Certain loaded words can get tossed around too freely in political discourse. “Bigot” is one of them. But, you know, sometimes that word just fits very well.
Take, for example, Cathie Adams, president of Texas Eagle Forum, the Lone Star branch of Phyllis Schlafly’s far-right outfit. Adams proudly parades her prejudices on issues ranging from religion to sexual orientation. She has arrogantly questioned President Obama’s religious faith, suggested that Mexican immigrants have inferior morals, and insisted that Dallas voters oppose candidates for office simply because they’re gay.
Adams has been particularly vocal in her distaste for Muslims. She doesn’t even bother to distinguish between Muslims generally and violent Islamic extremists. For Adams, apparently, they’re all evil and untrustworthy. So we weren’t surprised to see our friends at Right Wing Watch report about a recent presentation Adams gave to the Far North Dallas Tea Party. From their report:
Adams sees the influence of “stealth jihad” everywhere in American society – including in the Republican Party. In her speech, Adams claimed credit for personally bringing down the candidacy of Amir Omar, an Iranian-American Republican who ran for Congress in Texas in 2006. She also railed against former Bush administration official and conservative activist Suhail Khan, wondering, “Where did he come from? How did this man get here? Did he overstay a visa?” (The short answer, if she really wants to know, is that he was born in Colorado, so no.)
Adams even attacked Grover Norquist, the anti-government guru who has succeeded in getting so many congressional Republicans to pledge never to raise taxes. We’re no fans of Norquist, but Adams’ bigotry flows forth when she talks about him. Again from Right Wing Watch:
Adams saved her true vitriol for anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist, who has provoked the wrath of anti-Muslim activists for his marriage to a Muslim woman and his efforts to reach out to Muslim conservatives. Adams warned that although “oftentimes we like what he says about economic issues,” Norquist is in fact “Trouble with a capital T” and is “showing signs of converting to Islam himself.”
Her evidence for Norquist’s secret conversion? “As you see, he has a beard.”
“He has a beard”? Good grief. In any case, so what if he were to convert to Islam someday? Wouldn’t that be his own business? Not in Adams’ fevered mind. She’s ready to brand him with a scarlet I and portray him as a threat to America.
You can find a video of Adams’ presentation here, but here is Right Wing Watch’s short clip of Adams’ comments about Norquist:
What an idiot she is. I despise Norquist, but religion plays absolutely no part in my dislike. He’s a maggot no matter his faith–and so is she.
And this woman wears shoes and knows how to use the bathroom? Incredible.
It is incredible that these people walk upright. Just because Nordquist is anti-everything except for unhindered capitalism, and that he is director emeritus of a barely organized group (a Google search could not even find their website)does not mean Nordquist is stealth jihadist as Adams claims. Adams, however, is a not-so-stealth fascist.
This reminds me of the old George Carlin standup comedy routine:
“The word ‘beard’ is unAmerican. It even sounds unAmerican. Beard!!! Lenin had a beard. Gabby Hayes had whiskers.”
Poor old Cathie. I guess someone has to keep all of the silly conspiracy theories alive.
I wonder what her take on Jesus is – is his existence before Islam was created adequate to keep him off the secret Muslim list? Lincoln: definitely a secret Muslim. btw I think Norquist’s Muslim-ness is so secret even he doesn’t know about it.
Yes, Norquist is a secret Muslim, a Communist atheist, a homosexual, and (gasp!) a Republican.
I have the facts to back up my idiotic assertions but I forgot where I put them, so in the words of Rosanna Danna Danna…never mind.
PS: LS/MFT is the secret code to get into a secret site. People think it means Lucky Strikes Means Fine Tobacco but…
Cathie Adams is thrilled because Michelle Bachmann is not running for Congress again and the Republicans will need a new bat-shit-crazy queen. She certainly is getting her foot in the door early. I can’t wait for her to run.
On the day Bachmann announced she was not going to run, all of the wingnut conservative pundits came out and announced that playing the “bat-shit-crazy queen” was the official role the Republican Party asked her to play on the national stage to keep all of the rhubarbs in line and voting for the party. The consensus was that she did her job as requested but overplayed her hand and cost the party votes in the end—meaning—some people will believe all of that crazy crap but not enough to keep you in office and win elections. This should be a message to the Tea Party, but they are sure not to heed it.
Wait a sec. Doesn’t Cathie Adams also have a beard?