Producer's Desk — terrorism

Things I liked:

“I appreciated the unequivocal commitment to confront violent extremism in all of its forms, although I did note the word ‘terror’ or ‘terrorism’ was never used. It seems to me the difference between terrorism and violent extremism is a distinction without a difference.

“I also appreciated the defense of religious freedom. ‘Freedom of religion is central to the ability of peoples to live together. People in every country should be free to choose and live their faith based upon the persuasion of the mind and the heart and the soul.’ One can’t ask for a better affirmation of soul freedom, the soul freedom that is a treasured gift of our Baptist ancestors to America.

Things I didn’t like:

“The fact that he seemed to imply a moral equivalence between the Holocaust and the sufferings of the Jewish people versus the sufferings of the Palestinian people. They are not equivalent. Any suggestion or intimation that they are diminishes our understanding of the horror of the Jewish experience in the Holocaust.

“Also, the fact that there was no mention of the role our military has played in the liberation of millions of Muslims from oppression in Kuwait, Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq was disturbing.“

Read the full BP Story…

Richard Land’s thoughts on waterboarding/torture are featured in this Baptist Press story.

Excerpt:

“We hold ourselves to a different standard,” he said. “Each human being is of incalculable value. “There are some things you should never do to another human being,” Land said, “no matter how horrific the things they have done. “If you do so, you demean yourself down to their level,” he said. Civilized countries should err on the side of caution, Land said. “It does cost us something to play by different rules than our enemies, but it would cost us far more if we played by their rules,” he said.

Read the complete story…

The attached (PDF) is a summary of remarks by Dr. Richard Land to Mega Metro Pastor’s Conference – Colorado Springs, CO – April 21, 2009. It is rough and subject to change.

Very little change in policy compared to Bush…

“President Obama, admitting belatedly and begrudgingly the success of George W. Bush’s surge strategy, decided to keep large numbers of troops there for another 19 months and an unspecified number after that. Responsibly, he decided not to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.” – Michael Barone, “Back to the Future,” Townhall.com, April 21, 2009

Read the complete summary… (160 KB PDF)

On Saturday March 7 @ 12:06pm, Richard Land will welcome Academy Award nominee Gary Sinise to the broadcast.

Gary is Executive Producer of the new film Brothers at War.

Gary recently received the Presidential Citizens Medal, which is the second highest civilian honor awarded to citizens for exemplary deeds performed in service of the nation. Gary is only the second actor in history to receive it, the other Elizabeth Taylor, and only 100 people have received this honor in history.

As a result of Sinise’s first two trips to Iraq, he started Operation Iraqi Children with subsequent author Laura Hillenbrand.

Since 2003, Gary has traveled to Iraq four times and Afghanistan in support of the troops. In his travels abroad he also performs with his Lieutenant Dan Band for the USO and for other military and veterans causes. He’s been on almost thirty USO tours and has played over fifty benefit concerts. Mr. Sinise also serves as the spokesperson for the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial Foundation (AVDLM), which is building a memorial for America’s three million living disabled military veterans.

The Sinise interview will occur during the 2nd Hour of Richard Land LIVE! Find a station near you or listen live online at 1:06 pm Eastern (10:06 Pacific).

Today on RLL:

LTC Steve Russell (Ret.) of Vets for Victory calls Richard Land from Camp Falcon in Baghdad,Iraq… live at 12pm ET, 11am CT today (Saturday Oct 25).

This interview is archived for listening or download here.

From my blog at Casting Stones

“People representing more than 60 organizations as diverse as the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, the Guardian Angels, the Institute for Religion and Democracy, the Women’s Freedom Movement of Pakistan, and the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission gathered together in common cause to protest Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s invitation to be the guest of honor at a dinner at the Grand Hyatt Hotel adjacent to Grand Central Station…”

Read the complete column…

My latest post:

“My question for the critics of the war is this: What part of significant progress do you not understand?”

Read the rest here…

From the June 1, 2008 Washington Post:

EXCERPT: Iraq passed a turning point last fall when the U.S. counterinsurgency campaign launched in early 2007 produced a dramatic drop in violence and quelled the incipient sectarian war between Sunnis and Shiites. Now, another tipping point may be near, one that sees the Iraqi government and army restoring order in almost all of the country, dispersing both rival militias and the Iranian-trained “special groups” that have used them as cover to wage war against Americans. It is — of course — too early to celebrate… Still, the rapidly improving conditions should allow U.S. commanders to make some welcome adjustments — and it ought to mandate an already-overdue rethinking by the “this-war-is-lost” caucus in Washington, including Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.).