In today’s American Thinker, former Ohio Sec. of State and U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Human Rights Commission Ken Blackwell calls for Gen. George Casey to be fired.
Sec. Blackwell’s beef with Gen. Casey is that in the aftermath of the Ft. Hood shooting, Casey emphasized the need for diversity and that this must shape how the Army responds, because if diversity suffered it would be an even worse tragedy.
Blackwell sharply disagrees. He makes the point that people who are colorblind or have heart murmurs cannot serve in uniform, no matter how patriotic they are. If these Americans cannot serve, then the military should have a zero-tolerance policy toward those making anti-American statements. [# More #]
Maj. Nidal Hasan made seditious statements against the United States. He openly disagreed with our military involvement in not only Iraq, but also Afghanistan (which Pres. Obama calls a “war of necessity”). He declared that Muslims in those countries have a right to kill Americans. And now we learn that he was in contact with one or more radical imams in the Middle East, reportedly saying in an email, “I can’t wait to join you” in the afterlife.
Blackwell makes the point that Hasan’s comments should have led to a court-martial. Casey’s immediate PC statement for a response that doesn’t endanger “diversity” sends the signal to continue this wrongheaded approach to disloyal soldiers.
Blackwell argues there’s no place for diversity in the military regarding fidelity to the United States. There are many patriotic Muslims serving, who take up arms in defense of this nation against those seeking to harm us, and they deserve our honor and gratitude the same as every other serviceman doing his duty to defend us.
The problem with Hasan is not that he’s a Muslim; it’s that he made statements supporting our enemies in wartime, and was communicating with them.
Hasan is not simply a soldier; he’s a mid-ranking officer. He’s saluted by all those holding a lower rank, and is a leader-type figure. Every disloyal officer, regardless of religion, should be expelled from the military. And every serviceman should feel free to report any anti-American statement by any officer to the appropriate military authorities. Instead of being intimidated by Casey’s admonition that they should fear offending “diversity,” they should feel an obligation to report disloyalty within the ranks.
Ken Klukowski is a fellow and senior legal analyst with the American Civil Rights Union.