Of all the things that might give you comfort in the wake of Nidal Malik Hasan's murderous rampage, where would you rate the news that the military's commitment to "diversity" endures? Down there, dare I guess? Ah, but you're probably not part of the MSM elite.
Chrystia Freeland is. And on today's Morning Joe, the Financial Times editor did indeed announce that she was "comforted" by that very fact of the military's unflagging devotion to diversity.
Joe Scarborough countered Chrystia with a tough question. And--sacré bleu!--Mike Barnicle, not normally an NB fave, made some very blunt and on-target observations . . .
CHRYSTIA FREELAND: I mean, the one thing that I've been really comforted by is the statements that we've had from so many senior people in the military saying that they don't want this incident to be a cause to end diversity in the military.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Right. I wonder, Mike Barnicle, whether that may have been, that concern, that fear that we need to be politically correct here, we certainly don't want to target Muslim-Americans who are in the military, because that's good for America to have Muslims fighting in our wars. But could it be that maybe the feds were too sensitive and that's why 13 people are dead today?
MIKE BARNICLE: Two things: I think he escaped, Hasan escaped through a loophole of political correctness. He should have been cashiered out of the Army, clearly, many months ago.
The second thing is, there is an obscenity of silence that's been going on now for more than eight years with regard to the upper structure of Islam, I'm talking about the religious heads of Islam. They don't speak out and condemn these types of actions after they happen. No matter what happens, there's silence at the top of Islam.
—Mark Finkelstein is a NewsBusters contributing editor and host of Right Angle. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net.
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It's totally puzzling and
November 10, 2009 - 08:24 ET by motherbeltIt's totally puzzling and really, really tragic. -Freeland
What came just before that? What is totally puzzling: this incident???
It's puzzling???? To whom, Chrystia??
Only to those with grapes for brains!
This was not a case of a guy going nuts in his neighborhood, and then all his neighbors say "Gee, he was a really nice guy; quiet, friendly. This is a shock."
This guy was dropping hints the size of bowling balls for weeks, maybe months. And it's only because he is a Muslim that he wasn't dragged in for examination!
In fairness to Freeland, she
November 10, 2009 - 08:27 ET by Mark FinkelsteinIn fairness to Freeland, she was puzzled by the lack of communication among various government agencies regarding Hasan's doings. Still, I remain shocked by what she take comfort in.
OK, I was wondering what
November 10, 2009 - 08:32 ET by motherbeltOK, I was wondering what came just before this; what she was puzzled by. (That's what happens when part of the context is missing).
And it appears she was right:
This guy even warned them himself!!
Anyone else would have been hauled in for psychiatric evaluation!
I gotta hand it to
November 10, 2009 - 08:33 ET by rockyracoonI gotta hand it to Barnicle, I usually don't agree with him but he hit that one out of the park.
Birdbrained SRM reporters are easily puzzled.
Facts are like kryptonite to the liberal.
I concur. This is the
November 10, 2009 - 08:37 ET by BDI concur. This is the first time to my memory that I have agreed with him.
Fightting with an unarmed woman
November 10, 2009 - 09:36 ET by TexasMom0517I didn't hear this part of "Morning Joe," but I did hear Chrystia trying to argue healthcare with Steve Forbes and I was struck by her inability to use critical reasoning skills. Over and over again, I see the talking heads on television prove to the general public that you can be stupid and still have degrees from "prestigous" colleges and universities. If the left-wing MSM ever hired a woman as articulate and intellectually honest as Megyn Kelly, they would not know what to do with her. Women like Mika and Chrystia are perfect for MSNBC- they cannot support their arguments because facts are immaterial to them.
Several times a year by
November 10, 2009 - 08:36 ET by BDSeveral times a year by entire command prior t my retirement was forced to sit in an auditoreum and listen to the post and command Equal Opportunity (EO) representatives recite the latest in politically correct rationale.
These presentations usually last about two hours and the quality depended on the creativity of the speaker themselves. Theyy stretched from the innocuous formality (Which is what we all hoped for) to the truly creative spouting of a new PC line.
Regardless of what you think of their message and quality, at least four work hours for all soldiers, civilians, and contractors was wasted each year as they spouted off on subjects we already had been cowed on.
We were all well versed by now that we should not treat members of one group differently than another based on sex, race, or national origin. But they continually threw it in our face to the point we are all well cowed.
What is the final result? We all knew that there are several protected classes within the military and your harmed any of those protected classes at your own risk.
