WASHINGTON – An evangelical professor who was part of a summit on foreign policy held at Georgetown University believes that evangelicals should avoid “Muslim-baiting.”
David Gushee, founder of the organization Evangelicals for Human Rights and professor at Mercer University, told The Christian Post that evangelicals should not participate in projects like the anti-Muhammad film that sparked violent protests in the Middle East.
“We certainly need to have no participation in what you might call ‘Muslim-baiting.’ If we know that attacks on the character of the prophet Muhammad evoke predictably violent reactions, it’s just foolish and unwise and immoral,” said Gushee.
“You want to avoid such things from happening and we need to quarantine out of our community this kind of Muslim-baiting that is happening on our fringes.”
Gushee also told CP that the violence by reactionary Islamic mobs in Libya and Egypt should never be considered justified in their actions.
“We also need to say that random killings of westerners or Americans or Christians because some foolish person somewhere made a film about Muhammad are wrong too,” he said. “Outbursts of randomly directed violence against people who were not involved with the provocation are unjustifiable and must be condemned.”
My feelings about the religion itself aside; the fact of reality is that there are peaceful Muslims here in America and putting these videos out does nothing provoke overseas Muslims to rage, which in turn makes American Muslims look horrible.
It is a sticky situation at best. The question is how does one respond?
The killings of the US ambassador to Libya and three of his staff were likely to have been the result of a serious and continuing security breach, The Independent can reveal.
American officials believe the attack was planned, but Chris Stevens had been back in the country only a short while and the details of his visit to Benghazi, where he and his staff died, were meant to be confidential.
The US administration is now facing a crisis in Libya. Sensitive documents have gone missing from the consulate in Benghazi and the supposedly secret location of the “safe house” in the city, where the staff had retreated, came under sustained mortar attack. Other such refuges across the country are no longer deemed “safe”.
Some of the missing papers from the consulate are said to list names of Libyans who are working with Americans, putting them potentially at risk from extremist groups, while some of the other documents are said to relate to oil contracts.
According to senior diplomatic sources, the US State Department had credible information 48 hours before mobs charged the consulate in Benghazi, and the embassy in Cairo, that American missions may be targeted, but no warnings were given for diplomats to go on high alert and “lockdown”, under which movement is severely restricted.
Of course, the Obama Administration is in denial mode, via The Politico:
The Obama administration is flatly denying a blaring British newspaper report that the U.S. diplomats in Libya were killed as a result of a “continuing security breach,” and that “credible information” about possible attacks had been ignored.
A U.S. official told POLITICO: “There’s no intelligence indicating that the attack in Benghazi was premeditated.”
[…]
Shawn Turner, spokesman for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, emailed: “This is absolutely wrong. We are not aware of any actionable intelligence indicating that an attack on the U.S. Mission in Benghazi was planned or imminent.”
Of course, the Independent story didn’t say that the Obama administration had “actionable intelligence indicating that an attack on the U.S. Mission in Benghazi was planned or imminent.” It said that “the US State Department had credible information 48 hours before mobs charged the consulate in Benghazi, and the embassy in Cairo, that American missions may be targeted,” but did nothing to step up security. The administration’s denial does not contradict the Independent’s statement, and the fact that the denial is phrased so narrowly suggests that the Independent’s report is, in fact, accurate.
[…]
So the Obama administration is already in cover-up mode. Note how willing administration spokesmen are to take absurd positions, secure in the knowledge that reporters will help them with their cover-up.
I can tell you this; the fallout from this is going to be great. I believe this little incident right here and the fact that embassy works were unguarded like this will be amplified during this election cycle and it might just cost Barack Obama the election. I realize Romney might not have handled the situation the greatest. But this here is nothing more than a dereliction of duty.
For once, I actually agree with Sarah Palin. I also agree with the fact that this bogus movie was not the cause of these attacks. These attacks were pre-planned and this movie just happened to be out there and it was used, by these terrorists, as a cover for their actions. The sad fact folks is this, the United States of America and more broadly; The West is involved in a Religious War, between Christianity and Islam. The people over at Gates of Vienna, Robert Spencer at Jihad Watch, and Pamela Geller at Atlas Shrugs, and others have been covering this for a very long time. The sad truth is that those who point to these sites and just dismiss them as hatemongers are just willfully blind to the danger that Islam is for this Country. The Nation should have realized this after 9/11, but because we had a President who wanted to remain Islam-friendly; the truth was ignored.
