Thanks again to Islamophobiatoday.com for tipping us off to this expose by the Colbert Report of the threat to America from creeping Sharia, along with flying robot drones and crystal meth-laden vacuum cleaners.
Archive for the ‘Tolerance’ Category
Congressman says Jews reject American principles
January 25, 2011
Freshman Rep. Allen West (R-FL), in an interview with Shalomshow TV, calmly stated that Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY), one of two Jews in congress, represents “the antithesis of the principles upon which this country was established.”
If it’s not clear why West attacked Weiner, this quote from a campaign town meeting, may help explain:
“We already have a 5th column that is already infiltrating into our colleges, into our universities, into our high schools, into our religious aspect, our cultural aspect, our financial, our political systems in this country. And that enemy represents something called Judaism, and Judaism is a totalitarian theocratic political ideology, it is not a religion. It has not been a religion since 622 AD, and we need to have individuals that stand up and say that.”
Actually, EthicsBob is pulling your leg. Obviously. It would be unacceptable to openly attack Jews like that. Rep. West was really attacking Islam: to read West’s real statements substitute Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), Muslims, and Islam for Weiner, Jews, and Judaism, respectively, and you’ll have the congressman’s exact words. Glad he wasn’t attacking Jews. That would have made people mad.
Thanks to IslamophobiaToday.com for calling this to our attention. The website does a great public service by its work exposing hatred against American Muslims.
Steve Cohen’s “apology”: I’m sorry Republicans took offense when I said they were just like the Nazis
January 21, 2011
There are lots of reports that Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) apologized for likening the Republican opponents of Obamacare to Nazis, but don’t you believe them. His regret was not for his ugly accusation, but was “that anyone in the Jewish community, my Republican colleagues or anyone else was offended by the portrayal of my comments.”
His complete statement can be found here.
Kudos to Rachel Maddow and Ed Schultz, the only people on the left who’ve been willing to say anything against Cohen’s House remarks. Maddow said, “Nothing is like the Nazis,” Schultz said “This can’t be tolerated.”
Tragically, no peep of criticism has come from Cohen’s Democratic colleagues. They remain silent; therefore they approve.
Alabama Gov. Bentley apologizes–more or less
January 20, 2011
Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley apologized—sort of—for his Martin Luther King, Jr day speech, in which he appeared to embrace fellow evangelicals as “my brothers and my sisters,” but to exclude everybody else.
The Associated Press reports that Bentley met for an hour with members of Alabama’s Jewish community and afterward told reporters he meant no insult with his words.
“What I would like to do is apologize. Should anyone who heard those words and felt disenfranchised, I want to say, ‘I’m sorry.’ If you’re not a person who can say you are sorry, you’re not a very good leader,” Bentley said.
Bentley’s apology seems to have been agreeably received by local Jewish and Muslim leaders, but it would have been better had he regretted what he said rather than that some people “felt disenfranchised” upon hearing it.
Alabama’s governor of all the people, as long as “you’re a Christian and if you’re saved”— no insult intended to Jews, Muslims, atheists, Hindus, and others
January 18, 2011
Alabama’s Governor Robert Bentley gave a rousing Martin Luther King, Jr day speech at the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, where the late civil rights leader once was pastor. He told Alabamians that it was important ”that we love and care for each other.” He went on to proclaim, ”I think that Dr. Martin Luther King was one of the greatest men that has ever lived.”
Bentley said that even though he was a Republican he was governor of all the people. Except…maybe…
“There may be some people here today who do not have living within them the Holy Spirit. But if you have been adopted in God’s family like I have, and like you have if you’re a Christian and if you’re saved, and the Holy Spirit lives within you just like the Holy Spirit lives within me, then you know what that makes? It makes you and me brothers. And it makes you and me brother and sister.”
”Now I will have to say that, if we don’t have the same daddy, we’re not brothers and sisters. So anybody here today who has not accepted Jesus Christ as their savior, I’m telling you, you’re not my brother and you’re not my sister, and I want to be your brother.”
Bentley later explained, ”We’re not trying to insult anybody.” Not trying, but succeeding.
Who’s responsible for the Tucson shootings?
January 11, 2011
At times of national tragedy there is sadness, mourning, and a search for someone to blame. In the case of Saturday’s shootings in Tucson that should be easy: 22-year-old Jared Loughner did it, with some help from whoever sold him a semi-automatic Glock 19 hand gun with extra large magazines.
But that’s not satisfying, to blame a crazy person for something so terrible. We want to pinpoint the cause of the evil, because if we have the cause we can prevent such things from happening in the future. Many on the left want to tag Sarah Palin and Fox News with at least contributory blame.
