The debt hawks are to economics as the creationists are to biology.
Economic problems make people angry. They look for a scapegoat at which to vent their anger. Their anger reveals itself as hatred. This gives hate-mongering bigots a forum. Perhaps the most noteworthy case was Hitler, who convinced Germany the Jews caused their misery.
America always has had its share of hate mongers — the Ku Klux Klan for instance — but these days hate-mongering dresses up as “patriotism.” Rather than white robes and bonfires, the new hate-mongers wear business suits and rant on Fox News.
With the recession making everyone angry, the latest target at which to vent that anger is the Muslims. So we have the ridiculous “discussions” about how far from “ground-zero” a mosque can be — for the sake of “sensitivity.” (No one seems concerned about the sensitivity of the Muslims, who by the way, are our fellow Americans).
And no one seems concerned about the sensitivity caused by the Christian bombers of the Oklahoma City federal building. Shall no Christian churches exist nearby? No mosques near the Pentagon or that empty field where the final plane crashed?
Now we have Glenn Beck, who had the audacity to say to Rep.-elect Keith Ellison (D-MN), a Muslim, “Sir, prove to me that you are not working with our enemies.” The absolute gall of that jerk, to demand of an elected Representative that he should prove his patriotism to a bigot like Beck.
The Glenn Becks of the world love to wrap themselves in the American flag, but they are no patriots. In fact, they are traitors to everything America stands for.
Tea Partiers, as you gather to fawn over Glenn Beck, understand that you are fawning over a traitor — a traitor who makes a fortune posing as a patriot, and doesn’t have the courage to admit what a threat to American ideals he is.
Rodger Malcolm Mitchell
http://www.rodgermitchell.com
No nation can tax itself into prosperity
#Monetary Sovereignty - Mitchell 
Rodger,
I’m not a huge fan of Glenn Beck, but I think you’re taking the line somewhat out of context. Readers can see the clip at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JegKCAO6N7I and judge for themselves of course. I believe this was more of a devil’s advocate approach and the tone of the interview is congratulatory, calm and even somewhat sensitive. It is certainly not the high and mighty bigoted demand that your article seems to suggest.
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Jason,
Right, some devil’s advocate.
And then there is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0tgvWxC_6A&feature=related, where he says Barack Obama is “very white.” Listen to enough Beck and you’ll hear not just a racist, but a sneaky racist. In one clip he says he knows and likes black people. In the next clip he says he doesn’t have black friends. Then he complains that blacks can say things whites can’t.
Gosh, it’s all so unfair. Thank goodness Beck is available to defend the underdog white, Christian America, so that the vast majority isn’t beat down by those mean minorities.
The man is a racist appealing to people who feel as he does. That’s where his popularity comes from.
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This 4+ min is all thats needed to really see him
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I loathe everything Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh et.all say in regards to Muslims. This whole issue of the mosque wouldn’t be an issue if it weren’t for election season–because this has been going on for over a year regarding getting the mosque built. I have used the same analogy about the Oaklahoma City bombing when I have discussions with people about this. It saddens me because when people like Beck start talking about “those people” it takes the personal face off and makes is ok to talk bad about them. If you actually sat down and talked to individual people who are Muslim, you would know that the things these people say about Muslims and Islam are simple hate speech. But then, nowadays it seems people are too lazy to seek the truth and are content to spout whatever nonsense Beck and Limbaugh and their ilk spew. So sad.
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Dear Sidnee, Rodger, et al: Since you smart, informed folks are obviously experts on Islamic faith, behavior and beliefs, could you perhaps remind me of those parts of the Koran, the Sunna traditions, and Sharia law to back up your assertions that Islam is a religion of love’n’peace and human rights and all, to prove that those people who say it isn’t are just lying bigots playing on irrational fears?
