I am sorry, but I simply cannot hold back commenting on how Sarah Palin lied to her son and his comrades in the Alaska National Guard, whom she addressed on 9/11 prior to their deployment to Iraq. I should probably not criticize a mother in such a situation, who might be doing it to make him feel good or feel motivated, although the same lie was told to US troops for a long time who were deployed to Iraq, that they were fighting the people who carried out 9/11. Of course, it may not be that Palin was lying consciously. She may well be one of the many people in the US who apparently still believe that Saddam Hussein was involved in 9/11. She is reported to have said that our war in Iraq is a "mission from God."
It is true that some Sunni insurgents with some foreigners were calling themselves "al Qaeda in Iraq," but three points need to be understood. 1) They have not done so since al-Zarqawi was killed a couple of years ago, 2) they have been effectively defeated in their stronghold in al-Anbar province since they ticked off the local tribal sheiks by some of their conduct (although their renamed remnants continue to be active around Mosul reportedly), and 3) they only came into existence because we had invaded Iraq. Some mission from God. In any case, we are left with that old question that has often been asked about President Bush: is she a liar or just ignorant?
6 comments:
Ouch.
But wait! Palin's statement, in its full context:
"Pray for our military men and women who are striving to do what is right. Also, for this country, THAT our leaders, our national leaders, are sending [U.S. soldiers] out on a task that is from God," she exhorted the congregants. "That's what we have to make sure that we're praying for, that there is a plan and that that plan is God's plan."
Palin is praying (like hoping) and asking others to pray that "our leaders" are sending the soldiers on a task from God. Much different than asserting that our leaders are sending them on said mission.
Similarly, she is asking them to pray that THERE IS A PLAN AT ALL, and that that plan is God's plan. (I think most of us could go along with the first part of that statement, if not the second!)
The rest of the article has some (more negative) context. In the context of prayer, it's pretty... bland.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/02/palins-church-may-have-sh_n_123205.html#postComment
BTW -- I'd never vote for her. But I can see where the misunderstanding came from; after all, here's the quote from the AP:
"Our national leaders are sending them out on a task that is from God," she said. "That's what we have to make sure that we're praying for, that there is a plan and that plan is God's plan."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080903/ap_on_el_pr/cvn_palin_iraq_war
The beginning is missing there.
Al-Qaeda was responsible for 9/11, no? And in Iraq, Al-Qaeda fighters are indeed still engaging US and Iraqi forces, regardless of what you call their rebranding and defeat in their stronghold. So, she didn't lie to her son or anyone else.
Besides that, Eric is right...you take her "mission from God" statement completely out of context.
You should've taken your own advice and not criticized in the first place. Maybe its you that is just the liar or simply ignorant??
I accept the criticism about the mission from God, but that was not the lie. anonymous, it is reported that there are now virtually no "international" fighters in Iraq, the Iraqis having gotten annoyed with them and tossed them out. The group that did call itself that was denounced by HQ of al Qaeda for their tactics when Zarqawi was alive. They have gone their separate ways since.
What is left is local Sunni insurgents around Mosul who are Muslim radicals. They were not fighting anybody or doing anything until we went into Iraq. They are not the same people who attacked us on 9/11. Certainly when the US went into Iraq in the first place we were attacking a regime that had nothing to do with 9/11. That was a lie, and playing up the very vague linkage today is still a lie.
Most of the groups the US troops are fighting today are Shi'a militias of one sort or another, who had nothing to do with 9/11. The way things are going, they may end up fighting our former allies the Kurds.
I stand by the core of my remarks, even if Palin was merely praying that we had a mission that could be called a mission from God. Those sending their children off to the conflict may wish to think that it is all about al Qaeda, but it is not, and to the extent it is, it is because we went into Iraq. The mission is from our deluded or deranged leaders, not God.
Agreed -- the 'it's about al Qaeda' meme is a lie.
"The mission is from our deluded or deranged leaders, not God."
Also agreed. You are right to stand by the core of your remarks. I was only concerned with the basis of the "mission from God" statement. It's been getting a lot of play due to the AP story.
Anonymous said: Al-Qaeda was responsible for 9/11, no?
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/fakealqaeda.html
"Ana raicha Al Qaeda" is colloquial for "I'm going to the toilet". A very common and widespread use of the word "Al-Qaeda" in different Arab countries in the public language is for the toilet bowl. This name comes from the Arabic verb "Qa'ada" which mean "to sit", pertinently, on the "Toilet Bowl". In most Arabs homes there are two kinds of toilets: "Al-Qaeda" also called the "Hamam Franji" or foreign toilet, and "Hamam Arabi" or "Arab toilet" which is a hole in the ground. Lest we forget it, the potty used by small children is called "Ma Qa'adia" or "Little Qaeda".
So, if you were forming a terrorist group, would you call yourself, "The Toilet"?...
Post a Comment