An American Patriot: General William Boykin
By Robert J. Rutkowski (10/28/03)
"We are a Christian nation, because our foundation... [is] Judeo-Christian and the enemy is a guy named Satan." - Lt. General William G. Boykin, United States Army
This week United States Army Lieutenant General William G. Boykin, the recently-named Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence, found himself at the center of a Washington political storm for comments deemed "intolerant" by the political left and their operatives.
This uproar surrounding General Boykin is based largely on comments made more than a decade ago. Expressing views about a battle with Osman Otto, a Somali warlord, the general said, "I knew my God was bigger than his. I knew that my God was a real God, and his was an idol." After defeating Otto, Boykin reportedly quipped to him, "You underestimated our God." In a recent statement, General Boykin indicated his comments were "...misinterpreted." His statement continued, "My comments on Osman Otto in Mogadishu were not referencing his worship of Allah but his worship of money and power..." The statement makes a final clear point: "He was a corrupt man, not a follower of Islam."
What is frustrating in the wake of the general's comments is the utter lack of tolerance afforded the general by the tolerance-preaching Bush administration. President Bush, aboard Air Force One, commented, "...he didn't reflect my opinion." Virginia Senator John Warner, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, called for the Secretary of Defense to reassign Boykin to another military post. The Defense Secretary dismissed this suggestion. In fact only Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld offered a minutely-supportive statement. "[General Boykin] has requested an inspector general review of the matter, and I think that was an appropriate thing to do." He continued, "And we'll let that play out."
In his upcoming article "Onward, Christian Solider," from November 3 issue of The Weekly Standard, David Gelertner's perspective is refreshing. "Of course the United States is a Christian country. In fact it is a baseball-loving Christian country. Which doesn't mean that everyone is a Christian or loves baseball. Which doesn't empower the government to establish a national baseball team or force non-Christians to be baptized. It is just a statement of fact."
Yet the left remains unconvinced. Outraged at the general's comments, presidential candidate Joe Lieberman, this week, called for Boykin to be reprimanded for his comments, suggesting that the general's comments were "wrong theologically" and "very bigoted." Lieberman said, "The United States under [President] Bush is extremely unpopular in the world, including the Arab-Islamic world." John Kerry remarked that the general's comments were "un-American." Howard Dean offered his feelings on the matter by suggesting that the American flag "does not belong to...Boykin." In their race to pander to the left and special interest groups, one point was overlooked: the general is right.
Boykin's comments illustrate a view held by millions of Americans: evil is our enemy. And since the 9-11 terror attacks, that evil has been perpetrated by Islamic fundamentalists. The general's comments, however, bring to the fore an important point: the threat posed by Islamic fundamentalists is the gravest this nation has ever faced. And moreover, who among us is unable to recall the evocation of faith in the public square? Despite the left's yammering, the practice is commonly accepted based on the fact that this nation is a Judeo-Christian nation. Surely this illustrates a national understanding of our shared faith heritage, not, as the left suggests, a divisive attempt by the Christian-right to overtake the country.
The First Amendment of the Constitution notwithstanding, this highly-decorated military officer made faithful comments in a church. And where is the outrage that a Los Angeles Times reporter secretly recorded the general's comments in church? Where is the outrage that the complete text and recordings of the general's comments are not being released? Where is the outrage that only the so-called "intolerant" comments were released? Perhaps it is the goal of lefty, anti-religious types to bar all expressions of faith.
Being a highly-decorated military officer does not preclude a man from having principled and deeply-held views and love for his nation. As the left will likely continue to assail General Boykin, it will be hard for most Americans to see him as anything but a patriot.
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