Petition to Remove Rush
To: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
We request that Secretary Rumsfeld remove talk radio host Rush Limbaugh from the American Forces Radio and Television Service (formerly known as Armed Forces Radio). Mr. Limbaugh, whose program is broadcast for one hour per day to U.S. troops overseas, has spent the past four weeks condoning and trivializing the abuse, torture, rape and possible murder of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. guards at the Abu Ghraib prison—gross misconduct that you have described as “fundamentally un-American.”
In recent weeks, Rush Limbaugh has: Compared the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. guards at Abu Ghraib to a fraternity initiation; called the abuse “brilliant” and “effective”; said the guards were just “having a good time” and “blow[ing] some steam off”; likened the abuse to “a Britney Spears or Madonna concert … [or] the MTV music awards”; compared pictures of the abuse to “good old American pornography”; and said “the reaction to the stupid torture is an example of the feminization of this country.”
Read the rest here if you think it's something you'd like to sign. I generally hem & haw over this kind of thing, but I've been thinking this is overdue for a few weeks now.
Thanks to commenter #8, Enough Already, on this post at the Think Progress blog.
Re: "Petition to Remove Rush"
ReplyDeleteThe first step to achieving a realistic view in this situation is to divest yourself of the notion that 1. American Soldiers are incapable of thinking for themselves or making their own decisions and 2. That we are fighting individuals that give a rat's ass about the Geneva Convention or even know how to locate Geneva on a map.
Let me clarify something for you. Regardless of what you hear from moonbat blowhards like Michael Moore and Al Franken, no one has been murdered or raped at Abu Ghraib or GITMO. As a matter of fact, more people died at Chappaquidick when Teddy Kennedy drove off the bridge.
I am a twice-over Iraqi war veteran. We are fighting Islamofascist pigs who would gladly subject the entire planet (including you) to their own personally designed Caliphate. The prisoners held in Abu Ghraib and GITMO are there for good reasons. They're TERRORISTS who were captured after firefights, caught planting IED's, or arrested as a result of information that put them squarely in the middle of operative cells. Your opinion of Rush Limbaugh and selective freedom of speech notwithstanding, he does have the right idea. Those terrorist detainees don't care about your misplaced sympathies. They'd behead you just like any other "infidel" had they the chance. The next time you fret about the "treatment" of these prisoners, ask yourself if you would have been the least bit concerned over former Nazis getting a taste of their own medicine, or if the former Baathist/Hussein regime thugs who fed dissidents feet first into woodchippers or gassed 5000 Kurds with the "non-existent" chemical WMD deserve one iota of pity.
Save your compassion for those more deserving; the good Iraqi and Afghan people who are finally breaking the yolk of oppression.
SFC Cheryl McElroy
US ARMY
(Cleveland native)
Hi Michael,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment on Jay's blog.
Also, thanks for this post. I was unaware of this petition to remove Rush. I've gone ahead and signed it.
By the way, I find McElroy's comment depressing for two reasons. First, she seems to believe everyone taken into custody is guilty and, secondly, she's so quick to deny or justify what happens to them as of no concern to herself or anyone else.
I don't know which aspect is more deplorable: the illogic of her assumption or her indifference.
I've run into this mentality and it's based on fear that has been hardened into hate and lack of feeling.
One man - e-mailing me with, essentially, the same arguments - finally said he'd like to see all Muslims dead.
He obviously thinks Muslim = Terrorist and is not willing to understand the lie that is the base of his premise. This is the lie upon which all genocides are based: that certain people are inhuman and, therefore, can be dealt with as refuse.
What those who use terrorist's behavior as the standard for their own do not understand is that allowing others to be tortured - and not caring about it - debases all of us and our alleged Christian heritage.
Pooh-poohing torture or justifying it with the specious "they'd do it to you" is a cop out for having the strength and morals to live up to a higher standard.
It injures us all.
Torture takes the collective of humanity down another notch. To not care that any person is tortured is to be on the same level as a terrorist.
McElroy is actually our "civilized" counterpart to the terrorist. The terrorist selectively decides who deserves to be treated like a human being and who doesn't. McElroy's doing the same thing.
Her role as part of our armed services does not justify such an ugly, un-American mentality, but shows us that her contribution to our military is to assist in setting the bar for behavior pretty low.
Clyo
Prayerforce.org
"Clyo":
ReplyDeleteWhat depresses me is that I am sworn to protect individuals who have no clue. You suffer from the same affliction as Michael; a propensity to grant the benefit of the doubt to Muslim fanatics rather than Soldiers who have actually faced the very terrorists who couldn't care less about your ideas on humanitarianism. I find three of your statements, in particular, amusing:
“Torture takes the collective of humanity down another notch. To not care that any person is tortured is to be on the same level as a terrorist.”
Do I care if a terrorist responsible for lobbing an RPG at an American convoy, or setting off an IED that kills some Iraq’s who only wanted to vote gets tortured? Somehow “Clyo” I just can’t seem to muster up any sympathy no matter how hard I try. What happened at Abu Ghraib was comparable to the college hazing I went through as a youngster at Cleveland State.
Secondly:
"The terrorist selectively decides who deserves to be treated like a human being and who doesn't. McElroy's doing the same thing"
Well, you're right on one count: Terrorists make that decision every time they plant bombs, kill innocent people, or maybe even crash a few planes into large buildings. And you also make the mistaken assumption that in the great Islamofascist scheme of things, pampering these thugs with touchy-feely treatment will somehow ensure reciprocity on the part of terrorist captors. In case you haven’t noticed the trail of heads, this isn't so. The decision I'd make is to take no prisoners, but that's just me.
And last, this comment:
"Her role as part of our armed services does not justify such an ugly, un-American mentality, but shows us that her contribution to our military is to assist in setting the bar for behavior pretty low."
Honey, my role as a Soldier is to protect the United States from all enemies foreign and domestic. That’s part of our oath of enlistment. I have served this country for 29 years in peace and war, and at no time have I seen a constructive contribution or a positive outcome as a result of pusillanimous policies. When protestors denigrate the military, glorify the Taliban and al Qaida and hoist their requisite "Bush is Hitler" signs, that is un-American. And as for being ‘civilized’, war isn’t.
I am part of the noblest profession; that of a Soldier. My bar was set pretty high from the day I enlisted in 1976.
What have you done for your country besides posting indignant little remarks on a weblog? Have you ever even been out of your own back yard?
Take care Clyo. And you can sleep in peace at night knowing that you can pound away at your keyboard without fear of being repressed by Sharia Law, courtesy of the United States Army.
SFC Cheryl mcElroy
DUTY, HONOR, COUNTRY
Cheryl McElroy,
ReplyDeleteWow, you are a career soldier. I certainly hope that most of our armed forces are more intelligent, have better morals and are more eloquent than you are. Your obvious ignorance is disturbing. BTW, when you reply to this post, don’t accuse me of defending Islam. As an atheist, I would never do that.