"They are trying to convert us to Christianity," said Anad, a Sunni Muslim like most residents of this city in Anbar province.

Well, what did you expect in a crusade?

Ron Paul Revere: If they misinterpret individual soldiers doing what they think is righteous as an act on behalf of the government, that's their own damned problem.

Sorry, but if that soldier was acting on his own, then I would toss him in the stockade for pulling crap like that. When he wears that uniform he is representing our entire nation, and he has no personal views past those that his CO gives him. Any action that he takes, good or bad, is done as a representative of this nation. If he can't get that through his skull, then he does not deserve to wear the uniform.

Be a missionary for your religion on your own time soldier. Because while your soul may belong to Jesus, when you are wearing that uniform your ass belongs to Uncle Sam.

Code_Archeologist: Be a missionary for your religion on your own time soldier. Because while your soul may belong to Jesus, when you are wearing that uniform your ass belongs to Uncle Sam.

agreed. we don't pay taxes to fund missionary work.

Nestea Plunge: There's also the reason that proselytizing people by handing them pamphlets, tracts and whatnot simply pisses them off. It pisses anybody off.

How'd you like it if I preached to you about Satan and plied you with literature? Or Baal? Or Beelzebub?

i've always found it to be quite a bit insulting. it's like saying "i know your beliefs and convictions are formed from a lifetime of experience, but here, let me override all of that with this pamphlet that tells you why i think you're going to hell"

what would kirk cameron do?

Nestea Plunge: How'd you like it if I preached to you about Satan and plied you with literature? Or Baal? Or Beelzebub?

I kind of like Beelzebub's position on healing after falls.

Ron Paul Revere: If they misinterpret individual soldiers doing what they think is righteous as an act on behalf of the government, that's their own damned problem.

Like labelling anyone who's pissed that their country is illegally occupied as an al Qaeda terrorist?

There is, of course, the issue of whether or not the UCMJ allows them to do such things while on duty, but as this is essentially practicing their religion in a way that doesn't in and of itself interfere with their duties, I doubt it.

Inciting religious hostility most certainly interferes with their duties, if not the entire mission. We went there to liberate them from Saddam. Not Allah.

eqtworld: That is a dick move on the part of the soldier.

"Reject your religion, and accept the religion of your invaders-- or you will burn in Hell forever."

/This is looking more like a crusade every day.

This.

The soldiers shouldn't be pushing their religion in uniform. End of discussion.

farking brilliant. If Fallujah goes all torches-and-pitchforks again as a result of this, I hope these idiots swing from the end of a rope.

Stupid Christian soldiers, everybody knows that John 3:16 is only meant for baseball games.

I'm sure christians here in america would be very tolerant about an occupying muslim soldier handing them islamic promotional materials at mandatory check points.

the situation in iraq is bad enough without bringing up the religious differences between the occupied and the occupiers. this is retarded.

In Fallujah, Mohammed Jaber saw one of the coins and said he thought of the bullets lodged in the Quran, the torture of Iraqi men at the Abu Ghraib prison in 2004 and the rape of a 14-year-old girl and her murder and that of her family in Mahmoudiya.

American Jesus approves.

TheCid: The soldiers shouldn't be pushing their religion in uniform. End of discussion.

this

Religion fails on every level.

Code_Archeologist: Ron Paul Revere: If they misinterpret individual soldiers doing what they think is righteous as an act on behalf of the government, that's their own damned problem.

Sorry, but if that soldier was acting on his own, then I would toss him in the stockade for pulling crap like that. When he wears that uniform he is representing our entire nation, and he has no personal views past those that his CO gives him. Any action that he takes, good or bad, is done as a representative of this nation. If he can't get that through his skull, then he does not deserve to wear the uniform.

Be a missionary for your religion on your own time soldier. Because while your soul may belong to Jesus, when you are wearing that uniform your ass belongs to Uncle Sam.

Well said. How I wish this could be the final statement of the thread, but I can smell the flamewar a-brewin'.

This kind of shiat does not help. I hope they catch whomever is doing this and punish them. We don't need more stories like this spreading around and inspiring more Saudis to come and blow our guys up. Also, my taxes are not going towards promoting one bogus religion over another.

I seriously farking hate these born-again assholes.

Blasphemy is a victimless crime.

eqtworld: /This is looking more like a crusade every day.

Nah. In the crusades, they provided armor in a timely fashion.

Occam's Chainsaw
farking brilliant. If Fallujah goes all torches-and-pitchforks again as a result of this, I hope these idiots swing from the end of a rope.

I hope you don't mean the soldiers. Handing someone a coin, no matter how stupid or insulting, really isn't a cause for a hanging.

/Would like to see it investigated and know if the soldier(s) was under orders to do this, or acting alone.

