Some thoughts, while our hearts bleed:
1) The international terrorist conspiracy doesn't issue membership cards, and you don't have to fill out an application to join. All you have to do is be willing to kill the infidel...that would be us.
2) Yes, the shooter was "crazy," but let's be honest here...in a war that encourages young women to strap on suicide vests and kill civilian children, then calls those sad women "soldiers," crazy has lost a lot of its original meaning.
3) As noted by Tam this AM, "The cherry on the icing of the cake of the night was the mealy-mouthed General Cone simpering from the lectern about 'We don't go armed around here, this is our home,' which caused me to look at the loaded pistol on the nightstand in bafflement." The military elected to disarm a roomful of shooters, the best of us — how'd that work out? Gun-free zones kill people!
4) Never, never, never forget that your safety is on you and you alone, every day, every moment of the day, in your workplace, in your home, in the places you think are the safest. And never, never. never forget that the enemy is among us.
RE: #3
ReplyDeleteLet's drop the whole argument about CCW on Mil Bases. A Mil base is NOT, repeat, NOT the same place as your average McDs or public park. The general Population is primarily soldiers and as such, there are inherently issues with many, young, stressed men and women in close quarters. You don't read about it often but the incidents of suicide and shootings that are mil related (buddy finds wife cheating, guys dislikes his CO etc etc) are higher than people realize. Opening the flood gates to weapons on base would only increase these occurrences. Heck, look at the last episode of Band of Brothers. Winters SPECIFICALLY comments on issues related to bored soldiers with weapons. While many argue otherwise, the Commanders of bases aren't incompetent. They know the statistics on young soldiers (see motorcycles) and command structure. Sure, CCW people may have reduced casualties or even prevented it but is that worth increasing the rate of other types of tragedies on base? Never forget that the military is NOT the public sector and the soldiers are NOT civilians. Different rules apply on many fronts.
Let's not also loose sight of the fact that there are many Muslim Soldiers honorably serving the US in uniform. A personal friend saves soldiers lives all the time as a surgeon on her 3rd tour.
You want to discredit your blog with ignorant generalizations. Fine. In this case the bad guy was a crazy Muslim but frankly I think he had issues period and just used the Islam as some lame motivation. You could look at the anti-gov guy in PA who shot up those cops with the AK. There are lots of pretty anti-gov people out there (and on this blog) who don't go off the deep end. That's because they're still grounded in reality. That PA guy? He had issues BEYOND normal and his "religion" was an easy path to take it to the next, horrible level. The same can be said for extreme Right-To-Lifers, Eco-Terrorists etc etc.
Let's not discredit the pro-2nd amendment movement with Jingoistic crap. Yeah there are a lot of bad guys out there who are Muslim just as there were bad Germans in WW2 but EVERYONE was not evil.
Be very careful not to lump several issues into one. If one of your "issues" has a lot of holes in it you can sink the ship (Gun Rights).
I drive 50 miles one way to work on a military base, and I'm forced to go to and from work unarmed because of this lame base firearm restriction. They won't even let me keep it unloaded in a locked car!
ReplyDeleteJust dumb policy.
"Sure, CCW people may have reduced casualties or even prevented it.."
ReplyDeleteBINGO!
"but is that worth increasing the rate of other types of tragedies on base?"
Followed up by the absolute stupidest comment I ever heard.
Talk about projection Anonymous. Where did Michael Bane write that all Muslims are terrorists? Hint: No where.
ReplyDeleteWhere are the generalizations?
Not to be found.
Where is the "Jingoistic(Do you even know what the word means?) crap"?
Not any I can see
(Hint: If Michael had said that we should nuke Mecca in revenge, that would be "Jingoistic crap")
Correctly pointing out that the enemy is among us should be blatantly obvious. Or did you miss that event that happened in September 8 years ago.
Trying to go lalalala and pretend that there is not a problem with Islamic extremism is nonsensical
Puzzling, no? We sleep soundly in our beds because of young men and women who fight, and often die, in our behalf. But when they come home they're nothing but a bunch of brutal, thuggish children who need to be maintained like a pack of fighting dogs?
ReplyDeleteNot buying it, Mr. Anonymous.
Also, I just checked my post a, darn, I was right! I never said a single thing about Islam. That's because I have the utmost respect for Islam...studied it in college and was draw to its powerful messages. As I have stated before quite publicly — and I never, ever speak or write anonymously — when I spoke the eulogy at my father's funeral — one of the most heart-rending moments of my life — I chose to speak the words of the Prophet, because I believe they are among the most beautiful expressions of life and death ever written. And as I said in this week's podcast, I abhor objectification/generalizations of people for whatever reason, including religion. Guess you missed that, huh?
