Top Military Chief Calls Some Pastor in Florida

[PapaG]

'encourages' him to refrain from criticizing Islam.

We're at the point now in Amerikkka where the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is calling a private citizen to tell him to stop exercising his First Amendment rights, and this is after it is known that this was a planned attack in Libya, and had nothing to do with some stupid movie that the pastor apparently isn't even involved in creating.

http://af.reuters.com/article/egyptNews/idAFL1E8KCEWQ20120912

WASHINGTON, Sept 12 (Reuters) - General Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the U.S. military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke with Pastor Terry Jones by phone on Wednesday and asked him to withdraw his support for a film whose portrayal of the Prophet Mohammad has sparked violent protests - including one that ended with the death of America's envoy to Libya. "In the brief call, Gen. Dempsey expressed his concerns over the nature of the film, the tensions it will inflame and the violence it will cause," Dempsey's spokesman, Colonel Dave Lapan, told Reuters. "He asked Mr. Jones to consider withdrawing his support for the film." U.S. military officials are concerned that the film could inflame tensions in Afghanistan, where 74,000 U.S. troops are fighting. The Taliban earlier on Wednesday called on Afghans to prepare for a fight against Americans and urged insurgents to "take revenge" on U.S. soldiers over the film.

 

[MickZagger]

OMG, America's in shambles

 

[RR7]

That pastor is a complete idiot. I imagine what the criticism would sound like if this was a Romney effigy outside of someone else's church. Sure. Free speech and all that.

 

[PapaG]

That pastor is a complete idiot. I imagine what the criticism would sound like if this was a Romney effigy outside of someone else's church. Sure. Free speech and all that.

Idiotic bigots and/or idiotic partisans have a right to be idiotic bigots in this country. so long as they don't harm anybody. Bush was hung plenty of times in effigy in the USA. Look no further than our own ChrisinPDX, who is clearly bigoted against the white Christian male, whoever that is. Yet, I support ChrisinPDX's right to be an idiotic bigot. Will I mock it? Sure, but that's my right as well.

I mean, his rant about me bombing mosques was about the dumbest thing I've read on this board, but you libs are so tight, it's obviously just a normal retort to anybody questioning your warped view of the world.

"Theorthge Bush burnth gigglegigglegiggle" He meant "George Bush burns gigglegigglegiggle", for those that speak without a lisp.

[video=youtube;HINhfkQAz1g]

 

[PapaG]

Love how the idiots in the video just burn Bush without any regard for the cars nearby gigglegigglegiggle.

 

[3RA1N1AC]

jeez why does it always come back to bush with you people? :MARIS61:

 

[PapaG]

jeez why does it always come back to bush with you people? :MARIS61:

gigglegigglegiggle

 

[3RA1N1AC]

bushbushbush

 

[BrianFromWA]

Dempsey's job is to a) accomplish the mission and b) look out for his troops.

If there's an obstacle to either of those it's his job to do everything legally within his power to overcome them. I was in a brief w/GEN Dempsey two weeks ago about some of the causes of the green-on-blues in Afghanistan recently, and cultural insensitivity is a decent (but by no means all-encompassing) part of why troops are being killed. If calling up a citizen to say "Hey, just letting you know that your schtick is getting soldiers killed" makes it Amerikkka, then I don't know what to tell you. I recently received an email from the Commander-in-Chief asking me to donate money to his campaign, and four years ago a phone call from the Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee telling me it was in my best interests to vote for him. Should I have ordered my cone hat then?

 

[maxiep]

That pastor is a complete idiot. I imagine what the criticism would sound like if this was a Romney effigy outside of someone else's church. Sure. Free speech and all that.

The First Amendment allows one to be an idiot. In fact, I'll defend that pastor's right to be an idiot even though I couldn't disagree with him more.

 

[PapaG]

Dempsey's job is to a) accomplish the mission and b) look out for his troops.

If there's an obstacle to either of those it's his job to do everything legally within his power to overcome them. I was in a brief w/GEN Dempsey two weeks ago about some of the causes of the green-on-blues in Afghanistan recently, and cultural insensitivity is a decent (but by no means all-encompassing) part of why troops are being killed. If calling up a citizen to say "Hey, just letting you know that your schtick is getting soldiers killed" makes it Amerikkka, then I don't know what to tell you. I recently received an email from the Commander-in-Chief asking me to donate money to his campaign, and four years ago a phone call from the Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee telling me it was in my best interests to vote for him. Should I have ordered my cone hat then?

