When “Fake News” Abounds to Confirm Its Existence

“Radical fundamental sects — have institutionalized murder and terrorism in the name of God, promising followers instant entry into paradise if they die for their faith or kill an enemy who challenge it. Twice in recent years, America has lost loyal allies, the Shah of Iran and Anwar Sadat, at the hands of these fanatics. I don’t think you can overstate the importance that the rise of Islamic fundamentalism will have to the rest of the world in the century ahead — especially if, as seems possible, its most fanatical elements get their hands on nuclear and chemical weapons and the means to deliver them against enemies.” [Ronald Reagan in his autobiography ‘An American Life’]

According to HAARETZ in their August 17, 2017 issue, hours after Barcelona attack, Trump recycled a dubious General Pershing myth about tactics employed by the famous WWI general as a solution for radical Islam. The paper refers to a statement made by the president during the presidential campaign describing it as “a widely discredited story that Pershing had halted Muslim attacks in the Philippines by shooting rebels with bullets dipped in pig’s blood.” The paper correctly notes that pork is taboo for Muslims, but that story ‘has been widely debunked by historians.” In particular, HAARETZ references Politifact, rating Trump’s claim as false and suggesting that it is unsubstantiated or exaggerated. For the uninitiated, Politifact is apparently a “Fact-checking” organization.

Now, it can be shown that Trump’s proclamation was exaggerated, but certainly not unsubstantiated.

The LA Times on the same day stated that hours after a van plowed through a crowd in Barcelona, Spain, and left at least 12 people dead, Donald trump tweeted condemnation of the attack and shortly thereafter drew attention to the urban legend, US General John Pershing, saying, “Study what General Pershing of the US did to terrorists when caught. There was no more Radical Islamic Terror for 35 years.” If one wishes to split hairs, the activity was conducted by Pershing’s soldiers.

Now according to Snopes, US General John J. Pershing did not “effectively” discourage Muslim terrorists in the Philippines by killing them and burying their bodies along with those of pigs. Snopes refers to William Lambers, who categorically alleged that Pershing executed no Muslims and at most endorsed anecdotal accounts attributing Pershing’s success to his merely threatening to do as described.

Quoting a Chicago Daily Tribune article from 1927 which discuses Moros prisoners held by Pershing. Their swordsmen known as Juramentados were killing Christians and had to be stopped. Thus Pershing was face d with an extremely difficult task.

He elected to sprinkle some prisoners with pig’s blood, since the Juramentados believed in the threat that it would present them with prospect of going to hell rather than heaven. He then released them and issued a warning to others of the same prospect if they did not cease their militancy. The Tribune article stated that “—those drops of porcine gore proved more powerful than bullets.”

Snopes ‘concession is to draw attention to an account from the 1938 book, “Jungle Patrol” attributing the deed “to someone other than Pershing.”

Quoted in the Washington Post of August 18, 2017, in Pershing’s memoir, “My life Before World War, 1860-1917, he said, “—a fellow officer, Col. Frank West, told him at least one Muslim fighter was publicly buried in the same grave with a dead pig. It was not pleasant to have to take such measures, but the prospect of going to hell instead of heaven sometimes deterred the would-be assassins.”

Mark Perry author of “What Black Jack Pershing Can Teach Us About Fighting Terrorists” [Politico, August20, 2017], while disagreeing with Trump, acknowledges that American soldiers occasionally responded to the Moro insurgency by burying the tribesmen they killed with dead pig. Pershing thought the practice was, at best, a deterrent, he never adopted it as a useful policy, or instructed his subordinates to practice it.

From Wikipedia, under the heading “Juramentados”, we find the following: In John Pershing’s Memoirs, he states that the Juramentados attacks were substantially reduced by the army practice which they had adopted, one that the Muhhamadans considered abhorrent. “The bodies were publicly buried in the same grave with a dead pig.” While this was not pleasurable, it did sometimes deter the would be assassins since the prospect of “going to hell” as opposed to heaven was frightening.

The 2013 edition of “Memoirs” has a footnote citing a letter from Maj. Gen. J. Franklin Bell to J. Pershing, in which he notes that it had “—long been a custom to bury [insurgents] with pigs when they killed Americans. Here again , he expresses the view that he thought it to be “a good plan” for the same given reasons. He goes on to say that he can be relied on to “stand by you” in maintaining this custom, and that it was the only possible way to discourage crazy fanatics.

