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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Tenchusatsu who wrote (176851)	10/21/2003 6:11:29 PM
From: tejek	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1574854

Ted, did I forget to comment on this last week? Let me just say it is my belief that Gen. Boykin's comments are being taken way out of context. This is based on my beliefs in Christianity. I think I know what the Lt. General was trying to say, and I think the press misunderstood him at the very least. One of his many religious comments was that God intervened on behalf of Bush and got him elected. I don't think that's appropriate comments from the Undersecretary of Defense. ted

To: Tenchusatsu who wrote (176851)	10/21/2003 6:57:22 PM
From: tejek	Respond to of 1574854

news.xinhuanet.com US general to be probed over religious comments www.chinaview.cn 2003-10-22 06:23:27 WASHINGTON, Oct. 21 (Xinhuanet) -- The Pentagon will launch an internal probe into an Army general's remarks portraying the US war on terrorism as a spiritual battle between Christianity and Satan, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Tuesday. Army Lieutenant General William Boykin, deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence, had asked for the investigation of his comments, Rumsfeld said at a Pentagon news conference. The probe may be conducted by the Army inspector general, followed by a review by the Defense Department's inspector general's office, he said. "He has requested an inspector general review the matter. It seems to me that's a perfectly responsible thing for him to do, on his part," Rumsfeld said. The announcement came days after several Islamic and religious groups criticized Boykin for his remarks made in churches and after two prominent senators wrote to Rumsfeld urging an investigation. Republican Senator John Warner, chairman of Senate Armed Services Committee, and Democratic Senator Carl Levin, the committee's ranking member, warned in the letter sent Friday that Boykin's comments could endanger US soldiers deployed in Muslim countries. "Public statements by a senior military official of an inflammatory, offensive nature that would denigrate another religion and which could be construed as bigotry may easily be exploited by enemies of the United States and contribute to an erosion of support within the Arab world and, perhaps, increased risk for members of the US armed forces serving in Muslim nations," according to the letter, which was released Tuesday. Reports about the remarks made by Boykin, an evangelical Christian, during several speeches at churches surfaced last week. In those speeches, Boykin said Osama bin Laden, Saddam Hussein and others hate the United States because "we are a Christian nation" and cast the US war on terrorism as a clash with "Satan." In one speech, Boykin talked about a Muslim fighter in Somalia who said the US soldiers had failed to catch him because Allah would protect him. "I knew that my God was bigger than his. I knew that my God was a real God and his was an idol," Boykin said. After Boykin's remarks were reported by newspapers and televisions, Rumsfeld defended the general by saying that whatever he said was in a private capacity. On Tuesday, Rumsfeld repeated that he had not read or seen the general's statements very clearly. Marine General Peter Pace, vice-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at the news conference that he talked to Boykin on Monday. "He mentioned to me how sad he was that his comments created the fury they had," he said. Pace said there is no doubt that Boykin does not see this battle as a battle between religions. "He sees it as a battle between good and evil. He sees it as the evil being the acts of individuals, not the acts of any religion or affiliation with religion," Pace said. Enditem