Two words, political correctness.
They have literally transformed America into a bunch of gutless wonders. Well said PRCS.

Casey's dismissal will NOT happen. Not under Obama's reign. Casey is one of those (thankfully) few creatures that inflict themselves on all military establishments, more or less. He is of the kind that will prostitute their uniform and all the values and traditions that it represents to curry favor from the current civilian masters. Thus, he enhances his career. This is the kind of military lapdog that liberals seek. Casey thus follows in the tradition of Shelton, McPeak and Wesley Clark before him.

Such 'diversity' programs, and the thinking that drives them, is are not the creations of Casey alone.

They come from even higher than Casey. They have been developed by presidential administrations, Secretary's of Defense, and Joint Chief's of Staff over the years.

Casey, like a good soldier, has taken his orders and carried them out without--I submit--neither the slightest idea what Islam is nor what it teaches.

His two sins are his slavish devotion to diversity--with its now obvious consequences, and even worse, his failure (and that of our politicians, journalists, police agencies, and military leaders) to take the time to learn--now eight years since 9/11--to learn why and how Islam is antithetical to democracy and why it is absolutely incompatible with the constitution to which he has sworn to support and defend.

No devout Muslim can swear allegience to a man-made government, and I suspect that Casey (and a great many other upper echelon leaders in all branches of the service) are likely getting very acquainted with Islam right now--will discover that.

They had damned well better.

Diversity is great, and I love to see it in the Army. But in a military force, 'diversity' means that IF a person, regardless of ethnicity, obeys all Army rules and regulations, and IF that person accedes to Army standards and values, and IF that person has proven to be a reliable asset rather than a unreliable quantity, that person can be a soldier.

Diversity, in any given instance, is constrained by the operational requirement of the Army to maintain a cohesive, effective fighting force.

When somebody who refuses to adopt the Army's values, the needs of 'diversity' CANNOT be allowed to trump the need to maintain an effective fighting force.

That appears to be what happened in this instance. If GEN Casey is defending a skewed ideal of diversity which reduces the Army's ability to fight and win our nation's wars, then he is utterly wrong.

The reader will have to decide for himself whether General Casey was doing that.

Personally, I would have thought it more appropriate for GEN Casey to point out that the Army remains committed to diversity that strengthens the Army, and that the Army will no longer risk allowing a misguided ideal of diversity to place soldiers and the mission at risk.

First speech the President made I didn't wanna puke. The left is gonna hate him, and that's a measure that what he's planning is correct. I think he did what he had to do.

I hope General Casey will clarify his statements, and avoid using loaded words. While the words seem identical, if he'd used the words "a diverse military makeup," and if he would have avoided the cringe-worthy word "diversity," he would have not had the criticism.

But to reiterate a point I've made several times, he should have kept his points simpler:

"We'll find out what's wrong and we'll fix it."

Something like Tommy Franks might've said.


Meanwhile, I hope General McChrystal got what he wanted, in the right measures, and that the logistical aspects are not unsurmountable. Hard to supply that region, particularly with the issues surrounding Krgystan, Russia and the base.

On this issue, I've got nothing further to say.
God Bless our troops, and keep them safe.

Congratulations! I honor your service.

I also don't want to see our troops become entangled in PC crap. You mean you don't have an honor code, a set of codes involving dereliction of duty, fraternizing with the enemy, collaborating with the enemy?

Right now, we have a _resident who thinks terrorists are criminals, not terrorists. He cannot name the enemy. Moreover, he WILL not name the enemy. Right now, the enemy is radical Islam. They have declared war upon us, and we have retreated to the concept of a police action.

Perhaps the news conference will bring us a different distinction, and the _resident will suddenly morph into the President (until it turns midnight, when his cdarriage will turn back into pumpkins, and his colleagues will turn back into mice.)

I did type in Gates instead of Casey. And I don't have a problem with Secretary Rumsfeld, nor with his strategy, either. He was great at setting up a battle plan and executing it. He hoped our success would encourage Iraqis to pursue freedom, and he wanted to avoid the perception of our presence as just an occupation. It wasn't something that worked, in part because of Muqtada al Sadr and his Shiite followers, but also because of other factors beyond his control.

I am not a big critic of the military. Not at all. In fact, I don't want to see them put in a position where they cannot succeed, and where they are mistreated as a result of civilian decisions. We've seen that before, haven't we?

But General Casey needs to avoid words that are poison, like "diversity." In civilian life, that word represents a cheapening, disgusting, PC attempt at artificially enabling the weak so that quotas may be enforced. It's true in medical schools, and it's true in other fields.

As to diversity on the current topic, we do not need to see a Wahhabi Corp in our Armed Services.

