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Ask Me if I Care About ‘Mishandling’ of Koran
By: Doug Patton
June 6, 2005
First, Newsweek pulled a Dan Rather on us, running a fabricated story just because they wanted it to be true. They told the world that an American guard at the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, detention center had ripped pages from a prisoner’s Koran and flushed it down a toilet. As a result, innocent people died when practitioners of Islam rioted in protest in Afghanistan.
Oops, said Newsweek, it seems we can’t back up our story. Oh well, it’s probably true; we just can’t prove it.
The lie heard round the world about the flushed Koran has caused convulsions in the Bush Administration and forced the Pentagon to launch an investigation of unfounded allegations contained in an unsubstantiated story. The results of said investigation are now in, and it seems there are at least five incidents of “mishandling” of the Koran at Gitmo.
Well, guess what? …
I Don't Care!
Are we fighting a war on terror or aren’t we? Was it or was it not started by Islamic people who brought it to our shores on September 11, 2001? Were people from all over the world, mostly Americans, not brutally murdered that day, in downtown Manhattan, across the Potomac from our nation’s capitol and in a field in Pennsylvania? Did nearly three thousand men, women and children die a horrible, burning death that day, or didn’t they?
And I’m supposed to care that a copy of the Koran was “desecrated” when an overworked American soldier kicked it or got it wet? Well, I don’t. I don’t care at all.
I’ll start caring when Osama bin Laden turns himself in and repents for incinerating all those innocent people on 9/11.
I’ll care about the Koran when the fanatics in the Middle East start caring about the Holy Bible, the mere possession of which is a crime in Saudi Arabia.
I’ll care when Abu Musab al-Zarqawi tells the world he is sorry for hacking off Nick Berg’s head while Berg screamed through his gurgling, slashed throat.
I’ll care when the cowardly so-called “insurgents” in Iraq come out and fight like men instead of disrespecting their own religion by hiding in mosques.
I’ll care when the mindless zealots who blow themselves up in search of nirvana care about the innocent children within range of their suicide bombs.
I’ll care when the American media stops pretending that their First Amendment liberties are somehow derived from international law instead of the United States Constitution’s Bill of Rights.
I’ll care when Clinton-appointed judges stop ordering my government to release photos of the abuses at Abu Ghraib, which are sure to set off the Islamic extremists just as Newsweek’s lies did a few weeks ago.
In the meantime, when I hear a story about a brave marine roughing up an Iraqi terrorist to obtain information, know this: I don’t care.
When I see a fuzzy photo of a pile of naked Iraqi prisoners who have been humiliated in what amounts to a college hazing incident, rest assured that I don’t care.
When I see a wounded terrorist get shot in the head when he is told not to move because he might be booby-trapped, you can take it to the bank that I don’t care.
When I hear that a prisoner, who was issued a Koran paid for by my tax dollars, is complaining that his holy book is being “mishandled,” you can absolutely believe in your heart of hearts that I don’t care.
And oh, by the way, I’ve noticed that sometimes it’s spelled “Koran” and other times “Quran.” Well, Jimmy Crack Corn and - you guessed it - I don’t care!
By: Doug Patton
June 13, 2005
In four years of writing a weekly column, I have never been buried in such an avalanche of e-mail thanking me for an opinion.
Judging from the hundreds of responses (99.99 percent of them supportive of my position), “Ask Me if I Care About ‘Mishandling’ of Koran” touched a nerve like nothing I have ever written. They ran the gamut from the crude to the sad to the angry. And while I certainly would have guessed there was a lot of “I don’t care” sentiment out there, I could never have anticipated the sheer number of responses. Without revealing anyone’s identity, I would like to share some of them.
The most common theme running though the letters was that I had articulated exactly what they were thinking and feeling. “I don’t care” became almost a rallying cry.
A woman identifying herself simply as Leona wrote: “If I could give you a standing ovation, I would! Instead, I sent it to every stinking liberal I know that says we have no business being in Iraq and we are mistreating the Iraqi prisoners...To that I say: GIVE ME A BREAK! THIS IS WAR NOT A TEA PARTY!”
A man named Ron wrote: “I wish this e-mail to travel world wide. I absolutely, unequivocally cannot say strong enough these same thoughts! THANK YOU!”
A few well-intentioned (but obviously deluded) individuals wrote that I would have their vote if I ran for president (proving once and for all the incredible dearth of leaders).
A woman describing herself as a “retired military wife” wrote, “Bless you! You have said all the things that we Americans would love to shout to the world! Just think of the millions you have reached. I am so grateful.”
Vietnam Veterans knew the frustration of being disrespected after laying their lives on the line. One who served in that thankless war wrote: “You said the same thing I’ve been saying for sometime now. You are right; I don’t care! Keep up the good work.” He signed it simply, “A retired Marine & Viet Nam Vet.”
It was especially humbling to receive praise from members of the Greatest Generation. Those who fought in World War II know what it takes to win a war. They remember because they know that losing is an unacceptable option. Some of these seniors were service men themselves during WWII. One identified himself as “French by birth, Canadian by choice,” and signed his letter “Ex-French bomber pilot, trained by the U.S. Air Corps, 1944-45.” He simply wrote, “I remember!”
Another said, “Doug, just to let you know that there are untold numbers of us who feel just as you do, only we can't say it as eloquently. Thanks from all us ‘old vets.’”
Another woman wrote: “I am 85 so I probably won’t see what is ultimately happening to this country, but I fear for my grown son and daughters and their children and my great grandchildren. You carry the name of a man deeply admired during the war…He could very well have uttered the same words.”
I was honored by the many letters from those currently serving in uniform all around the world. One particularly poignant letter came from a serviceman who has seen action in Iraq. Lamenting the loss of life on 9/11, he wrote: “My job is to keep America and her people safe, and I will not fail in that again. Every morning when I rise out of my bed the Towers fall again to remind me of the consequences if I should.”
Men, women, old, young, every nationality, service men and women, veterans of America’s last four wars, from every profession and walk of life, and from every corner of the earth, the letters came.
A handful of America-hating misfits called me names and spouted hateful rhetoric. Guess what. I don’t care.
Mr. Patton, You’ve Echoed My Sentiments And
Wrote The Words In My Heart
From One Loyal Patriot To Another
Thank You, Sir And God Bless!
God Bless America ~ Our Home
And
God Bless Our Troops ~ Wherever They Serve!!
Doug Patton is a freelance columnist who has served as a political speechwriter and policy advisor for conservative candidates, elected officials and public policy organizations at the federal, state and local levels. His weekly column can be read in newspapers across the country and on selected Internet web sites, including GOPUSA.com and TheConservativeVoice.com. Readers can e-mail him at: dpatton@neonramp.com
Used With Permission
The Contents Herein Were Provided By Doug Patton
Thank You, Doug!
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