Furthermore, as a Christian, allow me to say this; Islam is an intolerant Religion and should be totally outlawed in America. There are extremist Christians in America, there is no denying that. But the last time, I checked, they were not as well funded as these people are. (and before anybody mentions him, Timothy McVeigh was not a Christian! Nor was he well-funded…) This is not a Religion anyways, it is a political philosophy, intermingled with a fascist religion and should be eliminated from this Country. If you are offended at this, tough crap; because the facts are that there is no such thing as peaceful Muslim. There are Muslims who choose to fight Jihad, and there are those who refrain from it. Because of this, America will never be safe at all. Call me a bigot, call me a hater, call me an A-hole; I really do not care. But America is going to learn this lesson of what Islam really is, one way or another. It really is too bad that more people are going to have to die, before the United States Government gets a clue and finally wakes up to this threat.
As a compassionate human being, I hate to think that people would actually be so ate up with their religion that they would act in this manner. However, as a realist; I have to go with my gut feelings and with what I see and all I see is this that is happening.
The sick part is, the way this Nation is headed at the moment, we will most like be too darned broke to even deal with the situation much less even fight it. It is a depressing state of affairs, which is why I try to avoid writing about it, because it just makes me sad and depressed to watch it all happen.
There is my statement, quote me, if you wish. Please, just be aware of this here. Thanks.
I remember seeing this news breaking early this morning, before I finally drifted off to sleep. I remember thinking to myself, “oh crap…” and thinking, here we go again, another situation in the middle east.
Meanwhile, an couple of Americans are dead today. Their bodies being drug through the streets in some God-forsaken Country. What does our President do? Act like some aloof jackass, who cannot be bothered with the situation. As for Romney, he takes advantage of the Situation and points out that this President’s foreign policy has been a utter failure. In response, the media tries to portray Mitt Romney as not ready for Prime time. A typical tactic that was used on John McCain as well. Not to mention the fact that the media is coordinating to try to tear down Romney in this election.
I could sit here and yowl on about this shows that America and Judeo-Christian Values are under attack by Islam and Muslims. However, I believe most of you, that read this blog already know this. Whatever the cause of these American Embassies being attacked, it is a tragic thing.
However, as a Non-Wilsonian Conservative, allow me to float this idea. Could this be a piece of living, in color, proof that the United States of America ought to just withdraw from these Countries and not have American Embassies in those Country? Perhaps that this is one of the signs that America needs to stop kowtowing down to the United Nations and stop trying to be the world’s policeman. Perhaps we should stop getting involved in the affairs of other Nations. Perhaps we should being to restrict our immigration polices more and stop allowing a free flow of Muslims into this Country.
Perhaps we as a Nation need to take a second look at the practice of Islam and how it is intolerant to other Religion and to criticism; and possibly pass laws banning the Religion in this Country, on grounds it is threat to Nation security. After all, this attack happened one day after the 11 year anniversary of the terrorist attacks in NYC and at the Pentagon, and Shakesville, Pa.
Again, is it wrong to ask such questions? I am not hating on any religion of any sort. I am looking at the protection of our Republic and all I really know, is that foreign citizens have killed Americans working abroad; this is unacceptable and something needs to be done. However, with the current leadership in the White House, nothing will be done, at all. Yes, I know, Military has been dispatched; at this point, that is nothing more than window dressing and buttocks covering by the White House. The truth is, that once again, leadership in the White House has failed us.
This is why we must vote differently, come November.
The people that died on that day, died for a reason. May we as Americans, never forget that reason. To do that, would disgrace the memories of those what perished on that fateful day.
May we never, ever, forget…..
I may write more later. But, for now. I, like everyone else — Pause.
Mitt Romney continued to take flak from Democrats over the weekend for not mentioning war in his nomination acceptance speech.
But the Republican campaign was quick to point out what critics seemed to be ignoring – Romney spent the day before his convention speech visiting the American Legion conference in Indianapolis, where he talked exclusively about national security and America’s veterans. President Obama, by contrast, addressed that conference in the form of a three-minute video aired at the conference site.
“Now that was an invitation that President Obama declined,” Romney senior adviser Eric Fehrnstrom said in an interview Sunday. “Governor Romney thought it was a privilege to be speaking to people who had served so nobly.”
Though Romney did not mention the war in Afghanistan on Thursday night, he focused on that issue, as well as the veterans who are returning home, in his American Legion speech.
