This is what the Republican conservative power brings with it: Scott Walker, Peter King, and now the resignation of Vivian Schiller. Unions, the Muslim community, NPR all are targets for destruction. It is part of the reshaping of the American vision.
What was the mea culpa moment for Ms. Schiller? She resigned not as a result of her actions, but merely in an effort to slow down the juggernaut that threatens to deny funding to National Public Radio and to the stations that would support it. In the Republican world, it is a fundamental undertaking that the voice of opposition be silenced. Don't merely debate with those who would question and criticize, destroy. Create villains and then take any actions you must to assure that they are removed.
In this universe, unions are the root cause for our financial predicament, all Muslims are one command away from the beginning of our armageddon, and public radio is the home of the radicals who believe in things like the rights of unions and Muslims to exist among us. Everything in this new world comes without shade, or degree. Each enemy is evil incarnate.
When someone like Ms. Schiller makes a hasty exit, and the voice of NPR is threatened with extinction, it should well remind us of that time when Joseph McCarthy and his band of witch-hunters was in control of the message. It was a moment when we were told of demons in our midst. Fear replaced reason, and extremism became routine. In the early months of the Republican reign of terror, we are watching the unfolding of a new era of the depths to which government can sink. Ms. Schiller, I fear, will not be the last to suffer unnecessarily.
2 comments:
There is an uptick in the number of financial fraud cases on Wall Street and Jewish rabbis are not doing enough to speak out and take action against the Jews who control our banks.
There is an uptick in the number of pedophilia cases in the Catholic Church and priests and bishops are not doing enough to speak out and take action against Catholics who perpetrate these crimes.
There is an uptick in drug abuse and traffic in the American southwest and Mexican-American community organizers are not doing enough to speak out and take against these drug traders.
Today Rep. Peter King of Long Island will commence congressional hearings to investigate Moslem extremism in America. On the face of it all Americans should be concerned about Moslem extremism.
However, Rep. King has rationalized this hearing by suggesting that Moslem imams from not taking action, speaking out or cooperating in a proactive manner with law enforcement.
I suppose we can throw our constitution out the window when someone in Congress wishes to get to the bottom of a politically sensitive issue. Since when did we ever tolerate a witch hunt in this country when it is accompanied by an accusation that an entire group of religious leaders are acting in an un-American manner by not informing authorities as to their suspicions ? There is ample precedent for this. In 1930 the Fish Committee investigated the ACLU for being communist. The Fish Committee morphed into the House Un-American Activities Committee which investigated artists, writers and actors. In turn people like Richard Nixon and Joseph McCarthy made their mark by accusing people of anti-American activity without sufficient proof and without regard for their constitutional rights.
To many in the American leadership, the ends justify the means and most citizens do not appreciate the difference.
Just when Moslem-Americans need their constitutional rights most of all they do not have them.
I hope that Rep. King understands that he is not at a town hall meeting in Suffolk County and is, instead, the chair of a standing House Committee. What he says, does and implies has remarkable impact on the nation and its vulnerable citizens.
Yet I doubt he will care very much about the noise he is about to make and he will take courage from his many constituents who are all too happy to keep Moslem-Americans on the defensive.
It reminds me of Rev. Martin Niemoller’s comment in the 1940s.
now that is a COMMENT.
Why don't you fill us all in about the reference you make in the last sentence of your piece.
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