I’d love some input on this, particular from Republicans.
The original article can be found here
On “Meet the Press” today, Colin L. Powell concluded his endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama by referring to the death of a Muslim soldier, Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan of Manahawkin, N.J., who was killed in Iraq on Aug. 6, 2007, and whose remains were buried in Arlington.
Mr. Khan graduated from Southern Regional High School in Manahawkin in 2005, and enlisted in the Army a few months later, spurred by his memories of the 9/11 terror attacks. “His Muslim faith did not make him not want to go. It never stopped him,” his father, Feroze Khan, told the Gannett News Service in a story printed shortly after his death. “He looked at it that he’s American and he has a job to do.”
Kareem Rashad Sultan KhanHe and three other soldiers, including a corporal from Washington Heights, were killed in Baquba after a bomb detonated while they were checking abandoned houses for explosives. They served in the Stryker Brigade combat team of the Army’s 2nd Infantry Division, based in Ft. Lewis, Washington.
What I want to know from McCain supporters and in particular, people who are “scared” of Obama b/c of the popular misconception that he is a Muslim (which the above article is a great reason why that should be a non-issue if he were) is how does this article make you feel? If you have been rallying against Obama for being a Muslim and if you believe all Muslims are terrorists, how does it make you feel to know that this man, Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan, died fighting for America? Does it give you pause? Does it make you rethink some of the ignorance that has been so popular in the last few weeks? Does it make you realize that ALL American citizens are “REAL Americans”? Really, I’m just curious. I think the NYTimes piece is an incredible way of reminding us, particularly the xenophobic racists, that America is a melting pot and that religion, race, or economic status should not divide us. As I’ve said before, America was populated by immigrants. Unless you are a Native American, you are a decendent of an immigrant. We all are. Freedom OF and freedom FROM religion, guys. This man, Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan, DIED fighting for AMERICA. Just think about that for a while. Also, please watch the following video, I’d like to know if after hearing General Colin Powell’s logical and well-stated endorsement of Barack Obama and reading the article about Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan fighting and dying on the side of AMERICA and then watching this attached video makes you feel differently. I’m serious. I would really love to hear some honest replies about why or why not your mind was changed, even if you still don’t intend to vote for Obama due to political disagreements or what have you. Thank you in advance.
Politics of Hate
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/14/palin-rally-kill-him-yell_n_134597.html
Chris Hackett addressed the increasingly feisty crowd as they await the arrival of Gov. Palin.
Each time the Republican candidate for the seat in the 10th Congressional District mentioned Barack Obama the crowd booed loudly.
One man screamed “kill him!”
This is getting ridiculous. Where is the secret service at times like this? I am so incredibly embarrassed and fearful at this point. Are we coming to a time where it will be unsafe for a person to publicly support Barack Obama? Are we spiraling back in time to the civil rights era? I personally feel that if the unspeakable happens to Barack Obama, the blame will lay in part on Sarah Palin and John McCain and every one of their supporters who condone this behavior. Palin and McCain’s silence during these hateful comments is the same as condoning it. I don’t for one second believe that they can’t hear these hateful, ignorant people. Sarah Palin has addressed people calling her “a hottie” by saying “what does that have to do with anything” and also the other day when she thought she had some protestors at her rally, she parroted her practiced talking point about the soldiers who are fighting to protect their right to protest. By the way, the Iraq war has nothing to do with my right to protest idiots like her, the Constitution took care of that. My step mother, whom I love but whole heartedly disagree with, sent me an anti-Obama email today. I will not post the email b/c it’s crap and doesn’t need to be circulated any further. My response is below:
But Obama isn’t a muslim. That’s old news that was started by a very ignorant and racist person and has circulated like the wildfires in Cali. Is daddy OK with electing a man (McCain) who repeatedly votes AGAINST veterans? Also on foreign policy, General Petraus and McKiernan have voiced that Obama’s foreign policy proposals on Afghanistan and Iraq are correct. I’m sorry. I respect your opinions but I am very terrified of turning over the country to a 72 year old man who flip flops daily on his ideas and a complete twit of a woman who is nothing more than a parrot for talking points. She is a complete liar, has abused power (as has McCain) and she is so incredibly uninformed it turns my stomach. Not to mention the fear, ignorance, and hate mongering at their rallies. Their rallies are beginning to look an awful lot like KKK rallies or something from 1930s Germany. I respect Palin’s religious beliefs but can not respect her attempts to force them upon America. If I were to be raped she would have me carry my attackers baby while Ken would be forced to watch AND I would have to pay for my own rape kit b/c apparently a woman who allows herself to get raped was just too stupid to stop it and was probably asking for it in the first place. I can not and will not support what the GOP has become. The GOP is no longer the party of Roosevelt and Lincoln. It’s turning into the extreme right-wing Evangelical scare tactic mess that was outlined and documented in the compelling documentary Jesus Camp. Trust me when I say I have deeply investigated BOTH tickets and I can find nothing to fear from an Obama/Biden administration. I have everything to fear from a McCain/Palin administration….namely, my Constitutional rights.
I know this is a sore subject but just as you and daddy are solidified in your political beliefs, so am I. I respect yours and ask that you please respect mine. I am incredibly informed and spend much of my waking time flipping between news sources and scouring the internet for information. I have done extensive fact checking and refuse to base my opinions on forwarded emails (that are 9 times out of 10 debunked as false) and political ads. I have been careful not to voice my political opinions unless I’m speaking to the choir. This country was founded in part on freedom FROM religion, not just freedom OF religion. Also, Muslim doesn’t equal bad terrorist. Palin’s got closer terrorist ties than Obama. By the way, the Ayers thing is a load of crap seeming as Obama was 8 when Ayers was actively protesting the Vietnam war and the charity committee that Obama and Ayers sat on endorsed John McCain. Guilt by association could work both ways. Cindy McCain is STILL involved with Keating. Palin’s husband was a member of the Alaskan Independence Party until 2002, when Palin was Mayor of Wasilla, that wishes to seccede from the States. If you want some direct quotes from Joe Vogler, the founder, I can provide them. They’re not very patriotic.
