Monday, July 05, 2010
Carson Celebrates Independence Day Weekend With Islamic Organization
Oddly, or perhaps not, the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) hosted its annual convention (July 2-5) in Rosemont, Illinois during America's Independence Day weekend holiday. Among the speakers scheduled to speak at the confererence were our own U.S. Rep. Andre Carson and Minnesota's U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, the only two Muslim members of Congress. " Nurturing Compassionate Communities: Connecting Faith and Service" is the theme of this year's conference. The YouTube clip above is Carson's speech to the group at last year's conference during a session on political advocacy. In that speech, Carson can be observed praising the passage of a resolution in New York City recognizing as a school holiday, a Muslim holiday, Id al-Fitr, which celebrates the end of Ramadan, the sacred month of fasting in Islam. He also praises Muslim protesters who took to the street to protest the events in Gaza, although he admonishes them for not similarly taking to the streets to protest the decapitation of a Muslim woman in New York.
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Congressman André Carson walked with a crew of supporters in the traditional Lawrence Fourth of July Parade on Sunday, July 3rd.
Gary, he's a Muslim. He's going to attend Muslim functions. What day(s) of the year is it improper for Muslims to hold functions?
If you have a seat with a consituency as government-dependent, issues detached, or party-fixated as Representatives Carson or Burton, you can spend your July 4 with the same religion that bombs skyscrapers and be the lone vote against improvements in Congressional travel disclosure. No problem.
I had to witness my work location's flag at half-staff for the passing of Senator Byrd. Senator Byrd was the most serial and probably monetary abuser of taxpayer revenue being diverted to a lone "home state" in the history of the Senate. Our collective tax revenue, from the labor of citizens in 50 states was used to make West Virginia's infrastructure as voluptuous as Senator Byrd could get away with. This revenue could have stayed here. At home. In our pockets.
It's amazing what our public servants can get away with when we let them.
Let's not get worked up about a school day off for a religious observation. It's not a new issue.
When I was in grade school in a suburb of Milwaukee in the late '50s and early 60s, several of the most sacred Jewish holidays were "no school" days for the public schools. So many of the children were kept home for their observance that the teachers would have had to reteach that day's lessons, so it was a day off for all the kids and the Jewish teachers. Don't remember if the non-Jewish teachers reported for a work day or not.
Most of the Catholic students were in Catholic schools, so their holy days were not off days for the public schools and most of the Catholic holy days were not all-day observances anyway.
I myself always wanted St. Patrick's Day off, but neither school system fulfilled my wish.
The controversy in my children's time in public school in the 80s and 90s was whether Nov 11, Veterans' Day, should be a holiday. The schools wanted to conduct school and said they could teach about history and patriotism if the students were in school, but the Veterans' groups preferred that the kids have off, turning a blind eye to the fact that the kids used the day to run wild at the mall.
Then we had the bankers who had off work almost every school holiday as well. They would not even attend a community or not-for-profit Board meeting on those days, because it wasn't time off from work. That's the issue that bugged me most.
Wasn't he afraid he would be attacked or called the "N" word?
Or is that why he had his "crew of supporters" with him?
Come on AI. Really? No...really? Really? Really?
You realize that Muslim-Americans have a right to be here, too?
Are you going to criticize all the Christian politicians that speak at Christian events?
Please, you are becoming very transparent.
Jon, Actually I long ago lost count on the number of occasions people on the Left attacked politicians on the Right for speaking at any Christian-sponsored event. Of course I would expect a religion to hold functions and for its members to attend them. There is something that strikes me as being sinister though in conducting this annual Islamic convention on Independence Day weekend. It seems a bit odd timing for a religion that has been plagued by the perception based on the views held by many of its spiritual leaders and followers that the U.S. must be destroyed. It's sort of like erecting a huge mosque from the ashes of the World Trade Center, a symbol of American pro-Zionists to many Muslims. You know, let's see how many different ways we can deliver the middle finger to anything viewed as western, American, Jewish and Christian.
I suspect millions of Americans from all religions attended religious services sometime over the long weekend.....why must everything seem so sinister to some?
Yes, and quite a few of them incorporated Independence Day celebrations with their church events. St. Mary's Catholic Church around the corner from where I live hosted one such event yesterday afternoon.
Because only one of these religions has a fringe element that bombs innocent civilians all across the globe.
Nobody held a gun to Representative Carson's head and told him he had to spend July 4th, celebrating America's birthday at a convention for a religion associated with the greatest act of terrorism on American soil. While being forced would have made more sense, he apparently chose to attend this event of his own free will.
Maybe it's irreasonable to associate masses of innocents who only share a religion with the actions of a few. It's also irreasonable to expect the rest of America to forget what happened.
