"Geronimo, E.K.I.A."
The Obama White House was decisive and bold in how they went after Osama Bin Laden last weekend. But in all the planning for this mission, it seems that nobody really planned ahead for success. Because, post-raid, the White House has had somewhat of a communication problem explaining everything to the public. This was avoidable, but is also mostly excusable due to the success of the mission (if you think the political arguments are rough now, just imagine what they would be like if we had failed somehow). Doing a practice run of the press management afterwards was probably pretty low on everyone's priority list last week, in other words, and most of the issues raised since then are already mere historical footnotes to the fact that we "got him."
But there's one issue which is indeed a valid one. The White House should never have let the military use the code name "Geronimo" for either the mission or Osama Bin Laden himself (depending on which media report you believe). Even if they had allow its use, they never should have publicly released the fact that the words transmitted to indicate success were "Geronimo E.K.I.A." (or, if used for the mission, perhaps "Geronimo, E.K.I.A.") The acronym stands for "enemy killed in action," and was the signal that Osama Bin Laden was dead.
Native Americans, including Geronimo's tribe, are not happy about this choice of code name. They've got every reason to be upset. Here is how former Marine Leon Curley, a Navajo, put it to the Associated Press:
We've been oppressed for so long, it just doesn't matter anymore. The government does what it wants when it wants. The name calling is going to stay around forever. But when you think about it, this is an insult.
That's just sad. Even worse, it is sad because it is true. And America should be a lot more ashamed about it than we currently are. Native Americans have been mislabeled ever since Columbus set foot here over 500 years ago -- the White Man thought he was elsewhere, so for centuries Native Americans were referred to as "Indians."
The shame is that, culturally, it is still mostly OK for such stereotypes to exist. Even in our enlightened and politically-correct age, there are still some groups it is perfectly acceptable to make fun of. The French, for instance, even though an independent United States of America simply would not exist if they hadn't helped out.
Of course, we have made a whopping amount of progress on this front in the past four decades. For some groups, at least. Not so much for others. I have written before about how Native Americans are in the "not so much" category -- especially when it comes to sports teams. Can anyone today conceive that it would be remotely acceptable to name a team (in the Nation's Capital, of all places) something like "the Blackskins"? And yet, nobody has a problem with an equally-offensive name directed at a much smaller minority group in America. Or Chief Wahoo's caricature, for that matter.
Read that quote again. Imagine the outcry which would erupt if an expansion team in any sport tried to call themselves the "Blackskins" while you read it:
We've been oppressed for so long, it just doesn't matter anymore. The government does what it wants when it wants. The name calling is going to stay around forever. But when you think about it, this is an insult.
He's right. When you think about it, it is an insult. The problem, for much of America, is that we just don't think about it in the same way (for instance) we think about the use of what is euphemistically referred to as "the N-word." The larger and undeniable point is that we really should "think about it" a lot more than we do. It should matter, a lot more than it does. The name calling absolutely does not have to "stay around forever."
I have been astonished at the amount of carping which has happened after Osama Bin Laden was dead, and I don't mean to be piling on the White House right now. Personally, I don't need to see a photo of Bin Laden with half his head blown away to know that he's dead. And I really don't need to see a "video game" dramatization on the news of what went down every second in the compound. I trust the president, and I applaud the Navy SEALs for doing the job they were given. All the other griping going on seems to be nothing more than sheer partisan squabbling to me.
But the Native Americans have a point. Luckily, it is easily solvable (or, at least, "able to be assuaged"). An official apology should be issued stating that no disrespect was intended -- quite the opposite (if the code name was for the raid, and not the target), in fact. This would go a long way in terms of smoothing things over, and is certainly the only thing about the raid which should be apologized for by the White House.
Again, imagine the outcry if the code name had been "George Washington." Here's another former Marine, Tom Holm (from the Creek/Cherokee Nations), on how he felt:
I was celebrating that we had gotten this guy and feeling so much a part of America. And then this "Geronimo E.K.I.A." thing comes up. I just said, "Why pick on us?" Robert E. Lee killed more Americans than Geronimo ever did, and Hitler would seem to be evil personified, but the code name for Bin Laden is Geronimo?
Just for one moment, imagine the outcry in the Deep South if "Robert E. Lee E.K.I.A." had been broadcast instead.
This was an avoidable mistake. It could have been avoided on two levels -- if the Pentagon had come up with a better name, and if they had never released the quote to the media. Amends can be made for this mistake, and they should be as soon as possible. Perhaps someone can get hired over at the Pentagon as a "codename and acronym vetter" to avoid such mistakes in the future (this isn't an Obama problem or a Bush problem, it seems to be a Pentagon problem, as evidenced by the original Iraq war's "Operation Iraqi Liberation" mission name and its unfortunate acronym).