Hmmmmm… Perhaps it is the fact that Mitt Romney is mindful of stuff like this here?
(Reuters) – U.S. Forces in Afghanistan said on Sunday they have suspended training new recruits to the Afghan Local Police (ALP) amid a spike in the number of insider attacks which are damaging trust between Afghans and their allies.
The ALP is a militia, set up two years ago by U.S. Forces, in villages where the national police force — a separate body trained by NATO — is weak. The ALP has been beset by allegations of abuse and widespread corruption.
Rogue shootings have killed 45 NATO-led troops so far this year, 15 last month alone, despite the coalition taking steps to try prevent them, such as requiring foreign soldiers to carry loaded weapons at all times.
In a statement, U.S. Forces said they will temporarily suspend training of about 1,000 new ALP recruits while they re-vet members currently belonging to the 16,000-strong force.
“We believe this is a necessary step to validate our vetting process and ensure the quality indicative of Afghan Local Police,” it said.
Perhaps Mitt Romney is not wanting to be a President who continues to fight a war that simply cannot be won? Maybe Romney will call it a victory in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
We shall see on that, I hoping for the best on that subject. But I am preparing for the worst.
I saw this story come through my RSS reader and I wanted to wait to see the reaction of the right, before I blogged about it myself.
I have to say that Ace and AllahPundit’s reactions were very good and I commend them for taking the stand that they did. Kudos gents.
Just a quote of the story:
LUDOWICI, Ga. (AP) — Four Army soldiers based in southeast Georgia killed a former comrade and his girlfriend to protect an anarchist militia group they formed that stockpiled assault weapons and plotted a range of anti-government attacks, prosecutors told a judge Monday.
Prosecutors in rural Long County, near the sprawling Army post Fort Stewart, said the militia group of active and former U.S. military members spent at least $87,000 buying guns and bomb components. They allege the group was serious enough to kill two people — former soldier Michael Roark and his 17-year-old girlfriend, Tiffany York — by shooting them in the woods last December in order to keep its plans secret.
“This domestic terrorist organization did not simply plan and talk,” prosecutor Isabel Pauley told a Superior Court judge. “Prior to the murders in this case, the group took action. Evidence shows the group possessed the knowledge, means and motive to carry out their plans.”
One of the Fort Stewart soldiers charged in the case, Pfc. Michael Burnett, also gave testimony that backed up many of the assertions made by prosecutors. The 26-year-old soldier pleaded guilty Monday to manslaughter, illegal gang activity and other charges. He made a deal to cooperate with prosecutors against the three other soldiers.
Prosecutors said the group called itself F.E.A.R., short for Forever Enduring Always Ready. Pauley said authorities don’t know how many members it had.
Now Ace says this:
“Anarchist”? It’s an old trick of the media to call Neo-Nazis “right-wing” but then simply call left-wingers what they identify themselves as. “Anarchists,” for example.
Now, I initially thought these guys had to be right-wing (or what the media terms “right-wing”) because I could not imagine a left-wing motive here.
But a commenter points out the left wing is extremely angry about poor Bradley Manning, America’s Pluckiest Little Traitor.
So I guess that is an open possibility, and would explain the media not immediately calling these guys “rightwing.”
I do find that very suspicious. I find it suspicious that this isn’t the biggest story in the media. If it’s not, there must be a reason the media is in “let’s be restrained here” mode.
A while back, I made a point, that Ace made in his writings quoted above, the last time, when some idiot picked up a gun and decided to act on a political matter; here is what I wrote:
Terrorism is terrorism —- period —- full stop. It does not matter to me and really should not matter to anyone, whether if it is being carried out by some Muslim, who thinks Jihad means to kill people or some Neo-Nazi, who cannot tell a Sikh from a Muslim. Whether the crime is being committed by a far right wing militia person or a left wing radical communist — the point is the person is committing a crime. What also should matter to all Americans, left and right, is that we live in such a lousy hyper-partisan Country these days, that no mainstream media outlets outside of Fox News could be bothered to report this incident.
Which is true in this case too. Those who are even bothering to write about it, are doing something just as bad. They are using this to further the Meme that the Military is full of terrorist creeps like these people here. To me, that is just sad, because not every person in the military is this sort of deranged person.
