And Your Little Dog, Too
This year, one congressman is sending out a very special Christmas greeting to one of his new colleagues. Something to the effect of:
At this joyous time of year,
my heartfelt wish for Christmas cheer.
To you from Jesus, and I quote,
'Get bent, sand nigger! I hate you folks!'
I need a drink.
At this joyous time of year,
my heartfelt wish for Christmas cheer.
To you from Jesus, and I quote,
'Get bent, sand nigger! I hate you folks!'
I need a drink.
posted by juvenal_urbino | 1:59 PM
18 Comments:
I understand JU's sarcasm and even the use of a racial epithet to make fun of this misguided congressional representative. Humor like this is always a risk, particularly if your audience doesn't know you and your intentions -- for example, how many fans of Archie Bunker knew that the creators and writers of All in the Family were making fun of people like him in order to put down, not promote, his kind of bigotry? But I know JU (in a bloggy way at least) and know that he meant to excoriate the guy's racism. Sometimes strong language does that more effectively than other methods.
The letter, now that I've read it, seems like a huge non sequitur to me -- I wonder if old Virgil had had one or two before he decided to send it. THAT is poor judgment. I'm sure his brand of racism sells well in his district, but ugh. If he gets raked over the coals in the rest of the country, he fully deserves it.
I thought I would also mention that Keith Ellison, the congressman in question here, is African American and thus a black Muslim. I'm not entirely sure of the connection between African American Islam and that of the rest of the world -- can anyone help me out on that? I think of them as completely separate, but maybe I'm wrong.
I had no idea Juvenal was a poet? And such a shocking one, too!
But the letter Joe linked to is most shocking to me. A real live congressperson sent this out on purpose? Claiming we should have strict immigration policies to restrict a specific religion?
Admittedly, there's a lot of wacky opinions on this being a "Christian" nation out there, but an actual congressperson talking about policies to keep certain religions away is pretty unbelievable. Even the "Christian nation" folks use the language of "this country was founded by people seeking freedom of religion."
Sheesh.
I never claimed the words were his. I said his words were to that effect.
Which they were.
(And I refer not to his letter alone, but to his ongoing defense of it.)
My words were no more inappropriate than his. Let's not imply otherwise. He is being as malicious and hateful as he feels he can get away with. He calculated how much he could pander to his constituency vs. how much he could embarrass them in front of the rest of the world without losing even their votes, and went for as much blatantly dishonest malice as he could afford.
Had a conservative posted such language, even satirically, you would both rightfully skewer that person. But like-minded JU is "just making a point."
The salient difference between me and a conservative like Goode isn't that Sandi and Al generally share my outlook, it's that I've demonstrated I'm not a malicious racist. That's why somebody like me can get away with using racist language satirically: it's obvious I'm not serious, and that obviousness is what makes satire work.
Hang in there, Joe. When your fellow conservatives stop electing people like Goode, they'll eventually get to satirize his views, too.
I'm not entirely sure of the connection between African American Islam and that of the rest of the world
It started as something completely separate, but after the death of Elijah Muhammed, Black Islam diversified, with parts of it moving much closer to and establishing ties with traditional Islam. I'm not sure which thread Ellison belongs to.
An interesting side question at Christmas time:
Based on Goode's words and Ellison's response, which religion is seething with hate and intolerance, and which teaches grace and kindness? Who sounds more like Jesus: the Christian, or the Muslim?
Iiiiiiii...
Love you with the love of the Lord!
Yes, I love you with the love of the Lord...
(Everyone point at someone you love every time you say the word "you!")
I see in YOU the glory of my King, and I love YOU with the love of the Lord!
Every time I see Joe & Juvenal point at each other, I can't help but tear up. (sniffle)
(Ya bunch of Bumpuses.)
Based on Goode's words and Ellison's response, which religion is seething with hate and intolerance, and which teaches grace and kindness? Who sounds more like Jesus: the Christian, or the Muslim?
And though I'm no fan of Rosie O'Donnell, I did agree with her comment that radical Christianity is every bit as dangerous as radical Islam. Of course, she and I might disagree on what constitutes radicalism, but maybe not by much.
Regarding Joe's feelings on the post, when I initially read it, I thought: Surely some idiot congressperson didn't send that in a "gag" holiday card. I had to follow the link to understand what you (juvenal) were doing, but that's prolly just because I'm dense.
"And that there's really nothing to fear. And that all of us are steadfastly opposed to the same people he's opposed to, which is terrorists, and so there's nothing for him to be afraid of."
Joe, do you think it's possible/likely that Ellison doesn't consider the radical element of Islam to be part of his faith, and thus the "all" you noted is a reference to the peace-loving, virtue-seeking "mainstream" of Islam?
