Sleepycatz

Mainstream Hatred

I have been extremely busy with work and personal issues, so I haven’t had time to post here for a bit. However, there arise such ideas in our day and age that immediate outrage and condemnation is so necessary that to hold one’s tongue, even in moments of personal entanglement, is to ignore our responsibilities as Americans and human beings.

This week, conservative commentator, Debbie Schlussel penned an essay which in times of reason and compassion would have appalled even the most cynical American. Ms. Schlussel believes that as Senator Obama’s father was Muslim, and that as his middle name is Hussein, he is not only unfit for public office, but should be suspected as an enemy of the state:

So, even if he [Obama] identifies strongly as a Christian, and even if he despised the behavior of his father (as Obama said on Oprah); is a man who Muslims think is a Muslim, who feels some sort of psychological need to prove himself to his absent Muslim father, and who is now moving in the direction of his father’s heritage, a man we want as President when we are fighting the war of our lives against Islam? Where will his loyalties be?

Schlussel’s updated application of the Nuremberg Laws is about as un-American and offensive as one can imagine. Within her logic of hatred is the notion that our enemies may be judged not by actions but by religion and then by bloodline. A premise which violates the very founding principles of our republic — let us not forget Hamilton — who was the bastard child of a woman imprisoned for her adultery — who was instrumental in the passage of our constitution and the founding of the our treasury system, and is a favorite of conservatives.

Whenever conservatives make such outrages claims as this they inevitably claim that they were were joking or tweeking the nose of political correctness. But make no mistake what Schlussel — and others — are doing is equating racism and bigotry with patriotism. For it the the contention of the Schlussels, the Becks, the Pragers that all those who practice Islam are America’s enemies as are all those who share their heratige. At best, these commentators are the same as those heard on Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines whose hatred and fear mongering led to death of 1,000,000 people in 100 days in Rawanda. At worst, there little difference in their logic and that of those who built the death chambers of Auschwitz or Buchenwald.

It has been said over and over that September 11th changed everything. Apparently is has. When racism and hatred become a symbol of patriotism, any compassion or morality which this country may have stood for has been lost for all times.

This entry was posted by steve on Thursday, December 21st, 2006 at 1:09 am and is filed under Injustices, Misc. Ramblings, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.