US: Florida pastor bigger threat……….
Posted on 03. Apr, 2011 by Yvonne Ridley in Opinion
…….to US security than Bradley Manning
By Yvonne Ridley
US Army Private Bradley Manning was arrested, tortured and put in solitary confinement based on the absurd allegation that he is a threat to American national security.
His alleged crime is that he handed over classified military and diplomatic documents to the whistle-blowing website, WikiLeaks.
Among the accusations thrown at him by Pentagon top brass is that he endangered the lives of serving soldiers overseas by allegedly exposing US war crimes to the world.
Now, in an apparent act of revenge, his captors are subjecting him to sleep deprivation, prolonged time in isolation and continuous nude spot-checks – conditions said to be right out of the manual of the CIA for ‘enhanced interrogation’ as used and refined in Guantanamo Bay.
So you see, when the US government wants to act in a swift, unconstitutionally and in a vengeful way nothing can stop it. Ergo torture, water boarding and rendition as seen in the War on Terror.
The truth is Bradley Manning’s actions have not cost anyone their life but, someone whose actions have triggered a killing spree of mayhem and murder is the American Pastor Terry Jones.
His inexplicable act of burning a copy of the Holy Qur’an has caused a tsunami of revolt among ordinary Afghan people, and with the striking of a single match he has undoubtedly put the life of every US squaddie based over there in danger.
Sadly, I suspect what is unfolding in Afghanistan will be repeated in other sporadic outbreaks of violence in the Muslim world.
Yet no one lifted a single finger to stop this deranged, evil old man from setting fire to a holy book revered by more than a billion Muslims … a book, by the way that is also hugely respected by countless Christians, Jews and people of other faiths and no faiths.
Now I’m sure some will claim that what he did was an expression of freedom and that he had every right to act in the way he did because America is the "Land of the Free" after all.
If that is the case can someone tell me why US authorities are very quick to act against those who dare to criticise Israel for 
instance? The University of California at Irvine suspended its Muslim Student Union for a year when members heckled Israel’s Ambassador to the US in February 2010.
Other students and teachers elsewhere in the US have been punished, sacked or suspended for expressing anti-Israeli views or criticisms of the Zionist State.
In fact, if you are too vocal about the evils of Zionism or voice your support for the Palestinians in the west Bank or Gaza, you can expect a home visit from FBI agents.
So if US authorities can jail Bradley Manning and punish him in an obscene way even before his trial, and they can sack, suspend and intimidate US citizens for daring to criticize the Zionist State why did no one act swiftly to rein in the demented pastor?
In September last year the so-called most powerful man on the planet, Barack Obama, urged Pastor Jones not to burn a copy of the Qur’an, saying it could cause “serious violence in places like Pakistan or Afghanistan”. General David Petraeus and even Ban Ki-Moon joined in pleading with the pastor.
Terry Jones backed down and he resumed preaching his hatred to his tiny flock in Florida which numbers less than two score and ten.
But the attention seeking cleric, who was banned from entering Britain earlier this year because he is seen as a preacher of hate, went ahead anyway a few days ago and desecrated a copy of the Holy Qur’an.
At a mock trial conducted by the mad cleric a “jury” found the Qur’an guilty of promoting violence. Only a handful of people were present for the kangaroo court which was held on Sunday March 20th, but it was streamed live on Truthsat-tv and went global thanks to the social networks.
A violent reaction, as previously predicted by the US President et al, was anticipated.
President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan while condemning the incident urged the US government to arrest Pastor Terry Jones. It was wise advice, foolishly ignored.
As a result, riots erupted across Afghanistan which left 12 dead, including at least four Gurkhas and three United Nations staff.
Not one US soldier posted in a Muslim country would be wise to step out of a bunker or foxhole in this incendiary climate created by the American pastor.
He has put all of their lives in danger and so must now be regarded as a very genuine threat to the national security of the US – far more so than young soldier Bradley Manning who was slapped in irons last May.
