MAN vs. MACHINE vs. POLITICS…Pt. I

I am VERY frustrated right now after listening for most of the day to opportunists making – ONCE AGAIN – completely spontaneous, emotionally-driven, reactionary, uninformed, biased, fear-inducing, politically-charged, speculative, and downright DUMB statements about things associated with the recent failed terrorist attack on Christmas Day.   IGNORANCE has become inexplicably fashionable these days!  I will discuss this topic in more than one post because I am having a difficult time trying to process the plethora of theories and assumptions and hearsay information spewing from the mouths of the news media bobbleheads.

I titled this post “MAN vs. MACHINE vs. POLITICS” to – YET AGAIN – emphasize America’s fear of the human dimension…PEOPLE, THOUGHTS, DESIRES, EMOTIONS, COMMON SENSE, and other such esoteric “anomalies.”   When Americans are afraid of something, it’s much easier to just throw some technology at the Boogie Man and hope that he never comes out from under the bed.  But what we must realize is that the purveyors of any given fear are HUMAN BEINGS.  We are afraid of being attacked by weapons and machines and planes, so we contract corporations for billions of $$$ to develop other machines that will DEFEAT those machines that we fear so much.   There is also much rhetoric about terrorists and Muslims and people with funny-sounding names, but does the average American actually fear the person, or does he/she mostly fear the technology employed and utilized by these so-called monsters?  Don’t stress yourself trying to answer that question…it’s an exercise in futility.  Why?  Because even many who have these fears cannot answer that question…it’s called GROUPTHINK, Jumping on the Bandwagon, Talking Loud and Saying Nothing, Speaking Without Thinking, Putting the Cart Before the Horse, Putting Your Foot in Your Mouth, Herd Mentality, Going With the Flow (even when it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever), etc, etc, etc…

Some might say that I am speaking nonsense, but the mindsets I describe above have consequences, that potentially lead to other actions, that have consequences, that potentially lead to other actions – you get the idea.  I call this phenomenon “Chasing Little Shiny Things.”  There are senators in Washington already telling the American people that we MUST be preemptive in our efforts to DEFEAT al-Qaeda in YEMEN…what happened to the purported AQ leadership strongholds in Iraq? Afghanistan?  Pakistan?  Timbuktu?  I’ve confronted these issues directly on the frontline of the so-called War on Terror, but apparently we didn’t all get the same memos about this supervillian with magical powers called al-Qaeda.  Politicians and armchair experts are creating a persona of power for something that has dwindled into a mere concept.  Any individual with a pen, a computer, a technical skill, a hook-up, and/or a brain, can become “al-Qaeda” with the right motivation.  So every time some IDIOT decides he wants to amuse himself by blowing something up and shouting “Death to America,” I guess we’re supposed to just shuttle a bunch of Soldiers, Marines, Sailors, and Airmen to set up shop in the middle of a whole country for one little dude with an attitude.   And then we move those Servicemen and Servicewomen around a proverbial checker board based on assumed intelligence generated primarily through computer binary code…NOT plain ol’ common sense and human behavior.

There was a time when warfare was a THINKING man’s profession…that time is no more…

More to follow…

DEFINING THE MISSION IN THE GREAT CULTURAL DIVIDE…

Something that concerns me about all the recent news and discussions about the pending troop increase in Afghanistan, is the plethora of politically charged arguments for or against the President’s decision. It just seems to me that there are many in Washington who do not give proper respect to the office of the Commander-in-Chief and his responsibility to the Armed Forces of the United States. When I hear the pundits and talking heads aver that “when the generals on the ground are telling you what they need, you give it to them…” Are there not other factors that weigh heavily in decisions concerning the deployment of large numbers of American men and women to foreign countries that are designated combat zones? I should not have to answer that question. Do we just give carte blanche, free rein, to military commanders to do whatever they “think” they want to do without question or oversight? Well maybe…if there is definitive evidence of what could be called SUCCESSFUL operations, based on planned intent and objectives, or military outcomes that could be designated as WINS in what are being called “wars.”