But the fact remains that we are at war with a worldwide terrorist movement that claims for itself the most radical elements of the religion. That is truth. And it is truth that the enemy is indeed among us...even near my home in Colorado a jihadist plot is uncovered. Read Victor Davis Hanson's excellent article here:
http://www.victorhanson.com/articles/hanson110609.html
You owe me an apology, brother. And when you write that apology, put your name on it.
mb
Geez and there's this.
ReplyDelete"" And never, never. never forget that the enemy is among us."
is what Hitler spewed re: non-aryans."
Bullshit. Again, where has Michael said that all Muslims are terrorists or should all be rounded up and dealt with? You know, the kind of thing Hitler actually did.
All this does is diminish the sheer horror of Hitler's actions.
You are projecting a lot of things onto Michael's post he neither wrote nor implied. Do you have a PhD in mind reading?
Ever notice that the liberal snipers that see racism under every rock all have the same name, Anonymous.
ReplyDeleteThere is a reason for this.
They know that they are spout BS and they are ashamed to have their real name associated with such stupidity.
Thomas C. Bogan
Laconia NH
a related blogpost by Neptunus Lex had this in comments
ReplyDelete"...By my estimate, since 2001 we’ve lost over a hundred soldiers, and likely many hundreds more, to Islamic traitors. Help me name them all (I stink at names).
Start with Ali Mohamed, the Egyptian trained at Fort Bragg.
The Marine from Lebanon who invented his own kidnapping to escape his HET team in the field, was recaptured, and who fled the country when allowed out of brig in Christmas charity.
Perfidious interpreters such as some I knew of can be added to the list, if they were American citizens.
The soldier who rolled the grenade in Kuwait.
The soldier recently convicted of years of rapes.
The Beltway Sniper, trained in the Army.
Jihad Johnny, who knew the attack was coming, had multiple opportunities to tell his American captors, and chose Islam instead.
How about that OS who changed his name to Jihad (hey DivO, think that’s a clue to something?) and tried to pass location data on Lex’s battle group to the muj?"
I quit reading Anonymous' drivel when I saw he could not spell "lose".
ReplyDeleteI'll have to disagree with Tam and her comment about "the best of the best". The standards and requirements for military duty have declined steadily in the last 30 years! For many the military is the last chance for any type of career or education. Sorry if I offend anyone but that is the truth plain and simple! Even a lot of the officers would have a hard time competing in today's business world, I see it every day! The military is creating "Technicians" who can only do one thing well and are not adaptable! When these limitations are pushed things go wrong! I know of many young men and women who recently left the service and are having no luck in finding a career let alone a job!
ReplyDeleteMB - Maybe it's time to tweak your "comments" options to exclude the anonymous choice. At least then people such as me, who wish to go with a pseudonym, will still have to pick some kind of identifying moniker.
ReplyDeleteThe way it is now, some "anons" make good sense, while others spout rot. Hard to tell 'em apart.
Michael, here's a link to an interview with your friend and mine firearms instructor Karl Rehn with his thoughts about the Fort Hood shootings. A very good read:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.battleswarmblog.com/?p=64
"Geez and there's this.
ReplyDelete' And never, never. neverforget that the enemy is among us.
is what Hitler spewed re: non-aryans.'
Bullshit. Again, where has Michael said that all Muslims are terrorists or should all be rounded up and dealt with? You know, the kind of thing Hitler actually did.
All this does is diminish the sheer horror of Hitler's actions.
You are projecting a lot of things onto Michael's post he neither wrote nor implied. Do you have a PhD in mind reading?
2:30 PM
Yosemite Sam, good comment. Anonymous may have a PhD in mindreading, (he should say where he got it, a lot of wives would make their husbands sign up for a degree there), but what he really needs is a PhD in reading comprehension.
And, aren't the first two lines you quote a violation of Godwin's Law in the First Degree? Anonymous's purpose making the quote is to insinuate that in a situation where the enemies are mixed in, particularly with non-combatants, that anyone who points out that fact is ipso facto Adolf Hitler. Just because Hitler may have once said, in response to observing water falling out of the sky, "it is raining now," doesn't make anyone who says that a Nazi. One might as well conclude that since Adolf Hitler was a vegetarian, all vegetarians are Nazis.
-- Windy Wilson
Not completely anonymous; I sign all my Internet comments this way. I'm sure it puts me on a list somewhere.