Trijicon: No more Bible references on rifle scopes

[sabra]

Source: marine corps times

A company under fire for etching biblical reference on rifle scopes used by the U.S. military said Thursday it will stop the practice, and has offered to provide modification kits to the Pentagon to enable their removal on existing optics.

“Trijicon has proudly served the U.S. military for more than two decades, and our decision to offer to voluntarily remove these references is both prudent and appropriate,” Trijicon president Stephen Bindon said in a statement. “We want to thank the Department of Defense for the opportunity to work with them and will move as quickly as possible to provide the modification kits for deployment overseas.”

Trijicon also said it will remove the inscriptions from all products it has made for the military, but not yet shipped, and that it will provide foreign military services that purchased Trijicon products the same options. The company statement was released through Levick Strategic Communications, a Washington, D.C.-based firm that specializes in crisis management.

Company officials said Monday in a report on ABC News’ “Nightline” news program that it included coded references to Bible passages on its products, including optics used by U.S. troops currently in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. In a statement released Tuesday, the company said it adopted the practice “as part of our faith and our belief in service to country.”

Read more: http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2010/01/military_optics_012109w/

[BrklynLiberal]

1. Well. Isn't that special?

[T Wolf]

2. Yeah - no harm, no foul. At the least, the company should lose their contract. And the POS

company president should be in jail, or worse.

It is way past time for playing nice with these cretins.

[Rebubula]

5. OK....

...I agree with you that they should lose their contract - but you lose me at jailing the company president, or worse.

How is this anywhere remotely criminal? Stupid - check Arrogant - check Criminal - not so much.

[MercutioATC]

8. If they have the best available product, I think they should also keep the contract.

[Rebubula]

9. Well...

...as a conciliatory move, I can see the Gov killing the contract.

I do, of course, see your point. I mainly jumped in to counter the idea that there should be criminal penalties and did not want to go all-agro on TWolf. Wanted middle ground...

[T Wolf]

27. LAws written by thepowerful for the powerful are irrelevant, except that they have the

power to punish you.

That does not make it correct or fair.

At this point, I don't give a shit for laws that protect these corporate types from consequences for their actions. Playing on their field according to their rules is just suicidal,

And, if there was no law broken, why are they making the "correction" now?

[yava]

36. biblical words on muslim guns in Afghanistan or Iraq...

is a KKK type joke that will blow in the face of the US military and their efforts to make peace (win over local populations).
It is a propaganda gift to al-qaida and muslim extremists.
It may have been an old-boys club joke but once detected, fuels religious wars.
It is just stupid and for taxpayer to pay for this is...
How many lives will be lost for this stupid joke?

[bergie321]

20. The person in the government

Responsible for making these purchases needs to be canned.

[Hubert Flottz]

24. "company president should be in jail, or worse."

Amen!

[Rebubula]

25. OK...

...same question to you as TWolf.

How does this rise to a criminal matter? We cannot just start locking up people for being assholes.

Logic must rise above anger or we will be like the Republicans

[Hubert Flottz]

28. If you let this go our troops may be eating out of lead lined...

mess kits next. Issuing the troops gear that could put them in more danger, unnecessarily, is, or should be, criminal. And before you start in on how this won't endanger anyone, you'd better wait and see what happens. The shit that was going on at Abu Ghraib didn't mean much to outsiders until the information became public knowledge. After those pictures came out in papers around the world and on the WWW it enraged the very people our troops were trying to protect. How many Americans were killed or wounded because of the rage that Abu Ghraib generated in the Arab world? How much rage will this conformation that we are sending not just troops, but Crusaders abroad generate?

Edit...Hell the Pentagon should just paint "BRING IT ON" on everything they take to the field! The JeeBus sights are like waving a red cape at a freakin' bull.

[Thothmes]

40. What charges. Or do we need charges to arrest him anymore.

Some say the SCOTUS has robbed us of freedom. Tossing persons in jail without charge seems pretty un Democratic to me

[jmowreader]

31. The company shouldn't lose their contract for this...

Except for the Bible references, which they are removing from the optics, the government hasn't had any problems with that vendor--and they make an extremely good product.

[Thothmes]

39. Exactly which law has the President of the company

violated. Or are we at the point that we just show up at midnight and arrest people because we dont like them.

[ret5hd]

3. So, your (Trijicon's) values are so DEEPLY rooted that it took the threat of loss of money...

to change your mind? Is that it? Does that cover it? I smile at your squirming.
:rofl:

[jgraz]

23. Nailed it.

Apparently they worship the almighty dollar.

[jobycom]

4. This story disgusts me more than I can find words to express.

I'm an atheist with a healthy respect for other people's religions, but using a religion as a pun on gun sights made to kill people is sick--sick for the joke, sick for the religious justification, and sick for the combination of the two. That this was done for 15 years without the military doing anything is worse. Someone early on should have said "Lose the verses or lose the contract."

Now their "We did nothing wrong but we are so sorry anyway and we'll stop so it doesn't offend any of the more sensitive people out there" style apology sickens me more. They should lose the contract, or be fined, or both. Free sites to the military for a year, maybe. Something worse than the "Really sincere apology" echoing Andy Griffith in "Rhustler's Rhapsody."

