Fox News Suggests Mass Screening of American Muslims in Defense Jobs. Wow!
November 7, 2009 by John Allen · 3 Comments
This is not helpful and although it is an appropriate question to explore, the news channel is being very "unhelpful" to say the least if this initially reasonable question soon turns into another Fox Channel crusade against "them". This stuff is not only getting old, it is dangerous. The story is here. As I have previously pointed out, this kind of thing has happened before in the U.S. Armed Forces. I am getting tired of Fox News telling me who my enemies are. All the time. Non stop. I had no idea there were so many "thems" out there! Here is an intersting and thought-provoking article written by Paul C. Roberts entitled "The Evil Empire" which is worth a slow read. 
From the Salon web site on Friday of last week we learn that Fox News is playing to stereotype and openly calling for the screening of Muslims that have any position with America’s defense, especially those in uniform. This of course follows the tragedy of last week at Fort Hood involving an American born officer who is a Muslim allegedly killing or wounding several dozens fellow soldiers on what appears to be a "religious conviction" motivation for his alleged behavior.
Although I do not necessarily agree with a lot of what is said here, it seems crystal clear in its more-than-obvious declaration that participative government is dead for the average citizen. That is not good for veterans. Without participative government we sacrificed for nothing.
Moving into our perusal of today’s New York Times we can start to inform ourselves about the state of our nation.
Here is news that veterans need to consider in order to be informed citizens.
The official unemployment rate has now hit 10.2% which is the highest level of joblessness since 1982. However, a broader reading of that figure means that actual unemployment is about at 17.5% of the working population. This is obviously not good for the nation’s economic health. Can we afford to wage these wars given this figure? That story is here.
Here is a related story that targets and discusses the greatest growing threat of unemployment since the Great Depression.
Here is a story that discusses how the huge job loss situation in the U.S. affects the financial markets and therefore the value of our economy as a whole.
In this story, typical Afghan citizens say that they do not want more U.S. troops on their territory.
In this story, Gordon Brown the Prime Minister of Great Britain warns President Karzai of Afghanistan that unless he immediately stems corruption in his government, he will lose any hope of continued British support for his regime.
In this story, investigators are still struggling to determine the motivation behind the alleged killer of the Fort Hood soldiers, Major Hasan M.D.
In this story, Muslims in the community surrounding Fort Hood are voicing concern that they will now be seen as dangerous radicals and insurgents due to the alleged actions of Major/Doctor Hasan.
In this editorial the New York Times discusses ethinic hatred and religious bigotry in the wake of Major Hasan’s alleged assualt on fellow soldiers. I think this is a very important read for American veterans.
In this Op Ed piece by Bob Herbert, he discusses the enormous stress that continued deployments to combat zones places on troopers. He touches on the responsibilities of those of us who are not being deployed relative to these people in uniform who are under this incredible strain.
Here is a salient quote from that Op Ed piece:
"The fallout from the mental health challenges facing America’s fighting men and women is vast, and it descends most immediately on close relatives. We have laid an unconscionably heavy burden on the volunteers and their families. The wives, husbands, children and parents bleed emotionally right along with those who are sent into the war zones.
This small sliver of the overall U.S. population has carried the burden of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, mostly without complaint, for years. It’s time to reassess what we’re doing to them."
In this Op Ed piece by Charles Blow, the problem of joblessness is laid directly at the feet of President Obama. It is his watch now.
Here is an Op Ed piece by Viet Nam veteran and former Senator Max Cleland called "The Forever War of the Mind". It is powerful. I am sure so many veterans can relate to this.
And finally, as if older veterans did not have enough problems, here is a story from CNN News that outlines a condition in people over fifty. If they have sex, they can lose short term memory. Great. Just what I wanted to know! I can sex my way into dementia!
So to wrap things up, here is today’s quote from On This Day section of the New York Times:
"On Nov. 7, 1917, Russia’s Bolshevik Revolution took place as forces led by Vladimir Ilyich Lenin overthrew the provisional government of Alexander Kerensky" Hmmmm! I wonder if…. Never mind…I don’t want to go there….. CWO3 Tom Barnes, USCG (Ret.)
With the Israeli’s at Fox spying on us at every single Muslim in the US an armed terrorist, I think we should just give up.
It makes me want to cry for america like a rodeo clown or drugged out fatass.
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Just got out of the Wright-Patt Hospital for a false alarm heart attack and ruling out reaction to N1H1 flu shot when this hit.
Sure as hell gave me second and third thoughts, and I’m not a Muslim. However, I am a Retired Major who has opposed the war(s) from get go, not really for any moral, ethical, or religious reasons, but simply because the American people have never been committed to being part of well THE WARS!!!
