But you probably knew that already. Interviewing Keith Ellison (D-MN), the first Muslim elected to Congress, Beck accused him of advocating “cut and run”, which is pretty typical rightwing claptrap, but then he went further and said, “…what I feel like saying is, ‘Sir, prove to me that you are not working with our enemies’.” This to an American citizen and newly elected member of the House of Representatives. Media Matters has the video.
Beck went on to say, “I’m not accusing you of being an enemy, but that’s the way I feel, and I think a lot of Americans will feel that way.” Um, no, Glenn, decent Americans don’t think that, but a lot of us feel you should be fired.
Well, I went and viewed the clip all ready to be appalled, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Ellison is a f*ing champion. I can’t believe how well he handled that. He laughed! He chuckled! And it wasn’t a nasty, insulting laugh, it was open and friendly and warm! It was brilliant. He can be my icon any time.
But I have to disagree that “decent Americans don’t think that.” I think there are probably a lot of Americans who are basically decent and good-hearted but are ignorant or gullible and who will feel at least a glimmer of uneasiness that there is a (gasp) Muslim in Congress. There have got to be people all over America who have never laid eyes on a Muslim in their lives and know nothing about the religion, despite the little “What is Islam?” stories that ran in the religion section of every paper after 9/11. Look at Cynthia Tucker wanting to drop Spam on Afghanistan, and she’s an educated person. (I myself didn’t meet a Muslim till I was forty years old, and I still can’t get exactly straight how many days are in Ramadan, nor can I name a single other Muslim holiday.)
So, in a way, I’m kind of glad this benighted jerk put his “cards right on the table.” Ellison will get lots of airtime and maybe a lot of people will learn something, not just about Muslims Over There but about Muslim-Americans Over Here.
You’re right, Del. There are plenty of Americans who are quite ignorant of Islam. Perhaps I should have labeled Beck a religious bigot rather than a racist asshole; in any case, he should be better educated than the average American, particularly if he’s going to go on TV and blather. We had an incident here recently where a Muslim-American friend of mine was labeled a terrorist enabler by a bunch of people who really should know better, and I’m still seriously ticked off about it. But in both instances, press exposure and education should make a real difference.
Why does Beck think the rest of us ought to give a crap about his feeeeeeelings?
Speaking of bigots. How about those Liberal Assholes in San Francisco that voted out the JROTC from their High Schools. Watch the footage of the people that wanted them banned. Talk about some wierdos. That city needs a good ol earthquake to shake some sense into them. Although I doubt even a 10.0 earthquake would accomplish that. Great job liberals, way to ensure all sides have a seat at the table. I guess the Bill of Rights only applies to them and those that agree with them.
By the way, Roll Tide. Any of you going to the game?
Gee thanks, BL. My husband is in San Francisco right now. Appreciate the evil wishes. You’re sounding a lot like Bill O’Reilly.
It can wait until after he leaves. Plus I wasn’t wishing, just evil thoughts, not wishes.
Yeah evil wishes, those are nice too. I live near San Francisco and have been through two major earthquakes here. San Francisco came back stornger and more liberal just with a few less people who were killed by the quakes.
Last year I was having dinner with some of my friends from New Orleans, pre-Katrina. Homo friends. We were getting looks from some of your relatives, I believe, who were disgusted that we were out and being so queer. But it is our town and can do what we want. I got the boys to start kissing, no one blinked except your ffriends and boy did they leave in a hurry. Made our dinner much more fun.
More of the story, if you don;t like your place at the table, go to another restaurant.
Well now we know the answer folks, it was Miss W.’s friends’ shameless behavior that brought the mighty wrath of Jehovah thundering in from the Atlantic.
Okay, BL, I’m back from San Francisco. Had a great time as I always do there, it’s an interesting, exciting city with lots of very kind and decent people. I pray they don’t have any natural disasters there.
Dear God, BL, that comment was like Robertson saying a hurricane would wipe out Orlando because of gay days at Disney world.
