..

Originally posted by Logarock
reply to post by ProtoplasmicTraveler

 

Traveler, there must be more to this than a simple bunch of idots burrning books. It fits to many bills. Looks staged. Like "how convenient" can it get.

This is a fair observation and something to consider. Gainesville is home to the University of Florida, and major Universities are the preferred recruiting grounds of the CIA.

So it's entirely possible someone in the congregation is a member of the Intelligence Agency and helped promote the idea.

Keeping tensions high is what makes the War on Terror go round and seem justifiable.

I think we all need to consider that this was billed as a "War that will not end in our life times" when it was instituted by the government, so in other words 'war without end'.

reply to post by oozyism


It does have similarities,right down to the approx number of troops,and the Taliban strategy of encircling Kabul.
Its not called the graveyard of empires for nothing.

I expect if the extremist christians go ahead and burn some korans some afghan extremists will use that as an excuse to drum up more support/suicide bombers.

Look what happened after Abu Grahib.
Petreus is correct in his idea that this could lead to more soldiers being injured or killed IMO.

Originally posted by Reign02
whether we burn the books or not they still want to kill us and cut off our heads just as much.... Nice find

Really lol..

Read history, it helps a little differentiation between propaganda and reality..

When did the killing and chopping heads start lol

Wasn't it when the US decided to install puppet regimes all across rich Muslim lands, not to mention the assasinations, the proxy wars, the coups, the outright invasions, the orchestration of civil wars blablabla?

Do you know what Karma in regards to the US is>? Yeah, it is those extremists, you deserve each other, in the same bed

Ohh, darn history.. I bet Slayer will come here and say it was the cold war, so it was alright and Jolly + Handy Dandy..

so what.

i should grieve more?


screw the quaran. burn a bible too?

let them go crazy, makes them easier to kill.