From Holden:

WHat’s a little hatred between friends?

Islamic leaders and peace groups are criticizing the California National Guard for a flier posted in its headquarters suggesting the United States execute Islamic terrorists with bullets dipped in pig’s blood to deny them entry to heaven.

The flier attributed the practice to World War I General John J. Pershing.

“Maybe it is time for this segment of history to repeat itself, maybe in Iraq?” the flier stated. It was posted outside a cubicle in the Guard’s Civil Support Division.

A second flier showed the wings and tail of a bomber forming a peace sign with the slogan, “Peace the old fashioned way.”

Also posted was a cartoon from a Web site showing a Red Crescent ambulance stuffed with weapons and a caricature that looks like the late-Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat unloading the weapons.

Guard spokesman Lt. Col. Doug Hart at first defended the postings to the San Jose Mercury News, which reported them Tuesday, but Hart later said they had been removed.

Peace activists spotted the fliers during a tour last week.

The tour came after peace groups and a state senator questioned whether a new Guard unit had been formed to spy on U.S. citizens and had monitored a Mother’s Day anti-war rally. A federal investigation of the allegations is underway.

“It’s troubling to see a governmental organization dedicated to the security of our country promoting culturally and religiously insensitive ideas,” said William Youmans, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Santa Clara. “It’s very possible to combat terrorism without offending the cultural values of a major world religion.”