“I’m an Alaskan, not an American. I’ve got no use for America or her damned institutions.”“You get to think why the hell do I owe them anything and then you get mad; and you say to hell with them; and you renounce allegiance; and you pledge your efforts, your effects, your honor, your life, to Alaska; that is how I do it; I am an Alaskan; they know it; I’ve told them to go to hell in every way I can in a nice way; I took a case to the Supreme Court believing in the Supreme Court, but I’d rather be tried in a whorehouse with the madam as the Judge; there is more Justice in a whorehouse than in the Supreme Court; and if they don’t like they know where they can go; ….. and if you think I am ever going to forget that, the fires of Hell are glaciers compared to my hate for the American Government, and I won’t be buried under their damn flag; I’ll be buried in Dawson and when Alaska is an independent nation they can bring my bones back to Alaska, back to my country.”
Sarah Palin addressed this committe via video and told them to “keep up the good work” very recently. Last year and this year. I can provide video if you want it.
My point after writing this novel is that if the GOP wants to sling mud and stoke fires that will throw us right back to pre civil rights era bull crap, they ought to be careful b/c they have way more skeletons than Obama has. Every smear that has been said/written about Obama has been proven false and weak straw man arguments. It frightens me that people will support a ticket that has people screaming “terrorist”, “treason”, “off with his head”, “kill him” and “bomb Obama”. It makes me wonder if McCain’s supporters are ALL closet racists who feel they have been given permission. I don’t want to think that b/c there are some Republicans that I love who I would like to think don’t condone this. How long til people start lynching black people again? This is the reason why so many well known GOPers have turned their back on this ticket and are flocking in droves to vote Libertarian or for (gasp!) Obama. I love you very much, but on this subject we can not and will not agree. I am too informed this election to vote Republican.
She didn’t say anything back, really, other than that she loves me and her two sons (who support Obama). I think she realizes that she is willfully ignorant on the issues and controversies in this election. My father admitted to me that he hasn’t watched or read any information about this election because he works roughly 10 hours a day. He is voting Republican because he always does and he doesn’t like Jeremiah Wright. He wasn’t interested in hearing about Palin or McCain’s radical religious affiliations (of course). I love them though, I do.
What if Obama WAS Muslim? Does that matter? There’s no law saying that the POTUS has to be a Christian. Why is being Muslim or Arab now considered bad? This country was populated by immigrants (after they stole the land from the Natives). Speaking of Natives, Sarah Palin isn’t exactly on their side.
This whole election season is exhausting me. I’m so ready to fast forward to the inauguration of President Obama. I have seen this election bring out the worst in people. People that I respected have shown their true racist and fearful colors. America is a melting pot. Why does the idea of a biracial President scare people so badly? Barack Obama has the potential to be a wonderful President. He surrounds himself with highly intelligent people with experience in areas he may lack. We have spent the last 8 years with a President that people voted for because he was the type of guy they’d like to have a beer with. How bout voting for the smart guy this time? I wouldn’t mind having a beer with the Obamas. I think Barack is a very likable guy and Michelle is incredible. I highly admire them both. They have done wonderful things for people. John McCain has a sense of entitlement, like we OWE him the Presidency. He was one of 600 POWs. His daddy issues are better left to a qualified therapist, not the White House. I’m rambling. I’m becoming incoherent. Sarah Palin is rubbing off on me!
Brave New Films posted a new video regarding all this race baiting, hate and fear mongering, and just outright IGNORANCE at the Palin rallies. Let’s watch:
Remember, babies know a good person when they meet one.
John McCain is an angry man
Please, circulate this information. It is well documented that McCain has a love of high-stakes gambling, particularly craps. His horrible temper is also well-documented. We’ve witnessed his knee-jerk reactions and his erratic decisions this past month plus. (Sarah Palin, “campaign suspension, etc) Remember the earlier posting where McCain refers to us as “fellow prisoners”. This all adds up to a man who is not well. I am very empathetic to his POW status. I understand that he endured hell for 5 1/2 years. He has every right to be unstable. I just feel like that instability is something very volatile to this country at this time. We need a steady, cool, democratic, respectful character in office right now if we are going to strengthen our allies and our place of respect in this world. Now here are a few videos. Please, watch. Also, if you haven’t read it (I posted it earlier) read this: Make Believe Maverick and also this: Why I will not vote for John McCain. The latter article is written by Doctor Phillip Butler who lived across the hall from McCain at the U.S. Naval Academy.
McCain, the backstory
This is a long article, but worth every second you will spend reading it. My respect for John McCain took a hit while reading this.
At Fort McNair, an army base located along the Potomac River in the nation’s capital, a chance reunion takes place one day between two former POWs. It’s the spring of 1974, and Navy commander John Sidney McCain III has returned home from the experience in Hanoi that, according to legend, transformed him from a callow and reckless youth into a serious man of patriotism and purpose. Walking along the grounds at Fort McNair, McCain runs into John Dramesi, an Air Force lieutenant colonel who was also imprisoned and tortured in Vietnam.
Please read the rest of the Rolling Stone article Here.
