Not asking…

Technorati Tags: Merrill McPeak,New York Times,Don't Ask Don't Tell

Today’s question, Dear Gentle Reader(s), is why doesn’t anyone from the cadre of supporters of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” bother asking a basic question.

For example, in today’s The New York Times, one Merrill A. McPeak pens a few thoughts under the headline “Don’t Change ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’”  The former Air Force Chief of Staff rests his case on this sentence:

Seventeen years ago, the chiefs — all four of us, plus the chairman and vice chairman — concluded that allowing open homosexuality in the ranks would probably damage the cohesiveness of our combat units.

Then he proceeds to argue against several other elements in the current discussion—rights, costs, etc.

What he doesn’t do is offer any evidence to bolster his “probably damage cohesiveness” statement.

As a matter of fact, his only other approach to this issue is found in the opening of the third subsequent paragraph,

Perhaps young American men and women will fight better when openly gay soldiers are included in the ranks, though I’ve heard no one make this claim.

McPeak should ask why no one makes this claim.  Perhaps it’s because the answer is self-evident based on the experiences of three of our most steadfast allies, Canada, Israel, and the United Kingdom, all of which have no policies which discriminate against sexual orientation in their armed forces.

McPeak uses probably and perhaps, but not whether.  He ought to ask whether unit cohesion would be damaged or not.  So far our allies haven’t halted their programs; that ought to indicate a bit of evidence.

The answer is there, General.  But you have to ask the question—if you’re truly interested.

Trust, but verify.

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Quo Vadis, Washington Post?

Technorati Tags: Washington Post,John Yoo,Jay Bybee,torture

The Washington Post has come under fire lately for taking on a bit of a rightward bias on its editorial pages.  In an on-line, unsigned editorial one might find some fairly damning evidence to support that charge.  In it, the Post defends the recent decision of the Office of Professional Responsibility in the Justice Department to say “tsk-tsk” to the Yoo, Bybee infamous torture memos.

“No punishment for torture memos' authors, but no exoneration, either” might sound well-reasoned, for a short piece, in the mind of a neo-con or tea bagging partisan, but it ought to raise an eyebrow or two with almost everyone else.

You might, Dear Gentle Reader(s), read the editorial for yourself.  I just want to quote from the final sentence in which the WaPo writer stated these “…lawyers provided cover for reprehensible and abusive techniques that stained the country's reputation and diminished its moral standing in the world.”

The Nuremberg trials settled what should be done to such lawyers under those circumstances, didn’t it?  Perhaps not, suggests this editorial.

Should we follow the lead of The Washington Post in this case?

Trust, but verify.

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More than combat

Technorati Tags: Centcom

Centcom, Dear Gentle Reader(s), does more than engage with enemy combatants.  It also assists other governments in quite esoteric assignments.

Recently a Navy dive team was sent to Lebanon to assist in recovering the wreckage of an Ethiopian air liner which crashed recently.

Read about it here.

Support the troops everywhere.

Trust, but verify.

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Gates in Paris—Iran nukes

Technorati Tags: Centcom,Secretary Gates,Iran nukes,The Daily Beast,Reza Aslan

Centcom reports on Defense Secretary’s trip to Paris where he continues to raise warnings over Iran’s nuclear research activities.  His trip has been pretty much under the MSM radar, although some mention can be found on the blogosphere.  Our problem, Dear Gentle Reader(s), is trying to ferret out the relevant info.

Centcom quotes Gates: “I think that everybody’s interest is in seeing this issue resolve without resorting to conflict. But it makes it all the more important. We have to face the reality that if Iran continues and develops nuclear weapons it almost certainly will provoke proliferation in the Middle East. That’s a huge danger.”

It certainly is.

The question remains, how do we address the problem?

Trust, but verify.

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Uh Oh

Technorati Tags: Iran nukes,Secratary Gates,Turkey

Alas, Dear Gentle Reader(s), the Iranian nuclear situation is raising its very ugly head in new quarters; that is discomfiting.

The US Centcom website reports on a recent meeting with Defense Secretary Gates and the Turkish Chief of General Staff in which Gates raises the issue of Iranian intransigency on curbing their nuclear ambitions.  Gates warns, “Iran is in violation of the nuclear nonproliferation treaty, and I think there is a very great worry that if Iran … proceeds with this program unconstrained, there is a very real danger of proliferation here in the region that would make it even more unstable and more unsafe for everyone."  He adds, “the response [of other governments] has been quite disappointing [to Obama administration warnings].”

Turkey is our linchpin ally in the area. 

Be alert.  Be informed.

Trust, but verify.

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Monetize?

Ah, Dear Gentle Reader(s), the foray into commercialization was short.
The blogger.com folks, ever eager to improve their product, make it easy to add ads (!) to your blog.  Simply click the "Monetize" button in the settings section.  So, why not try it?  Pick up a few sheckles along the way towards universal education and edification.
Then one looks at the ads by Google.
Eeek!  In a blog about reforming Islam there appear ads inviting you, DGR(s), to visit websites of what appears to be Christianist churches!
Oh, dear.
The good folk at blogger, though, makes it just as easy to unMonetize, with another click of the button.
Ads gone.
The world is safe.
Trust, but verify.

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It’s a slow start, but…

Technorati Tags: The Daily Beast,Leslie Gelb,Muslim Public Affairs Council of L.A.,Religion & Ethics Newsleekly,Religious Extremists

There is finally public movement towards engaging the moderate Muslim community in the struggle against Islamic extremists. 

Over at The Daily Beast, Leslie H. Gelb has an excellent commentary, “Only Muslims Can Stop Muslim Terror.”

And there’s also this Religion and Ethics Newsweekly website which contains a partial transcript from one of their sessions with one Salam Al-Marayati, executive director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council in Los Angeles.

Here are some quotes from the discussion between Bob Abernethy and Mr. Al-Marayati:

AL-MARAYATI: There’s a rise of the mob mentality. You read the comments on a number of stories, you get the emails, you get the phone calls, and I feel, unfortunately, that the level of hostility against Islam and Muslims is at an all-time high, and I’m very concerned.

ABERNETHY: Many Americans think that Muslims leaders in this country and in the Middle East should be doing a lot more to combat and condemn the interpretation of Islam that is so popular among many young radical extremists. Do you agree with that?

AL-MARAYATI: Well, I think that we as Muslims have done a lot in terms of the message against extremism. Our problem is that we have not been able to develop an effective way to get the message out. We don’t have the capacity in terms of public relations, if you will, in terms of making our message of moderation more newsworthy than the sensationalist message of extremism.

ABERNETHY: Do you think there is a role for the Unites States government in combating the ideology of radical Islam?

AL-MARAYATI: The Unites States government will not be able to defeat ideology of radicalism. It needs the Muslim American community in partnership, for those people unfortunately who are being recruited by extremists, they don’t regard the United States government as an authority, but they regard Muslim leaders as authorities. So it is our task, Muslims, who will help win the victory against radicalism and extremism.

It would’ve been nice if the Muslim Public Affairs Council in L.A. had been more forthcoming with their efforts.  But now that the information is in the open, it’s time for all of us to assist them as much as we are able.

(And, yes, we can continue to fight our own extremists in Judaic and Christian theology.)

We cannot win this war against religious fundamental extremists without the help of moderates.

Trust, but verify.

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