Political Correctness in the Armed Forces
The massacre that Maj. Hasan carried out on November 5th is a stark reminder of the deadly consequences that political correctness can have within our military.
Regarding the recent attack on our brave soldiers Army chief of staff General George Casey made this statement on Meet The Press: “As horrific as this tragedy was, if our diversity becomes a casualty, I think that’s worse.”
Valuing diversity and paving the way for any American to achieve their goals is the quintessential American dream. It is when the lives of the very people who protect that dream are endangered that we must reexamine our stance on political correctness. The warning signs were evident that Maj. Hasan’s allegiances lie outside the defending of this great nation. We need only look to his personal business cards, where he listed himself as a “Soldier of Allah.”
Every American has a right to freedom of religion, and freedom is what every American soldier is sworn to protect. It is when we ignore the blatant signs of anti-American sentiment within the ranks of our armed forces that we not only put these brave men and women at risk, but also the values upon which this great nation was founded.
We need only look at the cases of John Muhammed, Hassan Abu-Jihaad, Jeffrey Leon Battle, or Ali A. Mohamed to see that political correctness has compromised not only our nation’s security, but the lives of every heroic soldier that protects us. At a time when American soldiers are dying to protect us from the Islamic radical jihad, we must put into place proper measures to weed out those who seek to infiltrate our army and do damage from within. True political correctness would be protecting those who serve by providing proper scrutiny to the type of behavior that was exhibited by Maj. Hasan. Americans must stand up and demand that the government not place sensitivity over the freedoms that so many brave Americans have died for.
When political correctness is taken to the extreme, people get killed. I believe it’s necessary – especially for conservatives — to throw all niceties out the window and boldly discuss even in mixed company what’s right and wrong about certain political and militant, religious affiliations.
I had lunch with some older gentlemen last week and proudly announced my role with the Republican party. Apparently some lifelong Democrats were seated at the table, including a former county judge. Someone quickly announced that politics and religion were taboo topics so that no one’s cage gets rattled.
I was compelled to retort that I did not hold it against anyone for being on the wrong side of the dire issues that face our country and a liberal mindset that threatens all our freedoms. Besides, I respect a priest or pastor more than I do a old, cantankerous judge.
There has been a lot of news coverage the past week of Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan and the vicious domestic terrorist attack he perpetrated on unarmed U.S. soldiers at Fort Hood.
To fear the anticipation of hurting someone’s feelings is the heart of political correctness. Why are we reluctant to disparage militant extremist Moslems like Maj. Hasan and countless others? Though Maj. Hasan is an American, he is not free from harsh criticism and a thorough investigation based on the sinister comments he allegedly made prior to committing his act of domestic terror.
Welcome to the court of public opinion where I say he is guilty as sin and should be put to death immediately — not as a martyr but as a poster boy for craven cowardice around the world.
We have no qualms about arresting & trying people who threaten, plot, attempt, or actually murder someone as a criminal act until you attach the word religion to the equation. What makes this any different?
However, it is time for people wake up and realize this IS a religious war. One-sided, but still a religious war. It is not a war of Christians vs. Muslims, it’s a war of radical, Islamic, jihadists vs. anyone and everyone (including athiests & agnostics) who doesn’t believe and worship as they do.
If we called Nidal Malik Hasan (I can’t bring myself to continue using the same title my father achieved in the USAF as a fighter pilot in WWII) a Nazi, a skinhead, a Satanist, or a cold-war era Russian spy would that have made a difference? Would we allow people from those groups to infiltrate our military? Would the FBI still have to worry about being politically correct?
Some things are just plain wrong, no matter what name you attach to them. Anyone can espouse some ridiculous ideology and call it a religion, but those people should not be exempt from prosecution because they choose to hide their evil behind the name of a legitimate religion.
Let’s say I called myself a (take your pick ~ Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran), found a few verses in the Bible that I could twist around to fit my warped version of the truth, went to my local Walmart today and started shooting employees because I believe that Walmart is “The Great Satan,” would there really be anyone who would worry about being “politically correct” about the nut-job who shot up the Walmart?
It doesn’t matter what you call Hasan. He brutally murdered 13 of our soldiers in cold blood and deserves to die. I believe in innocent until proven guilty, but hasn’t video become a standard in proof? And how many eyewitnesses do you need before you can just conclude that he is guilty?
This wasn’t some intricate financial scam that stretched out over years, it wasn’t a drug dealer operating in the shadows, it was a violent, brutal, massacre in a public building with hundreds of witnesses. He wasn’t a fugitive who fled the scene where there might be some question later about his identity; he was gunned down at the scene by a brave police officer. There really isn’t any question about his guilt, now we just have to play the legal game.
What does matter is that we cannot let this happen again. Both Mr. Alexander & Mr. Baldrige are correct in saying that we must put aside our political correctness and realize that we have enemies that we cannot and will never be able to negotiate a peaceful settlement with.
One of my favorite ways of explaining why people choose to become soldiers, police officers, firefighters, or other professions that confront evil is using a letter by Charles Grennel titled “Sheep, Wolves, & Sheepdogs.”
(http://www.conservativerepublican.us/CR_Sheep.htm)
I don’t think the sheep realize how close the wolf is. It is time to let our sheepdogs loose to do what they do best.