Another thing too, and I feel the need to say this; because no one else really has — the sad thing about this is that it undermines the efforts of people like Soldiers’ angels and other such groups. People read about stuff like this and in the back of their minds, aided by what they read in the liberal blogosphere; they think, “why would I want to give to people, who do stuff like this here?” It is sick that the liberal left would use an incident like this to create a “Military are terrorists” Meme. But, again, that is your liberal left, of whom, one of their more popular bloggers said of the Military, “Screw Them” which was ironic, considering he was Military himself. But, again, that is the left and that is their attitude towards the Military. Which is one of the reasons why I stopped voting Democratic Party. (Among many!)
In a week where the phrase “legitimate rape” became part of the American political discourse, it’s understandable that anyone who believes in women’s liberation would be scavenging for some good news. Like a parched soul in the desert, many believe that a trickle of water, if not an oasis, has appeared. After eighty years of antediluvian sexism, the Augusta National Golf Club, site of the Masters, has finally decidedto admit women into its ranks. All hail the trailblazers: President George W. Bush’s national security adviser and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and South Carolina billionaire banking executive Darla Moore.
[….]
And yet, please forgive me if I don’t join the chorus of cheers. Rice and Moore are not twenty-first-century Jackie Robinsons, and their acceptance into this bastion of exclusion has nothing to do with women’s liberation and is utterly disconnected from the reality of daily life for millions of American women.
Condi Rice as a symbol of female power? Only if by power, we mean the power to put thousands of Iraqi women in graves all in the name of a war based on lies that she actively promoted.
Then there are the birth defects suffered by the children of women in Iraq. In 2009, the Guardianreportedthat doctors in Fallujah were were “dealing with up to 15 times as many chronic deformities in infants, compared to a year ago, and a spike in early life cancers that may be linked to toxic materials left over from the fighting.”
A hospital spokesman, Nadim al-Hadidi, told the Inter Press Service, “In 2004 the Americans tested all kinds of chemicals and explosive devices on us: thermobaric weapons, white phosphorous, depleted uranium…. we have all been laboratory mice for them.”
There were also, under Rice’s watch, 19,000 reported sexual assaults of women combat troops in the the US Armed Forces every single year. As the Guardian reported, “A female solider in Iraq is more likely to be attacked by a fellow soldier than killed by military fire.”
In an eerie echo of the Representative Akin controversy, these women, if impregnated during their assault, could not get an abortion on a US military base. Rice, who claims to be pro-choice, never raised a voice on behalf of these women.
In a sane world, Rice would be awaiting trial at the Hague. Instead, she gets to play golf at a club that, incidentally, didn’t allow African-Americans until 1990.
The part that strikes me as idiotic at best is that this idiot acts like Condi Rice ordered the invasion of Iraq. True, the Iraq invasion was, in hindsight, a bad move, but it was not Condi’s war. Perhaps the mask is slipping and the Nation’s racist roots are showing?
Either way, this is why I left, “the left” because the hatred and vitriol that the progressives have towards the left.
This is what happens when you piece-meal a war, this is what happens; when you leave a war to fester, while you invade another Country, based on bad information. More importantly, this is what happens when you elect warmongering Neoconservatives into power. This is what happens, when you fight “armchair general’s” wars.
You end up with dead people, who should not have to die to protect an empire; and you get religious strife within a Country.
Kabul, Afghanistan — A man in an Afghan police uniform shot and killed an international service member on Sunday, NATO said, raising the death toll to 10 in such attacks in the space of just two weeks.
The surge in violence by Afghan allies against their international partners has raised doubts about the ability of the two forces to work together at a key transition time. Afghan forces are expected to take over security for the country by the end of 2014, when the majority of international combat forces are scheduled to leave.
On the other side, a coalition airstrike killed dozens of Taliban militants, including one of their leaders, officials said.
Few details were immediately available about Sunday’s killing of a coalition member in southern Afghanistan. NATO said only that they and Afghan authorities were investigating. Afghan officials could not be reached for comment.
The Taliban have been actively recruiting members of the Afghan security forces, saying in a statement last week that they considered these turncoat attacks a major part of their strategy against international forces.
Baghdad — A bomb struck the convoy of a senior Sunni cleric in western Baghdad on Sunday, killing four and critically wounding the anti-extremist Muslim leader, police said.
The attack highlights the threats faced by relatively moderate Sunni clerics whom the Shiite-led government needs to help rebuild the country and establish security. It follows a series of assaults in what is becoming an increasingly bloody month.