Jim you dont make yourself clear at all.
Is there one case where a report of a Soldier was not passed up the chain because of political correctness?
What is the reporting chain that should have been followed? Who was the decision maker that didn't act? And what rule could have resulted in him being chaptered before his crime. Who knew what rules were broken and why didnt they act?

lets not act stupidly and jump to conclusions before ALL the facts are in and the investigation is complete.

I served from a PVT infantryman (11B) in 1983 to retired Major in 2009. All but 5 years I was at school were active duty.

Did people know hassan was an extremists? YES THEY knew. Did they know what to do about it and what regulations he should be put out of the Army under? If you know then please enlighten the rest of us cause I don't know. Be specific so we can all see the Chapter and verse of the rule book.

What about the SSG in my command that served faithfully in Kosovo and went on to serve three tours in Iraq one of them as a 1SG and then went on to be a SGM that was Muslim?

Should we allow acts of retribution against loyal Americans like him? He is the one Gen Casey was speaking of.

And before you call me a pencil pusher, you better have a hefty combat resume to back it up. If you really want to compare combat Convoys in places like Iraq (I did two tours), Kosovo (2000), and Bosnia (96), to include number of times I was under Direct Fire and the countless times under indirect fire not to mention numerous helicopter flights send an email to tinsldr2@yahoo.com and I can send you pics.

Yes at 45 on my last tour I was to old to be kicking in doors but where were you when the mortars were landing Jim?
I am not saying I was a hero, that was for the young men and women I work with, and they are heroes, but that includes them ALL of what ever diverse backgrounds they come from.

Jim the investigation Gen Casey instituted will determine who knew what when and then it will be his job to put in place policies to prevent it and make sure that when people like the scum hassan are identified they are dealt with.

Jim says docs and others were aware of hassans extremists beliefs. THen Jim "infers" that nothing was done out of political correctness. But is that really the case?

What mechanism was in place for them to report hassan and to whom should the report have went? What mechanism was there for removing him? If there were actions that could have been taken were the supervisors aware of those actions?

In the Army it is much harder to get rid of a substandard Soldeir then just saying "you are fired". When the poor performer is an officer especially a doc the problem of getting rid of them is compounded.

Chuck Rangel did not propose a draft to "put reisters and pacifists in the Army" he proposed a draft as a political stunt.

I have never supported a draft under peace time nor do I support one in our current conflict.

However, I spent two years in command of a Recruiting Company in SC (2001-2003). People join the Army for a lot of reasons and recruiters take all who are qualified and willing to serve whatever religion and background (there is that diversity thing again).

Then you mention Gen Gates but I think you must be refering to SECRETARY Gates? He is a Pres BUSH appointee, he is much better then Rumsfeld and the only one around the President that I like.

Diversity is not an end goal as you seem to believe. Gen Casey knows that pulling all Americans together, understanding what motivates all of us, and treating all American Soldiers with Dignity and respect makes us stronger not weaker. The end goal is a more efficient and effective Army.

And do you think the practice of fragging will be less likely because the Mooslum in Chief says we're supposed to ignore jihadist rhetoric? I would say that the practice will increase, if only in the interest of self preservation!

Especially when no one is allowed to say anything for fear of offending the poor Wahhabi who is openly stating his hatred for non-muslims.

Which pencil-pool did you say you were in?

BTW, in my earlier posts, I predicted that you would show up to lick some brass.

And I just wonder: do you know the difference between a typical Sunni and a Wahhabi? Does your idea of diversity include allowing Wahhabis to serve?

You apparently haven't read my posts very well: behavioral profiling is very different from racial or ethnic profiling.

It's pretty clear that there is a festering culture of CYA, where professionals aren't allowed to do their jobs, or to speak openly.

And do you think the CYA culture is protecting Mooslums in the military? That the PC/Diversity Agenda makes soldiers MORE trusting of their Mooslum comrades? Just the opposite! They are going to be less trusted,
knowing that the brass is gonna just call everything SNAFU.

Serious concerns and clear signs will be suppressed by soldiers, knowing that their reports will get squashed, shredded or ignored because some pencil@ick is afraid to pass unwanted information up the ladder. Do I make myself clear, Sir?

Would you like me to repeat my earlier posts, or do you need someone to read them to you and explain them?

Do I make myself clear, Sir?

The ARMY is a reflection of America. America is a Diverse Country. The Army is made up of diverse people from Diverse Backgrounds. Those are facts and wishful thinking won't change those facts.

One of the strengths of our Army is that ALL soldiers are treated equally. We don't treat Christian Soldiers one way and Muslim Soldiers another. We don't have white units and black units and except in state run National Guard units we dont have a Division of New York Soldiers and a Division of Georgia Soldeirs.

We have ten active Divisions of AMERICAN Soldiers. Understanding each others customs, speech habits ('ya'all' means the same as 'youse guys')diet and such enables us to work together BETTER. That is the meaning of diversity.