What American lawmakers, and even some military commanders, are not considering are the actual abilities of deployed units and individual Soldiers, Marines, Airmen, Sailors, etc, to holistically understand the environments, cultures, and people that they are expected to influence, stabilize, and protect. There are still situations occurring where U.S. personnel are projecting hostile statements and acts against citizens of countries in which our forces are deployed. There are instances where the same kind of hateful rhetoric that spews from the mouths of Americans here at home about people of different religions, races, and ethnicities, is replicated by troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, I cannot fault individual servicemen and women if they have not been adequately prepared to understand these environments that are truly foreign to them. Current military cultural training for deploying units does not provide troops with the basic skills required to navigate the great cultural divide that exists between people of different nationalities. And these skills are not just needed to achieve success in the conduct of missions, they are also needed for SURVIVAL.

So we can send 1000 or 100,000 more troops to Afghanistan, but the full spectrum of combat and civil operations cannot be reconciled if we don’t understand the environments in which we must live and work and fight.  Increased numbers alone cannot guarantee success, and there are several valid arguments contrary to those supporting more deployments.  So there is very good reason for the President of the United States, the Commander-in-Chief, to be deliberate and protracted in his decision-making about this issue.

Earlier this year I was watching a broadcast of a speech being given by the President, and he said four words that have been ingrained in my psyche ever since…VIGILANCE, PRINCIPLE, and COMMON SENSE…these are too often missing in civilian, political, and military discourse. Regardless, please keep our brave men and women in your thoughts and prayers, and find ways that you can each support their efforts so that they can make it back to American soil safely.

YOUR Thoughts on Afghanistan…

One of the things that many in leadership positions (both military and civilian) fail to do in the management of their organizational/business operations is to step back every so often and “SEE” people rather than the processes. I think that the most intimate and true thoughts of Americans have yet to be heard for fear of being perceived as not supporting the government or the troops or the party, or even fear of not sounding like what might be thought of as “the majority” of Americans.

So here’s the deal…I want to hear your honest thoughts on anything about the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan, the Afghan government, the Taliban, or whatever is on your mind about that conflict.

Keep it real…STRAIGHT, NO CHASER…

THE ANSWER…

In my post on November 9th – WHAT IS THE GREATEST JIHAD? – I challenged and encouraged my readers to think critically about all the sensationalism being broadcast by major news sources, but still I think that many of us are conditioned by societal “norms” to apply blanket judgment on situations and people based almost exclusively on fear and anxiety.  And these emotional responses are driven by media that project misinformation and assumptions to boost ratings and advertising accounts.  We are bombarded continuously with certain words and images that really affect the way we see the world around us. So I am quite sure that there were many who read that post and immediately concluded that I am the embodiment of that which we fear. I understood that would probably be the case even before I clicked “publish post”…I didn’t want to be right, but…

Whenever these kinds of situations occur in the United States, there is usually a great public outcry for Muslims living here to speak out aggressively and denounce the heinous acts/crimes committed by other so-called Muslims. I say “so-called” because anyone who can find it in his or her heart to kill innocent people and commit suicide and blow up himself is NOT MUSLIM. Our bodies and our lives – regardless of faith, religion, race, nationality, etc -  belong to The One God who created all mankind…these vessels are not for us to destroy.   I don’t want to get too deep into religion and faith issues, but I stand by the words I wrote in that post. And if you read EVERY word and watch the ENTIRE video clip with open hearts and minds and sincere intent to understand, then you will comprehend the peaceful nature of my words.

So now what I will do is answer the question for those who might not know what is the greatest jihad:

The greatest jihad is to battle your own soul, to fight the evil that is within yourself…

THIS truly is the Greatest Struggle…

WHY CAN’T WE LIVE TOGETHER…?

This week has been a very difficult one for many of us. The national tension unveiled as a result of the Fort Hood shooting is quite unsettling. The levels of distrust and misunderstanding among people are overwhelming to say the least. But I am personally troubled by my daily experiences these last few days.

In my last few posts I talked about Islam and how it is being perceived since the incident. I knew that when I started openly discussing my religion in the light of current events that there would be negative, positive, and supportive reactions. I mentally prepared myself for the one thing that I always have a hard time dealing with, and that thing is being intentionally distanced from many of the ‘friends’ in my life. Psychologically it’s just something that comes with the territory…I expect it and accept it. What gets me is the period of emotional stress brought about by knowing that many good friends will be friends no longer. There is even one former friend of mine who tries to anonymously confront me with very hateful language. I wish things could be different, but such is life.

