Right-wing politicians and activists continued in 2013 to stoke the flames of fear and hate, in some cases smearing all Muslims as radicals and suggesting they’re all a threat to America. Click here to read other summaries of the outrageous things we heard from the right in 2013.
We know Al Qaeda has camps over with the drug cartels on the other side of the Mexican border. We know that people that are now being trained to come in and act like Hispanic [sic] when they are radical Islamists. We know these things are happening. It is just insane not to protect ourselves, to make sure that people come in as most people do … They want the freedoms we have.
— U.S. Rep. Louie “Terror Babies” Gohmert, R-Texas, claiming that terrorists are being trained to “act” Hispanic.
[The Second Amendment] is for our protection and the Founders’ quotes make that very, very clear. Including against a government that would run amuck. We’ve got some people that think Sharia law should be the law of the land — forget the Constitution. But the guns are there, that Second Amendment is there, to make sure all of the rest of the amendments are followed.
— Texas Congressman Louie Gohmert, arguing that guns are needed to stop the mythical threat of Sharia Law in the United States.
I hardly think to call it a religion, it’s more of — well, it’s an economic and political system with a religious veneer.
— Televangelist Pat Robertson, defining Islam for his listeners.
[T]o think that somebody would be so vicious, so evil as to want to kill little children, and maim families who were there rejoicing in a sporting contest on a beautiful day in Boston, it just makes you sick at your stomach. Don’t talk to me about religion of peace, no way.
— Pat Robertson, rushing to blame all Muslims for the Boston bombing without mentioning Islam by name.
I was told by one of Harmeet’s friends that because of her religion, her loyalty is to the Muslim religion. So she will defend a Muslim beheading two men without any hesitation……she is not a Republican.
— Vera Eyzendooren, president of the San Bernardino County Federation of Republican Women, talking about San Francisco attorney Harmeet Dhillon, who was running to become the first female vice chair of the California Republican Party. Dhillon is a devout Sikh, not a Muslim.
Merry Christmas folks!!!
I would just like to finish out this year by saying that the right wing extremist crowd and their Chritian fundamentalist allies have gotten their sorry butts kicked from sea to shining sea this year.
People in general are becoming more and more attuned to who these people are and what they represent—and they do not like what they see. Here’s hoping that the trend will continue.
I think you may be right, Charles! The more they are marginalized, the louder they become, and the louder they become, the more the idiocy shines through, continuing the cycle.
That’s a very encouraging note to end the year on.
Let us all remember as “Mark Twain” told Us “In America we have the freedom to be as stupid as we want.” Merry whatever to all of us!