What Gen Casey rightfully stressed and meant was that there should be no backlash against other American Soldiers that were of the muslim faith and were saving faithfully and honorably. Did you listen or read his FULL remarks or just attack him on a soundbite?

Do you really believe that he should have said nothing to the Army and gave silent encouragement for some grieving Soldeirs to take out their frustration and anger on American Muslims in their units?

As the leader of the ARMY he did what was RIGHT and stood up for ALL the Soldiers in the Army and said we are better then that, we are not going to allow retribution on proudly serving, loyal American Soldiers that happen to be muslim.

Tinsldr2@yahoo.com

The psychiatrists who worked with Hasan apparently were aware - as were others. The climate of Political Correctness has infiltrated the military.

Now there's no longer Don't Ask Don't Tell, there's apparently Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak no Evil. No one is encouraged to say what needs to be said, even though lots of people see the same thing.

Under this administration, things have gotten worse - and they will become worse yet. Can you name me one of the Communists and "little-bit-Communists" that hang out with Obimbo, the Idiot in Chief, who actually supports our military? Our people are in grave danger.

Charles Rangel wanted to reinstitute the active draft so that it would be unpopular to fight in any conflict overseas. He didn't want to see the committed young men and women we now have, but rather, he wants resisters and pacifists to be a part of our national defense.

How do you square with that?

If General Gates was required to fall prostrate at the feet of the Gods of Diversity and Political Correctness, he should retire - and do it with a megaphone, telling us what we already know: Political Correctness and Diversity Training are dangerous and foolish.
He would be almost as brave as the young man who dives on a grenade to save his fellow soldiers. And he would save a whole lot more of them.

That is, if he's not speaking his own mind. Perhaps he believes in PC and Diversity as an end. I sincerely doubt that.

No one said it was Casey's fault that it happened. In fact, many posters have gone to great lengths to say it was a growing problem that started years ago.

What people ARE upset with is General Casey's comment about losing the wonder of "diversity."

In case you haven't noticed, the pursuit of diversity has ruined many colleges and universities, and has led to many bizarre practices (see University of Delaware's indoctrination program)

Again, you fail to see that we are not talking about diverse populations as much as diverse behaviours, things that make unit cohesiveness a shambles. The pursuit of diversity rather than shared commitment is a danger to morale and personal safety of our troops, as well as interefering with the effectiveness of their mission.

There's some suspicion that people like you are trying to weed out the patriotic types who are now in the services, and to replace them with Blue-Helmet types who are incapable of fighting. Witness the castigation of the SEAL team recently.

Your arguments are meritless, and you do a disservice to the honor and integrity of our young men and women, as you attempt to force your social constructs upon them at a time when they're in the line of fire.

Go away, sir. Go away.

Joyce said and most commentators followed with versions of "Thirteen members of our military lost their lives because of political correctness. " absolutely UNTRUE.

13 members lost their lives because of one homicidal traitor that was a Muslim.

Not one poster here has any information that Gen Casey in any way shape or form had anything to do with this traitors career or had ever heard the name before.

How many here know of the CRITICAL shortage of Psychiatrists in the Army and the overwhelming need for more of them to treat Soldiers with battle stress and PTSD?

Do any of you know if the critical shortage of Psychiatrists played a role in his superiors sending him to Afghanistan or do you have PROOF it was a fear of making waves over his religion that kept him around.

having served over 26 years and on 5 deployments and having retired 5 months ago, I know there are no simple answers and will, like Gen Casey wait to see the investigations results.

Recently, in Iraq, a Soldier (NCO) after receiving a bad performance review (for military types he got a bad counseling statement) killed two other Soldiers before he was subdued by his peers.

Another US Soldier killed 5 other US Soldiers outside a combat stress center recently in Iraq.

Neither of those two cases involved Muslims, although in another case at the start of the war a US Soldier who was muslim killed some fellow soldiers with a grenade.

Is gen Casey somehow at fault and to be fired for those deaths also?

Gen Casey WOULD be liable if HE FOSTERED A CLIMATE where LOYALLY serving Soldiers were beaten and or killed simply because they were Muslim.

He needs to investigate what happened,then put in place a system where Soldiers, whether Junior enlisted, NCO or Officers that make statements or actions which show they are a threat to other Soldiers can be identified, investigated and if needed separated or prosecuted.

What the heck is Mr Blackwell talking about? I usually strongly agree with his columns but on this one he misses the mark completely.

General Casey has a long career of combat deployments around the world. he was in the initial invasion of Bosnia as a one star, Commanded a Division in Kosovo as a two star, and was commander of all forces in Iraq for 4 years. He is a superb combat commander and an excellent Chief Of Staff.

