Green Energy
Jihad Watch:
Marines ban farting to avoid offending Muslims
There are so many weird aspects of this story. Don't these Marines have mothers, or someone in their lives who told them as children that audible passing of gas was offensive? And the high command has to tell them to cut it out because it offends Afghans, as if such a reaction were different from that of any normal person? And unfortunately, the friendly-fire jihad attacks by Afghans that regularly punctuate the working relationship between U.S. and Afghan troops are not going to be ended by this small gesture in "trust building." "For Marines in Afghanistan: be careful where you fart," by Gina Cavallaro in Military Times, August 23 (thanks to David):
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Green Energy
Jihad Watch:
Marines ban farting to avoid offending Muslims
There are so many weird aspects of this story. Don't these Marines have mothers, or someone in their lives who told them as children that audible passing of gas was offensive? And the high command has to tell them to cut it out because it offends Afghans, as if such a reaction were different from that of any normal person? And unfortunately, the friendly-fire jihad attacks by Afghans that regularly punctuate the working relationship between U.S. and Afghan troops are not going to be ended by this small gesture in "trust building." "For Marines in Afghanistan: be careful where you fart," by Gina Cavallaro in Military Times, August 23 (thanks to David):
Marine Corps Times is a family newspaper and we only rarely have offensive
language in our stories.
But this week the word “fart” appears in a story I wrote about the
importance of trust between Marines and the Afghan national army soldiers they
work with.
I didn’t want to write this little blog entry about farts.
It’s not even on my beat. But my colleague Dan Lamothe, whose byline you have
seen here quite often, shamed me into it.
“You owe it to all Marines,”
he told me.
So here’s the news: audible farting has been banned for some
Marines downrange because it offends the Afghans.
I know there are many
things in the Afghan culture that don’t seem normal to Americans and it’s hard
to spend seven months working in someone else’s back yard. Still, the Marines I
saw downrange are doing a pretty good job at trying to do the right thing around
the Afghans.
They’re not supposed to cuss because it could be
misunderstood (that one goes out the window a lot). And they stay away from
talking about politics, religion or girls because those topics could escalate
into major disagreements (they can’t communicate anyway because of the language
barrier).
But farting? That’s practically a sport. Ok, it’s not soccer,
but a good contest could open the door for cross-cultural exchanges, jokes and
other gallows humor....
- Obama Administration Decides Budget Cuts Require Rationing Meals To Soldiers Serving In Afghanistan
From NBC News:Marines at Camp Leatherneck in Afghanistan will lose a key daily meal starting Saturday, causing some to forgo a hot breakfast and others to work six-plus hours without refueling on cooked food, according to Marines at the base and...
-
Turns out it wasn't the Marines that were out to get him. But had the bad guys gotten closer to the tent, how would the Marines have protected him? And what would have the reaction been had Marines or the SecDef been injured or killed because they...
- Rifle Training. Check. Hand To Hand Combat. Check.
Gay sensitivity training. Check. Newsmax: War Troops to Undergo 'don't Ask' Repeal Classes Thursday, 17 Feb 2011 CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. — A U.S. general in Afghanistan says Marines under his command will undergo training to prepare for...
- Fighting With Both Hands Tied Around Their Balls
Washington Examiner: Troops chafe at restrictive rules of engagement, talks with Taliban By: Sara A. Carter National Security Correspondent October 19, 2010 KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN -- To the U.S. Army soldiers and Marines serving here, some things seem...
- A Us Marine's Letter On Israel
SEMPER FI! I don't run every letter I get from our soldiers and Marines in Iraq but this one blew me away. I am humbled by this Marine's heart, soul, and courage. To be an American and understand who we are and what we fight for is an extraordinary...