Complaints about the code name are minor, when compared to the stupendous importance of the mission -- and its success. As for the mission itself, when I hear a credible source -- and not one minute before -- state publicly that something was wrong with the raid or its planning or its execution, then I will join in the second-guessing the media is having fun with right now. And by "credible source" I mean something on the order of "one of the Navy SEALs on the raid who quit the military in disgust and went public." Which I would bet money just isn't going to happen. Anything less I chalk up to Monday morning quarterbacking, and ignore (for the most part).
The Native Americans are the only ones I've yet heard from who have a legitimate gripe. As I said, though, this can be smoothed over by a simple statement from the White House. It in no way affected the actual mission itself in even the tiniest way, so it should be an excusable mistake by everyone, after such an apology is issued. After all, who among us would want one of our revered leaders' name used in such a fashion? And who among us wouldn't demand such an apology, if such a mistake were made? Think about it.
-- Chris Weigant
Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant
Oh, forgot to mention, thanks to Michale for pointing this story out, a few days ago.
-CW
Oh, forgot to mention, thanks to Michale for pointing this story out, a few days ago.
Awwww pshaw...
"Oh, Jafar, you're too kind. I'm embarrassed. I'm blushing.
-Yago, ALADDIN
:D
I completely agree with ya on this, CW.. The Monday Morning QB'ing is most annoying... It's Jessica Lynch all over again...
But the Native Americans do have a legitimate complaint and an official and very public apology is definitely in order..
However, I disagree with you on the Bin Laden death photo. Like you, I don't NEED to see it. I believe that Bin Laden is dead...
But I WANT to see it. Obama says that we don't need to spike the football.. That's bull carp. Americans INVENTED spiking the football...
You can bet that Obama will make spiking the football the centerpiece of his re-election campaign...
I am just getting sick and tired of worrying about Muslim sympathies..
If Muslims want our sympathy, they need to EARN it...
Muslims are a bigger victim of Bin Laden then all of the West...
The problem is, they don't see it...
Michale.....
I had thought that transmitting "Geronimo" was a signal that the operation had succeeded. I would hope that saying "George Washington" as a code for "we did it" wouldn't be offensive to most people. "Geronimo EKIA" sounds as though it's a code name for the operation or group, identifying itself and reporting its status. If we can name an aircraft carrier "George Washington", why not name a SEALs task force "Geronimo"? If "Geronimo" was a code for bin Laden himself, of course that would be offensive.
Some of how white Americans talk about Native Americans has to do with bits of Native American culture that we've absorbed. If you look at how Americans like to think we're superior to Europeans, and how we act when we pretend to be Indians at a kids' summer camp, there are some connections there.
Personally, I don't need to see a photo of Bin Laden with half his head blown away to know that he's dead.
I feel the same way, CW. And if you look at the 2 decisions and the specified reasons, I believe the administration made the right call:
1. Show the photos to quell any doubts by conspiracy theorists - When has evidence ever done anything to settle the doubts of conspiracy theorists?
2. Don't show the photos because rubbing it in someone's face is "not who we are". This would only incite more terrorist attacks.
I liked Obama's phrase "not who we are". This is a strong clear statement of belief. Wish he'd do this more often.
As for the Geronimo issue, big fail. I think they'd do right to apologize.
-David
p.s. Another interesting point to this story is the fact that this is a "safe" story that mainstream outlets can air. Stories about the influence of the US Chamber of Commerce on government will not appear in the MSM, but you CAN air a story about an American Indian grievance. An interesting sidenote.
David,
This would only incite more terrorist attacks.
Anyone who is predisposed to this sort of behavior will not but pushed into the action by the mere publication of a photograph..
If it's not the photograph, it's Abu Ghraib.. If it's not Abu Ghraib, it's Afghanistan Kill Teams... If it's not Afghanistan Kill Teams, it's something else. If it's nothing else then the terrorist will just make something up...
If we go down the road of appeasing and bowing to Islamic Terrorist sympathies, where do we draw the line???
"If we are to be damned, let us be damned for who we truly are..."
-Captain Jean Luc Picard, STAR TREK:THE NEXT GENERATION, Encounter At Farpoint
I liked Obama's phrase "not who we are".
But the fact is, that IS "who we are".. Americans are, by and large, an arrogant and braggart lot... The "in your face" sentiment permeates all of American culture...
Michale.....
