Posted on 01/31/2012 7:10:44 AM PST by mandaladon
The Council on American-Islamic Relations announced Monday night that it had successfully prevented retired Lieutenant General William G. “Jerry” Boykin from speaking at an upcoming prayer breakfast at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
“We welcome Mr. Boykin’s withdrawal from this event and hope that the speaker who replaces him will offer cadets a spiritual message that promotes tolerance and mutual understanding,” said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad in a statement.
West Point initially balked at the calls to remove Boykin — a former military intelligence officer — from the event.
Lt. Col. Sherri Reed of West Point told The Associated Press that cadets are “purposefully exposed to different perspectives and cultures.”
“The National Prayer Breakfast Service will be pluralistic with Christians, Jewish, and Muslim cadets participating,” Reed said. “We are comfortable and confident that what retired Lt. Gen. Boykin will share about prayer, soldier care and selfless service, will be in keeping with the broad range of ideas normally considered by our cadets.”
Boykin backed out of the event on his own volition, according to a report from Fox News.
The retired lieutenant general has been on CAIR’s radar for casting Islam in a poor light, specifically in speeches in which he analogizing the War on Terror to a war against Satan.
CAIR and the group VoteVets.org pushed hard for a retraction of Boykin’s invitation to the event due to his “Islamophobic” views.
CAIR and People For the American Way failed to stop a speech Boykin gave in Ocean City, Md., last week. This week it seems they have been successful.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailycaller.com ...
Shame on WP. Why the heck do they care what CAIR thinks or says? I’m so sick of what this Country has become.
I saw a number a few months back here on FR. Hopefully, I can find it again. Will post it if/when I do. Good question.
LOL, “perhaps” just a tad over the top.
Thank you for your response. Appreciate it.
Yes, I too have seen a number of “leaders” knuckle under for expediencies’ sake. Saw more than a few during my hitches and afterward.
Thank you for your service as well.
It was just the though that came to mind when I read the story....as you said, unknown in this case, but I’d give him the benefit of the doubt...fighting and losing men to muslims, I wouldn’t put them in the same catagory of being religious or spiritual and would say no if told to...thats standing up for your beliefs and too hell with being politically correct..PC will kill us all..scre* them all. Thank you for being a defended of us all.
Thank you, but I probably do not deserve that gratitude in the sense you convey it. You implied you are now incountry as a civilian DOD'er, so our circumstances may be similar. I was not in uniform or on active duty.
Rather like you, as a civilian DOD'er, my risk was limited to ordnance lobbed over the wire, driving an up-armored SUV on the highways every few weeks, flying unarmed over bad guy land in U.S. military aircraft or in a POS third world discarded aircraft - and my everyday wintertime favorite - wondering if the non-U.S. personnel inside the wire who were wearing cheap, bulky parkas were packing bombs. On several occasions, they were.
You and I know the folks that deserve our nation's thanks are those that went out, and still go out every day with the specific intent of confronting the bad guys; especially those that had their lives and families changed forever during those excursions.
Contractors who free up the "shooters" so they can do their job should be honored for their service as well.
So if you please, "Thank you for your service"
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.