Thank God for General Boykin

The latest proposed victim in our struggle against terrorism is Army Lt. General William G. "Jerry" Boykin, recently named Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence. His mission is to reinvigorate the search for bin Laden, Mullah Omar and other leaders of global terrorism. By training and experience he is marvelously prepared for his new duties -- having risen from a Delta Force commando to top-secret Joint Special Operations Command, through the CIA, to command of the Army's Special Forces. For a quarter century he has been fighting terror with his bare hands, his fine mind and his faith-shaped soul. It is that last matter -- his faith, and his willingness to give politically incorrect witness to that faith in Christian churches -- that has drawn furious media and political fire in the last week. The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Howard Dean, The Egyptian Foreign Minister and other less lofty entities have all called for his removal from office because of his expressed religious views. And, of course, these calls for his head are all made on behalf of religious tolerance.

While the full text of the general's comments will not been released by the Los Angeles Times columnist who secretly recorded them during the general's witness in churches in Oklahoma, Oregon and Florida, the purportedly scandalous bits have been selectively published in print and on television. General Boykin said the terrorists come from "the principalities of darkness," that they are "demonic," and they hate us because "We're a Christian nation, because our foundation and our roots are Judeo-Christian, and the enemy is a guy named Satan." The general also recounted the time he was chasing down a Somali warlord who was bragging that the Americans would not capture him because his god, Allah, would protect him. "Well," Boykin responded, "my God is bigger than his God. I knew my God was a real God, and his was an idol."

In short, General Boykin is being accused of calling America a Judeo-Christian country, the war on terrorism a religious war, and of expressing his belief in the truth of the New Testament of the Bible. While his critics concede that he has a right to express his religious views, they argue that his expressed opinions of the Islamic and Christian religions make him unfit to perform his duties of helping to lead in the war on terrorism. I am inclined to believe that he is splendidly fit for such combat, and I thank God that we have such a man as General Boykin in our midst.

The purported fear is that the general's comments may have ruffled the feathers of our esteemed enemy -- the millions and millions of fanatical Islamists, or that his statement may so inflame the passions of the millions of good Muslims that they will discard their peaceable ways and pick up the bloody sword of jihad. What utter balderdash. Whether or not American officials chose to call this a religious war, it is utterly clear that our enemy, bin Laden and the other terrorists, are motivated by Islamic religious fanaticism. They say so in their founding documents and every day, in every way, around the world. However peaceably we may interpret the Koran or assess the history of Islam, at this time and in these places one would have to be swayed by a spirit of detachment from the facts not to see that a sizable percentage of Muslims believe they are in a religious war with non-Muslims. They are consciously at religious war with the Jews in the Middle East, with Hindus in the subcontinent and with Christians everywhere. It shouldn't be a firing offense for the occasional American general to return the compliment. Indeed, I am heartened by General Boykin's fighting spirit.

Nor is it factually wrong or religiously insensitive to point out that the United States is a Judeo-Christian country. We are. It is an uncontestable historic and cultural fact. We are also a country that strives in both law and habit to be impeccably tolerant and respectful to all other religions and to those who believe in no religion at all. But in rallying our countrymen to the defense of our lives and property at this time of peril, we are entitled to invoke -- as Lincoln once did with such dignity and passion -- the mystic chords of our memory. And it is well to recall that when Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill met in Placentia Bay off New Foundland on the heavy cruiser Augusta on August 9, 1941, to rally our nations to our common defense, they sang three songs with the assembled sailors: "O God, Our Help in Ages Past," "Eternal Father, Strong to Save" and "Onward, Christian Soldiers."

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord: He is tramping out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored; He hath loosed the fateful lightning of his terrible swift sword: His truth is marching on.

I have seen him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps; They have builded him an altar in the evening dews and damps; I can read his righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps: His day is marching on.

I have read a fiery gospel, writ in burnished rows of steel: “As ye deal with my contemners, so with you my grace shall deal; Let the hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with his heel, Since God is marching on.”

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat; He is sifting out the hearts of men before his judgment seat: O, be swift, my soul, to answer him! be jubilant, my feet! Our God is marching on.

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea, With the glory in his bosom that transfigures you and me; As he died to make men holy, let us die to make men free, While God is marching on.