I want readers of 3EYEVISION to know that what I write is NOT intended to encourage your acceptance of things that you might have no desire to embrace. My words are just that — my words…and I take full responsibility for everything that I write. What I am trying to do is simply offer opinions of life events that give readers different perspectives as they contemplate the world around them.

Religion is very touchy subject in American society, but now more than ever we need some serious, sincere, honest, candid, and RESPECTFUL dialogue across the nation to understand each other on common ground.

WE ARE NOT ALL TERRORISTS…

I am a soldier who just happens to be Muslim. That fact has nothing to do with my job. We – SOLDIERS – need the support of the American people in order to survive as defenders of the United States of America. Knowing that the people we serve are behind us, beside us, and with us, gives us the encouragement we need to intentionally make it through each day that we put on our uniforms and go to work whether here in the United States or overseas in a combat zone.

MAJ Derrill Guidry (Khalil Shaheed Abdur-Raheem)

FORT HOOD: MOST WAR CASUALTIES OF ANY BASE (ABC News)

Here at Fort Hood the effects and consequences of combat on Soldiers and their families is difficult to express. This ABC News video might make this issue a little clearer for you…

URL:

http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=9010401

WHAT IS THE GREATEST JIHAD?

At this moment I am experiencing different levels of frustration because of the biased coverage by news outlets of the recent shootings here at Fort Hood. In a couple of hours I will be inside the III Corps and Fort Hood headquarters trying give voice to true and positive nature of Islam in the wake of the numerous accusations against MAJ Hasan (the suspected shooter) of potential links to terrorism and extremist organizations. The media is selectively choosing single words and potentially inflammatory phrases in order to make their stories “exciting.”

WE – ALL OF US – must STOP, take a deep breath, and apply the laws of common sense and honesty to this situation. We don’t yet know all the facts of the incident. We cannot definitively determine if this heinous act was truly fueled by extremist intentions. So until evidence is discovered to substantiate those accusations, MAJ Malik Nadal Hasan should be treated as a suspect who is Soldier that just happens to Muslim. As an example, if MAJ Hasan did utter the words “Allahu Akhbar” just before pulling the trigger, what does that really mean? That he is definitely a terrorist? Because terrorists are the only Muslims who say those words out loud? What does that prove — ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! As a Muslim I say those words in times of extreme stress on the job, or when I am thankful for waking up to another day with my beautiful wife, or when my eight-year old son makes all A’s on his 1st Grade report card. Allahu Akhbar IS NOT a terrorist battle cry, it means plainly and simply, “GOD IS GREAT!” What is so wrong with those three words?

And what about the accusations of a Muslim jihad on a U.S. military installation? Well, I ask each of you this question: WHAT IS THE GREATEST JIHAD?

I invite you to view this short video to get a perspective of jihad with which I agree. The clip is from the HBO series Sleeper Cell…enjoy and be enlightened…

Khalil Shaheed Abdur-Raheem (MAJ Derrill Guidry)

THE INCIDENT AT FORT HOOD

For those of you who don’t know, I am Muslim. Suddenly I am being sought out as a beacon of Islamic knowledge. Why now? As with many institutions across the globe, American society has a tendency to ignore the neon-green elephants in the room adorned with glitter, lip gloss, and strobe lights until something significant happens…like a bunch of innocent human beings murdered by a very disturbed individual who wears the ACU…Army Combat Uniform. I have a grand and noble task ahead of me…

Another thing you might not know is that I too have suffered harassment and persecution by peers, superiors, and senior Army leaders because of my faith of choice AND for being honest and truthful about the effects of our military culture and operations on PEOPLE. I am fortunate, however, that I have the faith and strength of mind to effectively confront the negativity that many face in the military – not just Muslims – and do so without losing rational thinking to raw emotions. I am currently developing an outreach and education program focusing on Islam for Fort Hood and the surrounding communities.  A great concern of mine will be breaking through the egos and self-conceived notions of “superior wisdom and knowledge” that embolden certain authority figures to tout speculation as fact and/or experience when it is neither. Don’t be surprised if you see me on CNN talking smack (smile)…more to follow…

Khalil Shaheed Abdur-Raheem

THAT THING CALLED ‘THE WAR IN AFGHANISTAN’

In my last post,

POLL: MORE TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN?, I asked readers of 3EYEVISION by poll if America should commit more troops to operations in Afghanistan.  Not surprisingly, 58% responded NO and 8% said YES.  What was interesting is that 33% of respondents were NOT SURE.  My sincere thanks to all of you who indulged my survey request.   Well now I will share my thoughts about this situation.