The pastor in question has nothing to do with this video, and the making of this video. This is now known, yet that didn't stop the 2nd-highest ranking military officer in the USA call up some nothing pastor in Florida. Who is even giving this idiotic pastor press, other than the media? I wouldn't know about this bigot unless the media gave him coverage, solely because it makes Christians look like Kooks, and obviously that Christian pastor is a Supreme Kook.

If having the military call up private citizens is OK with you, then we're in different Americas, Brian.

Did Dempsey call up Obama to tell him that getting rid of Mubarak and Khadaffi was a terrible idea without any plans for succession could put US citizens in jeopardy? I doubt it.

Since you're still active, you should refrain from comment, anyhow. How many other private citizens has Dempsey called up to tell them to be quiet? Tell me that, and I'll consider you unbiased, since you've already stated that you cannot talk bad about your superiors. You're the very definition of biased right now, and you've admitted it.

 

[MARIS61]

The pastor has a right to deliberately and in a very cowardly way piss off people and cause innocent Americans to be killed in foreign countries. All Real Americans have a right to request that he STFU and stop getting our soldiers and ambassadors killed just so he can get his soundbite and 15 seconds of infamy. Free Speech works both ways. Some people use it responsibly and some people are worthless chickenshit bags of chemicals and water.

Like PapaG, maxiep and Denny Crane, he'll never have the balls to stand up and face those he inflames, but rather let much braver people take the hit for his stupidity.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

 

[BrianFromWA]

The pastor in question has nothing to do with this video, and the making of this video. This is now known

Are you conveniently leaving out "screening the video", "promoting" the video and "distributing" the video on purpose?

Terry Jones, the controversial Florida pastor who is promoting the Innocence of Muslims film that sparked the anti-US protests in Libya and Egypt, rejected criticism of his involvement, although he said he “regretted” the loss of life at the US consulate in Benghazi.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...sm-of-his-involvement-in-anti-Islam-film.html
http://www.theatlantic.com/internat...s-just-stormed-the-us-embassy-over-it/262225/

yet that didn't stop the 2nd-highest ranking military officer in the USA call up some nothing pastor in Florida.

Again, I understand if you've been in the US the whole time, but "Quran-burning American pastor" is widely known to a bunch of people who can't read or write, because their friends/radio programs/religious leaders who can are telling them about him. Who cares about some "nothing pastor in Florida?" The Brits, for one, who didn't allow him into the country. The director of the film, for another, who personally asked him to distribute it while he went into hiding. Media agencies around the world salivating for more signs of American/Western hatred of their culture.

The movie, like Terry Jones himself and his earlier Koran-burning stunt, have received attention far beyond their reach, which would be modest if not for obsessively outraged media. And yet, here the movie is, not just offending apparently significant numbers of people, but producing real-world damage.

Who is even giving this idiotic pastor press, other than the media? I wouldn't know about this bigot unless the media gave him coverage, solely because it makes Christians look like Kooks, and obviously that Christian pastor is a Supreme Kook.

Who, other than the media, gives anyone press? He's doing 'newsworthy' things, like promoting this movie and putting statements out from his website. There are a lot of media agencies in the world, some outside the borders of the US.

If having the military call up private citizens is OK with you, then we're in different Americas, Brian.

So how about the commander-in-chief calling up a guy and inviting him for a beer on the white house lawn so that we don't have riots in Boston?

Since you're still active, you should refrain from comment, anyhow.

Thanks, but I'll continue to educate where I can.

How many other private citizens has Dempsey called up to tell them to be quiet? Tell me that, and I'll consider you unbiased, since you've already stated that you cannot talk bad about your superiors. You're the very definition of biased right now, and you've admitted it.

I would imagine "none", since he didn't even tell Jones to be quiet. In fact, Jones quoted Dempsey as saying:

“He (Gen Dempsey) asked me if we would withdraw our support and I said we would think about it,”

 

[BrianFromWA]

Additionally, I think you're confused about my "bias." My status dictates that I can't give personal opinions in public that are derogatory of my superior officers, the military or that are prejudicial to good order and discipline. That does not mean that I don't get to have opinions. That does not mean that the administration or the public gets to dictate a position to me, and that doesn't mean that I can't engage the public in discourse intended to educate.