"Who we are" language normally expresses aspiration rather than fact.
dsws,
"Who we are" language normally expresses aspiration rather than fact.
"...and THEN some."
-Bruce Willis, THE LAST BOY SCOUT
:D
Michale.....
But the fact is, that IS "who we are".. Americans are, by and large, an arrogant and braggart lot... The "in your face" sentiment permeates all of American culture.
Are you sure you're not projecting again? :)
If we go down the road of appeasing and bowing to Islamic Terrorist sympathies, where do we draw the line?
Who's appeasing? We were successful. Bin Laden is dead. It's when you get too big a head about it that you lose.
-David
David,
Are you sure you're not projecting again? :)
Wanna take a trip down memory lane and recall all the times that ya'all wished that Obama would get "in your face" with the GOP?? :D
Who's appeasing?
Uh.... the Obama Administration.
By citing "inflaming Muslims" as a reason not to release the photo...
That's appeasing...
Further, considering how many photos have already been released (this one's my fav :D http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DAQYIIKDr2U/Tb_PhgwMNQI/AAAAAAAACys/Wj9UmcAux7M/s1600/osama_liberty.jpg ) I doubt one more photo won't do much to inflame anyone who already ain't...
We were successful. Bin Laden is dead. It's when you get too big a head about it that you lose.
How is releasing the photo "getting a big head"?? The asshole killed over 3000 innocent men women and children...
Is it so wrong to want to see the dog frak'ed up??
I don't think so...
Michale.....
I doubt one more photo won't do much to inflame anyone who already ain't...
Sorry, lost track of all my negatives.. :D
That should read...
I doubt one more photo would do much to inflame anyone who already ain't...
Michale.....
Sorry, lost track of all my negatives.. :D
Now, who's Freudian slip is showing?
:)
Is it so wrong to want to see the dog frak'ed up?
Well, yes. It kinda sounds a little messed up to me. I'm happy knowing it. I don't need to make a birthday cake out of it.
And ...
Let's take a look for a second at what conservatives would be saying if we had released pictures.
They'd be saying: "He's risking terrorist attacks on innocent Americans by taunting Muslims."
C'mon. Admit it. You know its the truth. LOL
-David
Well, yes. It kinda sounds a little messed up to me. I'm happy knowing it. I don't need to make a birthday cake out of it.
I guess that's just our different backgrounds...
But you must allow that some people might want to "make a birthday cake" out of it..
And they should be allowed to...
Let's take a look for a second at what conservatives would be saying if we had released pictures.
They'd be saying: "He's risking terrorist attacks on innocent Americans by taunting Muslims."
So what??
Taking action or NOT taking action to appease conservatives is ALMOST as bad as appeasing fanatical Muslims...
Michale.....
Here's another great shot!! :D
No pun intended... :D
http://ih0.redbubble.net/work.7118167.4.fig,asphalt,mens,fbfbfb.pwnd-osama-bin-laden-v3.jpg
Michale.....
Americans INVENTED spiking the football...
just as a point of fact, that happens not to be entirely true. just as the sport of american football evolved from rugby, homer jones' 1965 invention of the post-touchdown spike was far from original even then. a try (like a touchdown) in rugby requires the ball to be grounded by the scoring player, which has often taken the form of a spike, just by the nature of the motion. further, most games of aussie rules football (circa 1880) begin with the umpire spiking the ball into the air.
so, the football spike is borrowed from the brits and the aussies. we just do it with more style :)
I stand corrected.. :D
I meant it more euphemistically then factually... :D
Michale.....
Well, I am sure glad President Obama is not making a birthday cake out of it.. :D
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/06/us-binladen-obama-idUSTRE7455FG20110506
Michale.....
David,
This would only incite more terrorist attacks.
Seems to me that taking a victory lap around the country and basking in the glow could also incite more terrorist attacks...
Don't get me wrong. President Obama (and President Bush) deserve the credit.. They deserve the glory..
But it seems to me that, if we are going to let Muslim fanatics control our lives, President Obama should not be going to Ground Zero or to military bases and things like that...
Each one of those actions could have the same effect that releasing the photo would have...
Further, since Muslim fanatics are already up in arms, it's probably a better idea to release the photo now.. Now, it will be just one more thing for them to get riled up about...
If the photos are released in 6 months, a year (as they will HAVE to be, per FOI requests) then it will bring it all up all over again..
Surely you can see the logic of getting it all out of the way now rather than dragging it out...
Michale......
But you must allow that some people might want to "make a birthday cake" out of it.
I believe that the needs of the country come first. And sometimes that requires diplomacy, tact and selflessness.