I've always been puzzled by Carson's conversion to Islam after being raised in Christian churches. He says the "peaceful teachings" of the religion drew him to it. Contrast that with what the Ayatollah Khoemeni had to say about Islam, who would have achieved greatness in Iran about the time he was growing up:
"Those who know nothing about Islam pretend that Islam counsels against war. Those people are witless. Islam says: 'Kill all the unbelievers just as they would kill you all!' Does this mean that Muslims should sit back until they are devoured by the infidel? Islam says: 'Kill them, put them to the sword and scatter them.' Islam says: 'Whatever good there is exists thanks to the sword.' The sword is the key to Paradise, which can be opened only for the Holy Warriors! Does all this mean that Islam is a religion that prevents men from waging war? I spit upon those foolish souls who make such a claim."
"Jon, Actually I long ago lost count on the number of occasions people on the Left attacked politicians on the Right for speaking at any Christian-sponsored event."
Come on. Tell me the next time a politician is harangued for speaking at a Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist, Lutheran or Episcopalian conference. What passes for "Christian" in America, outside the mainline churches, is often a homegrown, made-up, nutty group of people who hold some dangerous and scary "beliefs."
If a politician speaks at any church that believes the Earth is 6,000 years old because the Bible says so, or believes that homosexuals would be put to death under a government that truly follows the Bible, that politician needs to be criticized for such an appearance. If a politician spoke at a PETA conference, he'd be similarly criticized for assisting that nutty group.
Just because a church believes in Jesus does not inoculate it against criticism.
DCrutch, Many people have been killed by radical Christians.....for centuries..........where is your outrage over that?
Wilson if it's such a tradition for Andre, where was Carson last year?
Buy the way... the parade wasn't on the 3rd it was on the 4th as it is every year…can you at least get one fact right before posting?
From Jonathan Turley's blog today:
We often run Iranian blogs to show clown-like policies such as requiring Islamic haircuts or mannequin mascetomies. However, it is important to remember the plight of women and dissidents under Iran’s medieval Sharia system. There is no more frightening example than the scheduled stoning of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, 43, for conducting an “illicit relationship outside marriage.” Convicted in May 2006, Ashtiani has already been given 99 lashes under her Sharia sentence.
She was originally acquitted, but under the Iranian “legal system” a judge is allowed to reverse such decisions based on “judge’s knowledge.” She has been in jail for five years and will now be buried up to her neck (men are buried to the waist) and then stoned to death.
Turley, incidentally, is a respected constitutional law professor at Georgetown University.
And here's yet another blog posting from this weekend by Jonathan Turley:
"College lecturer TJ Joseph was attacked on a roadside in India by Muslim extremists who stabbed him and cut off his hand for insulting Mohammed in a question for a class paper.
Police have taken two men into custody — members of the Islamic group called the Popular Front.
Notably, Joseph was suspended from the the church-run Newman college in Thodupuzha after protests over the examination and criminal charges were brought against him. As discussed in an earlier column, it is another case of blasphemy prosecutions being used to punish free speech. When governments prosecute people for insulting religion, they reinforce the views of extremists who are unlikely to be satisfied with only judicial means of punishment."
Will Jim Shella and Andre Carson label him just another anti-Muslim bigot?
Give us examples from contemporary history of Christians killing non-Christians, art?
No disagreement with religious excess in history. The Israelis would probably like a do-over on the recent episode killing some nine Turkish extemists, as well. But, I'm still waiting for the religious example that's comparable to semi-routinely, on at least three continents since Lockerbie in 1988, killing over three thousand civilians as a means of protest in Scotland, New York, Spain, London, Indonesia, and other locales.
I concede your historical point, but how does that fix or justify our contemporary problem?
In reply to dcrutch's last comment above, I do not think that all of the Turks that the Jewish Government of Israel killed on the Mavi Marmari should be thought of as extremists, but as peace activists and humanitarians helping to break the blockade of Gaza, so that the million and a half humans living in that concentration camp environment, could receive aid from the international community. In fact, Furkan Dorkan was a nineteen year old photographer, born in
Troy, NY, while his father was pursuing an MBA, and held U.S. citizenship. I also do not think that Israel would like to do a do-over, but do think that Obama should demand Natanyahu apologize for that murder and the other horrible way it treated the Americans on the flotilla, to put it mildly, and cut off all American aid to Israel unless he does.
It is hard to compare the amount of damage religions do, because someone can pretend to be of that religious persuasion, I do also read that some religions are known as having many, many more members than are others, such as Islam, being 22% of the world's population, and Judaism being .2% of the world, 1/2 being in Israel,1/3 living in the USA, and the rest dispursed.