As an example, I am permitted to say everything I said in my earlier posts. I am able to say who am I voting for. I am able to elucidate my reasons for doing so, if asked. I'm NOT permitted to say (even if I believed it) publicly that the Secretary of Defense is a fucking idiot. I'm not permitted to call into Air America and say that LCDR Brian FromWA is calling for Dempsey to be fired over this, even if I believed it.

 

[jlprk]

I was in a brief w/GEN Dempsey two weeks ago about some of the causes of the green-on-blues in Afghanistan recently

You were briefed by him? How big was the group? Was he making a speech to 5000? You're just a Lt Commander (equivalent to Major), right? Are you his special aide or something?

 

[BrianFromWA]

I'm in a special program, yes, and there were about 100 of us. Do you think I'd make that up?

 

[jlprk]

That was a fast response. What kind of a special program? Watching higher officers to get training? Plus, they're watching you.

 

[jlprk]

My father was at a big table with top FEAF generals sometimes when we lived in Tokyo in the early 50s, and he was only a Lt. Col then, so I can believe it. But they weren't the Chairman of JSC.

The story from him was that the generals said in disdain, "Vietnam is gone. It's all Communist." Over a decade later, the rightist factions in the intelligence agencies thought, "Let's lose 60,000 Americans and 3 million Vietnamese just to be sure."

 

[TradeNurkicNow]

Highlights so far:
"Amerikkka" is just so clever that I shit myself.
Making fun of people with speech impediments is just SO classy.
And Eric with the super deep analysis we're all used to.

 

[BrianFromWA]

That was a fast response. What kind of a special program? Watching higher officers to get training? Plus, they're watching you.

The brief was about what he talked with Karzai about the day before his plane got shot up. Some green-on-blue after-action reports. Other assorted questions.

 

[Eastoff]

The brief was about what he talked with Karzai about the day before his plane got shot up. Some green-on-blue after-action reports. Other assorted questions.

That green on blue violence is really frustrating. It makes me lose hope about much of the euro-mid east relations. Can you give any information that would encourage a positive attitude?

 

[BrianFromWA]

That green on blue violence is really frustrating. It makes me lose hope about much of the euro-mid east relations. Can you give any information that would encourage a positive attitude?

It's definitely an issue (especially for someone like me who's about to spend a whole lot of quality time in Afghan villages) but in the vast majority of cases it's not insidious. While Haqqani/Mullah Omar claim responsibility for every one, there's an awful lot of undisclosed/untreated PTSD in the ANSF and there's a lot of misconception about Pashtunwali (the Pashtun code of honor). For instance, if I was to say to a man that his wife was hot, according to his code my life is forfeit without an immediate apology and he'd be a coward in front of his coworkers not to take it. That's not something the everyday 19 y/o GI is trained on, and as there's more trust put into the ANSF (and closer coordination with them) there are more opportunities for green-on-blue to manifest themselves. However, as we're drawing down shooters the Joint Chiefs are sending more people like me (a bit more senior, with language and culture skills and the mindset to help the Afghans) to make transition easier and (hopefully) more enduring.

 

[Eastoff]

It's definitely an issue (especially for someone like me who's about to spend a whole lot of quality time in Afghan villages) but in the vast majority of cases it's not insidious. While Haqqani/Mullah Omar claim responsibility for every one, there's an awful lot of undisclosed/untreated PTSD in the ANSF and there's a lot of misconception about Pashtunwali (the Pashtun code of honor). For instance, if I was to say to a man that his wife was hot, according to his code my life is forfeit without an immediate apology and he'd be a coward in front of his coworkers not to take it. That's not something the everyday 19 y/o GI is trained on, and as there's more trust put into the ANSF (and closer coordination with them) there are more opportunities for green-on-blue to manifest themselves. However, as we're drawing down shooters the Joint Chiefs are sending more people like me (a bit more senior, with language and culture skills and the mindset to help the Afghans) to make transition easier and (hopefully) more enduring.

Thank you very much for this response and what you are doing! You are truly a good person.