Keynoting BlogHer White House Project
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Oct
17
We must not define who is and is not American by virtue of how much any one of us holds opinions that are different from anyone else’s in this country. That was given a name in the middle of the last century: McCarthyism, and unless people are interested in updating it for the 21st Century, I suggest we end this sick slide we’re seeing and hearing and reading about. You want to talk about what must not be tolerated?
[ACORN spokesperson Brian] Kettenring said that a senior ACORN staffer in Cleveland, after appearing on television this week, got an e-mail that said she “is going to have her life ended.”
A female staffer in Providence, R.I., got a threatening call from someone who said words to the effect of “We know you get off work at 9,” then uttered racial epithets, he said.
McClatchy is withholding the women’s names because of the threats.
Separately, vandals broke into the group’s Boston and Seattle offices and stole computers, Kettenring said.
A Republican women’s club in San Bernardino County sent out a recent newsletter with a photo of Barack Obama surrounded by fried chicken, watermelon and ribs, sparking widespread outrage and rebuke from GOP leaders and Democrats.
The illustration shows the Democratic presidential candidate’s head atop a donkey’s body on a bogus $10 bill referred to as “Obama Bucks.” Inscribed on the money are the words “United States Food Stamps” surrounded by stereotypical African American food.
…
“My daughter who is 16 was standing over my shoulder when I opened the e-mail, and her mouth dropped wide open,” [club member and African-American, Acquanetta] Warren said. “I actually turned the screen away and sent her to her room so she wouldn’t see. I don’t want to talk to anyone; I want a written apology so the public knows that this is not right and this is not representative of the way Republicans think.”
From another article about the same incident:
An African American member of the group told the newspaper that she cried when she saw the artwork:“This is what keeps African-Americans from joining the Republican Party,” [Sheila Raines] said. “I’m really hurt. I cried for 45 minutes.”
People want to say that they don’t like people who are different from them? Then for God’s sake just say that, own it and structure your own life to fulfill that unrealistic and homogenous life you want. But don’t you try to define for me what is and isn’t American and then tell me that I’m anti-American because I seek to understand, get to know, empathize, engage with and argue for people who aren’t like me. This country is diverse and populated by multitudes of people with no single, unentangled history, pure unto itself. Including people who don’t like what our government does and speak out about it.
If there’s one sin I’ve known since I was a young child, it’s xenophobia – because it’s in the Jewish prayer books for Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. And it’s as big a sin as they come. And if it’s in my book of prayers, don’t even try to convince me that it’s not in the prayer books of an awful lot of people who follow organized religion.
I got news for you, Michele Bachmann: Americans elected all those people you want investigated as possibly anti-American, in fact, more Americans voted for all those Americans than voted for you. You want to define who is an American? I suggest you check with those voters first, because I’m guessing few of them have an interest in your conclusory definition of who is and isn’t anti-American.
I could spit bullets I’m so angry and disgusted.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 11:38 pm October 17th, 2008 in Elections, Politics, Voting, WH2008
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7 Responses to “Will the real anti-Americans please stand up?”
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Please tell Pat Buchanan to stop comparing the Obama and Ayers fundraiser connection to him starting a campaign in the home of the KKK. It’s very distasteful. Why mention KKK and the death of those girls in the church? He could have easily mentioned another group radical group. Ayers never killed anyone and got away with it like the KKK did for many years. I’m so hurt that he wants to make this a black issue. Telling Americans that if its ok for Obama to be on a board with Ayers it should be ok for him to be on a board with the KKK. This is so wrong. Please stop trying to scare people by making the color of ones skin an issue in the presidential race. I have never heard Pat mention African Americans in a negative way as much as he has been lately. Why is that? And it hurts because i’ve been giving him props for his knowledge but he’s starting to sound like the Pat I’ve heard about in the past. Darn I was just starting to like the guy.
It goes both ways. I also don’t think that people should be wearing “Sarah Palin is a cun*” T-shirts to Obama rallies. This is a small group of people who want to make a lot of noise.
As for Michelle Bachman, just don’t listen to her if you don’t believe in what she’s saying. Every time I try to stop to listen to Keith Olberman, I have to remind myself to change the channel.
Diane – I agree with you that it goes both ways – I saw those photos of people wearing those shirts and particularly during the primary, I wrote about the rabid nature of some Obama fans.
But as for Michele Bachmann and just not listening? You know – I do often take that “just ignore it” route. But in her case, I think it’s different. She is someone who is in her position of relative power and platform because people in her state voted for her, but she wants to tell all of us what is anti-American and what we should fear. She suggested that all the media focus on the people she calls liberal legislators, which include people from my state, no doubt (think Dennis Kucinich or Sherrod Brown), and I object to that.
If she wants to reveal information about these individuals, then she should do it. But to suggest that people you or I voted for should be investigated because she thinks liberalism is or leads to or masks anti-Americans? That’s just not okay in my book and I believe that those of us who find her suggestions offensive and with no place in our democracy should point it out.
I believe that, as a willing spokesperson for the McCain campaign, she should be scrutinized.
@Jill — hear hear.
Great post — thank you.
Oh dear god. I think my head just exploded.
Where the hell does she get off questioning anyone’s patriotism. I’m a military family members. My brother is off fighting this unjust war. I love my country, but it’s truly f’ed up right now and I want to change it.
I’m an unabashed liberal, but I’ll put my patriotism up against Michelle Bachmann’s any day. Bring it on, Michelle, sweetie, because you have no idea of the sh*tstorm you have just unleashed on your own head.
Rep Bachmann is 100% correct. Sen Obama has been surrounded by rabidly anti-American influences – Frank M Davis, Ayers, Dohrn, Wright, and Mike Klonsky among others. All of these people are Marxists or Communists, those are undeniable facts. If you doubt me, I invite you to investigate the truth for yourself. Marxists and Communists such as these are anti-American almost by definition as they oppose individual liberty. What are you not tolerating? The truth? I thought liberals liked tolerance! Huh…
Wake up before we elect the wrong man – unless of course you ALSO hate America. Or “AmeriKKA” as Rev Wright charmingly likes to call it.