Friday, December 3, 2010

What did you do in the war, Archbishop Okoh?

As everyone should know, prior to leading orthodoxy's homeland little Archbishop Okoh enjoyed a distinguished career in the Nigerian Army. While his military past is often cited by his many faux-African admirers, the glorious ways he and his fellow soldiers defeated the insolent Biafrans are sadly rarely mentioned. To redress this injustice I offer My Beloved Sinners the following:



No doubt little Martyn Minns feels tremendous pride in his friends when viewing what they so eagerly got up to...

I'm Father Christian and I teach the Bible.

40 comments :

JimB said...

I am sure Dr. Williams is proud of his subservient relationship to the Nigerians and especially ABp Okoh.

FWIW
jimB

Anonymous said...

Ah, Biafra: well, the Nigerians have a high birthrate and soon replaced those who died.
The only thing most people remember about Biafra is Jello.

Leonard said...

Archbishop Okoh was a chaplain...makes one want to rush into the wild blue yonder unaided!

Paul Powers said...

In September 1966,when the events described in the clip took place, Okoh was 12 years old.

Anonymous said...

It's disgraceful that Nigeria should have 12 year-olds in the military.

Paul Powers said...

But you can hardly blame the 12 year-old for that decision.

The Rev. Dr. Christian Troll said...

"At the age of 17 Archbishop Okoh enlisted as a private soldier in the Nigerian Army and fought with Federal troops during the Biafran or Nigerian Civil War. In 1967 the Igbo-dominated oil rich southeast attempted to secede from the Federal Republic of Nigeria and formed the Biafran Republic. Death estimates during the three-year civil war from disease, malnutrition and in ethnic pogroms range from one to three million."

And that quote, my dear little Paul Powers, is lifted directly from a source I'm sure you respect immensely - Dirty George Conger.

It took longer than I'd expected for historical revisionists like you to show up. And BTW - if you actually bothered to to view the clip you see that the images towards the end are contemporary: according to Biafrans the atrocities continue today. Although since they don't like ++Okoh either are you going to say that their evidence doesn't count?

Mona Lott said...

"The only thing most people remember about Biafra is Jello." You mean the only thing that retards and racists like you remember is "Jello", Anonymous.

Anonymous said...

The Archbishop of ALL Nigeria, is a ignorant man--sadly, his kind of outlandish pontificating of prejudice is the stuff that hatred is made from--doesn´t matter the ¨front¨ Bishop Okoh operates from...he has little compassion or ability to discern right from wrong...just like little pete ¨Yelwa¨ akinola his mentor.

Harvey Wallace Bangertord, Esquire

Anonymous said...

Mona, you are such a tease!
But prophetic and self-important in a Mainline Protestant kinda way!
No doubt millions sleep better at night knowing you're on guard against all forms of hatred and violence.

The Rev. Dr. Christian Troll said...

Oh little Brad, you cheeky monkey! Does Matron know you've gone and registered a new Google identity? Did you choose the name "Nixon" because you aspire to one day have his personality and charisma?

The Rev. Dr. Christian Troll said...

For the rest of you, my beloved sinners, I believe the Jello to which Anon was referring to is this fine gentleman. Whose contribution to contemporary Christian music makes "Shine Jesus, Shine" seem rather flaccid in comparison.

The Rev. Dr. Christian Troll said...

... and by the way, Paul Powers, I'm still waiting for a response from you. We'd hate to think you were just making a dishonest drive-by comment with no intention of sticking around when your pathetic defense of othodoxy's saviour is challenged...

Fr Craig said...

thank you fr.C for your courageous standing up to the trolls... I suppose that (faux) + Mary Minns has found something worthy in these African monsters to admire, but we all know this is directly related back to the Virginia court cases. Jesus weeps.

Paul Powers said...

Sorry for the delay, Father Troll. I was busy today persecuting left-handed Belgian orphans. Hence the delay in posting for a _third_ time today (so much for drive-by posting).

