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The Water Cooler Title: 40 Religious Leaders Denounce Sarah Palin and Fox’s Hate Speech Forty different Catholic, evangelical, mainline Protestant, Jewish and Muslim leaders and scholars came together to release a statement condemning the hate language of Fox News, Sarah Palin, and Newt Gingrich as it relates to the so called Ground Zero mosque, “Fear-mongering and hateful rhetoric only undermine treasured values at the heart of diverse faith traditions and our nation’s highest ideals.”
The statement released by Faith In The Public Life condemned the religious bigotry of Gingrich, Palin, and Fox News, “As Catholic, evangelical, mainline Protestant, Jewish and Muslim leaders and scholars committed to religious freedom and inter-religious cooperation, we are deeply troubled by the xenophobia and religious bigotry that has characterized some of the opposition to a proposed Islamic center and mosque near where the World Trade Center towers once stood.”
It continued, “Newt Gingrich, the former Speaker of the House, is the most recent prominent opponent to cast this debate in a way that demonizes all Muslims and exploits fear to divide Americans.”It is a sign of their contempt for Americans and their confidence in our historic ignorance that they would deliberately insult us this way,” Gingrich said in a statement. Sarah Palin called plans for the center a “provocation.” Fox News has aired a steady stream of irresponsible commentary and biased coverage that reduces what should be a civil debate into starkly combative terms.” Rev. Peg Chemberlin, President of the National Council of Churches said, “We are deeply saddened by those who denigrate a religion which in so many ways is a religion of compassion and peace by associating all Muslims with violent extremism. That’s like equating all Christians to Timothy McVeigh’s actions. This center will reflect not only the best of Islam, but the enduring hope that Christians, Jews and Muslims can together find common ground in addressing the most urgent challenges of our time.”
Sister Simone Campbell, Executive Director of NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby said, “It’s simply wrong for Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin to malign all Muslims by comparing this cultural center and mosque with a radical ideology that led to the horrific attacks of 9-11. We fail to honor those killed by terrorists when we betray the bedrock principle of religious freedom that has guided our democracy for centuries.” The statement concluded by calling for an end to the fear mongering and hate filled rhetoric, “Mr. Gingrich, Ms. Palin and other prominent voices privileged to have the ear of the media would make a more lasting contribution to our nation if they stopped issuing inflammatory statements and instead helped inspire a civil dialogue between Christians, Jews and Muslims committed to a future guided by the principles of compassion, justice and peace. Fear-mongering and hateful rhetoric only undermine treasured values at the heart of diverse faith traditions and our nation’s highest ideals.” I wish more people of all faiths would stand up and denounce the divisive hate filled tactics employed on a daily basis by Gingrich, Palin, and Fox News. Gingrich and Palin are trying to create a wave of hate to ride to the presidency, and Fox News has found that peddling paranoia and hate is very, very profitable. Playing upon religious tensions is bad enough, but to intentionally create disunity for political gain, with no regard for the consequences to our nation is almost criminal. The politics of division and hate are the tactics that political movements always resort to when they are out of ideas and they possess no other means to motivate and inspire their supporters. Palin and Gingrich’s willingness to take us down this path is a reflective of their own personal ambitions combined with a complete lack of interest in actually solving our nation’s problems. A plea to our lesser emotions is easy, and sometimes effective, but by doing so, both Palin and Gingrich are demonstrating why neither one of them will ever be capable of inspiring the birth of a better America. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 19.
Let me know when "Faith In the Public Life" advocates building a church or synagogue in downtown Riyadh or Terhan, and then denouces Saudi Arabia and Iran for being intolerant. Thanks.
#5. To: Ignore Amos (#1) Let me know when "Faith In the Public Life" advocates building a church or synagogue in downtown Riyadh or Terhan, and then denouces Saudi Arabia and Iran for being intolerant. Yeah, cause we ain't gotta do it until they do.
#7. To: lucysmom (#5)
I suppose there's a point in there . . . somewhere?