That said, my last experience with the Air Force at least was one where I had to call a Medical doctor (could care less what rank she was they don’t give a crap about mine), a head nurse (civilian contract), and a Airman tech on the carpet for being incompetent, violating two patients rights, dignity, and privacy so on and os forth. Heck, that was an Air Force Hospital that rarely see an Army or Marine combat Vet. (That’s another beef I have with the war(s) the lack of shared sacrifice even between the services).
When this story broke, my first response was Oh, Shit I should have kept my mouth shut or they’ll put me in the luny bin just to shut me up.
Now all I see is the spin being place on it by the media and damage control instead of getting at the heart of the problem. What could have been done to prevent such an incident of more importantly what can be done in the future?
Thus far, what I read continues to point towards the Major being right in his assessment about the war(s) being Christian CRUSADES, but extremely wrong in his approach to it. There is Courage to Resist, quite a few enlisted people and a few officers have dones so knowing the war(s) are CRUSADES against Islam (with Muslin taking the place of Communists), however none of them open fire on any military base to prove their point they simply QUIT with many paying the price.
The latest I saw from AP the chief instigator that most mainstream media follows is biased, one-sided, and inflamatory against Muslims in the service period:
Some saw trouble ahead with Fort Hood shooter
I’m just gonna point out the parts that bother me from a WO this needs more clarificaton stand point!!!
In retrospect, the signs of Dr. Nidal Malik Hasan’s growing anger over the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan seem unmistakable.
– people who worried his increasingly strident views were clouding his ability to serve the U.S. military
What the hell does strident views mean? Was he a Muslim extremists or not? Or simply an officer (Mustang at that like me) who did not believe in what he was fighting for. As most will say, this does not and should not let him off the hook for murder no more than a Christian Lieutenant, Captain or Major going into an Iraqi or Afghan village and ordering a massacre should god forbid that ever occur again. (VT. Ed)
- Dr. Hasan raised eyebrows with comments that the war on terror was "a war on Islam" and wrestled with what to tell fellow Muslim solders who had their doubts about fighting in Islamic countries.
Note: It is now the Obama administration, and Obama’s Pentagon or I think so for even that is doubtful given it is run by Bush holdovers, including Generals and Admirals. Let’s see the Pentagon’s reaction to an Executive Order from the President allowing the mainstream media access to how our troops train to fight Muslim extremists.
Point is: IS THE WAR ON TERROR A WAR ON ISLAM OR MUSLIM EXTREMISTS? Either way folks it IS A WAR ON ISLAM regardless what positive spin President Obama places on it.
That is the first investigative question being conveniently ignored.
Wait there’s more, check out the line of questioning and responses the reporter gets or frames to direct the story instead of report it. Major Hanafin. "The system is not doing what it’s supposed to do," said Dr. Val Finnell, who complained to administrators at a military university about what he considered Dr. Hasan’s "anti-American" rants. "He at least should have been confronted about these beliefs, told to cease and desist, and to shape up or ship out."
What is missing here? What follow up questions or additional information should the reporter have gotten?
1. Dr. Finnell is evidently military, so what rank is he, how many other military physicians not born in America feel the same way (keep in mind the vast majority of professional medical personnel in America (a) would never join the military unless they had not other recourse to and education, and (b) even within our Armed Forces their is a significant number of foreign born doctors. If any doctor regardless if he or she is treating heart patients, cancer patients, or PTSD patients really felt as Dr. Finnel does? AP uses one example of one super patriotic physcian to make a point and what is their point?
2. Anti-American rants? If I were the investigative reporter I would have asked Captain or Major Finnell exactly what did he mean by "anti-American" rants, was Dr. Hasan not commissioned as an American? That said, Dr. Finnell may have been onto something despite his professional ethnocentrism (for those of you with a GED like me ethnocentrism is a belief that your ethnic group, culture, society, or religion is superior to others put another way – YOU ARE AN ARROGANT SOB!).
However, regardless what one thinks of how Officer Finnell’s views are projected by the media, he does bring up a very valid point: Why didn’t military authorities do anything to discipline Dr. Hasan early on such as a reprimand, court marshal, allow him to resign his commission, what have you? Sure beats having a Conscientious Objector go on a shooting rampage! That said, why didn’t Dr. Hasan file an official CO application even if it would have been disapproved. Word to the wise if you truly feel the way Dr. Hasan feels about the wars by all means fill out a CO application and find some way to pay your tuition back. Don’t let your ethical, spiritual, and moral feelings go the other other way. Major Hanafin.
Rank unknown Dr. Finnell testifies that Dr. Hasan persistently complained about perceived anti-Muslim sentiment in the military and injected his politics into courses where they had no place.