I hate to disillusion you, but George Conger has actually been known to get things wrong. I know that statement shakes your value system to the core, and I apologize, but the truth will set you free, even though it's sometimes painful.

But tell me, Father, is there any evidence that Okoh participated in war crimes, or was merely joining the Nigerian army enough to make him culpable?

And should we apply that same standard to +George Packard, the recently retired Bishop Suffragan for Federal Ministries, and a Vietnam veteran? Mother Susan Russell, a women whom I respect despite a fundamental difference in our worldviews (she's a L.A. Dodger fan, and I haven't forgiven them for leaving Brooklyn), called him a "great bishop and a wonderful pastor to both our military and their families." I suppose that for you the mere fact that Packard served in Vietnam makes him personally responsible for the My Lai massacre. I'm also sure that for you, Mother Russell is just another Evil Lesbian Priestess like Elizabeth Kaeton, so her opinion doesn't count. Your loss, Father. I just pray that someday the lord will remove the scales from your eyes and allow you to see clearly.

By the way, if Okoh did participate in war crimes, he should be turned over to the International Criminal Court for prosecution, bishop or not.

The Rev. Dr. Christian Troll said...

Well done, Mr. Powers. I knew you had it in you to not quit so easily. And so with the niceties out of the way let's just have a closer look at your masterpiece of logic...

1) It may come as shock to you, but the American (and allied) actions in Vietnam are not today regarded as "a war of genocide". The army in which +Bishop Packard served did not consider the rape, torture and starvation of civilians legitimate parts of their arsenal. Okoh's did.

2) Those responsible for the sexual abuse, torture and murder at My Lai subsequently faced court martial by their own leadership. The massacre was stopped by US servicemen, who then did their best to assist the victims - actions for which they subsequently received the highest awards possible. Your attempt to draw a connection between that one shameful incident and an ethnic bloodbath which killed as many as 3 million people, and which saw the starvation of civilian children as a key military strategy, casts a disgusting slur on American servicemen and women. It also says a great deal about you.

3) Bishop Okoh was a young grunt in a very, very nasty army. Obviously at his age he could not have assumed responsibility for the obscene actions of the vile force in which he served. Yet without transcending Godwin's Law, one can't help wondering if you'd be as eager to defend him if he'd served, for example, under Pol Pot, or with the Bosnian Serb forces, and had then continued to build his reputation on the basis of that service? And would the faux-Nigerians of CANA be just as eager to depict their Archbishop as having enjoyed a distinguished military career?

4) Are you really suggesting Dirty George Conger gets things wrong??? Does this mean the we can safely pretend the slaughter never happened? And if so, does it also mean the Church of Nigeria website is wrong when it says ++Okoh enlisted in 1969, where "terrible experience and uncertainty of life in the war-front" combined with "the wrong influence of fellow soldiers" resulted in him having "backslided"(sic) - an experience which obviously troubled him so greatly that he returned to the military as soon as he'd graduated and was thus eligible to enjoy the privileges that go along with being an officer.

4) What on earth does Rev. Kaeton's (or anyone else's) sexuality have to do with the fact that a primate who's doing his very best to portray Episcopalians as morally inferior has himself devoted a large part of his life to an organization which attempted to commit genocide? Or doesn't the presence of a plank in one's own eye matter if you're peddling homophobia, hatred and schism?

Paul Powers said...

Wow. You don't know me, but that sure doesn't stop you from making a lot of assumptions about me.

Your first assumption is that I'm an historical revisionist and a big supporter of Archbishop Okoh. I never denied that the Biafran War took place or that the Igbo and others suffered horribly at the hands of the Nigerian military. Only an idiot would dispute it. All I did was point out that Okoh was a child when the war started (and you yourself acknowledge that he was not responsible for the vile acts of the Nigerian army).

I'll go ahead and risk violating Godwin's rule by making the following comparison. I am not a big fan of B16, but I don't hold against him the fact that as a young man he served in the German Army. On the other hand, if he had been in the SS or Gestapo or had been a guard at one of the death camps, that would be a huge problem.

