Prince of Piece

From ABC News:

U.S. Military Weapons Inscribed With Secret 'Jesus' Bible Codes
Pentagon Supplier for Rifle Sights Says It Has 'Always' Added New Testament

By JOSEPH RHEE, TAHMAN BRADLEY and BRIAN ROSS
Jan. 18, 2010

Coded references to New Testament Bible passages about Jesus Christ are inscribed on high-powered rifle sights provided to the United States military by a Michigan company, an ABC News investigation has found.

The sights are used by U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and in the training of Iraqi and Afghan soldiers. The maker of the sights, Trijicon, has a $660 million multi-year contract to provide up to 800,000 sights to the Marine Corps, and additional contracts to provide sights to the U.S. Army.

U.S. military rules specifically prohibit the proselytizing of any religion in Iraq or Afghanistan and were drawn up in order to prevent criticism that the U.S. was embarked on a religious "Crusade" in its war against al Qaeda and Iraqi insurgents.
...

I have nothing to add, other than to note that most of the nearly 1,000 comments this story has garnered so far seemed to be a veritable Whitman's Sampler of bigoted, fundamentalist crazy --

"Is there no end to the Christian bashing?"

"ABC News should pay attention to the Liberals and how they are ruining our country, not the fact that a Christian country puts Some biblical codes on their weapons."

"It seems only our Pagan or A-religious media has a problem with it."

"In a country where most people profess to be Christian, ABC publishes articles and runs stories that insult those beliefs. There is nothing that the liberal left, or any pagan force can do to stop the truth of scripture."

"Yet another example of extremist liberals who hate even the possibility of faith."

"they are trying to take CHRIST from us. we will loose all of our rights. first it is smoking an no display of the ten commandments on court property.. what is next. if someone doesnt make a stand we will all be with out rights!"

"the word of God burns jounalists ears as if it were acid."

"As John Stossell would say..."

-- that fell into three, basic, screechy deperssingly predictable categories of wingnut CAPS+LOCK wisdom:

1. Quit destroying our CHRISTIAN Nation with your Liberal/commie ways you fucking heathen!

2. If arms dealers can't stamp "I Am the Way, the Truth and the Life" on the boomsticks we're sending into the heart of the Muslim world, then the Terrorists Have Won!

3. If you don't want our brave Soldiers to have DECENT weapons, then maybe you should go over them and fight the terrorist YOURSELF! Commie!

Reading it was really saddening, and I had just about resigned myself to going to bed hopelessly appalled once again at the obdurate, militant wrong-headedness of so many of my fellow citizens who desecrate both the teachings of Christ and the core principles of democracy with an almost sociopathic casualness while at the same time LOUDLY proclaiming themselves to both the greatest fucking patriots and the best fucking Christians the world has ever known...when I came across this little gleam of light by "RevDrCraigWatts":

"The heads of this company are pushing a twisted version of Christianity that does nothing but dishonor Jesus as he is presented in the Gospels. Their militarized, Americanized religious impulses are shameful to any clear thinking Christian. To suggest in any way that Jesus would embrace their values is nothing short of blasphemy. Do they violate the separation of church and state. Sure. But that is the least of their offenses."

Thank you, Reverend.