Without making any comment on whether I think the General's comments are wrong or not, I wonder if anyone else sees the possible similarities between what is happening to LTG Boykin and what happened 42 1/2 years ago to MG Edwin A. Walker.

Walker, of course, was relieved of Division Command and forced into early retirement by JFK after comments he made against the USSR (anti Red), "pinko" communists in our own government, and comments in support of the John Birch Society (pro Blue).

In 1961 the Walker story came to light when and English-language tabloid, The Overseas Weekly, published a story that the 24th Infantry Division CG was forcing his junior leaders to participate in JBS "indoctrination" classes. Additionally, he ordered JBS material to be available in all Day Rooms.

Almost exactly two years later, according to the Warren Commission Report, Lee Harvey Oswald took a shot at him as the General worked on his Federal Income Taxes.

We should thank God for men like General Boykin and all others like him!

You will notice who they are who are trying to get his head; Islamists and Liberals. Same difference, as far as our Constitution is concerned!

I like that "We Can Fight." Of course we can. The WND bookstore has a great new film "A Nation Adrift," which costs under $30 and is a great remedy to the slippery slope.
The best thing any American can do right now is buy this video and let your kids, your grandkids, your church members and anybody else watch.
You know how liberals are always reminding us that our Founding Fathers were deists and didn't want us to mix God with politics?
This one is in their face!

I think the thing that bothers me most about this whole episode is that the LA Times is basically giving aid & comfort to our Muslim enemies.

After 9/11 I was afraid that there was a fifth column in the US, imagining it was comprised of diaffected Black Muslims. Then I saw that the fifthe column included unrepentant Communists and the "anti-globalization/anti-whatever" crowd. Now I am begining to believe it also includes much of the Democratic party and the liberal/mainstream media.

This is disturbing me.

Thanks for posting these contacts Salem, I will be sure to use them.

Agitate wrote:

Trying to "win the hearts and minds" of a culture that has been openly hostile to us (Dar al Harb, the house of war or non-muslims) is a policy of appeasement that is unacceptable
If I have freedom of religion and freedom of speech, I have the right to worship as I please and speak in my house of worship, regardless of my job
I write:
Appeasement seems to be what most politicians are all about, incl many Republicans. I wonder how many of these people have even HEARD of Neville Chamberlain.

You will notice who they are who are trying to get his head; Islamists and Liberals. Same difference, as far as our Constitution is concerned!

It's not just them. I happened to go to National Review Online (NRO) about a half hour ago and they had a short "editorial", written by the "NRO Editors", calling for the General's head.

I just went back to the web site - and it's gone! Did they get so much heat that they took it off? Or did Bill Buckley call Rich Lowery and tell him to get that trash off of the web site? Curious.

Appeasement seems to be what most politicians are all about, incl many Republicans. I wonder how many of these people have even HEARD of Neville Chamberlain.

I'll admit I didn't know who he was either, even though I had US history in high school and college. However, once I pulled my head out of the sand and started paying attention to politics, I realized the necessity of knowing history and started studying it. However I see alot of people just don't get that, and I'm sure some of them are in congress.

It's not just them. I happened to go to National Review Online (NRO) about a half hour ago and they had a short "editorial", written by the "NRO Editors", calling for the General's head.

I just went back to the web site - and it's gone! Did they get so much heat that they took it off? Or did Bill Buckley call Rich Lowery and tell him to get that trash off of the web site? Curious.

Interesting...I hope it was both. Christians need to speak out more, we have as much right as anyone else, and we are certainly under attack, Limbaugh is right.

I'm waiting for someone to start the "bible as hatespeech" nonesense they have in canada next.

I just went back to the web site - and it's gone! Did they get so much heat that they took it off? Or did Bill Buckley call Rich Lowery and tell him to get that trash off of the web site? Curious.

I believe they explained that they had two editorials, one calling for his head and the other to wait til the investigation had ended. The wrong version went to press.

This general DOES get it. And those in the Bush administration who STILL think Islam is the religion of peace, do not understand Islam. This is, at its deepest roots, a RELIGIOUS WAR and the sooner we grasp that fact, the sooner we'll posture ourselves to win the damn thing.

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