Australia, N.Zealand order review of 'bible' gunsights

[depakid]

Source: AFP

Australia Friday ordered its military to look at removing biblical references from weapons used by troops in Afghanistan, after New Zealand banned the "completely inappropriate" inscriptions. Australia's Defence Minister John Faulkner said the military had been unaware of the meaning of the letters and numbers etched into the US-made gunsights, which refer to passages in the New Testament.

"I have asked Defence to examine the options available to deal with this matter without compromising the safety of our troops and critically important capabilities," Faulkner said. Faulkner's comments came as neighbouring New Zealand condemned the inscriptions as potentially inflammatory.

"They cause the same problems as putting slogans on bombs. We should not be doing anything that might give opponents any propaganda leverage," New Zealand's Defence Minister Wayne Mapp told AFP.

"The markings are completely inappropriate and the Defence Force will be looking at ways to get rid of them, now and for future deliveries."

Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5go90JAhlNilWQBuwqYSiwaPSNKMw

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The Australian Defence Force has 1,051 of the sights. Suffice it to say, no one's happy about it- and it hasn't exactly improved America's image among its allies down under.

[SpiralHawk]

1. "The Devil made us do it. Smirk." - Republicon Munitions-Profiteer 'christians'

[PavePusher]

2. One. More. Time.

File. Paint. Done.

And in the next order, make it a condition that the PART NUMBER not contain the bible reference.

How big a mountain can we alchemy this molehill into?

:tinfoilhat:

[depakid]

3. People in other parts of the world don't see it like that

Then again, a third to a half of their populations aren't religiously deluded- nor do they harbor strange notions about 21st Century crusades.

[madokie]

5. OT

but I like'm your mean ass elephant eating mule:rofl:

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

6. They seem to be doing EXACTLY that, so what's your beef?

"The markings are completely inappropriate and the Defence Force will be looking at ways to get rid of them, now and for future deliveries."

That's OK with you, right?

[PavePusher]

7. I have no problem with that at all.

I think it's a silly waste of time for an overblown, media-manufactured issue. I think that people are demonising both a maker of a finely crafted instrument, who has been labeling his product this way for litterally decades, and the government, for not applying the full power of the national code-breaking agency to a manufacturers part number.

Hysteria, it is, apparently, what's for breakfast this week.

Edit: and the "munitions-profiteer" remark above is evidence of the over-the-top-faux-outrage-du-jour that everyone here seems to be reveling in.

[Ian David]

4. Brother Maynard! Bring forth The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch!

[wuushew]

8. Sepoy mutiny of 1857

man has learned nothing.