About ten years ago in a case we all learend of by the Army Times a promotion board was meeting for promotion of Majors to Lieutenant Colonel. A series of senior officers sat as a panal and reviewed all the officers in the approriate window for promotion and made their selections for who would be promoted and who would be passed over.
Then they were informed that the senior leadership of the army had a GOAL of promoting a certain number of various protected groups.
The board essentially voted on who would be promoted and who would not be based on merit instead and presented their finding and prepared to depart.
They were quickly stopped when it was discovered that the GOAL had not been reached and ordered to resume their deliberations. The Goal had quickly been transferred to a racial and sexual seta side program when it failed to be met.
After a while, certain officers previously not deemed promotable were added to the list, and those who had been towards the bottom were removed until the GOAL was met.
THe list was released, but word spread of what had happened and the suits were filed against the army by virtually everyone who had been passed over for promotion because it could not be determined WHO had been pulled off the list due to the racial and sexual set asides that had obviously been used in the promotion process.
This has colored the army's treatment of indivisuals ever since. Everyone would examine the officers promoted during that board and wonder "is he/she one of THOSE." And no matter what the quailty, every officer promoted by that board had a taint.
Does anyone really think the lone female black islamic officer of a certain branch will be passed over for promotion regardless of quality?
Does merit or competence
November 10, 2009 - 08:42 ET by rockyracoonDoes merit or competence have anything to do when the promotion board evaluates candidates for promotion?
Facts are like kryptonite to the liberal.
Largely it does, but it is
November 10, 2009 - 18:45 ET by BDLargely it does, but it is usually not the overwhelming factor whn you get right down to it.
For instance, imagine a pair of captains who are competing for promotion to Major.
Both of these guys are likely to be promoted, but what if one has a company command and the other does not but is a minority?
It's no small wonder, with leaders like this
November 10, 2009 - 10:48 ET by BlondeI was totally shocked to hear something so insensitive and galactically stupid come out of General Casey's mouth (IMO he needs to be fired for this idiocy):
Political correctness is not only killing careers, BD, it's now killing soldiers at home. And let us not forget the politically correct ROE, which kill soldiers in theatre.
I hope he fails, too.
''Protected Classes''
November 10, 2009 - 15:41 ET by DoktorFrankenThat says it all, right there.
JMHO, you understand.
If Saul Alinsky owned a news channel it would be MSNBC. ---- Me
Too much tolerance
November 10, 2009 - 08:39 ET by EricTheRedThis massacre happened because the American people, the U.S. military, and the FBI—which willfully dropped the ball on this Hasan guy—were too tolerant.
There’s a bumper sticker that defines a liberal as “someone who’s so open-minded, their brains have fallen out.” That Hasan wasn’t preempted despite his documentable radical Islamic thoughts and ties is the textbook example of this. Thirteen innocent people, including a pregnant woman and her unborn child, were the casualties of brainless politically correct liberalism.
That this alternate-universe thinking has infiltrated our own military makes it very hard for this father of two young children to sleep at night.
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SCREW DIVERSITY...
November 10, 2009 - 08:50 ET by danybhoyDiversity that comes at the expense of excellence is not worth it at all. I want the best & the brightest willing to do the job in most things, especially in our military. Political Correctness is going to kill this nation by killing it's identity, & it's desire to care about results when you are taught that results don't matter. They start by telling kids today that you don't keep score in youth sports & everybody gets a trophy. Now it's killing our fighting men & women. Screw that.
"...How blind can you be, don't you see...
...that the gambler lost all he does not have..."
Nightwish
I see no way to change it,
November 10, 2009 - 10:12 ET by RowaneI see no way to change it, we've let the monster in the room and now have no way to deal with it.
"You know, when I was asked earlier about the issue of coal, uh, you
know — Under my plan of a cap and trade system, electricity rates would
necessarily skyrocket" - Barack Hussain Obama
oh, we have a way
November 10, 2009 - 10:19 ET by jon_torlinThere's a way to deal with it, it's a matter of being allowed or having the stones to actually deal with it.
-Jon
Our Diversity Is Our Weakness
November 10, 2009 - 10:52 ET by miss911ninjaI agree that political correctness has a negative impact. How could it not when it prevents the cream of the crop from rising to the top? We've all heard the PC "public service announcements" about diversity being our strength. But it's just an empty slogan. Diversity of ethnicity, religion, skin color or sex should have no impact on our strength, one way or the other, because all people should be evaluated and promoted--or not--based on their individual merit. The current practice of hiring or promoting those with fewer skills and qualifications--especially in the military--does not strengthen us, it weakens us.
lets quit kidding ourselves-
November 10, 2009 - 10:21 ET by JIMMY1660the Middle East is not something we can help with. Radical muslim terrorists want to take it back into the 7th century. Let Them.