And through it all I can't help but wonder how many troops will be deliberately targeted out of anger for this story. Islam, obviously, venerates Jesus highly, and using quotes attributed to or about Jesus on military scopes aimed at Muslims is going to seem a lot like blasphemy to some of the same people we are trying to win over. How many troops will die for this company's founder's vanity? Maybe none, but why the hell take that chance?

Sick sick sick. War is a game to our leaders.

[Raster]

6. No, war is a *business* to our leaders. A business. With cost centers.

War is a good business. Invest your child today.

[jobycom]

11. Yeah, to some, no doubt. You are right.

But there are those who see our current wars as a defense of their religion, and others who see it as a cool way to shout "USA! USA!" while waving a giant foam Number One finger.

[AtheistCrusader]

7. I don't think the military knew.

I didn't know. I don't recognize apparently obscure bible references by code.

[jobycom]

10. I don't want to come off as blaming the whole military--that's not what I meant.

But the verses weren't hidden even if they weren't obvious. The unnamed sources the articles mention were all military, and it's hard to imagine complaints weren't made to the military leadership first. In fifteen years, someone had to have pointed it out to someone who makes such decisions.

I'm not a military basher. Too many friends and family in the military for that. I'm sorry I came off that way at all.

[AtheistCrusader]

15. I would like to see an investigation to see if there was.

I wonder if it's possible that it's so obscure no one ever complained. It looks like random serial number gibberish to me.

[CanonRay]

43. Make them replace the sights at THEIR cost

that'll hit 'em where they live.

[burning rain]

12. How very Christian.

Proclaim your faith publicly for social prestige, then set it aside when it becomes a liability. I have to suspect that people like this don't really believe--if they did, surely they'd figure, What's a little suffering on this earth compared to the eternal world?

[yava]

37. yes and if only Jesus knew!

[Best_man23]

13. They deserve some sort of penalty

Another example of perception causing more damage than the truth. My recommendation would be to open their contract for competition...immediately. They are not the only optics manufacturer out there and few things get the point across to a defense contractor faster than a Show Cause notice (which Trijicon likely received or will receive) or reopening a contract to open competition.

Commanders should order the removal of these references as soon as these kits are received.

Just have to wonder (from a Pulp Fiction perspective) if EK2517 was engraved on one of the optics.

[MystiqueLady]

26. Yes -- They should be penalized

Simple case of Contract Violation.  Military contracts are
very clear and VERY SPECIFIC about what is and what is not to
be included.  Even if Biblical references are not specifically
excluded, they can not be part of the item unless they are
SPECIFICALLY REQUIRED. It would be as if the supplier had
painted the scopes the wrong color.  Sure, wouldn't hurt
anyone (maybe), but it is still not the color specified.
Military contracts do call for specfic penalities if the items
provided DO NOT MEET the requirements

[edbermac]

14. Kill A Towel-Head For Jesus!

It's the Christian thing to do!

[SteveM]

17. Your icon's right gun isn't firing, but the left one is. Symbolic?

[Tsar_Bomba]

18. The left one is dispensing justice the right one is shooting blanks

[GodlessBiker]

16. As an atheist, I can't think of a more sacrilegious thing to do...

than to put references to your god on a weapon of war.

I know, I know, gods have been invoked to sanction wars throughout the ages. Still, it is astounding to me; which doesn't say much since I'm an atheist.

[galileoreloaded]

22. I am an athiest, and I care less if it has a cross on it. The opposite of love isn't hate...

it is indifference...

[Tsar_Bomba]

19. The conservative goons that run Tricon are no different than

any other religious terrorist. Why are my tax dollars feeding them?

[Thothmes]

41. Because they make an excellent scope. It makes killing

easier.

[felinetta]

21. Can people who need religion just keep it to themselves, pleaseeeeee.

[ashling]

29. I keep thinking of Saving Private Ryan

where that creepy sniper recites a psalm every time he fires

[Nihil]

42. Bingo!

That is precisely the image that came to mind when this story first broke.

[bitchkitty]

47. Confession -

that creepy sniper was my favorite character in that movie! lol

[bullwinkle428]

30. They're not sorry for doing it - just sorry for getting caught!

:mad:

[jakefrep]

32. How much do you want to bet they intentionally make their scopes defective?

And then blame the defect on the godless libuls that took Jesus off the scope?

[Baclava]

33. For $660 million - they can afford it

Now if they had a "kill a commie for mommy" inscription, that would be OK, I'm sure.

[marshall]

34. I wonder how many outcomes those verses influenced with their supernatural power?

An unfair advantage?

[Parche]

35. there should not be bible ref on anything...

:grr: the bible is a useless fantasy book....:hi:

[IndianaGreen]

38. Company said it adopted the practice 'as part of our faith and our belief in service to country.'

Which military are they referring about? The Knights Templar?

[captain jack]

44. Money trumps religious conviction? Cowards should have turned down the contract. for Christ. n/t

[Psephos]

45. OMG! I heard the scopes will still have cross hairs!!!

Personally, if I was a soldier issued a Jesus Scope, I would relish the irony. Because it's so, like, tres ala mode. ;)

[Jumping John]

46. Check out this video if you want to see a very real religious sniper!!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vktreo5JQmM

[crim son]

48. delete - posted in wrong place

[stellad]

49. They'll just engrave it in ciphertext somewhere else

[Blandocyte]

50. Buncha fundie dumbasses

Like it makes any difference if there's a goddam bible verse number on metal. Like it's magic?