The US’s highest ranking military officer has said it is not the US military’s position to promote any specific religion, after Al Jazeera revealed footage of troops apparently preparing to convert Afghans to their Christian faith.
“From the United States’ military’s perspective, it is not our position to ever push any specific kind of religion, period,” said Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on Monday.
The US military has also confiscated Bibles that Christian US soldiers in Afghanistan had apparently intended to give to local Muslims, a military spokesman told Al Jazeera.
In addition, some of the soldiers who appeared in the video have also been reprimanded, US government and military officials told Al Jazeera’s James Bays.
The video, shot about a year ago, appeared to show military chaplains stationed in the US air base at Bagram discussing how to distribute copies of the Bible printed in the country’s main Pashto and Dari languages.
In one recorded sermon, Lieutenant-Colonel Gary Hensley, the chief of the US military chaplains in Afghanistan, tells soldiers that, as followers of Jesus Christ, they all have a responsibility “to be witnesses for him”. “The special forces guys – they hunt men basically. We do the same things as Christians, we hunt people for Jesus. We do, we hunt them down,” he says.
“Get the hound of heaven after them, so we get them into the kingdom. That’s what we do, that’s our business.”
Questioned about the footage, Greg Julian, a US colonel in Afghanistan, told Al Jazeera: “Most of this is taken out of context … this is irresponsible and inappropriate journalism.
“This footage was taken a year ago … the Bibles were taken into custody and not distributed.
“There is no effort to go out and proselytise to Afghans.”
ELKHORN — Some law enforcement officers do it for honor.
Others do it for fame.
There might even be those who do it for money.
Sgt. Howard Sawyers does it for doughnuts.
The sergeant, who trains correctional officers at the Walworth County Jail, is the world’s cop doughnut eating champion for the third time.
The 17 doughnuts he downed in three minutes to win this year’s championship April 22 also set a cop doughnut-eating record. Sawyers has won the championship more times than anybody—three out of the six annual contests.
Man is “weak in himself, and of small stature,” wrote 19th-century essayist Thomas Carlyle. Yet, with tools, “the granite mountain melts into light dust before him, seas are his smooth highway, winds and fire his unwearying steeds.” And this from a guy who never felt a 5800-rpm circular saw scream to life in his hand.
While much has changed since Carlyle’s day, one thing hasn’t: We need tools to build, repair and maintain the mechanical world in which we live. With these 50 tools, you’ll be ready for just about any project—whether it’s melting mountains or swapping out the kitchen sink.
To commemorate its Canadian centennial and thank Canadians for 100 years of support, Heinz has created The Great Canadian Heinz Ketchup Cake — an ideal dessert for any celebration. It’s red, perfectly spiced and delicious. Think carrot cake without all the work.
“We all think of ketchup as the perfect complement to hotdogs, hamburgers and fries, but its unique taste makes ketchup an ideal flavour enhancer for many recipes, including desserts,” explains Amy Snider. The professional home economist and culinary nutritionist works with Heinz.
“Heinz Ketchup not only adds great flavour to the cake, but it also creates a wonderfully moist texture.” Read on for ketchup facts and cake recipe.
Hundreds of libraries and archives exist online, from university-supported sites to individual efforts. Each one has something to offer to researchers, students, and teachers. This list contains over 250 libraries and archives that focus mainly on localized, regional, and U.S. history, but it also includes larger collections, eText and eBook repositories, and a short list of directories to help you continue your research efforts.
If we started a movie on the day you were born, and stretched it over your lifespan, this is where you’d be in that movie. So if you’re a teenager, you might see Luke arguing with Uncle Owen, or Cameron making a phony phone call to Ed Rooney. If you’re a retiree, you might see the Marshmallow Man, or Toto pulling away the curtain. And if you’re in your mid-thirties, you might be relieved to know that Ferris is still eating lunch, and the Millenium Falcon hasn’t left Tatooine.
SisterGeeding (above in a Cinco de Mayo event in elementary school) once asked WifeGeeding, “When is Cinco de Mayo?”
A Geeding first . . . stitches. I got a bothersome mole removed yesterday.
Silly me, I forgot to take pictures.
After leaving the doctor’s office, I had to navigate through a shopping center and came to a three-way stop, where my view wasn’t very clear. Admittedly, I jump the gun a little too soon and almost got in a small fender-bender (well, we were still about eight feet apart) with a Suburban-driving-soccer-mom coming out of the local Christian bookstore parking lot. I don’t know if she was a customer of the store or not, but I knew I was in the wrong and did my best to motion with my mouth and hands that it was my fault and apologize. She reacted by yelling and pointing fervently to the stop sign.
I do it myself, but it is interesting how we as a society will automatically berate someone for making a mistake, when we ourselves have goofed up many a time as well.
Since the doctor’s office was near WifeGeeding’s school, I decided to drop in with some flowers.
When the pastor and leadership team of GracePoint United Methodist Church in Wichita, Kan., left the denomination on March 1, it raised the concerns over what can happen when a successful church plant decides to withdraw from the denomination. Link
The ranking of presidents on How I Met Your Mother had my very immature self cracking up.
ELKHORN — Some law enforcement officers do it for honor.