The actions of those who went on a killing rampage is beyond belief, but we have to remember that for every action there is a reaction. And it is quite possible that the anger unleashed in Afghanistan was already bubbling just beneath the surface, thanks to the dozen soldiers from the Stryker Brigade who killed Afghan civilians cutting off body parts as trophies, then covered up their crimes.
If the actions of the so-called Kill Team drove Afghans wild then it is possible the tipping point was the actions of Pastor Terry Jones who provided the ubiquitous straw to break the camel's back.
This could all have been avoided if the authorities in the US had acted in an appropriate manner way back in September.
There was no such dithering or navel-gazing over what to do about Bradley Manning who has been confined for 23 hours a day in a six-foot by twelve-foot jail cell since his arrest.
loading...
pammo
04. Apr, 2011
Well you have to thank the gibberish spouting media for making this clown"pastor"famous.
It sure is convienient for the mercenary groups like Xe and other "private military"companies!
Military contracts handed out to these kind of private corporations are all the rage.If private assets are hurt then they count as civilians!
Well right now I guess the Muslims don't hate the Christians enough and vice versa.
The pastor doen't realy have a big church but on TV news who cares?
Erik Prince has (connections to World Vision,and Focus On The Family,so called Christian 501c3 Churches and all the customers of the product).
But Erik Prince is a Catholic and I wouldn't call them Christians.They worship Mary,give Jesus a little lip service,and bypass the Bible saying "Call no man Father"…they got the Holy father and every dress wearing preist is supposed to be a father too!
The Catholic church is the only church that tortured people that didn't agree with them as heretics.(Inquistion too!)
Thats how you know they are in it for the $scratch.
Blackwater is based in Malta where the Pope guy's Knight Templars were the fiercest well funded army like Blackwater Xe
Heh…the X in Xe is like a templar Maltese cross on a tilt like the nazi thing…
Oh well the Crusades were money makers for the Pope dude.
Too bad that loser burning the Quaran was beamed across the world with his pro new Crusade stunt which will just so happen to be the exact same thing the mercenaries need to keep getting rich.
Darn ! The story is more like a commercial for the mercenaries.
He sure makes the Christians look bad! If it sparks terrorism it will be a boon to "security contractors"
Yawn.
Quran protests spread to turbulent Afghan east (AP) | BeyonceSpecial
04. Apr, 2011
[...] US: Florida pastor bigger threat……. | Opinion Maker [...]
wayne
04. Apr, 2011
Israel has been pushing for an American war against all of Islam for the past 65 years and it has finally come to ugly reality. This conflict will last for hundreds of years and all our freedoms will be taken from us in the name of national security. Our best hope for stopping this terrible life is to bring pressure to bear on Israel and Jews at all levels and everywhere. Act now.
Jeff Roller
04. Apr, 2011
As usual Miss Ridley is on the spot and it is worth reading a recent article of hers on the subject of US censorship and gagging people from talking. http://www.intifada-palestine.com/2010/06/us-fear-factory-kills-free-speech/
Cj
04. Apr, 2011
Could someone please explain to me why the burning of a book is so important? Is it because the followers of said book feel that the act of burning it somehow defiles the contents? If the contents are truly the word and teachings of god then it really doesn't matter what anyone does to a physical representation. It's the spiritual representation that counts.
To borrow from the movie "Kingdom of Heaven" :
"I put no stock in Religion.
Under the word religion I've seen the lunacy of fanatics of every denomiation called the word of god.
Holiness, Spirituality, is in right action,
and courage on behalf of those that cannot defend themselves,
and goodness.
What god desires of us in in our heads,
and in our hearts,
and by what we decide to do every day
we'll either be good people,
or not."
No religion is the answer. Nor is it the solution to the worlds problems. Man is the solution. And when man decides to grow up the world will be a better place. But as long as he refuses to give up old beliefs and idiology we will be forever warring between ourselves.