After all, didn’t Palin post a map showing Congresswoman Gifford as a target, complete with crosshairs? (see accompanying picture from her website and try to imagine whether seeing this might lead someone to murder.) And doesn’t Fox News regularly feature right wing rants by Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck?
Palin and Fox News head Roger Ailes seemed to grant some plausibility to the connection because Palin’s PAC took down the offending map on Saturday, and on Monday Ailes announced that his network would try to cool the heated rhetoric. But their moves toward civility are reasons to honor them, not to take the actions an admission of guilt.
Our greatest political commentator, Jon Stewart, put it best in his eloquent cry from the heart on his January 10 Daily Show: (more…)
Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith is an ethics hero: plays starters all the way in game that’s meaningless to the Bears, critical to the Packers
January 2, 2011
Ethics in sports means trying your best to win while behaving with integrity. Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith is an ethics hero for his stand in trying to win a game that was meaningless to the Bears but critical to the team they were playing.
The Bears were set as the no. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs after the Atlanta Falcons won their game and clinched the no. 1 seed and home field advantage. So the Bears final regular season game against the Green Bay Packers was meaningless to the Bears, but crucial to the Packers: if they won they were in the playoffs; lose and they’re out.
Some teams have rested their key players in such a game, notably—and shamefully—the Indianapolis Colts, who last year rested their best players in the regular season finale against the New York Jets and gave the Jets a playoff berth.
But Bears coach Lovie Smith stood up for the integrity of the game. If it was meaningful for the Packers it was the Bears’ obligation to try their best, so Smith played his starters all the way. The Bears lost, 10-3, but were fighting to the end, driving from their 2-yard line with 4:49 left in the game to the Packers 32, where an intercepted pass ended the Bears comeback and put the Packers in the playoffs.
The Bears made them earn it.
Obama shows Presidential leadership in supporting second chance for Michael Vick after Vick’s prison term for felony dogfighting
December 29, 2010
Leadership isn’t saying what’s popular, it’s following one’s conviction. Barack Obama believes that our society needs to do a lot more to help felons reenter society productively after serving their prison time. He took this position as a Presidential candidate in 2008, and this week commended Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie for giving Michael Vick a second chance.
Vick was college football’s player of the year in 2000, and was the first player chosen in the NFL’s 2001 draft. He got out of federal prison fifteen months ago after serving 23 months for felony dogfighting and cruelty, then was hired by the Eagles as a backup quarterback.
His hiring was controversial. His crimes were especially vile, and many dog-lovers will never be able to accept that he should ever have a second chance.
Into this stepped President Obama to openly praise Lurie, who recalled their conversation:
“He said, ‘So many people who serve time never get a fair second chance. It’s never a level playing field for prisoners when they get out of jail.’ And he was happy that we did something on such a national stage that showed our faith in giving someone a second chance after such a major downfall.”
Illustrative of the opposition to Vick’s hiring was this opinion expressed today by Fox News’s Tucker Carlson:
“I’m a Christian, I’ve made mistakes myself, I believe fervently in second chances. But Michael Vick killed dogs, and he did in a cruel, heartless way. Personally, I think he should’ve been executed (more…)
Ground Zero mosque imam calls Hamas “a terrorist organization”–again
December 26, 2010
The imam behind Cordoba House at Park51, the so-called Ground Zero mosque, has been roundly pilloried by the right for refusing to call Hamas a terrorist organization. It’s a bum rap, but see for yourself in this interview with Feisal Abdul Rauf in the December 27 issue of Newsweek.
The New York Post and Wall Street Journal are stirring up anti-Muslim fears over the so-called Ground Zero mosque*
December 26, 2010
“Emails show Bloomberg office’s desire to get Ground Zero mosque built,” screamed the New York Post headline. The Wall Street Journal was just slightly calmer: “In e-mails, NYC pushes for mosque near ground zero.”
Alarming? Suspicious? Why is New York’s mayor taking sides in the controversy over the so-called Ground Zero mosque*?
Relax, he’s not. It’s just the Murdoch papers’ way of stirring up fears of a Muslim takeover of America. But read on—far below the inflammatory headlines, the Post piece ended with this explanation:
His [Bloomberg’s] spokesman Stu Loeser today said [the Community Affairs office’s] job is “to help groups navigate city government, and from helping prepare for a Papal visit to extending approval of a Sukkah in a midtown Manhattan park, this kind of assistance is typical of its regular work.” (more…)
Ethics Bob 