General Censorship
Let me rant for a minute.
In 2003 I went to hear a speech given by then-Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin. It was given as the evening service in a large evangelical church in Derwood, Md., and in it the general spoke while in uniform. It wasn't uncommon at that time for military officers, especially general officers, to give speeches while in uniform, since by Army regulation an officer is authorized to wear his dress uniform for any "special occasion."
You can listen to a recording I made of the general's speech that night, here.
Not long after that, the L.A. Times ran a hit piece against the general, taking much of what he said out of context and painting him as rabidly anti-Muslim and about as dangerous as the Islamic jihadists who had killed nearly 3,000 of our countrymen only two years before.
In response, Gen. Boykin called for an investigation into his own activities to determine whether he'd violated army regulations. The media dutifully reported that Gen. Boykin was "under investigation" but neglected to disclose that he'd called for the investigation himself.
Fast forward to 2012. Gen. Boykin is now retired after 36 years of service to our nation. In that time he was wounded several times and literally shed his blood defending the freedoms we hold dear, among them the right to free speech.
Today, Gen. Boykin is as busy as ever, and makes his living on the speaking circuit, speaking in churches around the country. Unfortunately, 2003 continues to haunt him, and the lies originally posited by the L.A. times have been repeated so often that they are now routinely quoted as fact by journalists who think a quick Google search constitutes good journalism.
The upshot is that Gen. Boykin is literally being followed around the country by Muslim activists and liberal atheists who are actively trying to get him fired or un-invited for every speaking engagement he's given. Most recently he was asked to speak at the annual prayer breakfast at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York.
The CAIR activists went into full-on screech mode, saying it would somehow harm any Muslim students at USMA to have Gen. Boykin speak at a Christian prayer service. Not sure how that works.
Anyway, since Boykin's intent was never to cause embarassment for his friends at USMA, he quietly decided not to accept the speaking request.
That Gen. Boykin is now being refused the very rights he fought and bled to defend is beyond despicable. Boykin is a Christian. His views are unabashedly so. He has every right to speak his mind, no matter how politically incorrect his opinions may be.
CAIR and their ilk have the same freedom. It is a bitter irony that they enjoy it because of men like William G. Boykin.