As the bodies were being brought out from the sewer one by one, and as a mass grave was being excavated within the BDR headquarters, the people of Bangladesh, perhaps of the world at large, stood aghast at the extent of the barbarity perpetrated on the officers of our border security forces. As we watched on television the heart rending scenes of distraught families desperately trying to get a last glimpse of the mutilated bodies of their loved ones and others anxiously waiting for some news of those missing, the natural question that came to our mind was, for what "crimes" were these officers meted out such inglorious death? For what unprofessional acts were life snuffed out of them at the height of their career? For what possible action of theirs could a section of BDR jawans murder their officers in such an inhuman and un-soldierly manner? The answer escapes reason, words and logic. However, one thing can be said with certainty, if there were some sympathy for the points raised by the rebellious jawans, not an iota of it remained in the public mind after the initial extent of the crime became evident yesterday.
No, these cannot be outbursts of anybody that ever wore any uniform of a disciplined force. These cannot be the soldiers of BDR as we knew them and respected them for their untiring work in guarding our borders. These were the work of premeditated murderers who planned, prepared and then executed what amounts to the biggest loss of life of our well-trained officers corps of our armed forces.
We express our deepest shock and heart felt condolences for the families, relatives and friends of those who gave their lives while serving the cause of our security. We join the nation in mourning for them and praying for the salvation of their souls and hoping that Almighty will grant them eternal peace. We express our solidarity with the families of the bereaved and promise to stand by them as their children and families struggle to move forward in life.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Gee, does "These cannot be the soldiers of BDR as we knew them" sound familiar to anyone else?
I watched The One's speech to the Marines -- he didn't connect with them. Usually, the CIC wears some kind of jacket of the unit present (The 2nd Marines in this case) -- The One worn a suit. He appears from behind the curtain, after the invocation by a Marine Chaplain (and I'm prolly more than wrong, please correct me, but it looked like he was wearing a SEAL trident) and the singing of the National Anthem. Can our President, before Marines, not even stand, with his hand over his earth, as a Marine sang our Anthem?
Here's the last part of today's speech by Obama:
Finally, I want to be very clear that my strategy for ending the war in Iraq does not end with military plans or diplomatic agendas it endures through our commitment to uphold our sacred trust with every man and woman who has served in Iraq.
You make up a fraction of the American population, but in an age when so many people and institutions have acted irresponsibly, you did the opposite you volunteered to bear the heaviest burden. And for you and for your families, the war does not end when you come home. It lives on in memories of your fellow soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who gave their lives. It endures in the wound that is slow to heal, the disability that isn't going away, the dream that wakes you at night, or the stiffening in your spine when a car backfires down the street.
You and your families have done your duty now a grateful nation must do ours. That is why I am increasing the number of soldiers and Marines, so that we lessen the burden on those who are serving. And that is why I have committed to expanding our system of veterans health care to serve more patients, and to provide better care in more places. We will continue building new wounded warrior facilities across America, and invest in new ways of identifying and treating the signature wounds of this war: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury, as well as other combat injuries.
We also know that service does not end with the person wearing the uniform. In her visits with military families across the country, my wife Michelle has learned firsthand about the unique burden that your families endure every day. I want you to know this: military families are a top priority for Michelle and me, and they will be a top priority for my administration.
We'll raise military pay, and continue providing quality child-care, job-training for spouses, and expanded counseling and outreach to families that have known the separation and stress of war. We will also heed the lesson of history that those who fight in battle can form the backbone of our middle class by implementing a 21st century GI Bill to help our veterans live their dreams.
This is a very subtle form of the soldier-as-victim trope that is fast becoming an Iraq legacy. For soldiers throughout history--those who have endured physical and emotional sufferings of an essential similar quality, if less clinically expressed--the trials of war were at least partially ameliorated by the salve of personal honor and, if the battle went well, the celebration of a victory. The troops who have served and serve still in Iraq should be singled out not just for the burdens of the fight but because they emerge from it, as Bing West's book puts it, as the "strongest tribe."
