I knew that my God was a real God, and his was an idol.")

Ah! He's a Christian Soldier! Or he has just lost his fvcking mind! I opt for the latter.

because that would be discrimination based on ones religion.

I'm not sure that applies when one is speaking for and representing the government of the USA.

Just because a person pins on stars doesn't make them wise, or any smarter than when they wore oak leaves. American generals have been speaking out of turn from the beginnings of the Army. Custer's public denunciation of Belknap and Grant, might have been the end of his career. Little Phil Sheridan once again rode to Custer's rescue and sent him West to command the 7th during the upcoming Sioux campaign, where instead he found glory by losing his regiment. Patton's inability to keep his mouth shut didn't make him any less a remarkable combat leader. Was MacArthur a less able general because of his public criticisms of Truman? These, and a whole host of other generals have personal characteristics that aren't admirable, but the nation would have greatly suffered if they had been cashiered for them.

This current flap offends many of us, but has little to do with the general's ability to perform his function. He does not speak for the government, but like many radical Christians makes his objectionable "testoimony" very vocal. His high profiled religious convictions are an embarrassment, but I suspect that he will disappear back into anonymity if we just go on about our more serious business.

Given his position in a crucial intelligence area, Ash, i'm not sure that i can accept your contention that this has little to do wiht his ability to perform his function. With Boykin asserting religious bigotry by claiming he worships a true god, and muslims are idol worshippers, i think it seriously calls into doubt his ability to make objective judgments about intelligence from and about the middle east.

. . . edited to remove blatant evidence of senility.

I'd buy it if it was stand-up comedy.

seriously McGentrix would you support this guy if he started rounding up middle eastern muslims and putting them in gas chambers as long as he did it in the name of Jesus?

The real work in intelligence isn't done by people wearing stars. The people who gather and interpret intelligence are almost always anonymous and often their ranks are obscure. Stars and Birds are mostly the managers charged with just getting the job done. Anti-Islamic prejudices are not useful, but neither should they necessarily disqualify the man. In any case, the decision should be left to the Army and Department of Defense as what assignment is appropriate for their officers.

This general has no authority to use military resources to extend, or suppress religion anywhere. That most especially applies to the United States. Just because a man holds objectionable religious views guaranteed under the Constitution is not enough to cause them to lose their government jobs. The government has no place in promoting, nor discouraging anyone's religious convictions.

The real work of determining what is important and what is not, and of how resources are allocated, and of whose careers are fowarded and whose are not is indeed determined by stars and braids. In the cases you have mentioned above, the officers in question had suffered slightly or mightily for their indiscretions. Boykin's case should be no different.

... and there is no reason for us to suppose that his career hasn't suffered. My guess is that he will retire quietly once the dust has settled. Ultimately the success or failure of a general officer has very little to do with how popular, or unpopular they might be. Though Boyle probably isn't in the same league as these, imagine how removal from command of the following might have affected us.

Washington, was very unpopular with Congress as he went from one defeat to another. A strong move was made to replace him, but he and the army survived for eventual victory.

Andy Jackson was pretty bigoted, even for his time, and his willingness to fight illegal duels might have scotched his career. Jackson was forever acting on his own initiative, often to the embarrasment of the State Department and the administration.

Stonewall Jackson's religious mania was at least as great as Boyles, and he had a habit of arresting his subordinate officers on what today we would regard as trifles.

Grant's alcoholism drove him from the Army to become a failed farmer and businessman. He couldn't even get a regular commission at the start of the Civil War, and had to at first take a State commission to drill recruits.

Sherman was widely thought to be insane, and he too was driven from the peacetime army.

McClellan was continually insulting to the Lincoln administration and all of his superiors. Eventually, his inability to vigorously pursue the Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia did him in.

Despite their many faults, all of these and many more were retained in command and rendered valuable service to the nation. What we can not tolerate in military leadership is incompetence, cowardice, or lack of initiative. This Boyle business, as offensive as it is to many of us, is a tempest in a teacup. Lets move on to more important issues.

bm

Well, obviously, we do not agree on this Ash, so let's leave it at that.

Set, that new sig line is hilarious!

I can't claim credit for it, O'Bill, i saw it on a bumper sticker of someone also sporting a Kerry/Edwards sticker . . . i liked it immediately . . .

Good catch. I immediately sent it to my ABB Sister and Brother-in-law when I spotted it.

Maybe John Ashcroft should weigh in on this..

.. wait, ....

....John's the one who goes around saying

"We have but one King, and that is Jesus."

Really, this from the chief law enforcement officer of these United States.

General Boykin appeared on 60 minutes this past Wednesday.

The Holy Warrior transcript and video

God spoke to me and said "Kill 'em all Steve...I'll sort 'em out...but I gave him a milkbone and a scratch behind the ears and he went under the couch with it"......that was damn good hash I can tell you.....