Don't shoot at books you don't know...

[August]

Originally Posted by TheSatyr

And how would the religious right wingnuts react if the insurgency was using the Bible for target practice? Probably the same way.

What, demand that the perp be jailed or even killed? I doubt it. Maybe a few at the very fringe but if you look hard enough you can find examples of just about anything.

Jewish Nazis, straight San Franciscans, even anti-socialist Democrats...

[Hakahura]

Yes to Western sensibilties it's an over-reaction. However.....

Writing as a seviceman who's served many times all overthe Middle East.....

This guy should have known better.
He will have received many briefings prior to deployment on just this kind of behaviour.
All Troops, from all services and all countries know what is and is'nt expected of them.
Not to say this kind of childish letting of steam is unique.

JUST DON'T GET CAUGHT !

End of the day it's their country we have to respect their rules, laws and culture.
Part and parcel of travelling round the world.

After all whenever I'm on exercise in the USA, the unreasonable heathens expect me to drive on the wrong side of the road! Unbelievable!
Don't even get me started on the fact that some of my younger collegues can't get served in bars because the're not 21! Infidels!

Finished my rant now.

Originally Posted by Jacky Fisher

This is the kind of thing that wins Al-Qaida about a hundred new recruits a day.

Was this soldier briefed at all on the nuances of the local culture.

Obviously not. When I joined the USAF in 1971, one of the things they mentioned in Basic Training is that you represent the USA. (As George Carlin once put it, "Remember: You represent your row."*)

You are a diplomat, whether or not you want to be. Your actions reflect either good or bad on our country, our flag, and what it stands for. Embarrass your country while in the service of the military, and your ass is ours.

Apparently, someone was just not going to let that little bit of info sink in.

* For those not familiar with the concept, in schools years ago (don't know if they still do this), the person at the head of each row of students "represented" that row of students. They were the first to get pages handed to them by the teacher for passing out to the students behind them, and were the ones that received the pages handed up from the rear for retrieval by the teacher.

Originally Posted by Tchocky

Funny, I'd just read this story

Still, the concept of a Jew burning books is abhorrent to many in Israel because of the association with Nazis torching piles of Jewish books during the Holocaust of World War II.

Interesting. The phrase "We have become that which we hate the most." comes to mind.