No doubt there is a genuine tenderness in the president's feelings for soldiers. But there is little of the praise of warriors in his words. Gratitude or sympathy for suffering is quite different from honoring a sacrifice. I am sure Obama will honor his pledge to continue to ensure that people in uniform "form the backbone of our middle class." But the pay, the benefits, the programs alone are never enough and never, ultimately, what make the call to service worth answering.
It is never easy for a civilian to fully empathize with a soldier's experience, particularly with that of long-service professionals asked to serve constant watch on distant, dusty frontiers, in wars that ebb and flow but do not end. The only wisdom can come from acknowledging this almost unbridgeable gap and trying to mentally leap across it. Soldiers more easily see that we civilians are not like them; we civilians are mistakenly prone to think that soldiers are like us.
For the president, the civilian who stands at the beginning of the chain of command--who, by his constitutional authority as commander-in-chief really resides on the far side of the gap--making the leap is an obligation, not an option.
He, above all, should speak to his troops in the language of duty, honor, and country which is their native tongue but seems to be such a foreign dialect to a detached, cool, post-modern politician. President Obama must not simply bind up the soldier's wounds or care for his widow, but lead him.
The continuing efforts by Israel's presumptive next prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to assemble a rightwing-dominated government have sparked serious concern about the effects such a government might have on peace efforts with the Palestinians. In addition, the fact that Netanyahu has invited Avigdor Lieberman.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009 00:00 ||
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Seems like small potatoes compared with the steady stream of rocket launches, kidnappings and suicide bombings from the other side.
#3
I think it is funny that the press attempts to equate the right with war when it is the left that actually ends up perpetuating low level conflict for decades resulting in the killing of far more people.
How many people died under the last Israeli regime? Had they gone in stronger and finished the job, maybe more would have died in that operation but there would not be continuing violence and that would save lives overall.
The left kills more people overall, they just do it in a slower fashion.
#4
Notice that peace negotiations does not mean pecae prospectives. It can be both sides around a table with one side not interested in peace but only on the propaganda value and the neagtive effect on the other side will to fight. Examples: North Korea, North Vietnam, the Paleos...
#6
The Press will hate Prime Minister Netanyahu as much as they did President Bush, and equally attempt to destroy him. All because, as g(r)omgoru points out, the Jews refuse to bare their necks to the sword.
Point of information, g(r)omgoru: it would be die Juden, because it's a plural.
der Jude, the Jew (masculine)
die Judin, the Jewess (feminine) - not much used in American English
die Juden, the Jews (plural)
#9
<<<<< Israel's lurch to the right deal blow to peace negotiations >>>>>>
So a "lurch to the left" would increase the chances of peace.
<<<<< have sparked serious concern about the effects such a government might have on peace efforts with the Palestinians >>>>
Yep. I suspect that once the government is in place and gets seriously serious about the daily rocket attacks, tunnels smuggling in arms and a few of those other irritating little factors which contribute to the current circumstances, they will have a better shot at putting Hamas under such pressure that Fatah will be in the ascendancy again and they can all get the talks going with Egypt as the mediator.
Funny how it the left seems to have a monopoly on peace and the right has a prediliction to conflict. I'll have to revisit my history for the last century.
#10
I think it's a good thing. Most of the peace negotiated has not been helpful to Israel's interests. Israel has benefited more from war attempts than peaceful ones.
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
02/28/2009 9:36 Comments ||
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#11
deh Juice is easier to remember than all dem damn die der and such liker.
#1
Are they still some bad guys around, like gangsters or spies or terrorists, that could keep Holder busy? Isn't there something for him to do other than make whites see him sneer?
#1
After Stimulusol XR wears off, the traditional meds Damnitall and Fuuckitall will no longer work.
Hopefully, Replacemol will be effective - if not, and only as a last resort, Hangemal is indicated. However, Hangemal is very dangerous and can lead to unintended consequences.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
