What We Need
by matt at 6:00 am on January 9th, 2006 in Bush Man Date, War on TerrorPresident George W. Bush (1/5/06):
We need intelligence officers who, when somebody says something in Arabic or Farsi or Urdu knows what they’re talking about. That’s what we need.
Unless those intelligence officers are gay, of course. In which case, we don’t need it:
Nine Army linguists, including six trained to speak Arabic, have been dismissed from the military because they are gay.
The soldiers’ dismissals come at a time when the military is facing a critical shortage of translators and interpreters for the war on terrorism.
Seven of the soldiers were discharged after telling superiors they are gay, and the two others got in trouble when they were caught together after curfew…
[…]
Six were specializing in Arabic, two were studying Korean and one was studying Mandarin Chinese. All were at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, the military’s primary language training center.
Arabic. Korean. Mandarin Chinese. This probably isn’t harming national security though.
Nick in Beantown wrote:
>and the two others got in trouble when they were caught together after curfew…
Maybe they were studying…
Posted 09 Jan 2006 at 7:39 am ¶
AndresB wrote:
Damn dude, i don’t even know how to react…
it’s a sorta jaw dropping, stupefying speechless sort of moment when you’re just confronted with sheer ignorance and incompetence.
Posted 09 Jan 2006 at 10:29 am ¶
screwtape wrote:
Everyone likes to compare the Bush admin to George Orwell’s 1984. And to be certain there are some similarities. But the government in 1984 knew that there had to be some level of competence. They knew that in order for them to continue to hold their power, in some critical areas 2+2 did indeed equal 4 and not 5.
The Neocons have not figured that out yet. For them it is always ideology over reality, no matter what the consequences.
Posted 09 Jan 2006 at 11:00 am ¶
JimC wrote:
I’m sorry, I have to laugh when you conspiarcy wingnuts come out to play. The MIB is coming to get you!
W has been in office what 5 years now? I haven’t lost any freedoms, have you?
Posted 09 Jan 2006 at 11:08 am ¶
tom wrote:
my freedom to not be ruled by nutjobs and corporate allies has gone out the fucking window repeatedly. i still dont see what conspiracy is involved here aside from the obvious and repeated pattern of this administration and the right in general to put everything behind their ideology. which is obviously very helpful, but really shows what they hold to be important.
Posted 09 Jan 2006 at 12:14 pm ¶
tom wrote:
BTW, i wonder if bush thinks we dont need any more people fluent in Farsi since his entire administration is so fluence in Farce?
hahahaha i kill me.
Posted 09 Jan 2006 at 12:17 pm ¶
Nick in Beantown wrote:
>I’m sorry, I have to laugh when you conspiarcy wingnuts come out to play. The MIB is coming to get you!
Identify the comment in this thread that indicates someone here believes there is a conspiracy. Linguists were fired for being gay. This is the way the military has worked for some time.
Our friend screwtape made a nice point about those who evoke Orwell when talking about our Dear Leader and how the comparison is not such a perfect fit.
Conspiracy, Jim? Show me.
Posted 09 Jan 2006 at 12:20 pm ¶
Mark wrote:
JimC–
I really hope that’s your real name … otherwise, you are in sssoooo much trouble thanks to Preznit Bush.
:-P
Posted 09 Jan 2006 at 12:31 pm ¶
JimC wrote:
Ahhh, yes, it is the President’s personal will to jail all those who anoy one another on hte internet. I guess we are all in trouble for I’ve been annoyed by some of the posts on here. ;-)
Hmmm…”and the Senate unanimously approved it Dec. 16.”…interesting…either Teddy was not sober enough or he hates all of the annoying emails he gets…
Posted 09 Jan 2006 at 5:08 pm ¶
JimC wrote:
Mentioning 1984…not the first time it has been mentioned in comparison to W’s government.
Posted 09 Jan 2006 at 5:10 pm ¶
matt wrote:
>Mentioning 1984…not the first time it has been mentioned in comparison to W’s government.
completely ignoring the substance of the post because the actions mentioned are indefensible…not the first time…
Posted 09 Jan 2006 at 9:23 pm ¶
Mark wrote:
Okay … I chuckled at that.
Posted 09 Jan 2006 at 10:11 pm ¶
screwtape wrote:
>I haven’t lost any freedoms, have you?
We have both lost the freedom to travel without “showing our papers”.
We have both lost the freedom from warrantless searches. If that precedence stands, we have essentially lost all freedom at the whim of the emperor. And if you claim you are just fine with the president ordering warrantless wire taps of US persons, how would you feel about it if Kerry had won?
I will not get into having lost the freedom to free and fair elections.
>I’m sorry, I have to laugh when you conspiarcy wingnuts come out to play.
Did you even read the post? Are you retarded?
>Mentioning 1984…not the first time it has been mentioned in comparison to W’s government
Uh, yeah. I believe I pointed that out in my very first sentence. The one that says, “Everyone likes to compare the Bush admin to George Orwell’s 1984.” I guess that answers my previous questions…
Posted 10 Jan 2006 at 4:48 am ¶
Matthew Tobey wrote:
This is the most glaring of the many reasons why no one here should pay Jim the respect of responding to his comments.
Posted 10 Jan 2006 at 7:54 am ¶
Adam from PDX wrote:
>and the two others got in trouble when they were caught together after curfew…
>Maybe they were studying…
I’m going to take the jocular approach to this and make a much unwarranted comment.
Studying what? The Ancient Art of Arabic Skinflute? Perhaps they were using each other as Camels. Training for the most rigorous form of Desert “combat.”
Also, as a former member of the military (and a gay one to boot), I can say that the whole “no queers in combat, if we know you’re queer that is” is absolutely barbaric and completely undermines the military by rejecting a good number of quality men and women who, given the opportunity, would prove invaluable to any war effort.
Posted 10 Jan 2006 at 4:22 pm ¶
chiron wrote:
>> JimC Says:
>> January 9th, 2006 at 11:08 am
>> I’m sorry, I have to laugh when you conspiarcy wingnuts come out to play. The MIB is coming to get you!
>> W has been in office what 5 years now? I haven’t lost any freedoms,
Perhaps JimC should learn to read before he makes an ass of himself. Nobody was talking conspiracy (duh!). The article referred to people being fired for their sexual preferences. And try looking at what the NSA is now allowed to do before you blithely quote no loss of civil liberties.
Say Jim, I think the barn needs mending, run along now.
Posted 10 Jan 2006 at 10:50 pm ¶