May
29
2009
Please Note: The commentary in this article is not meant to imply an official MOAA position. From time to time, we will address topics that are outside of our official scope to help provide information as best we can or to cover particular instances of conflicting reporting of world and national events.
“History is almost always written by the victors and conquerors and gives their viewpoints” – Jawaharlal Nehru, 1946
A Civil War Ends
Anyone who has followed the stories surrounding the Sri Lanka civil war over the past month (or have been reading The Weekly Post) knows that the end of the 26 year old conflict was filled with immense brutality. Tamil Tiger rebels and refugees had fled to an agreed upon ‘safe zone’ and Sri Lankan military agreed to stop heavy fire into the area as of April 27th. However, a report from the Times of London, a news outlet that has been closely following the fighting, sites expert and eyewitness testimonies that allege that an average of a thousand civilians were killed by Sri Lankan heavy artillery every day in May up until the war effectively ended when Tamil Tiger rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran was killed.
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May
27
2009
An excellent tribute from an excellent golfer…
BotB Verdict:
Average Number of Times Received Daily at MOAA: 2
Summary
An email that is circulating quotes the speech that legendary golfer Tiger Woods made during the inauguration ceremonies of President Obama. Woods is the son of Lieutenant Colonel Earl Woods, who retired from the Army after a long career that included two tours of Vietnam as a member of the Green Berets. The text of the speech cited in the email is accurate, although there has been some instances of political commentary in most versions, either for or against his not mentioning President Obama. There are a few improbable statements in the most common email cited here, but the speech itself has not been altered. Full story after the break…
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May
25
2009
Yes, Bibles were burned, but not as portrayed
BotB Verdict:
Average Number of Times Received Daily at MOAA: 5
Important Update – May 25, 2009
As reported by PolitiFact, the video and destruction of the Bibles took place over a year ago, making this story/email a clear distortion of fact. I’m changing it to mostly Bilge. This happened under the Bush administration, so any mention of Obama ordering it is pure inaccuracy. Here’s the relevant passage from PolitiFact:
The Pentagon under the Obama administration did “just acknowledge” that the Bibles were confiscated. But it’s important to note that the prayer meeting video was shot a year ago, and so the Bibles were confiscated and destroyed under the Bush administration. The clear implication of this advertisement is that soldiers aren’t allowed to have their own Bibles, but that’s just not true. The incident in question involved one soldier, not soldiers.
Summary
A true event takes on a life of its own on the web, when the Pentagon orders the destruction of a number of Bibles that were printed in languages native to Afghanistan and sent to a soldier by his church. The destruction order came just days after a damaging video was released by Al Jazeera showing a Chaplain urging soldiers to ‘hunt people for Jesus’ (a metaphor of course for souls). Some groups took the opportunity to lay the blame on President Obama and ‘Anti-Christian’ forces.
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May
24
2009
Author’s Note: – A very heartfelt and somber salute this week to our fine men and women who have served the American military over our history. From the fields of Lexington Green to the streets of Falluja, let us never forget that our way of life has been possible due to the sacrifices of our men and women in uniform. On this Memorial Day, our thoughts and prayers are with those that have served and continue to do so all around the world.
On to the news (for main source of each article, click on the title)…
Weekly Summary
As the Sri Lanka war comes to an end, Iran and Israel slip closer to conflict and the Pakistan offensive turns up the intensity, America debates torture and the outcome of American Idol.
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May
18
2009
Author’s Note: Strange days ahead, with Pakistan showing signs of truly taking their fight to the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, with their now seemingly increasing nuclear capability hanging in the balance
On to the news (for main source of each article, click on the title)…
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