You know, Massachusetts makes me proud sometimes. Really, profoundly proud. Not when one of our electeds tosses around terms like “pandering to special interest groups” and “political correctness run amok”, and “playing politics with terrorism”. As everyone seems to know, these were aimed at the Governor for having the simple decency to listen to Muslims and agree that their religious freedom be respected. (Mind you, this was in a press release; not an unguarded, off the cuff moment for Cahill. He actually thought about it.)
No, I'm really immensely proud of the reaction of our religious communities — Muslim, Jewish, Catholic, Protestant, and other:
Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and Muslim leaders, adorned in the vestments of their respective faiths, stood shoulder to shoulder on the steps of a Roxbury mosque today and strongly condemned Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill’s remarks blasting Governor Deval Patrick’s attendance last weekend at a forum at the mosque.
The gathering included leaders from the Archdiocese of Boston, the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization, the Massachusetts Council of Churches, some of Boston’s most prominent black churches, and several Jewish temples.
One by one, they strode to a microphone in front of an audience of several hundred members of the mosque and said they were incensed that Cahill had equated Patrick’s meeting with the Muslim community and support for some of their requests to “playing politics with terrorism.”
Cahill — along with apparently many others — has to learn the hard way that Muslim-hating is not the acceptable outlet for bigotry. For instance, if it would sound bad substituting the word “Jew” for “Muslim” … then gosh, you should really re-think what you're trying to say. Maybe it doesn't really come from a good place.
I seem to remember voting for this guy a couple times for Treasurer. Or was that someone else? Does running for high office absolutely require that you shed your decency? Which one is the pod person?
what a creep – and how very Glodis-like…
I was hoping that Cahill’s candidacy would catch on a bit, on the theory that splitting the anti-incumbent vote would make it easier for Deval to win reelection.
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p>Now, though, after this crap, screw it. I hope Cahill tanks just as fast as he can — hopefully his campaign will be a bad memory by July 4th or so. Deval vs. Charlie, straight up. I still say Deval wins it.
He’s had one hell of a bad week, between this embarrassment and his response on the probation story.
At this point seeing how incompetent Charlie Baker is I am confident Deval could prevail even in a two way match-up, even if he does not on his own merits deserve re-election.
there are less painless ways than running for governor to transition into the private sector.
The Governor should be willing to meet with Muslims, with tangy dipping sauce lovers, with golf players, or with any other group of citizens to address their concerns.
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p>If Patrick, or anyone else, listens to what Cahill is saying here, he would meet with NOBODY who has real concerns. He would only meet with super-safe “yes-men” who would give some light chat about “Happy day, sunshine and pretty flowers.”
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p>Some of that is OK. But candidates should have to step out and address real problems of concerned citizens.
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p>I am a strong proponent of religious disestablishment, the Colonial Rhode Island model of church-state relations.
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p>I know that Patrick is getting it right in terms of disestablishment. Why?
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p>With disestablishment, the government does not support or oppose religious organizations or doctrines.
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p>With disestablishment, the government lets citizens believe or disbelieve in any religious doctrine, or engage in any type of religious practice that does not interfere with other people’s freedom or safety.
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p>Making some small accommodations for Friday prayers should not be much of a problem at all. This accommodation does not make people pray or go to a mosque or whatever.
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p>The governor is pro-choice and supports gay marriage. This shows that he is willing to support birth control rights and equal laws even if some religions don’t like it.
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p>If these Muslim people get too alienated from the rulers, Al-Qaeda will actually get more recruits.
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p>People at that mosque may actually be less likely to engage in terrorism.
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p>Why? Because they have a big building that the public knows about. Often, those who are planning to blow things up would “lay low”, and blend in to the crowd.
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p>These political pitches based on “DOWN-WITH-TERRA-BOOGA-MUSLIMS-SCARY” NEVER get into specific facts or strategies. It is an appeal to those who are NOT thinking, not strategizing about how to deal with complicated threats in the real world.
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p>These pitches are therefore NOT TO BE TRUSTED.
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p>And, regardless of right and wrong, or anything else, thinking that 20% of the world population, spread out throughout the world, can be “blown away” is impossible anyway.
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p>The one who should get elected is the stand-up guy who deals with who is here and what is going on, not the guy who just wants to say, “none of this, none of that” and put his head in the sand.
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p>And, who here can say that the ostrich approach is better than CUNNING, STRATEGY, and well thought-out ALLIANCE-BUILDING?
Unfookinbelievable!
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p>Every time something like this happens, it makes me proud that I supported a Governor who (sometimes much to his detractors glee) never lets politics get between him and his values.
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p>I don’t always agree with Deval (though our differences are minor), but I always know that, like me, he respects (even cherishes) differences, and is trying to make this world a better place for everyone.
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p>He has accomplished a huge amount in his (not even completed) first term, and I hope to see him around for at least one more!
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p>Despite all his successes, it is not like him to look backward. The other night at the Springfield Dem’s annual dinner, he told us, “Tim and I are not running for a 2nd term as a reward for what we’ve done, but to finish what we’ve started.”
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p>Hurray, I say!
…vigorously prosecuting alleged terrorism as Cahill says he wants and promoting cultural understanding and sensitivity as the Governor is doing? Seems to me we can and should do both.
He’s a good part of the reason Deval will win in November
At this rate he’ll be under 5% in the polls, with no money to raise it.
First we elect Scott ‘water board em’ Brown, then we are facing the possibility that the likely Democratic nominee for Auditor is similarly bigoted towards Muslims, and now we have Cahill taking cheap shots at the Governor and continuing to tack inartfully rightward. This combined with continued FBI raids on MA mosques makes me sympathize extensively with my fellow Americans of the Muslim faith. As Colin Powell pointed out in his brilliant endorsement of Barack Obama a few years ago on Meet the Press, there are many crescents as well as stars and crosses at Arlington National, and we should never forget that Muslims are dying for our country as well. Everyone who is an American subscribes to the ideals that we are all treated equally and have the right to pursue happiness as we please. This is why I do not fear Muslim Americans since the act of coming here and becoming citizens they have signed onto the same social contract we all have. It is time to stand up for their rights as well, and kudos to the Governor for having the balls to stand up and say ‘yeah I visited a mosque, its my job!’ instead of retreating like so many Wimpocrats do.