Johnny
04. Apr, 2011
How convenient…the media puts this “pastor” into the spotlight, and West vs. East hate ensues. Man that was easy…and profitable! And all we can learn from this is that Christianity is bad and that freedom of speech is bad. And that oil rich muslims are bad and must be killed (and then robbed). This stuff is so simple, that my mind is boggled by the way so many people believe. No one has yet asked if this “pastor” is on the military industrial cartel payroll. No one has yet asked if the “riots” were started by those on the payroll, like so many other events. No one has yet asked what burning books has to do with Christianity. But instead…
Like sheep to the slaughter, the American sucker people take everything coming out of the media as fact, when their hearts scream to them that it is all lies. Particularly anything proving that the Constitution is bad or that Christianity is bad. You have been owned by the enemies of America. I used to think that perhaps there was a chance to turn the tide..but now I no longer believe.
For surely it is written that the mocker, the scorner, and the wicked will have their day of destruction. The simple and the fool will not escape without stripes. But your televisions have taught you to mock your fellow people, to scorn the teachings of morality, and to glut yourselves on porn, violence, and other shameful entertainment. Are you ready for the day of destruction? It is not far off.
Although it is obvious that those liars on your televisions have been trying to mold you in this fashion for decades, like suckers, you still believe! Every shallow new trick, every impossible new “fact”, and you are like hogs to the trough to slurp it up!
The media has removed the brains of the American people and replaced them with pride. Everyone is always right, no matter how ignorant…and sheeple must continually point the finger at each other rather than the powers that be.
I hope you will feel good knowing what part you have played when America burns. Let us see if your pride and hate for your neighbor will feed your family or keep your hides intact!
Rehmat
04. Apr, 2011
I feel the best way to fight back the Zionazi propaganda war – is to act like Iranian people. They commissioned a 'Holocaust Conference' in Tehran in December 2006 – to teach a lesson to the western champions of 'freedom of speech'. Instead of crying foul – Muslims should start burning copies of Jewish Talmud – an act which carried out in Europe in the past many times.
Do it and enjoy whines from the West.
Nostradamus Future Predictions
05. Apr, 2011
[...] ESP is the psychic abilities which already introduce or obtain by means psychic works such as giving meaning of our sub signs, future telling, astrology, tarot reading, numerology, and many more. Here are some of psychic abilities which familiar to all of us: Bilocation which means being in two places at the same time, Clairvoyance intends to a perception outside the known human senses, Precognition which is usual to future tellers because they percept future events, Psychokinesis turns to manipulation of matter, space, time and energy. Remote viewing which they can gather information at a distance, Retrocognition who gathers perception from past events, Telepathy makes a transfer of thoughts and emotions, Transvection is through body levitation, Horoscopy producing meaning to astrological symbols such as sun signs or Zodiac signs, Ghost busting and Ghost whisperer, and many more psychic abilities which already obtain by those persons who intended to have more powerful mind. The most common to us, are those psychic abilities Also you can check out this related blog post: https://opinion-maker.org/2011/04/us-florida-pastor-bigger-threat/ [...]
Craig
05. Apr, 2011
That pastor was well within his Constitutional free speech rights. If you don't believe in free speech for those whose opinions you hate, then you don't believe in free speech at all, hypocrit.
This country cannot and will not abridge our Consitition and our rights based on a bunch of irrational religious fundamentalists in another country. If you don't like it get the fuck out and take the rest of the liberal cocksucking wimps that infect this country with you.
Yvonne Ridley
06. Apr, 2011
Craig, thank you for exercising your right to tell me what you think – now let's hope the judge presiding over the Irvine 11 thinks exactly the same as you. let's just see how far free speech really does go in America when it comes to criticising Israel and proponents of the racist, Zionist state.
I hope more people like you demand that everyone is treated equally in the eyes of the law including those brave students known as the Irvine 11 who are now at the mercy of the Orange County judiciary.
You make a good point but what a pity you resort to such foul language. Did you get that from your mother's side of the family. is that how she raised you? I suppose it could be argued she was using free speech if she used language like that publicly.