Before I begin I have to inform you that what I am about to say is my personal opinion based solely on unclassified open-source information accessible to anyone.  Nothing that I say here is classified or sensitive, and I take full responsibility for this blog post.  Alrighty then…here we go…

In the course of my military duties I spend a significant amount of time analyzing our operating environments in the Middle East, and discussing with other officers various courses of actions for U.S. efforts there.  However, it has been really tough and stressful for me to get through what often turns into “argument” with others about the situation in Afghanistan…and yes, even in Iraq.

The one thing that I think disturbs me the most about discussion, commentary, op-eds, political debate, etc, about Afghanistan is the dilemma of ‘win’ vs. ‘lose’ vs. ’success’.  The CONFLICT in Afghanistan IS NOT a win/lose situation!  It is not a WAR as far as I can tell.  The US is providing “assistance” to Afghanistan by confronting different kinds of adversaries, a plethora of situation types, a multitude of cultural influences (internal AND external), and myriad threats that just pop the hell up out of nowhere on any given day…but WHY???  Who knows really? We kinda sorta knew at one time, but no longer.

Here’s the deal, as has already been stated…this is a conflict that MUST be defined by SUCCESS, not win or lose.  I get so frustrated watching news programs that show various groups, parties, pundits, so-called “expert” analysts/strategists, politicians, etc, comfortably situate themselves in the safety of GROUPTHINK.  The only arguments getting airtime are political ones that seem to be selfish in nature.  This serves to influence the opinions of American citizens who might not even have a clue exactly where Afghanistan is on a map, breeding the idea that “winning” in Afghanistan is justified revenge (for something) and necessary to defeat the al-Qaeda terrorists who live in “Ourtown” America and shop at Wal-Mart for all their terrorist supplies.   The military is being manipulated to fight a WAR of public opinion, as opposed to planning and executing military operations ‘other than war’ that will assist the Afghanis to achieve their own acceptable levels of stability so that we can get the hell out of there.

Another argument that disgusts me is that the U.S. by all means we MUST defeat al-Qaeda and prevent the whole safe haven thing.  That makes absolutely no sense to me whatsoever.  I don’t understand why there are not more experts just telling the truth about terrorist factions like al-Qaeda and others, explaining the nature of these groups.  Al-Qaeda is NOT a well organized cohesive group of individuals with a stated common purpose and goal.  It is a freekin’ concept that any extremist IDIOT can latch on to and use as a veil to hide their sinister deeds and intentions.  We go into Iraq and al-Qaeda “moves” to Afghanistan…again.  We commit to Afghanistan and al-Qaeda steps across the border into Pakistan and dares the U.S. to cross the line in the dirt…”I double dare you!”  Well, what’s next?  Figure out how to militarily occupy Pakistan since we’ve got al-Qaeda on the run?  There is not one central figure that we can take out that will make al-Qaeda go away…NOT even Osama bin Laden.

You know, we can see examples of this phenomenon right here in the U.S. — street gangs.   Many of the more “established” and recognized gangs have spread across the nation, even into rural towns and cities.  But if we try to dismantle/defeat, for instance, the L.A.-based Bloods and Crips, it will quickly become apparent that it just can’t be done.  You can’t take down the national system of established and informal gang affiliation that claims the Bloods or Crips name.   A Bloods organization in New York, for example, just popped up all of a sudden but is not even recognized by the base in California.  They wear the same colors, display the same bandanas, and carry out the same activities as other Bloods gangs, but nobody gave them permission to do so.  These guys used the cover of a recognized gang for the intimidation factor — ‘we’re not REALLY Bloods, we just act like them to gain power in the conduct of our criminal activities’…al-Qaeda…same concept.  We’ll be chasing shiny little al-Qaeda balls from one country to another for as long as Earth exists and never defeat the concept.

This is an extremely complex situation with too many variables and influences to consider in a single blog post.  I do hope, however, that my thoughts shed more light on the current discussions about whether or not to deploy more U.S. Forces to Afghanistan.  I am obligated to support the decisions of the Commander-in-Chief; and if more Servicemen and Servicewomen find themselves on a plane to Bagram Air Force Base I will continue to present the most honest, candid, and informed assessments possible to ensure that their return destination is not Dover (AFB).  More to follow…