When you’re done with that, can you remind me… those countries around the world Muslims have created in strict accordance with the laws laid out in the Islamic system of domination and tyranny, oops I mean religion, like Iran and Saudi Arabia–how many churches and synagogues have been built there recently? Actually, this whole ‘ground zero mosque’ thing reminds me of my favorite country, India. You know, India, the large multi-faith country that Muslims have been savagely attacking for one thousand years? The Muslim attack called “the bloodiest conquest in human history”, how the Islamic fanatics would come along, slaughter and rape and enslave hundreds of thousands of Hindus and other “infidels”, burn down entire cities, adding insult to injury by building mosques on the sites of temples they had destroyed? ..Okay, you probably are not familiar with Indian history, but surely you know, how conquering Islamists built mosques at the site of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem as a lasting insult to the Jews whose homeland they had conquered in the 7th century, and in Spain they did the same thing over the Christian churches they destroyed in order to display their triumph over Christianity, and in the United States…oh, wait…
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“…Iran and Saudi Arabia–how many churches and synagogues have been built there recently? …”
Those countries are not AMERICA nor built on the AMERICAN CONSTITUTION.
“…how the Islamic fanatics would come along, slaughter and rape and enslave hundreds of thousands of Hindus and other “infidels”, burn down entire cities, adding insult to injury by building mosques on the sites of temples they had destroyed? …”
How about the ‘Christian’ conquest of the New World? Where the Meso-american culture was raped, enslaved, robbed and their faith was destroyed by soldiers empowered by the christian faith.
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Rodger,
I didn’t realize this was a blog on politcal correctness. If for instance you are arguing that Beck is a racist for suggesting that blacks can say things whites cannot you are either being PC or naive. Michael Richards lost his career for using the “N” word. Go to a comedy club, listen to a rap song or walk down the streets of some inner city (as I do constantly) and you hear the “N” word used all the time. One difference, those “N”s are being uttered by blacks. Personally, I’ve never heard a white person use the word (not saying it doesn’t happen).
So yes, blacks certainly can and do say things whites can’t (or better don’t). To deny that is the height of political correctness and I never expected that on your blog which I have grown to admire.
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Jason,
People can use insulting language about their own people. People cannot use insulting language about other people. A majority absolutely cannot use insulting language about a minority. Simple as that. And you know it.
(Jackie Mason, a Jew, has made a career out of ridiculing Jews — and the Jews love it. But don’t let a Christian try it.)
Beck knows what he’s doing. He appeals to the basest instincts. He uses coded comments to position the white, Christian majority as “put-upon.” The people who follow him like the fact that he insults, while pretending to be reasonable.
He says things like, “Some people say he is [insulting thing]. While I myself don’t necessarily believe it [smirk, smirk], how does he defend himself against that?” Everyone knows what he’s doing. It’s an old game, bigots have used for decades.
People (aka voters) are affected, and what affects voters affects the economy. You and I are affected by bigots.
Rodger Malcolm Mitchell
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You make good point as always and we are certainly negatively affected by bigots but we are also insidiously affected by political correctness which is a form of censorship, discrimination and indoctrination. I hear the word “cracker” used with impunity. You may excuse it by saying the minority is “allowed” to use bigoted language while the majority cannot. This is hypocrisy pure and simple. It is another form of political correctness.
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“Political correctness” is what the other guy does. What you and I do is proper sensitivity.
Those people who claim to hate political correctness, may be the same people who don’t want a mosque 2 blocks from ground zero. Suddenly, they are properly sensitive.
Visualize someone, who is the same race as you, making a snide comment about your shared race. You laugh. Now visualize someone of a different race making the same comment. Not so funny, now. Is that the political correctness we all profess to hate? Is it hypocrisy or simply the-way-humans-evolved-to-be?
Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin — they use the human predilection to love “Us” and to despise “Them” (whoever “Them” might be). Their appeal is one of anger at, and hatred for, “Them.” It is the appeal of the Tea Party — anger and hatred.
That appeal takes special hold during difficult economic times, when people feel especially angry and feel the need for scapegoats.
