What Nerve -- Part Two

Note - this was written Sunday, 31 JUL 2016 - The excerpt from Jefferson's letter also appears in Fran's piece on 1 AUG 2016 - this coincidence speaks to the accuracy of the ambassador's assessment of the problem.

The last column addressed three things that struck a nerve.  This is about some people who’ve got some nerve.  The past week, I dutifully listened to the Democratic National Convention – being water boarded would’ve been better. The parade of military members to bolster the party’s patriotic bona fides was unbearable.  Perhaps it is time to create a new Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) entitled “useful idiot.”  

Just before retired USMC General John Allen began ranting about what an awesome and macho warmonger Hillary Clinton would be, we were treated to a sickening display of numerical absurdity.  The mathematical misleading made use of two Muslims – tokenism to try to discredit the Republican nominee’s plan to ban temporarily migration from terrorist plagued nations.  I’ll get to the abhorrent math in a minute.


In a duel of retired General officers, LTG Michael Flynn commented the next day on Allen’s rant, providing some perspective.  “General Allen, as a retired officer, was in charge of our current strategy for well over a year, maybe closer to two years, and during that period of time the rise of radical Islamism and ISIS, you know, it exponentially grew…frankly, I honestly don't know how General Allen can look at himself in the mirror and say that he supports an individual who placed our national security at high risk.”  


Allen’s ringing endorsement of Hillary had a “hope and change” theme that displayed the thoughtlessness reminiscent of the mistake that brought us Obamacare.  In what can only be described as a, you’ve got to elect her "to find out what’s in it” moment, Allen provided personal testimony to the powers in Hillary: 


“With Hillary Clinton as our commander-in-chief, the United States will continue to be that indispensable, transformational power in the world.  To our allies, our friends, and our partners, listen closely.  We are with you.  America will not abandon you…And to our enemies – to our enemies – we will pursue you as only America can.  You will fear us.  And to ISIS and others: We will defeat you.”


Allow me to summarize General Allen’s foray into the world of political endorsements.  “If you like your national military strategy – you can keep your national military strategy.”


Now to the misleading math.  American Muslim and former basketball star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar told us about “Captain Humayan Khan who was one of 14 American Muslim soldiers who have died in combat serving the United States since 9/11.”  The point was later made that Khan’s “family immigrated to the United States from the United Arab Emirates, where Captain Khan was born” and that if Donald Trump had his way, Khan (and presumably the others), would not have been allowed to serve at all.   

Newsflash for Kareem and the DNC – first, those 14 American Muslim soldiers were all killed by Muslims, and secondly, but more to the point, the number of American servicemen killed by fellow US soldiers who are Muslim is even greater than the 14 cited by Abdul-Jabbar.  In 2003, US Army Sergeant Hasan Karim Akbar threw four hand grenades and fired his rifle at fellow soldiers, killing Air Force Major Gregory Stone with a grenade and Army Captain Christopher Seifert who was fatally shot in the back.  Then there was US Army Major Nidal Hasan who killed 13 at Fort Hood, Texas.  By my math, they’re ahead by one. Not to mention that virtually all of the 6,800 American service members that have been killed since 9/11, have been killed by Muslims.  

Finally, Kareem told us that the first place the Khan family visited upon coming to America was the Jefferson Memorial.  In the carefully choreographed convention, Kareem was followed by the father of the fallen soldier, lecturing us that Jefferson’s views on religious liberty and the Constitution do not comport with Trump’s position.
 

Perhaps Kareem and Khan’s father should read Thomas Jefferson’s 1786 letter written after he and John Adams met with Tripoli’s ambassador to Great Britain.  They asked the Muslim ambassador why the Muslim Barbary Pirates, “make war upon Nations who had done them no Injury?” 

The letter records, “The Ambassador answered us that it was founded on the Laws of their Prophet, that it was written in their Koran, that all nations who should not have acknowledged their authority were sinners, that it was their right and duty to make war upon them wherever they could be found, and to make slaves of all they could take as Prisoners, and that every Muslim who should be slain in battle was sure to go to Paradise.”

Jefferson knew what the problem is.