Get our military out. Fuel up the B 52's/arm the B52's-let them do to each other whatever, once they cross the line in the sand-here come the B52's-no more boots on the ground-birds in the air.
lets not let one more young American Warrior die. Its not worth it. They are not worth it.
Naval Blockade on the Straits of Hermoz-nothing in nothing out.
And who is going to stop us.?No more PC!!
3,000+ killed on 9/11 13 more on 11/5-no more-no more!!!
BHO- THE PROGRESSIVE PIRATE
Political correctness gone wild.
November 10, 2009 - 10:33 ET by sevenPolitical correctness will not stop a bullet.
A short and alert policeman can take her pistol and stop a shooting rampage.
I suspect she wouldn't go ballistic being called a policeman.
Does Diversity Have Value?
November 10, 2009 - 11:34 ET by slickwillie2001We need to have a serious conversation on 'diversity'. The common politically-correct story is that 'diversity' should be our goal, that it somehow 'makes us stronger'. How exactly does diversity make us stronger? How does a couple of million muslims in the USA make our country better, or stronger? What value is diversity? On the other hand, what does diversity cost us in terms of security?
A New Slogan
November 10, 2009 - 12:54 ET by miss911ninjaThis should replace "Our diversity is our strength:"
"DIVERSITY WATERS US DOWN "
(Technically it should be "Affirmative action waters us down," but it doesn't have such a nice ring to it.)
screw PC
November 10, 2009 - 13:40 ET by jon_torlinOne of the things I pride myself on is being politically incorrect.
To answer your question "what does diversity cost us in terms of security?" one need only look at Ft. Hood.
If they are only so damned concerned about feelings of people on an ARMY BASE, rather than maintaining security, then there's a HUGE problem. You wanna worry about feelings, go see a shrink...oh wait, one of them shot up the base, oh golly gee!
This is the MILITARY we're talking about here, for pete's sake! Bad enough that morale is going down the toilet because they have a commander in chief who's derelict, but then what he says after the shooting, plus the people below him(HELLO, CASEY!!!) being more concerned about a damn backlash rather than a security risk that they ID'd LONG before what happened last week, come on!
Good Gawd Almighty, with people in charge like that, who'd want to join this bunch of clowns in this circus!
-Jon
jon... I feel the same
November 10, 2009 - 13:46 ET by bigtimerjon...
I feel the same way.
PC is going to be the death of us all...I'm danged sick and tired of it all as well..
As an aside...this is one reason I will not listen/watch when O speaks today, in my mind it's a disgrace him being at this service today, he showed his true colors from day one of the murders on our military with his own words and actions.
So here's my Shout-Out to 'o'....Stick it where the sun doesn't shine...some of us see right thru your empty-suit...and soul.
'Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea'~Breitbart
The Great Pretender
November 10, 2009 - 14:02 ET by miss911ninjaI won't be watching either. He will taint this solemn occasion by putting on his solemn face to pretend he's saddened. I couldn't stomach it. I'm one of those who sees through his empty suit, but I don't think his soul is empty. I think it's full of bitterness and resentment.
i must say...WHAT CANNOT BE ADMITTED
November 10, 2009 - 13:37 ET by reelman46I MUST SAY…WHAT CAN’T BE SAID
The Fort Hood mass murderer was a radical islamic man.
The Fort Hood mass murderer was influenced by radical islam.
The Fort Hood mass murderer used his religion to justify his killing.
The Fort Hood mass murderer is not “alleged” or a “suspect”.
The Fort Hood mass murderer attended a hate-filled mosque.
The Fort Hood mass murderer is a domestic terrorist.
The Fort Hood mass murderer killed unarmed innnocents.
The Fort Hood mass murderer is not in any way a victim.
The Fort Hood mass murderer was protected by liberal PC-ism.
The Fort Hood mass murderer is still being excused by national democrats and their minion media.
Does anyone find it strange that democrats have never had a problem loudly quickly blaming religious beliefs when an abortion mill doctor is killed but are silent when attack after attack by radical islamics kills innocents by the dozens or hundreds or thousands?
(answer: modern liberalism is a mental disorder)
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Doug Schexnayder, Ph.D. (theconservativecrawfish