Rodger Malcolm Mitchell
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What I find interesting here is that every one of your purveyors of “hate” speech are all from the conservative end of the spectrum as if they have a monopoly on this sort of thing. Why no mention of left-wing hate speech? Is it because you don’t find left wing hate speech offensive? Is it because you don’t recognize the left-wing has its own conception of “Us” and “Them” or its own scapegoats, anger and hatred?
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You’re absolutely correct. It’s just that I’m not aware of left wing hate speech. But if you point it out to me — give me some left wing hate quotes — I’ll decry it.
My intuition is that there is far more hate coming from the conservatives, but I may be wrong. What do you think?
Rodger Malcolm Mitchell
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http://www.mrc.org/specialreports/2010/RealRadioHatemongers/ExecSumm.aspx or http://www.conservativeedge.com/Check-out-this-left-wing-hate-speech
I will be totally honest in stating that I wasn’t specifically aware of any of these quotes before you asked for examples, but I certainly knew it was out there because generally if I tune into left-leaning radio I hear more hate and anger than I do on right-leaning radio. I will say that when the left makes remarks like the ones above, it’s blithely dismissed as just poor taste or an attempt at comedy, but it is condemned as hate speech when the right does it. Interesting…
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Yes, Mike Malloy (funny, I never heard of him) et al seem as frightening as Glenn Beck et al. I guess Beck simply has been more successful at being frightening, what with his Washington, DC ego trip.
But these guys are not as frightening as the millions of morons who listen to them and nod in agreement.
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If you had any doubt that Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich are spewing anti-Muslim bigotry, that doubt should end with the realization of what actually will be built in (not just at, but in) the hallowed ground of “ground zero”: A shopping mall.
Thankfully, it’s not a Muslim shopping mall, so Glenn, Sarah and Newt offer no bigoted objections. They also have no objections to the infamous New York Dolls strip club, which is about the same distance from “ground zero” as the proposed mosque. Strip club, yes. House of worship, no.
Here’s a nice photo of this “religious shrine.” Note the convenient “prayer pole” on the stage. Sarah Palin approved.
Rodger Malcolm Mitchell
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Ali,
Thank you for your perfect demonstration of bigotry. It’s good to be reminded of what’s out there.
So you’re saying American Muslims are responsible? Then are American Christians responsible for the Holocaust, the Inquisition and the Russian pogroms, the Crusades, the primarily Christian slavery and the Oklahoma City bombing?
Every religious group has people who do horrible things. Every religious group has good people. To generalize that everyone of a religious group is horrible is the very definition of bigotry.
Ali, you’ve had your say. Thank you for reminding us. You won’t be on this blog any further.
Rodger Malcolm Mitchell
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New York Daily News: 9/2/10: “It’s a very touchy thing because they want to do this (build a mosque) on sacred ground,” said Dave Kaiser, 38, a blaster who is working to rebuild the World Trade Center site.”
See how bigotry grows like cancer. Now the sacred ground extends for at least two blocks away from ground zero. Soon it may encompass all of Manhattan. And these people claim to be patriots.
Anyway, the so-called sacred ground includes Starbucks, Holistic Dentistry, two Off Track Betting parlors, three strip clubs, several taverns, Body Work Massages, and many other sacred businesses. But no room for a house of worship.
Rodger Malcolm Mitchell
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“A Florida evangelical church has vowed to go ahead with plans to burn the Koran on the 9/11 anniversary, despite fears it may fuel an angry backlash and endanger US and allied troops in Afghanistan.”
See how bigotry begets bigotry. This is what the mosque “controversy,” invented by the “religious” (irony) right, leads to. What next? Shall we burn some Muslim mosques? Shall we lynch some Muslims? When we go along with hatred, it comes back to engulf us.
Rodger Malcolm Mitchell
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“Now we have Glenn Beck, who had the audacity to say to Rep.-elect Keith Ellison (D-MN), a Muslim, “Sir, prove to me that you are not working with our enemies.” The absolute gall of that jerk, to demand of an elected Representative that he should prove his patriotism to a bigot like Beck.”
I absolutely agree on this. Beck is borrowing a page from Joe McCarthy’s play book.
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