For further reply to dcrutch's remarks about never forgetting re religious attacks on targets in the USA, please take time and listen to Dr. Alan Sabrosky, former director of studies at the US War College, who says that the military brass now know that Israel and traitors within our nation committed the 9/11 attack. At the youtube channel, just type in, "The Military KNOWS Israel did 9/11".
Also while there at youtube, type in, "JFK Blows the Whistle on Secret Societies!", and hear the only Catholic president give his last speech at the Press Club, before he was assassinated in broad daylight, sitting next to his Catholic wife. Andrew Sullivan has just posted his piece, "US Press: From Watchdog to Lapdog".
Marycatherine, I'm not buying at all that Israel was behind the 9/11 attacks. Why would bin Laden and his terrorist organization quickly take credit for a terrorist act they didn't commit? The evidence that the hijackers were trained at his training camps and funded by his organization are overwhelming. Did Israeli intelligence and some within our own intelligence network know that it was about to happen? I believe that is possible, although it hasn't been proven and probably won't be. John O'Neill, a high-ranking anti-terrorism officer for the FBI, had warned his superiors repeatedly about a coming attack. He eventually threw in the towel when nobody would listen to him and quit the FBI to become head of security for the World Trade Center. He died after only one week on the job after assuming his new post on 9/11. Clinton's former NSC chief got caught red-handed trying to steal documents that showed the gross failure of the Clinton administration in heeding those warnings during the 9/11 Commission investigation. Bush's administration fared no better on that score after he assumed office in recognizing the threat some within our own intelligence had been warning about all along. It was only a matter of time before a highly successful and deadly terrorist act took place on American soil. I fully expect another one to occur given our porous borders and continued gross incompetence within the intelligence community despite the billions we've poured into the war on terrorism.
"Marycatherine, I'm not buying at all that Israel was behind the 9/11 attacks."
You should.
http://whatreallyhappened.com/WRHARTICLES/fiveisraelis.html?q=fiveisraelis.html
"Why would bin Laden and his terrorist organization quickly take credit for a terrorist act they didn't commit?"
Did he? He went on Al Jazeera and denied involvement.
http://thecastsite.com/blog/2010/01/osama-bin-laden-not-involved-in-911-attacks/
"Marycatherine, I'm not buying at all that Israel was behind the 9/11 attacks."
I do:
http://whatreallyhappened.com/WRHARTICLES/fiveisraelis.html?q=fiveisraelis.html
"Why would bin Laden and his terrorist organization quickly take credit for a terrorist act they didn't commit?"
Did he? He went on Al Jazeera and denied involvement:
http://thecastsite.com/blog/2010/01/osama-bin-laden-not-involved-in-911-attacks/
"The evidence that the hijackers were trained at his training camps and funded by his organization are overwhelming. "
Is it, because I haven't seen any, and many of the hijackers of 9/11 have turned up alive and well, having had nothing to do with Bin Laden.
http://www.the7thfire.com/Politics%20and%20History/9-11/9-11_hijackers_still_alive.htm
Further, where are all the convictions for the people along the way who aided this massive enterprise? In any criminal case, we see lots of low-level guys get nailed for handling the money. These guys flip on bigger guys. With 9/11, we have nobody, not a little guy, not a big guy. The biggest crime in American history, and everyone in Guantanamo is there for actions having nothing to do with 9/11.
Because we don't like Muslims, it's easy to tell us that they did 9/11. We want to believe that.
We don't want to believe that Bush wanted war, Israel wanted U.S. troops permanently in the Middle East, and Larry Silverstein wanted to get richer, and the Muslims wanted the U.S. to leave them alone. Everything occurred exactly as the neocons and Israelis wanted it.
Gary, simple questions: where's the plane hole in the Pentagon, and how does WTC7 do a perfect demolition collapse from localized office fires?
Don't buy the conspiracy theory that some Muslims pulled off the biggest crime in American history.
I would like you to ask Carson at a public meeting about his thoughts on the 9/11 attack. I'm betting he won't agree with any of your theories and accepts that the attacks were carried out by al Qaeda.
Re: 10:16:
Of course, Gary. He has no other choice. Ari Fleischer and Glenn Beck were sent on a mission to attack Ron Paul because so many of his supporters didn't buy the rationale for the war and have skepticism about 9/11.
Back to the point, where's the plane at the Pentagon, and how did WTC7 fall?
Show me where the plane hit the Pentagon:
http://www.serendipity.li/wot/pentagon911/pentagon911.html
Here's a composite photo. Show me the fuselage hole and the holes the engines made:
http://www.davesweb.cnchost.com/pentagon&plane.jpeg
Here's the site:
http://www.davesweb.cnchost.com/nwsltr68.html
Peace is limited government.
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