I do not consider clinic-bombers or that "God hates fags" church in Kansas to be even a tribe within my Christian faith. I think they've completely abandoned Christian principles in their bloodthirst.
But to be fair, when I read the article, I understood.
'Cuz I'm dense.
That JU's post could easily lead someone to think that the Congressman in question made the remarks that JU wrote.
And what difference would it make if he had? It would be 0% more revealing of his racism, ignorance, and xenophobia. And it would be 0% more effective at communicating to other Americans of his kind that a congressman shares their views and is legislating based on them.
By saying what he said instead of my translation, he gets to be blatantly racist and maintain a pretense of innocence, all while winking at the camera. IOW, he gets to say it without being held responsible for it. All I did was remove the fig leaf.
As for your reading of Ellison's remarks, I think you're straining at gnats. Or maybe you know something about him I don't. Does Ellison belong to CAIR, support it, or otherwise endorse its views?
That link (and, in turn, the links offshot from that link) was troubling and interesting. "Thanks" doesn't seem like the right thing to say, but i hope you get the idea. :)
But that's an organization, not the faith itself. Just as I don't want the SBC or Family Focus (whatever Dobson's NPO is called) to be considered the voice of all things Christian.
We're probably splitting hairs, or at least I am. Let's get back to something we can all agree upon.
Namely, that we all support a public beheading of David Eckstein. This should happen as soon as the Keebler Elves finish building that tiny guillotine.
M.V.P.! M.V.P.! M.V.P.!
Oh, and Joe, thanks to one of your comments, I think I know the answer to your recent question of why you keep coming back. You said "It's good to have your beliefs challenged." And seriously, I really think that might be the secret of what ties this merry band together - that specific common belief.
We could possibly change the title of the blog to "Sacred Cow Meat Packing Plant" or something like that, but that might keep an open-minded Hindu away. Then again, I guess it wouldn't. Hmmm....
The Council for American-Islamic Relations, the unofficial voice of Islam in America
Even accepting -- for purposes of argument -- the linked article as a fair and objective source of information, I see nothing in it that supports the statement that CAIR is the "unofficial voice of Islam in America." Pipes makes no such claim.
On what do you base that statement? (That's not an attempt to be snide. I'm interested.)
How well would it have gone over had he told the truth: that there is a significant population of Muslims in the U.S. that, while not openly supportive of terrorism, are sympathetic?
Not well. But would it have had anything to do with him, personally, as a candidate? Does he share that sympathy?
I don't think we can just assume he does, simply because he's Muslim.
I don't see Radical Christianity calling for the death of non-believers.
Dominion Theology/Christian Reconstructionism might stop short of death, but it comes pretty doggone close.
Any number of radical organizations claiming to be Christian do call for violence against non-believers (among others). The Covenant, the Sword, and the Arm of the Lord, for instance.
I'm worried it seems like I'm trying to pick you apart, Joe, which I'm not. I'm just trying to call attention to the fact that there's ugliness on our side of the fence, just as there is on the Muslim side. And there's some really good stuff on their side of the fence, just like there is on ours. (I thought Ellison's gracious handling of Goode and Praeger's comments was an example. You may not.) We can't assume somebody from their side of the fence endorses the ugliness on their side, any more than you or I support the ugliness on our side.
Oops. Simul-post.
I see what you meant, now.
It sounds to me like CAIR may be analogous to AIPAC, which an awful lot of American Jews would object to having characterized as their unofficial voice.
Clearly, the many and various forms of . . . Christofascism? . . . aren't as prominent in Christendom as the radicalized sects of Islam are in . . . Islamdom.
It's important to ask why, however. Do you think it's because of some innate difference between Christians and Muslims? A theological difference between Christianity and Islam? Or might it be that Christofascism has limited appeal (and, therefore, influence) only because most Christians live in contexts where they can get the great majority of what they want without having to incur the personal risks of radicalism? I think the history of Christianity suggests that's likely.
(BTW, it might be the case that Christofascism in America is in roughly the same position that Wahhabism was in Saudi Arabia, say, 20 yrs. ago.)
Oh, and on the "CSA" thing, I think I'll take the Jim Baker approach and decline to try to put myself inside their minds.
(Just between you and me, though, it wouldn't surprise me a bit.)
That's not a hijack, Whit.
We were already talking about David Eckstein.
I just can't get past that whole "kill the unbeliever where you find them" part of the Koran.
There's no lack of similar commands in the Hebrew and Christian scriptures, as you're aware. I'll look forward to your fuller comments.
Have a merry Christmas (with hand motions), one and all.
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