The Christian Science Monitor reported yesterday:
The Islamic Society of North America organized a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington where leaders from the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim faiths argued against what organizers called “an atmosphere of fear and intolerance” toward Islam.C-SPAN and CNN carried the interfaith press conference live. Fox News Channel had no coverage, but instead had commentator Lou Dobbs holding forth on President Obama and the “sad isolated state this president has put himself in.” Meanwhile, MSNBC offered talking heads discussing Mr. Obama’s latest plans to spur the economy.
Interesting.
Separately, is it too extreme to label Florida pastor Terry Jones a traitor in light of General Petraus’ comments: “The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan said Monday the planned burning of Korans on Sept. 11 by a Florida church could put the lives of American troops in danger and damage the war effort.” What do you think?
Discuss
10 Comments . Comments are closed.News organizations have to make decisions all the time.
CNN has always struck me as the channel most likely to cut to a live conference. I'm sure at least the primetime line up on MSNBC is sympathetic to this group.
As for Terry Jones, if we assume as I do that a traitor is by definition one who commits treason then the answer to your question is no. Treason is specifically defined as levying war against the US or giving aid and comfort to the enemy. An accused traitor can only be convicted upon confession in open court or the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act. Jones has not committed an overt act of war against the US, nor is he accused of sending intelligence or supplies to our oversees enemies. So while it may be tempting to label him an ethical traitor to our values and his actions may cause those who are already mad at us to be more mad at us, legally it's not even close.
He is what he is
He is a tribal hate filled misfit and probably mentally unbalanced. He needs to be observed but isolated as you would any dangerous person. He is a risk to civilized society. Such societies try to carry out a social contract that demands cooperation and investment in each other's success for the good of all.
He works for the opposite and is no spokesman for any goal of this nation. In essence if he does not stand as a traitor, he certainly is a man without a country. He, at least, does not want to belong to this one if all those "fereners" are allowed to settle here.
He should know the anger of this nation against him but his fellow citizens should let him survive and give him any help he requires for his mental illness. He is a glaring example(maybe his purpose) of how intolerance plays out in a society, rears its head, and then should be soundly rejected. If he can not then he is truly insane.
Editing for clarity
Last line: If he can not change then he is truly insane.
Not a traitor
but an idiot, for certain.
There's no question in my mind that the 1st Amendment protects his proposed burning of the Koran. But given that he's putting the lives of American soldiers at risk, I would hope he would think more about his actions. However, he's too blinded by his own megalomania as well as his quest to fan the flames of a worldwide us-versus-them holy war to see the practical problem with what he's doing.
Quite sad, but ultimately we are talking about a real marginal character here.
marginal is right
It's not as if Muslims thought Americans were respectful Muslims before. We are already offending them with much more serious offenses against Islam. I don't think this will change anything.
If everyone who incites anti-US violence is a traitor
then most Americans are traitors.
What are you referring to?
I'm not quite clear exactly what you are referring to.
Agreed, Republicans such as Bush/Cheney/Brown/Gingrich/Palin (and on and on) certainly incite violence against the U.S. with their us vs. them unilateralist military supremacy mentality.
But the rest of us? The people who are sane?
The infidels who spread infidelity
Sure, the Republicans work in concert with the Democrats like a one-two punch, and we are all Americans and actually not all that different from each other. Especially now that Libertarianism (which is just pure anti-Islam in essence) has seeped into both parties. The liberals want to oust the Taliban because they are not feminists, they're anti-gay, and they destroy Buddha statues, and the right says, good idea, it'll open markets and oil fields and make us money.
Muslims think the America is the Great Satan because of our lifestyles and values and our determination to spread materialist progress around the world, and they don't differentiate between D's and R's.
Those soldiers wouldn't be in danger if we pulled out of the middle east,
So let's go ahead and do that.
Terry Jones isn't alone.
A House of Representatives, Senate and Executive aid and abet. Gotta keep the death merchants rich. Jones just another guy makin' a buck at the expense of our military folks.
"Army: A body of men assembled to rectify the mistakes of the diplomats. --Josephus Daniels
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