The blast in the capital’s Yarmouk neighborhood left Sheik Mahdi al-Sumaidaie badly hurt, a Sunni religious official said. The cleric had just finished leading prayers at a nearby mosque to mark the beginning of the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which follows the holy month of Ramadan.
Al-Sumaidaie has sided with the government against Sunni extremists. Earlier this year, he called for a unified religious authority to bridge the gap between Iraq’s Sunnis and Shiites. Insurgents often target Sunni clerics seen as working closely with the Shiite-led government.
Two police officers and a hospital official confirmed the attack. They said four of the cleric’s bodyguards were killed and three others were wounded.
All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki condemned the attack. In a statement posted on his website, the Shiite leader said the attack was aimed at “spreading sedition and silencing any patriotic moderate voice.”
“Even as we condemn this ugly crime, we are confident that our people are aware of the evil goals of such schemes,” he said.
The invasion of the Sovereign Nation of Iraq was supposedly to bring peace and stability to that region. So much for that eh? The only thing that the invasion of Iraq did was destabilize and inspire more Muslims to become radicalized, and try to attack America and our allies. As for Afghanistan, that war could have been fought quickly and efficiently; however, because the American people were looking for a scalp, after the events on 9/11 and Osama was well protected within Afghanistan and Pakistani ranks — President George W. Bush ordered the invasion of Iraq.
This left the Afghanistan War to fester and turn into what it is today —- a huge cluster fark. This was a huge error on our part and one that will be stain on the United States of America for a very long time. This War was about as bad as Vietnam, if not worse. What made this worse than Vietnam, is the fact that Vietnam was requested by the United Nations at the time. The Military action in Iraq was requested by no one at all, and was based upon false premises and horrifically bad information by a dissident who defected to Germany.
Least anyone think that I have become anti-military or something silly like that; none of the above was the fault of the United States Military. The United States Military did their jobs most excellent, some of them giving their lives in service to their Country. For that they should be commended. However, the leadership, at the time; was the problem. That leadership started in the White House, and for that we, the American people — will be paying, for a very long time —- fiscally, spiritually, and the eyes of the World. The United States of America, in the span of about eight years —went from being the World’s leader to the World’s bully in the eyes of the rest of the World. The Neoconservative reaction to this, is “Who cares?” But anyone who truly loves this Country, ought be very worried about that little problem.
The best thing we, as Americans can do, is hope and pray that none of the radical Muslims can get enough money and support to try and attack this Country again. It is, truly — all we can do.
I will say this, the American people are about to make the same mistake again. Putting Mitt Romney, as the Republican for President of the United States; is about the stupidest thing that the Republican Party could have ever done. In light of the Bush era, that is. We are about to make the same mistakes again —- In Iran. You watch and see.
I have to like Chuck Baldwin, he does not mince words:
It has happened again. We go through this every four years, and every four years the vast majority of “conservatives” fall for it. This is such a broken record. What did Forrest Gump say: “Stupid is as stupid does”? And wasn’t it P.T. Barnum who said, “There’s a sucker born every minute”? Well, here we go again.
Neocon RINO George H.W. Bush picks “conservative” Dan Quayle. “Conservative” G.W. Bush picks neocon RINO Dick Cheney. Neocon RINO John McCain picks “conservative” Sarah Palin. Now, neocon RINO Mitt Romney picks “conservative” Paul Ryan. As long as there is one “conservative” on the ticket, mushy-headed “conservatives” across the country will go into a gaga, starry-eyed, hypnotic trance in support of the Republican ticket. I’m convinced that if Lucifer, himself, was the GOP Presidential candidate, he would get the support of the Religious Right and Republican “conservatives” as long as he selected a reputed “conservative” to join his ticket. And, by the way, the notable “conservative” wouldn’t think twice about joining such a ticket, either, I’m convinced.
Let’s just get this on the record: since 1960, there have only been two Presidential nominees (from the two major parties) who were not controlled by the globalist elitists. One was a Democrat, John F. Kennedy; the other was a Republican, Ronald Reagan. Kennedy was shot and killed; Reagan was shot. Every other President, Democrat or Republican, has been totally controlled, which is why none of them have done diddly-squat to make a difference in the direction of the country. On the issues that really matter, Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan are just more of the same!
He goes on to say that Ron Paul is the only one; and I disagree with that. However, I will say this; he is right about Romney and Ryan. Which is I am voting for:
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