#8. To: Ignore Amos (#7) I suppose there's a point in there . . . somewhere? The point is allowing a Muslim community center to be built two blocks away from the WTC is about who we are and what we believe concerning religious freedom, not about who Muslims in Tehran are.
#9. To: lucysmom (#8) I suppose there's a point in there . . . somewhere? Would you be so kind as to answer a simple question for me? A short answer will do. 1. Who or what is the US presently at war with? Based on your answer, I'll comment further on your previous post.
#10. To: Ignore Amos (#9) 1. Who or what is the US presently at war with? Al-Qaeda. Here's what Wikipedia says about Al-Qaeda a militant Islamist group founded sometime between August 1988[6] and late 1989.[7] It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army[8] and a fundamentalist Sunni movement calling for global Jihad. It is considered a terrorist organization.
#11. To: lucysmom (#10) Who or what is the US presently at war with? Thank you. Now my next question: As distasteful as it is, does the emergency of wartime ever justify the temporary suspension of some Constitutional rights? Because if - as you say - we are at war with Al-Qaeda, then it follows that some extra-ordinary measures may need to be taken to insure Al-Qaeda does not prevail. Not allowing what might be viewed as a "victory mosque" to be built - a mosque potentially funded by Al-Qaeda - would be consistent to fighting that war.
#12. To: Ignore Amos (#11) (Edited) Because if - as you say - we are at war with Al-Qaeda, then it follows that some extra-ordinary measures may need to be taken to insure Al-Qaeda does not prevail. So have we officially declared war on them, or should we just open the WWII era detention camps again and shove them in? I guess you just don't appreciate Bush's balancing act.
#13. To: mininggold, lucysmom (#12) So have we officially declared war on them,My opinion? No. But ask lucy - she's the one who said we were. or should we just open the WWII era detention camps again and shove them in?IF we declare war (which we haven't), and IF it is deemed necessary to WIN the war, yes . . . I guess you just don't appreciate Bush's balancing act.Beyond stating the obvious fact that Bush was a shitty president, I'm not going to feed your paranoia and insanity. Sorry.
#14. To: Ignore Amos (#13) And with your last comment you show your trollish Alinsky ways again. I'm sure Lucy only gets her info from official government sources just like me and you. Al Qaeda seems to be the opponents always mentioned by them, unless you think Bush was a liar.
#15. To: mininggold (#14) And with your last comment you show your trollish Alinsky ways again.Okay, now THAT was totally off the wall. You'll have to explain that one to me. I'm sure Lucy only gets her info from official government sources just like me and you.Well, God gave us brains. We can and do sometimes use them to come to differenct conclusions (even given the same information sources.) Al Qaeda seems to be the opponents always mentioned by them, unless you think Bush was a liar.Did I miss where Clinton said Al-Qaeda was NOT the enemy? Did I miss where Zero said Al-Qaeda was not the enemy? You're not going to get anywhere or understand anything until you get past your insane Bush fixation. Realize he was just as much a puppet as the current WH occupant is.
#16. To: Ignore Amos (#15) (Edited) ou're not going to get anywhere or understand anything until you get past your insane Bush fixation. Realize he was just as much a puppet as the current WH occupant is. I've always believed the last five pres's were puppets. Every time they summon old Henry to the rescue. I've wondered about your 'dancing around the issues ways' here. Evidently you're just here to spin and rewrite the Bush years. Sorry..... FDR got credit for WWII, not Truman, he got credit for Korea not Eisenhower, LBJ got Vietnam not Nixon/Ford.. Bush has two wars to his credit and it will forever be the Bush legacy not Obama's or whoever. You have to learn to give credit where credit is due otherwise you muddy the waters for Obama's and future pres's 'legacies'.
#17. To: mininggold (#16) Evidently you're just here to spin and rewrite the Bush years. Nope. Evidently . . . you've got a terminal case of BDS.
#19. To: Ignore Amos (#17) Evidently . . . you've got a terminal case of BDS. More of your Alinsky code phrases I guess. You want to rewrite history, sorry...won't happen, no matter how much you try to muddy the waters.
Replies to Comment # 19. You want to rewrite history, sorry I'll bite What history have I rewritten?
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