SushiJoe: what would kirk cameron do?

blankly stare into oblivion grinning like he's been drinking brake fluid.

Occam's Chainsaw: farking brilliant. If Fallujah goes all torches-and-pitchforks again as a result of this, I hope these idiots swing from the end of a rope.

Typical anti-american, anti-troop liberal hatred.

Code_Archeologist:
Sorry, but if that soldier was acting on his own, then I would toss him in the stockade for pulling crap like that. When he wears that uniform he is representing our entire nation, and he has no personal views past those that his CO gives him. Any action that he takes, good or bad, is done as a representative of this nation. If he can't get that through his skull, then he does not deserve to wear the uniform.

Be a missionary for your religion on your own time soldier. Because while your soul may belong to Jesus, when you are wearing that uniform your ass belongs to Uncle Sam.

I'll take a double serving of THIS with a side order of RIMS.

HotWingConspiracy: In Fallujah, Mohammed Jaber saw one of the coins and said he thought of the bullets lodged in the Quran, the torture of Iraqi men at the Abu Ghraib prison in 2004 and the rape of a 14-year-old girl and her murder and that of her family in Mahmoudiya.

American Jesus approves.

He's the farmer's barren fields, he's the force the army wields, the expression in the faces of the starving millions.

I Said: I hope you don't mean the soldiers. Handing someone a coin, no matter how stupid or insulting, really isn't a cause for a hanging.

/Would like to see it investigated and know if the soldier(s) was under orders to do this, or acting alone.

Endangering the lives of thousands of soldiers and civilians to push a religious agenda. Yep, that's a hangin'. Not, mind you, for the act of handing out coins, but for the consequences.

/Let's just hope that Fallujah's no longer a powder keg.
//Even if nothing happens, these marines should have their CO so far up their ass that he/she sees daylight through their nostrils.

Before going out on active duty, please make sure that all civilian effects, cell-phones, religious and political views, are duly left in your locker.

You should at all times carry the effects necessary for being operational in a combat theater, sane rules of engagement, and an idea that whatever you do, you're doing on behalf of the armed forces after command flowing down the chain of command like diarrhea through gravel.

We would like to thank you for flying with Republican Sponsored Crusades, to Arlington, end of active duty at home with your family, or wherever your final destination might be.

seventypercent: Blasphemy is a victimless crime.

That's as may be, but the collateral damage can be horrendous.

Diogenes: We went there to liberate them from Saddam. Not Allah.

You sure about that?

This is clearly a case of whiteman's burden. We obviously have to teach these uncivilized slobs that Jesus is our homeboy and he can be theirs too.

HotWingConspiracy: In Fallujah, Mohammed Jaber saw one of the coins and said he thought of the bullets lodged in the Quran, the torture of Iraqi men at the Abu Ghraib prison in 2004 and the rape of a 14-year-old girl and her murder and that of her family in Mahmoudiya.

American Jesus approves.

and, for massive ill, when we see Mohammed Jaber we think of beheaded hostages, planes flying into towers, Muslim Rage Boy, Riots over cartoons in a small newspaper, and the rape and beheading/stoning of many women.

It is time to just leave that place, spend obscene amounts of money developing and selling E-REV vehicles, in every form of baseline electricity generation research that even smacks of being plausible (Polywell, im lookin at you bud) get ourselves off oil and let them go back to doing their thing without our money, influence, and objections.

Don't worry, it's all part of the Global War On Terror (TM) Winning Hearts and Minds (TM) So We Don't Have To Fight Them Here (TM).

FarkedOver: This is clearly a case of whiteman's burden. We obviously have to teach these uncivilized slobs that Jesus is our homeboy and he can be theirs too.

i have no problem with people who do that, good for them. However when you are working for the gov and carrying a machine gun, shut up about god and do your job.

Edsel: Don't worry, it's all part of the Global War On Terror (TM) Winning Hearts and Minds (TM) So We Don't Have To Fight Them Here (TM).

But I wanna fight em here! I don't have a gun rack on the back of my silverado for nuthin! YEE HAWWW

One is forced to wonder with such individuals: Which came first, the Christianity or the stupidity?

liam76: FarkedOver: This is clearly a case of whiteman's burden. We obviously have to teach these uncivilized slobs that Jesus is our homeboy and he can be theirs too.

i have no problem with people who do that, good for them. However when you are working for the gov and carrying a machine gun, shut up about god and do your job.

Please replace the batteries in your sarcasm meter. Thank you!

Sincerely,

FarkedOver

I gotta call doubt on this

First, where are the Marines getting these coins inscribed in Arabic?

Second, who is to say some media-savy Insurgents didn't give a bunch of coins to some poor residents, pay them a couple of hundred, and tell everybody, and the media, that Americans gave it to them?