Anyone who participates in war crimes should be prosecuted either by the criminal justice system in his or her country, or if that's not possible, by the International Criminal Court. It doesn't matter whether they are pope, primate or the president of the local chapter of the SPCA. But those who did not participate in war crimes should not be held morally responsible for them. I don't condemn Bishop Packard for his service in Vietnam (and by the way, my father served in Vietnam and my first cousin was killed there, so I really hate that the black mark the Lt Calley et al's actions gave those who served honorably during a very difficult dark time in our history). So I don't condemn my father, my cousin or Bishop Packer for war crimes in Vietnam. And absent evidence of his involvement, I don't condemn Okoh either.

On the other hand, some of Okoh's comments about Muslims have been regrettable. And if he shares Akinola's attitudes towards LBGTs (and I would be surprised if he didn't), I profoundly disagree with him.

The reference to the "Evil Lesbian Priestess" (a nickname Elizabeth Kaeton herself uses) was obviously tongue-in-cheek. It was also directed to the Christian Troll persona, not to the real person behind it. That's where I'm at a disadvantage. I'm not a persona. I'm a real person, posting under my real name, with all the contradictions and inconsistencies of a real human being. I just wish that you hadn't made all these assumptions about me before taking the opportunity to know me better.

Lapinbizarre said...

If we're looking for folks with bloody mitts, let's not forget that David Bena, currently an ACNA bishop, proudly flew 252 Vietnam bombing missions.

The Rev. Dr. Christian Troll said...

Mr. Powers: Ok - let's try and put this as simply as possible. If Benny Ratsfinger had continued to serve in the same army as that which he admired while a member of Hitler youth, and if that army continued to be led by the same people, who continued to deny they did anything wrong - all while claiming a position of moral superiority to the people who comprise the Episcopalian church (and their Communion allies) - then he'd be every bit as worthy of criticism when it comes to his military record as ++Okoh.

As it is Benny has renounced Nazism and everyone responsible for it. As he should. In contrast ++Okoh has made no attempt to renounce the loathsome militia with which he served for decades. Maybe the difference is too subtle for you, but trust me, it's there and it's a big one.

The whole point of this piece is that we don't know what ++Okoh got up to as a young soldier (hence the title, Einstein). But we do know a great deal about what his friends did, as well as of the policies and history of the army in which he's proud to have served. We also know he's never made the slightest attempt to in any way distance himself from that army's efforts at genocide.

And now can somebody else please tell me why i bother?

Paul Powers said...

If Archbishop Okoh considers himself morally superior to people in the EC, then he is committing the sin or pride and should be called to repentance.

As primate of the Church of Nigeria, he has pastoral responsibility to all Nigerians, regardless of religion, ethnicity, tribal affiliation, sexual orientation, etc. Whether and how he discharges that responsibility now is more important than what he did 40 years ago (assuming that he did not participate in war crimes). Hopefully, he will speak out against human rights abuses in Nigeria the same way Archbishop Tutu did in South Africa (I'm not holding my breath). It would certainly help make up for any sins of commission or omission he committed while in the army.

Fortunately, things may be improving for the Igbo in Nigeria. An Igbo was recently appointed Chief of Army Staff for the first time since 1966. Does that mean everything's nice and rosy? Of course not, no more than the U.S. having a black president means that racism here has been abolished. But it is a start.

Having now posted enough on this thread to avoid being a "drive-by" poster, but at the same time wanting to avoid being a "concern troll," I now take my leave of you, Father Troll. May God bless you. I shall pray for you and Archbishop Okoh.

The Rev. Dr. Christian Troll said...

"If Archbishop Okoh considers himself morally superior to people in the EC, then he is committing the sin or pride and should be called to repentance."

