Tea Party official points to Rep. Keith Ellison's worship of Islam as reason to vote against him

I think people need to review their history lessons and maybe start the review with The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich (1960), by William L. Shirer. Check out the nationalism and fear mongering of a segment of the population and where it led. It led straight to Dachau and Auschwitz.

I could not agree with you more. There seems to be a segment of our country that is on a mission to keep.the fear alive and well. The problem.is that they are giving the terrorist exactly what they want. They are living in fear and dividing our great nation.

To suggest that Rep Ellison is unfit to serve just because he is Musllim is in and of itself racist. This is a free nation and we can practice any religion we want without fear of persecution. Additionally if I remember correctly the Third Reich followed a Christain ideology if they followed any.

Those among us that are winning the war on terror are the ones that have gone back to living a normal life and have not given terrorists a second thought. While I still feel the sting of the hit on 9/11 and the lose of life here. I must also consider that more was done to bring this nation to its knees by the greed on Wall Street then by the attack on 9/11.

At least we could go out and attack and bomb an enemy that was out there. We cannot send bombing missions to Wall Street and so we feel helpless to fight back against those that destroyed our homes, 401ks, our jobs and families. Attacking Muslims will only make the pain worse not better.

Religious affiliation and religious agenda are not necessarily the same interests for the individual. I would not vote, for instance, for some Christians....not because they are Christians or identify themselves as Christians, but because of certain religious philosophical stances that the candidate isn't willing to separate from his promise to represent all people equally....and is not willing to honor the Constitution. I would also not necessarily vote for an atheist (I am an atheist) just because we share the same lack of belief.

John Kennedy, on Sept 12, 1960, made one of the best constructed arguments in favor of voting for the candidate rather than the candidate's religion in a speech, as a Catholic, before a group of Protestant clergy. In part he said:

"While the so-called religious issue is necessarily and properly the chief topic here tonight, I want to emphasize from the outset that we have far more critical issues to face in the 1960 election: the spread of Communist influence, until it now festers 90 miles off the coast of Florida; the humiliating treatment of our president and vice president by those who no longer respect our power; the hungry children I saw in West Virginia; the old people who cannot pay their doctor bills; the families forced to give up their farms; an America with too many slums, with too few schools, and too late to the moon and outer space.

These are the real issues which should decide this campaign. And they are not religious issues — for war and hunger and ignorance and despair know no religious barriers.

But because I am a Catholic, and no Catholic has ever been elected president, the real issues in this campaign have been obscured — perhaps deliberately, in some quarters less responsible than this. So it is apparently necessary for me to state once again not what kind of church I believe in — for that should be important only to me — but what kind of America I believe in.

I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute, where no Catholic prelate would tell the president (should he be Catholic) how to act, and no Protestant minister would tell his parishioners for whom to vote; where no church or church school is granted any public funds or political preference; and where no man is denied public office merely because his religion differs from the president who might appoint him or the people who might elect him.

I believe in an America that is officially neither Catholic, Protestant nor Jewish; where no public official either requests or accepts instructions on public policy from the Pope, the National Council of Churches or any other ecclesiastical source; where no religious body seeks to impose its will directly or indirectly upon the general populace or the public acts of its officials; and where religious liberty is so indivisible that an act against one church is treated as an act against all.

For while this year it may be a Catholic against whom the finger of suspicion is pointed, in other years it has been, and may someday be again, a Jew— or a Quaker or a Unitarian or a Baptist. It was Virginia's harassment of Baptist preachers, for example, that helped lead to Jefferson's statute of religious freedom. Today I may be the victim, but tomorrow it may be you — until the whole fabric of our harmonious society is ripped at a time of great national peril."

The entire speech is here:http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16920600

Well said, Farmer Slim.

A persons religious choice should not be the only reason to vote for or against them. I remember as a child the minister, of the church I grew up in, said we should not vote for JFK because he was Catholic.

The people of his district new that Phillips was a Muslim when he was first elected. If he has served his district well, then he deserves to be re-elected.

The anti-Muslim hysteria sweeping this country is becoming very dangerous. These same people better wake up and remember, a large number of the doctors in this country come from countries where the Muslim and Hindu religions are predominant. Are you going to quit seeing your doctor because of his religion? How about your co-worker, maybe he is Muslim, Buddhist, Sikh, or an atheist.

Until the individual proves that he is not deserving of holding office, should you vote against him, not because he worships differently.

Amen.

Rep. Andre Carson (D) of Indiana is also an American Muslim, whether or not, or whatever a person religion matter not a hoot to me, I'm secularist and a avowed agnostic any way. Believe in what you want, but may it be through truth and peace. With that said, America allows for the free practice of religion any attack by any of them nuts should be keep out of politics , but that is been idealistic, therefore those religious faction as they have in the past , now and into the future will be at each others throat, over this and that and if not religious than it will be philosophical ideologues trying to run the show, it is just the nature of the beast, as along as they leave me the hell alone, clean up their mess, and don't block my way, I'm even tolerant of the Tea party. But solution to the problem we face is always on going and the conservatism for what it worth just doesn't appeal to me. However, I'll give them their do and fair shake, but money is their trump card and greed is their core belief.

More and more the only word that comes to mind is -- embarrassing -- I am embarrassed by people trying to turn our country into an uneducated, isolated, intolerant society that does not see the general welfare of our country as being critical to its success.

Unite, Unite, Unionize.

The point of the First Amendment to the US Constitution is that we each be heard, all be represented, all get our say.

I haven't seen a single teabagger say they disagree with Phillips' view that Ellison should be voted out of Congress because he's a muslim. I wonder why?

And they won't Wil. This is all part of their agenda to divide and conquer and put fear in the hearts of the ignorant masses.

Although it appears disgusting, bigoted, and hateful, it seems to be working. That is why you won't hear any condemnation by anyone representing the Tea Party movement.

It's all a part of their strategy.

Ok, Wil, then here's your first. (I'm not a teabagger, I'm part of the tea party, though)

"Ok, Wil, then here's your first."

I haven't seen you say it, Matthew. Got a link?

Here it is.

"Here it is."

Not even close.

In case it wasn't clear to you that 11:07 am comment was me saying I "disagree with Phillips' view that Ellison should be voted out of Congress because he's a muslim"

You're smart; you knew that.

I remember the furor when Ellison wanted to be sworn in with his hand on a Koran rather than a Bible.

I can't wait to vote for him again!


Goddess bless America!


(or whatever your religion!)