Afghanistan Quran Violence: Strategic Incompetence, Criminal Stupidity
Quran burning: enough ignorance and stupidity to go all around. But we should expect more from Obama and his generals than from extremists who believe their religion that can only be maintained through violence and death
I wrote extensively about this and how it relates to Die By Wire several weeks ago in a post: Is Islam Evil?
AND NOW, QURAN VIOLENCE IN AFGHANISTAN
A religion that can only be sustained by coercion can’t truly be considered religion because it lacks faith in faith. The violence in Afghanistan over the burning of Qurans raises the issue anew.
But more than the irrationality of unenlightened Islamists eager to kill over insults to Islam, the situation raises the issue of criminal negligence and strategic incompetence among those charged with running the war.
TONE DEAFNESS IN AFGHANISTAN
As I’ve written extensively in Die By Wire, the totally irrational, berserk, knee-jerk violence of too many Muslims is really no different from Christianity of 500 or a thousand years ago or of Judaism from even earlier days.
That, of course, does not excuse the theological tone-deafness behind the burning of the Quran in Afghanistan. The killing aand rioting were absolutely predictable. Absolutely.
The burning reflected an inexcusable tone deafness in a strategic situation that requires perfect pitch. Face it, Islamic extremists — which includes most of Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and a lot of other countries — are like old nitroglycerine — ready to explode at the slightest touch (or for no good reason at all).
From long experience, the U.S. military knows that fact. And if you are fighting a war surrounded by legions of old nitro, you have to be aware and careful or something blows. But the military has failed to hammer that fact into EVERY service member. That is criminal negligence. And lethal.
IRRATIONALITY IS REALITY OUTSIDE THE WIRE
To Americans raised in an atmosphere of religious tolerance and a respect for free speech, violence in the name of offensive cartoons or errors in handling religious texts is irrational.
Yes, it IS irrational. But is IS reality on the ground. Just because some people choose to live in an insane parallel universe doesn’t mean they can’t reach out and kill you.
CRIMINAL NEGLIGENCE WORTHY OF COURT MARTIAL
That is why the Quran burnings reflect a failing of U.SA. policy and training at the highest levels including the White House.
- Criminal negligence.
- Dereliction of duty.
- Incompetence that gets people killed.
- An own goal.
- Fraticide.
NOT KNOWING YOUR ENEMY IS CRIMINALLY STUPID
After a decade of war in Afghanistan, the U.S. military still does not know its enemy. People are dying as a result. What’s more, failing to recognize that — at every level — failing to incorporate hair-trigger religious irrationality into military training and strategy is nothing less than criminal negligence that should be prosecuted.
Failing to work with the irrational reality on the ground should mean the loss of stars for the generals in charge. If you are going to war in an irrational environment, only the criminally stupid fail to take account of every factor that affects victory and the safety of your troops.
And a skeptical look at the Commander In Chief’s competency to oversee the military. As much as President Obama like to try and blame others for his shortcomings, he IS he Commander In Chief and the buck stops with him.
Forget about the debate over whether he should have apologized. The situation NEVER would have happened if the war had been prosecuted with all the important strategic factors in mind.
Multiple butts need to be nailed to multiple trees for this remarkably stupid, incompetent, negligent lapse of judgment.
THE PLIGHT OF ENLIGHTENED MUSLIMS
Yes, enlightened Muslims exist. I have several as friends Sadly, their voices are drowned out by the violence and coercion of evil Islamists willing to kill, rape, mutilate, burn and loot rational believers. The enlightened are terrified to speak out because their voices are quickly silenced. Death threats come instantly even for those who dare to suggest that every word in the Quran is not the perfect, inerrant word of God. But, then, such was the case for Christians centuries back when Christianity was an awkward adolescent.
Fear backed by violence, death and instant retribution can silence good people and allow evil to prevail.