Mr Blackwell is totally hypocritical in his statements. He says rightly that to serve you must swear LOYALTY to the US and Constitution but that we will not tolerate bigotry.

Then he also goes on to declare that Maj Hassan did not live up to his end of the bargain and i agree.

But where in any of this is Gen Casey at fault? Did a report of treasonous behavior from a lowly major ever reach him? Did he ever have contact with the man or his supervisor?

Gen Casey has three responsibilities in this matter:

1) Ensure a thorough investigation is conducted to determine who knew what when, what happened and what went wrong.

2) Develop plans to ensure this never happens again.

3) Protect those LOYAL AMERICAN CITIZENS serving in the Army. That includes ensuring that Muslim military members are not targeted for persecution just because they are Muslim. If they are disloyal they must be weeded out but the vast majority of Muslims in the military are loyal citizens and we honor and welcome their service.

Mr Blackwell has shown no way in which Gen Casey failed in his obligations.

When diversity is an OUTCOME (of fair policies and civility) it's a good thing.
When it's a GOAL, it's false and undermines any good outcome.

Beautifully said, sir, and I vehemently concur.

- A Mother of a Marine Vet and an Active Duty Sailor

General Casey should have been derailed a long time ago. Truman had the backbone to confront MacArthur! Bush was so blindsided by the likes of Casey and the other high-ranking Army officers. And now, Casey, with all his "political correctness," has been promoted to Chief of Staff....or perhaps, he should be called "Chief of Stuff." Our army needs far more intelligence and ability to get the job done than this Chief of Stuff was ever capable of demonstrating.

The oath Major Hasan took includes another and equally relevant sentence: "I take this oath without mental reservation or purpose of evasion." It's increasingly clear that he had both!

As you sit there in your tower, tell us poor, uneducated idiots: you think soldiers should have the right to "go Brokeback" while in camp? Perhaps this the kind of "diversity" you'd encourage? From the tone of your comment, I'd suggest that it is.

Again, you ahve profoundly misread (nearly) all the posts. Diverse behaviors are not the same as diverse backgrounds. Perhaps you could get a job helping the NY Times get stories right, and stop them from spreading the canard about the dangers posed by returning vets, instead of trying to set us straight on something that you obviously haven't grasped! For God's sake, do something useful!

As far as the difference between diverse behavior and diverse backgrounds, it's pretty clear that General Casey didn't get the memo defining the difference.

The diversity we're talking about, you bonehead, is behavioral diversity, not ethnic or racial diversity.

When nuts like Hasan are excused as "diverse" elements, the fox has already eaten the chickens.

Dolts such as yourself - I don't care if you drove a tank or flew off a carrier - are nothing more than PR hacks, kissing the bums of your bosses. You are an example of what diversity brings. There are a lot of fine men in uniform who don't agree with you, and whose lives are endangered because of people like you.

The Israelis learn. They know the difference between racial profiling and behavioral profiling. And behavioral profiling properly executed would have been all that was needed to remove the terrorist Hasan.

And you, dear sir, are endangering not only men in uniform, but our national security. Get a PR job where you won't get people killed.

America does not seem to understand what jihad is...It is the ongoing 1400 year old war to conquer the entire world and force the people to bow to the allah beast..The rules include lying, stealing, fake idenities, anything goes..This war is obligatory for all muslims.. It is the sixth pallar of Islam...And being the hypocrites they are they say one thing and do the oppoiste.. They say jihad is overcoming one's self but it is in fact overcoming the entire world for the allah beast..
People do not seem to understand the middle east was the birth place of Judaism and Christianity till mohammed arrived on the scene.. He and his jihad forces killed all who would not convert to the isanity of Islam..
Today America stands in their way of world domination so they sent us a major and a president, and more and the battle is probably just beginning...
Did not satan says to Jesus (and all of us), "FALL DOWN and worship me as the god (of Abraham) and I will give you the world (in Jihad)..."" THIS IS ISLAM ..The last temptation of man Rev 3- 9, 10..

Has not only killed13 but is bent towards the destruction of our country. Until the realization that PC is yet another liberal lie hoisted from Socialist/Marxists elitists and originated by the KGB as a societal tipping point,then we are doomed to wallow in the mire of more deaths and soft handling of terrorists,not to mention giving favoritism to certain groups,while diminishing those who are not considered favorable.Casey should be made to dig the graves of these Americans for his collusion with Hasan who was VERY apparently a TRAITOR.

These posts today show what is wrong with diversity. Different cultures simply do not like or respect each other. Everyone is happier if they are among their own kind. PC and diversity is what prevents people form being united and costs everyone when harmoney and goodwill are lost.

Stonesean and Akagi are phonies that should go back to where they come from if their cultures are so great.

Casey should be fired.

Jump on this Stonesean and Akagi.