Here is a link to Rep. Virgil Goode's letter, in case you have missed the full text. Here is a link to some left and some right commentary on the issue.
Let me not spend too many words on this, but to sum it up....Michael Richards' racial comments cannot be excused, but they were made in the heat of an emotional moment. George Allan's "macaca” comments, however stupid, were done off the cuff. Goode's letter, on the other hand, took deliberate and willful effort. The letter is racist, completely religiously intolerant, mean-spirited, mis-leading, idiotic and an embarrassment to the State of Virginia.
If you cannot see this, and if you defend Goode on this issue, you are at best ignorant, and at worst racist and hebetudinous.
Goode does touch on an important issues, and that is legal immigration reform and the problems of illegal immigration. But to put those issues in this context completely subverts the basis of his arguments and should remove him from participating in formulating immigration policy reforms.
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2 comments:
Europe is a powder keg because they have allowed to much cheap labor in the form of Muslim immigrants...
Their hands are tied, that is what Goode is ultimately saying. Don't allow that here, until we deal with this radical element that has declared war on our country...
Now, the use of the Koran for him to swear in on is fine with me, I didn't find that comment appealing at all.
But then again, we all have said things in our lives, that can be insensitive...
You are reading quite a bit into what he said. Here is how he starts the letter:
"...When I raise my hand to take the oath on Swearing In Day, I will have the Bible in my other hand. I do not subscribe to using the Koran in any way."
What he is saying is that he does not respect the Koran, and therefore he does not respect Muslims...in any way...
"The Muslim Representative from Minnesota was elected by the voters of that district and if American citizens don't wake up and adopt the Virgil Goode position on immigration there will likely be many more Muslims elected to office and demanding the use of the Koran"
He makes it sound like Ellison is an immigrant; he is not. At best here he comes across as ignorant.
At this point, he has lost all relevancy on this issue for me.
The "war" against extreme radical Muslims is not going to be won by also alienating the moderate to liberal wing of the religion/culture.
I concur with you, that the clash between religions and cultures in Europe has reached critical mass in many places. But if that was really Goode's point, he should have done a much, much better job of saying so.
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