Each one of those actions could have the same effect that releasing the photo would have.
I believe President Obama has the skills to handle the situation with appropriate respect.
I guess we'll have to disagree on this, Michale. I wish you luck in pursuing your cake. Its nice out today - maybe a grill out party is in order!
-David
If we go down the road of appeasing and bowing to Islamic Terrorist sympathies, where do we draw the line?
Where it's right to do so.
Let's take the "appeasement" trope by the horns. It's an implicit identification of potential terrorist recruits with Hitler. That's unwarranted, but let's stipulate it anyway, all the way.
I mean all the way: it's 1938, and we're the free world. We give exactly as much as we deem to be right. We can even suppose that Hitler gets to have the Anschluss and annex the Sudetenland -- but as the result of a deliberation that affirms the right of national self-determination of peoples, followed by plebiscites where the Sudeten Germans outvote the Czechs and the Austrians vote for unification.
That would not have been taken as a sign of weakness or as a green light to invade Poland and the rest of Czechoslovakia.
It's not about whether the bad guys get something. It's about whether it's done out of cowardice.
The failure to desecrate bin Laden's corpse was done out of decency, or at least an aspiration to decency. No matter how vile the deceased was, no matter how evil the people who would be most offended by it if we did, desecrating corpses isn't "who we are".
Showing a photograph of the dead body is not "desecration"....
I guess it's just a difference of opinion on terrorists in general..
Ya'all seem to think they are human beings who deserve to have their dead bodies respected...
I don't respect terrorists as human beings even when they are alive... I am certainly not going to respect their rotting carcasses...
One has to ask themselves..
Did terrorists respect Daniel Pearl??
Nicholas Berg??
Wanting visual confirmation of the death of someone as infamous and vile as Osama Bin Laden is simply human nature.
By not giving Americans visual evidence of his demise, the Obama Administration is guaranteeing more Truthers....
Why would they do that??
Michale.....
David,
I believe that the needs of the country come first. And sometimes that requires diplomacy, tact and selflessness.
You seem to miss my point.
Obama *IS* "making a birthday cake" out of it. Going all over the country, reaping all the accolades etc etc IS "spiking the football"....
And that is just as inflammatory as releasing the photo would be...
I believe President Obama has the skills to handle the situation with appropriate respect.
Of course you do.. That's kinda my whole point... :D
Michale....
You seem to miss my point. Obama *IS* "making a birthday cake" out of it. Going all over the country, reaping all the accolades etc etc IS "spiking the football".
Not at all. The things you compare are different. One, is inflammatory. The other is not.
And the ability to recognize these distinctions is one of the reasons Obama was the right man for the job.
As much as I know this drives you nuts :)
-David
Showing a photograph of the dead body is not "desecration"
Oops, I thought the statement I replied to was about having a minimally-proper "burial at sea" instead of whatever various people think should have been done with the corpse.
Did terrorists respect Daniel Pearl??
Oh, oh, oh! Now I see the light. They're evil, so we must be evil too. In fact, we must be just as evil as they are. Let's go hijack some planes and fly them into Petronas Towers.
(/sarcasm)
I tried to figure out what I scrolled past to juxtapose "if we go down the road of appeasement" with discussion of minimally-proper burial, and I just don't remember what I did. I don't even see the stuff on this page that I thought I was replying to. Weird.
David,
Not at all. The things you compare are different. One, is inflammatory. The other is not.
No, they BOTH are inflammatory..
But the difference is, one is inflammatory to your fellow Americans and, apparently, doesn't matter..
The other is inflammatory to the enemies of your fellow Americans and those people must be appeased.....
dsws,
Oh, oh, oh! Now I see the light. They're evil, so we must be evil too. In fact, we must be just as evil as they are. Let's go hijack some planes and fly them into Petronas Towers.
What's being "evil" about showing a photograph??
As I have stated and, as been aptly proven by subsequent commentaries, Americans love to gloat..
Why not allow us to gloat, complete with visuals, about the biggest event of the decade..
Oh yea, that's right. We mustn't anger or upset the Muslims..
(/sarcasm)
Michale.....
ap·pease
? ?[uh-peez] Show IPA
–verb (used with object), -peased, -peas·ing.
to yield or concede to the belligerent demands of (a nation, group, person, etc.) in a conciliatory effort, sometimes at the expense of justice or other principles.
How can you look at what's being done with regards to PMFs as anything BUT appeasement???
Michale.....
dsws,
I don't even see the stuff on this page that I thought I was replying to. Weird.
This subject has spanned over a couple commentaries. It's likely what you thought you were replying to here was in another commentary..
Michale.....