Note two buzz words here used by the Neocon to shut down debate or even discussion of personal views on the war(s).
1. Is there perceived anti-Muslim sentiment in the military due to the way in which our troops are trained to well kill mostly Muslim extremists with of course collateral damage to well, Islam or is there no shit anti-Muslim views within our military? Put another way I would have asked Dr. Finnel exactly what do you mean by perceived? Is that your perception Dr. Finnell and what is that perception based on reality or what Dr. Hasan has said.
2. The other buzz word is "his or her politics." Think on it. Anything a Neocon or someone who thinks anywhere near that extreme point of view allows discussion on the war(s) as long as it is postive it is PATRIOTIC. However, the very minutes ANYONE (Muslin, Christian, Jew, Hindu, Buddhist, Aethist) questions the war(s) it’s politics. The buzz word used in VA Hospitals and of course on military bases to stiffle any NEOCON dissent was to point at someone and say "don’t talk politics unless there is a clear patriotic, nationalistic, thing to say." "In retrospect, I’m not surprised he did it," Finnell said of the shootings. "I had real questions about what his priorities were, what his beliefs were."
Hold the phone, Dr. Finnel exactly what are your political and religious beliefs, we believe Dr. Hasan took both his relgious and political beliefs to the extremes, but doe that mean you can’t take yours? Well, since we are no shit on a CRUSADE in which we are afraid to implement the draft – hum.
- numerous church services honoring the victims were planned both on the post and in neighboring Killeen.
We hope and pray that the Christian ministers do several things to deflat this situation (1) bring in Muslim clergy who are not extremists to balance any real anti-Muslim sentiment in the communities around any military base. (2) Christian clergy ask their congregations to pray for those killed, but also for those within the military who question what they are doing to make the God given right decision and murder is not the answer.
A government official speaking on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to discuss the case said an initial review of Hasan’s computer use has found no evidence of links to terror groups, or anyone who might have helped plan or push him toward the shooting attack. The review of Hasan’s computer is continuing and more evidence could emerge, the source said.
Put another way, if nothing else is found on his computer nor nothing substantial connecting him to blog posts he allegedly might have made, Dr. Hasan is simply Dr. Timothy McVeigh Hasan. Thus, where do we go from here in screening out other potential Timothy McVeighs in the Armed Forces regardless of their religion.
– A picture has emerged of a man who was forcefully opposed to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, was trying to elude his pending deployment to Afghanistan and had struggled professionally in his work as an Army psychiatrist.
Question needed immediate follow up given the pressure being placed on President Barack Obama to send more cannon fodder to Afghanistan:
How many men and women in our Armed Forces today regardless of religion, political views, service, and so on oppose the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and to what degree? Meaning there are troops who are smart enough to question their purpose in life and goals in Iraq or Afghanistan but also strongly desire a military career (hell I’ve been in their shoes ala Vietnam so I know). They will most likely lay low on their views or be shut down by the right-wing buss words "don’t talk politics."
"I told him, `There’s something wrong with you,’" Osman Danquah, co-founder of the Islamic Community of Greater Killeen, told The Associated Press on Saturday. "I didn’t get the feeling he was talking for himself, but something just didn’t seem right."
Danquah assumed the military’s chain of command knew about Hasan’s doubts, which had been known for more than a year to classmates at the Maryland graduate military medical program. His fellow students complained to the faculty about Hasan’s "anti-American propaganda," but said a fear of appearing discriminatory against a Muslim student kept officers from filing a formal complaint.
- OK, I’ve about had it. AP uses the example of one nationalistic doctor to make a case for most or all physcians at the graduate military medical program complaining to the faculty about Dr. Hasan’s "anti-American" propaganda.
I’m an investigative reporter from Missouri, SHOW ME, exactly how many classmates felt this way about Dr. Hasan? How come their concerns were not documented? It is AP’s journalistic responsibility to prove the contention by providing names of other doctors who did not like Dr. Hasan’s politics or was it his religion they had a problem with?
Might want to screen the pentagon also for dual national Israelis. Dov Zakheim made off with three trillion dollars of pentagon money.
http://www.rense.com/general75/latest.htm
Fox is not allowed to talk much about this however I don’t think but I am not really sure I don’t watch TV any more unless there is a good football game on.
As a matter of fact we don’t know the names of the Israeli art students, the five dancers near the trade center, the pilots who tried to sink the USS Liberty, the name of the guy on the grassy knoll,the names of the guys driving the Israeli moving vans. the names of the other tow shooters at Fort Hood. We don’t know the names of any of these people do we.
Fox has trouble pronouncing anyone’s name unless he is a Muslim, then we find out pronto don’t we?
http://wwwcampfire.blogspot.com/
The darkness is vast and the campfire is small