I gotta see more info before I join the knee-jerk brigade.

SushiJoe: what would kirk cameron do?

Try to remember that Candace is his sister and he shouldn't think about her in that way.

This is completely counter to what we're trying to accomplish, in addition to what Code_Archeologist said.

The ONLY way we make any progress in Iraq is with the support of the local people. Pissing that away is really, really stupid.

I'd like to know how wide-spread this is. Can't, just from the article, get the sense of whether this is just a couple of dumbasses in uniform, or it's more routine. If it's the latter, then it's pretty damn disturbing, and makes me remember when Bush called the whole thing a "cruscade" a couple years ago.

FarkedOver: liam76: FarkedOver: This is clearly a case of whiteman's burden. We obviously have to teach these uncivilized slobs that Jesus is our homeboy and he can be theirs too.

i have no problem with people who do that, good for them. However when you are working for the gov and carrying a machine gun, shut up about god and do your job.

Please replace the batteries in your sarcasm meter. Thank you!

Sincerely,

FarkedOver

I got the sarcasm, I was just saying I don't have a problem who sincerely think they need to try and save peoples souls with Jesus. Except when they do it while on the govt dime.

Winning hearts and minds

They lost, Ernesto.

SushiJoe: what would kirk cameron do?

Realize that a bananna is not the only thing that fits perfectly in your hand.

Oh, and,

FTFA:In Fallujah, Mohammed Jaber saw one of the coins and said he thought of the bullets lodged in the Quran, the torture of Iraqi men at the Abu Ghraib prison in 2004 and the rape of a 14-year-old girl and her murder and that of her family in Mahmoudiya.

What the hell? Didn't hear about that.

Swampthing in Korea: I gotta call doubt on this

First, where are the Marines getting these coins inscribed in Arabic?

Second, who is to say some media-savy Insurgents didn't give a bunch of coins to some poor residents, pay them a couple of hundred, and tell everybody, and the media, that Americans gave it to them?

I gotta see more info before I join the knee-jerk brigade.

Christian ministries have a lot of resources. I wouldn't be suprised if they were behind this. However I doubt it is that widespread, and wouldn't be that suprised if some insurgent group was behind it.

Bottom line we should come out and say it is wrong.

liam76

Bottom line, wait until all he info is on the table first.

Swampthing in Korea:First, where are the Marines getting these coins inscribed in Arabic?

Second, who is to say some media-savy Insurgents didn't give a bunch of coins to some poor residents, pay them a couple of hundred, and tell everybody, and the media, that Americans gave it to them?

Where do those random guys on the bus or sidewalk get their "Salvation tracts?" There always seems to be one of those people handing out phony million dollar bills with a bunch of scripture passages on them. These guys probably got the coins from their churches.

If you're going to play the faux open minded card, at least admit that if evidence comes out against the marines, you're not going to budge in insisting their innocence.

Swampthing in Korea: First, where are the Marines getting these coins inscribed in Arabic?

These guys will mint you anything you want on the cheap. How much do you want to bet that US megachurches would have any qualms about encouraging US servicemen in their congregations to undertake such activities?

Swampthing in Korea: liam76

Bottom line, wait until all he info is on the table first.

We don't need to know if marines were handing out the coins to say mariens shouldn't be handing out these coins.

CalvinMorallis: What the hell? Didn't hear about that.

Happened back in 2006. I seem to remember one of the wackjobs...Savage or Hannity, raising money for their defense.

liam76: FarkedOver: liam76: FarkedOver: This is clearly a case of whiteman's burden. We obviously have to teach these uncivilized slobs that Jesus is our homeboy and he can be theirs too.

i have no problem with people who do that, good for them. However when you are working for the gov and carrying a machine gun, shut up about god and do your job.

Please replace the batteries in your sarcasm meter. Thank you!

Sincerely,

FarkedOver

I got the sarcasm, I was just saying I don't have a problem who sincerely think they need to try and save peoples souls with Jesus. Except when they do it while on the govt dime.

Meh. I don't enjoy assholes coming up to me on the street asking me when i was saved. They can each shiat. But I do enjoy the people that hand out those farking crazy-ass little comic strips, those are always good for a laugh.

Swampthing in Korea: Bottom line, wait until all he info is on the table first.

A better idea would be to remind military personnel that they shouldn't be evangelizing in Iraq. Even if the story was made up by insurgents, it's important to stay proactive. We've already had idiots over here like Ron Parsley try to stoke the flames and convince people that the war on terrorism is a religious conflict. I'll take a guess that the Iraqis aren't going to be too happy with a wait and see philosophy.

This isn't just about assigning blame. I hope that the story turns out the way you see it. I hope that no marine decided to engage in personal business ont he job. Rather, it's about ensuring stability in the region.