A simple question, really: what are Navy SEALS doing attending a Christian youth rally in Philadelphia earlier this month?
WorldCantWait posted an excellent
first person account of his experience at the May 14 BattleCry event and included this description:
After Franklin "Islam is a Wicked Religion" Graham came out to thunder against the evils of homosexuality and the Iraqi people (whom he considers to be exactly the same people as the ancient Babylonians who enslaved the tribes of Israel and deserving, one would assume, the exact same fate) we heard an explosion. Flames shot out on stage and a team of Navy Seals was shown on the big TV monitors in full camouflage creeping forward down the hallway from the locker room with their M16s.
More below...
They were hunting us, the future Christian leaders of America. Two teenage girls next to me burst into tears and even I, a jaded middle-aged male, almost jumped out of my skin. I imagined for that moment what it must have felt like to have been a teacher at Columbine high school. 10 seconds later they rushed out onstage and pointed their guns in our direction firing blanks spitting flames. About 1000 shots and bang, we were all dead.
Please read WorldCantWait's diary about this truly scary event, replete with fascistic symbolism and indoctrination. Really, what public purpose is being served by the presence of SEALs at this event? I would find it very difficult to believe that if these are SEALS, that their higher would not be aware that they were taking weapons from their armory and discharging them (yes, even blanks are quantified as such) in a public place at a purely religious event. This is really disturbing.
Truthdig also has a first person report from this event by Sunsara Taylor, who had earlier bravely debated Ron Luce, founder of TeenMania and ringmaster at this BattleCry event, on the O'Reilly Factor. Sunsara reports:
It began with fireworks so loud and startling I screamed. Lights and smoke followed, and a few kids were pulled up on stage from the crowd. One was asked to read a letter.
This was the letter that opened the event. Its author was George W. Bush. Yes, the president of the United States sent a letter of support, greeting, prayer and encouragement to the BattleCry event held at Wachovia Spectrum Stadium in Philadelphia on May 12. Immediately afterward, a preacher took the microphone and led the crowd in prayer. Among other things, he asked the attendees to "Thank God for giving us George Bush."
Must...resist...Hitler...Youth...comparisons....so...very...hard
Images courtesy rougeski.com
Update [2006-5-22 15:16:45 by lapin]:Several commenters have expressed doubts that these are real SEALs and may be fakes. They're damn good fakes if they are, so here's my disclaimer: only eyewitness accounts by those present are my basis for classifying them SEALs. If someone has evidence to the contrary, please direct me to it. I added quotes around Navy SEALS in the title in an effort to be more objective.
Update [2006-5-22 15:35:57 by lapin]:#2: WorldCantWait has clarified that these "SEALs" are actually from a private group Force Ministries, an evangelical group comprised of current and former SF. They were not representing the government in an official capacity. Still, the blending of martial and evangelical symbolism is bizarre to me, and the discharge of weapons in a public setting is something these guys should know is not appropriate.