Daniel Green field, is a Shillman Journalism Fellow at Freedom Center, author of Sultan Knish blog and a New York writer who focuses on radical Islam. Through Front Page Mag of February 26, 2016, he has published an exhaustive treatise on “How American Soldiers Used Pig’s Blood and Corpses to fight Muslim Terrorism.”

He commences his thoughtful essay thus; “A century before American soldiers fought Muslim terrorism in the Middle East, they fought it in the Philippines.” Specifically discussing General Pershing’s autobiography, he particularly informs us that the General acknowledged the Juramentados attacks to be materially reduced in number by publicly burying their bodies in the same grave with a dead pig.

We learn from Greenfield that the subject practice began in the Spanish period. He quotes as his source, the mainstream New Cambridge History of Islam, noting that the name Juramentados was the Spanish term for Muslim Jihadists who carried out suicide attacks against Christians while shouting about Allah.

Quoting from the “illustrious” New York Times, Greenfield reports how even this newspaper that the Moros while still admiring the given practice, have ceased to engage in suicide attacks as the “future of one and the other [pig and a man] are in their opinions about equal.” The Times conceded that while the plan was so repugnant to humane ideas, since the Moros could stop its application as soon as they chose, the paper therefore felt no impulse either to condemn its invention or to advise its abandonment.

Many famous scientists, including Albert Einstein, have contributed to Scientific American continuously to this oldest published monthly magazine. Greenfield quotes from it how a Muslim terrorist who had disemboweled an American soldier was made an example of. A pig was suspended by his hind legs over the grave of the murderer and the throat of the animal cut. Soon the body lay immersed in gore—- a guard stood sentry over the grave until dusk when the pig was buried side by side with the Juramentado. This so enraged the Moros, that they “besieged the city.”

As uncovered by Daniel Greenfield, Colonel Willis A. Wallace of the 15th Cavalry claimed credit for the innovation of the given practice in March 1903 to discourage the Muslim terrorist who believed that “—-every Christian he kills places him so much closer in contact with the Mohammedan heaven.” Wallace went on to say that conviction and punishment did not impact the desired outcome.

Following “—-a more than usually atrocious slaughter ” in the market place, Wallace had the bodies of the killers placed on display” encouraging Moros in the vicinity to see the remains. What they saw quite visibly was a dead hog placed in the grave of three bodies, Moro grave diggers themselves being obligated to do the work much to their horror. This form of punishment soon spread, and Wallace was satisfied that”—the method had a wholesome effect.”

Contrary to statements made about Pershing, apparently, he approved of Medal Of Honor winner Colonel Frank West’s burial of 3 pigs with 3 Muslim terrorists after the murder of an American officer. Colonel Alexander Rodgers of the 6th Cavalry, known to the Moro Muslims as “The Pig” is yet another military man who engaged in a similar experience.

Real Admiral Daniel P. Mannix 111 is quoted as having contended that what finally stopped the Juramentados was the custom of wrapping a “dead man in a pig’s skin” while stuffing his mouth with pork.

As Daniel Greenfield notes, these days our political and military leaders shudder at the thought of Muslims accusing us of blasphemy. “And so, instead we bury thousands of American soldiers.”

Bryan Fischer writes in the April 10, 2009 edition of Renew America, “US has been Fighting Islamic Fundamentalism Since the Colonial Era.” Of particular interest is his recall of 2 future presidents, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, being dispatched to London in1786 to negotiate a peace treaty with the Dey of Algiers. It was an educational experience as the Dey explained the reason “for his Islamically inspired hostility towards America”.

‘[I] t was founded on the Laws of their Prophet, that it was written in their Koran, that all nations who should not have acknowledged their authority were sinners, that it was their right and duty to make war upon them wherever they could be found, and to make slaves of all they could take as Prisoners, and that every Musselman [Muslim] who should be slain in Battle was sure to go to Paradise.’

So much for the truth being buried in “fake news” while not listening to the stated intentions and motivations of the terrorists and “taking them at face value.”

As reported by Joseph Farah of WND on 04/06/2004, “Israel Enlists Pigs Against Terrorists.” This was undertaken by a special security group known as Gdud Ivri or Jewish Legion. The idea originated from the British who used pigs during the 1936-1939 Arab revolt in Palestine since they have a highly developed sense of smell enabling them to discover explosives and to deter Muslim zealots from infiltration.

At this time, while the Knesset is debating the issue concerning radical Islamic terrorism it would be wise to revisit using pigs in the matter of life verse death. In addition thereto, as long advocated by this author, not ever incarcerating known terrorists in prisons, they should rather be killed. Quoting the Torah, “When one comes to kill you, kill him first.”