You guys need to get a grip on reality. Nowhere in my post did I mention anything anti-homosexual. You all threw that in there on your own. Also where is your sense of relativity, my statement saying they need to have some sense shook into them is hardly equal to praying for a hurricane to wipe out Disneyworld. No where did I mention wiping out SF you guys took a metaphor of shaking sense into people with the number of earthquakes in SF. If you are that sensitive and can’t take a metaphor you have got to get thicker skin.
You still failed to argue my original point. But that is a typical page out of the liberal debate playbook. You love to shout hypocrisy and claim that the evil right wing is blocking freedoms, but when it happens in a liberal stronghold it is overlooked. I guess it is ok to have freedoms as long as they fit into the liberal agenda. So dear God would all you stop with your self righteous claims of open mindedness and acceptance of all types of people, because your liberal buddies truly don’t embody those ideals. (Go ahead and make counter accusations and throw up smoke screens, I don’t expect a substantive response)
Speaking of failing to address the issue…
BL, what you attempted to do with your first comment is called hijacking a thread. You didn’t address what Glenn Beck said or what my post said; instead you tried to change the subject. If you want to discuss something else, start your own blog.
Also, joking about using natural disasters to persuade other people that you’re right is really in poor taste. And, as you may have noticed, not particularly effective.
OK I will play your game. Beck’s comment was worded horribly and was obviously ignorant, but not nearly has bad as you made it out to be. I don’t follow Glenn Beck, but I didn’t exactly take that he was a racist asshole out of the comment. At least he was engaging someone with a different viewpoint in a civil manner and basically said “I have these thoughts, but have no way to phrase them properly”.
So now would you please answer my question and answer why liberals love to cry hypocrisy, racist, homophobe, etc and then close up their minds when they don’t like what they hear from the other side?
“So now would you please answer my question and answer why liberals love to cry hypocrisy, racist, homophobe, etc and then close up their minds when they don’t like what they hear from the other side?”
I guess the same reason anyone does — it’s human nature. I get a little tired of hearing that people who believe like I do are traitors, cowards, radicals who endanger the family, etc. But disagreeing is not the same as closing one’s mind.
Glenn Beck was a talk radio host before he got his CNN gig, and he has a long history of making incendiary statements, usually intended to provoke angry responses. He’s not known for being thoughtful or serious, and he earned his own reputation. If someone known for being serious and open-minded had asked the same question, I would have viewed it differently.
Glenn Beck is an appalling piece of work and it shocks me to think that someone as vile as himself can come on CNN Headline News to peddle his message of intolerance.
I think the standards of TV journalism have now stooped to new lows on CNN Headline News with people like him on board.
Why there isn’t any liberal voice out there to counter Glenn Beck’s view? It so dam scary to think most white Americans habor Glenn Beck’s view.
Glenn Beck for president!!!
No one realizes that in the qua ran it says that all who let the blood of the infidels (non-Muslims) run through their own veins are sinners. you think muslims are stereo typed? OMG!! no one sees the atrocities that occur everyday in the world. people rarely go home turn on the tv and say “gee i wonder what attack happened today” because we all live in the greatest country in the world. but idiots who are naive never think anything bad could happen. We are fighting the terrorists overseas so that we dont have to worry about attacks here in the states.
On Glenn Beck: We’re reminded of a saying in Alcoholics Anonymous, “Sober up an asshole- don’t be surprised if you get a sober asshole.”
Do you people not have anything better to do than twist each others words around and fight about it. These actions are the same reason are country can’t resolve any problems we face today. If we were willing to work together instead of being on the offensive we would make some progress. Americans are so affraid of everything they don’t understand that they resort to attack. Ignorance breeds hatred.
Hmmm, let’s see. You take the time to leave a comment on a two year old post, and you wonder if we have anything better to do?
Cheerios there, What you shared here certainly have me absorbed to read up to the final phrase, and I must share with you I hardly ever read the entire post of blogs as I normally get tired of the rubbish content that’s presented each day and simply end up scanning the photographs and the headlines etc. But your blog and content had been useful and it naturally made me interested. Commending you for a job properly carried out here. Bye!