I...WILL...LEARN...TO...RESIST...RESPONDING...TO...IDIOTS... (rpt X 500 after school)

Observant Beloved Sinners will of course have now recognized "Paul Powers" as "Friend in New York" from a few months back. My apologies for not picking up the similarities earlier, and by way of penance I promise to run a series of tacky Matt Kennedy gags asap.

But first just let me call little David Bena to ask if he's still got any napalm left...

Mona Lott said...

Maybe he's given it all to cuddly Phil Ashey for use in blowing things up? Seems that bombadeers play a pretty critical role in bombing missions.

"Novit enim Dominus qui sunt eius"

Mona Lott said...

Wiki's mangling links today. Try connecting directly here. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombardiers.

Apologies for mis-spelling "bombadiers".

Paul Powers said...

I don't know who "Friend in New York" is. I am not in New York (I'm in Texas), and I have never posted on any Anglican/Episcopal-related blog using any name other than my own.

The Rev. Dr. Christian Troll said...

I thought you'd left us to go and pray. How about you do that, & we'll call if we get the urge to hear any more. Mmm'kay?

Paul Powers said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Paul Powers said...

By the way, I want to be banned from GAFCON too. ;-)

Anonymous said...

Fr Troll, you said "And now can somebody else please tell me why i bother?"...
because it matters.

The Rev. Dr. Christian Troll said...

Thank you Anon 1:07!!! Even Doctrinal Warriors are helped by the occasional reminder ;-)

Mr. P. P. - Talk to your friends at Viagraville if you'd like to experience a banning. Round here we (most of the time) even let little Brad Evans get in his $0.02. BTW - I love how you managed to miss every point thrown in your direction whilst still picking up on the most oblique of references to yourself. It's a hermeneutic strategy that's undoubtedly helped your spiritual formation a great deal.

Paul Powers said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Celebrate you diversity!
Naturally, there will be expensive vestments worn as an act of solidarity with "the least of us" who somehow never manage to hear how "welcoming" a church over 95% White/middle/upper middle class is.
So very glad I have Nixon's charisma and intelligence.

The Rev. Dr. Christian Troll said...

This will no doubt come as a shock to you, little Brad my son, but you are without a doubt the most boring and repetitive individual I've ever encountered.

Mona Lott said...

How old were you, Brad, when your parents "absent-mindedly" left you behind when they came home from vacation?

Brother David said...

I think that in lieu of a birth certificate that Brad has an apology note from Trojan® Brand.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
The Rev. Dr. Christian Troll said...

My goodness little Brad/Nixon/life-but-not-as-we-know-it: to think people around here find me rude and obnoxious! When you put that organ which microbiologists would describe as being roughly analogous to a sentient being's mind to something you really can plumb new depths, can't you?

If you weren't in Rhode Island I'd swear you're actually just another of Dobby Ould's sock-puppets.

Brother David said...

Damn, I was busy and did not get to see what Brad wrote before Padre trolled it!

Was it up to his usual racist standards?

The Rev. Dr. Christian Troll said...

"Up" to his usual standard isn't quite how I'd put it: "coated in slime even fouler than that with which he normally besmirches himself" is probably more accurate.

I suspect the nasty little boy has been recently feeling starved of attention.

The Rev. Dr. Christian Troll said...

And on a much important note than that of little Brad's latest self-soiling, Dah•veed: how are your dental difficulties going? Generally I'm too busy telling God what to do for me to actually pray for anyone, but in circumstances concerning My Beloved Sinners I do from time to time make an exception, so I'd expect you're now feeling much better?

Brother David said...

I have commented with a longer version at the Mad Priest's blog, but things are a bit at a stand still with the family of dentists of opposing views as to what is going on. But I have been provided with a custom mouth guard to alleviate some TMJ issues and the other dental surgery is on hold even though I must sneak in a pain pill on occasion against doctor's orders. It is that or shoot myself in the head from the pain. But I am coping and surviving so far. All or part of the proposed surgery will be undertaken shortly. Then we shall see how things fare.

Thank you for inquiring Father in God. I am humbled by you having noticed this sinner's plight.