Criminal Behavior?
A US Army staff sergeant serving in Iraq used a Quran for target practice. My first reaction is, "So what? It's a friggin' book." But, of course, because of the stupidity and senselessness of religion, this harmless little act has huge consequences. Perhaps the biggest, from the government's point of view, is that it jeopardizes the US military's relationship with the Sunni militiamen they've been supporting. As such, the commanding general of US forces in Baghdad issued a public apology, where this bit of stupidity issued from his larynx:
"The actions of one soldier were nothing more than criminal behavior," Hammond said. "I've come to this land to protect you, to support you -- not to harm you -- and the behavior of this soldier was nothing short of wrong and unacceptable."No, no and no. It was not criminal behavior, it was not wrong and it was not unacceptable. The Quran is a book. Nothing more, nothing less. Just because a bunch of delusional idiots want to kill each other over this particular book doesn't make it any more special than a phone book or the latest Harry Potter. What's really outrageous is that an American would call this act criminal. What was it Bush was saying in his speech to the Israeli parliament? Something about appeasement? If this isn't appeasement, I don't know what is. I can understand the need to soothe hurt feelings and try to keep a fragile relationship from falling to pieces. But to call this act criminal is beyond common sense. There's absolutely nothing criminal about shooting a book. Many Muslims may believe it to be so and it probably is enshrined in law in many Muslim countries. But America has long stood against human rights violations, no matter where they may be legal. And since America is supposedly in Iraq to fight for freedom, I don't see how agreeing that this is criminal behavior furthers that cause. From what, exactly, did we liberate the Iraqi people? It seems the West is always kowtowing to religious sensitivities, but especially so to Muslims. The general says he didn't go to Iraq to harm the Iraqi people. But instead of apologizing for the deaths of countless thousands of faceless civilians and for bringing death and destruction to Iraq much greater than that ever wrought by Saddam Hussein, he stands up and apologizes for the shooting of a book. I've seen a lot of stupidity over the past several years, but this by far takes the cake. It's not just stupid, it's disgraceful. Fortunately, the shooter is doubly lucky -- he's not being charged with any offense and he has been shipped out of Iraq. Perhaps other soldiers should take note. If you're tired of getting shot at, grab a Quran and riddle it full of bullet holes. Looks like that will get you on the next plane home.