8.10.2010

Hate wave sweeps America

Ignorance and intolerance are inseparable and have led to periods of instability throughout this nation’s history.

It’s gutwrenching how both are fertilized fields for hatemongering and fearmongering.

DemWit wants readers to step across the blogosphere today and read an outstanding post by a blogger who backs up her sound reason with heavily researched documentation.

But first I offer two quotes:

A VOICE OF REASON

On 19 October 2008, Gen. Colin Powell was Tom Brokaw’s guest on “Meet the Press.” He explained his endorsement of Senator Barack Obama for the presidency and interated his concerns over the direction the Republican Party has taken – “the Party has moved even further to the right.”.

“I'm also troubled,” Powell said, “by, not what Sen. McCain says, but what members of the Party say. And, it is permitted to be said such things as, ‘Well, you know that Mr. Obama is a Muslim.’ Well, the correct answer is, he is not a Muslim, he's a Christian. He's always been a Christian. But, the really right answer is, ‘What if he is?’ Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer's ‘No, that's not America.’

“Is there something wrong with some seven-year-old Muslim-American kid believing that he or she could be president? Yet, I have heard senior members of my own party drop the suggestion, ‘He's a Muslim, and he might be associated with terrorists.’ This is not the way we should be doing it in America.

“I feel strongly about this particular point because of a picture I saw in a magazine. It was a photo essay about troops who are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. And, one picture at the tail end of this photo essay was of a mother in Arlington Cemetery, and she had her head on the headstone of her son's grave. And, as the picture focused in, you could see the writing on the headstone, and it gave his awards - Purple Heart, Bronze Star - showed that he died in Iraq, gave his date of birth, date of death. He was 20 years old. And then, at the very top of the headstone, it didn't have a Christian cross, it didn't have the Star of David, it had a crescent and a star of the Islamic faith. And, his name was Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan, and he was an American. He was born in New Jersey. He was 14 years old at the time of 9/11, and he waited until he could go serve his country, and he gave his life.

“Now, we have got to stop polarizing ourselves in this way. … I'm troubled about the fact that, within the (Republican) Party, we have these kinds of expressions.”

A VOICE OF IGNORANCE AND INTOLERANCE

This quote from a Murfreesboro, Tenn., woman sums up the fear being generated in this country with anti-Islam bullshit from the radical right and the Religious Right:

“As a mother and a grandmother, I worry, I learned that in 20 years with the rate of the birth population, we will be overtaken by Islam, and their goal is to get people in Congress and the Supreme Court to see that Shariah is implemented. My children and grandchildren will have to live under that.”

Leslie at Parsley’s Pics has an outstanding post examining the growing anti-Islam senitiment generated by the radical right across this country. I urge you to read Leslie’s post:

“We Believe in Freedom of Religion Except for Muslims”

4 comments:

Leslie Parsley said...

Thanks BJ. "Hate Wave." I like that. I remember that profound interview with Powell. Of course the next day the very Republicans who wanted him to run for President couldn't say a nice thing about him.

Tiny said...

Tiny also remembers the interview with Gen. Colin Powell. She stood and saluted the Gen. for his stark honesty. Thenk you, BJ, for your great reminder of "A Voice Of Reason." It would be great if more people would listen to the voice of reason.

And if anyone in this nation wants to take this country back, perhaps those ranting the loudest will hear the voices of those from whom this land was taken. The same holds true for the Isralis in the middle east. The era in which Jesus walked the earth is knows as the Palestinian Period, not the Israli Period.

Shaw Kenawe said...

So many bigots, so little time to deprogram their little narrow minds...

I blogged on the subject as well.

It was only a matter of time before the weak-minded FAUXbots would turn to another minority and demonize them all for the actions of the few.

I'm not a follower of any organized religion, but if our Constitution stipulates that America shall not favor one religion over another, then I defend that which is enshrined in the document.

It's a miserable shame that those who are the loudest in claiming that Mr. Obama is shredding the Constitution are the first to violate it to satisfy their irrational fears and hatreds.

B.J. said...

Shaw: Thanks for visiting and commenting! As someone pointed out on Leslie’s blog, these so-called “defenders of the Constitution” are continuously attempting to change it – to fit their own agenda, naturally.

Readers: The Progress Report, Center for American Progress, 10 August 2010, is titled, “The Right’s Shameful Muslim-Bashing.” Google it if you are interested.

BJ