Monday, June 27, 2016

So, who's un-American now!?



Remarks by  President Obama After Counter-ISIL Meeting,  June 14, 2016
> https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/06/14/remarks-president-after-counter-isil-meeting
>
> ..."For a while now, the main contribution of some of my friends on the other side of the aisle have made in the fight against ISIL is to criticize this administration and me for not using the phrase “radical Islam.” That’s the key, they tell us -- we can’t beat ISIL unless we call them “radical Islamists.”
> What exactly would using this label accomplish? What exactly would it change? Would it make ISIL less committed to trying to kill Americans? Would it bring in more allies? Is there a military strategy that is served by this?
> The answer is none of the above.
> Calling a threat by a different name does not make it go away.
> This is a political distraction.
> Since before I was President, I’ve been clear about how extremist groups have perverted Islam to justify terrorism. As President, I have repeatedly called on our Muslim friends and allies at home and around the world to work with us to reject this twisted interpretation of one of the world’s great religions.There has not been a moment in my seven and a half years as President where we have not been able to pursue a strategy because we didn’t use the label "radical Islam." Not once has an advisor of mine said, man, if we really use that phrase, we're going to turn this whole thing around. Not once. So if someone seriously thinks that we don’t know who we're fighting, if there's anyone out there who thinks we're confused about who our enemies are, that would come as a surprise to the thousands of terrorists who we've taken off the battlefield. If the implication is that those of us up here and the thousands of people around the country and around the world who are working to defeat ISIL aren't taking the fight seriously, that would come as a surprise to those who have spent these last seven and a half years dismantling al Qaeda in the FATA, for example --including the men and women in uniform who put their lives at risk and the Special Forces that I ordered to get bin Laden and are now on the ground in Iraq and in Syria. They know full well who the enemy is.
> So do the intelligence and law enforcement officers who spend countless hours disrupting plots and protecting all Americans, including politicians who tweet and appear on cable news shows. They know who the nature of the enemy is.So there’s no magic to the phrase “radical Islam.” It’s a political talking point; it's not a strategy. And the reason I am careful about how I describe this threat has nothing to do with political correctness and everything to do with actually defeating extremism. Groups like ISIL and al Qaeda want to make this war a war between Islam and America, or between Islam and the West. They want to claim that they are the true leaders of over a billion Muslims around the world who reject their crazy notions. They want us to validate them by implying that they speak for those billion-plus people; that they speak for Islam. That’s their propaganda. That's how they recruit. And if we fall into the trap of painting all Muslims with a broad brush and imply that we are at war with an entire religion -- then we’re doing the terrorists' work for them.
> Now, up until this point, this argument about labels has mostly just been partisan rhetoric. And, sadly, we've all become accustomed to that kind of partisanship, even when it involves the fight against these extremist groups. And that kind of yapping has not prevented folks across government from doing their jobs, from sacrificing and working really hard to protect the American people. But we are now seeing how dangerous this kind of mindset and this kind of thinking can be. We're starting to see where this kind of rhetoric and loose talk and sloppiness about who exactly we're fighting, where this can lead us. We now have proposals from the presumptive Republican nominee for President of the United States to bar all Muslims from emigrating to America. We hear language that singles out immigrants and suggests that entire religious communities are complicit in violence. Where does this stop? The Orlando killer, one of the San Bernardino killers, the Fort Hood killer -- they were all U.S. citizens. Are we going to start treating all Muslim Americans differently? Are we going to start subjecting them to special surveillance? Are we going to start discriminating against them because of their faith? We’ve heard these suggestions during the course of this campaign. Do Republican officials actually agree with this? Because that's not the America we want. It doesn't reflect our democratic ideals. It won’t make us more safe; it will make us less safe -- fueling ISIL’s notion that the West hates Muslims, making young Muslims in this country and around the world feel like no matter what they do, they're going to be under suspicion and under attack. It makes Muslim Americans feel like they're government is betraying them. It betrays the very values America stands for. We've gone through moments in our history before when we acted out of fear -- and we came to regret it. We've seen our government mistreat our fellow citizens. And it has been a shameful part of our history. This is a country founded on basic freedoms, including freedom of religion. We don't have religious tests here. Our Founders, our Constitution, our Bill of Rights are clear about that. And if we ever abandon those values, we would not only make it a lot easier to radicalize people here and around the world, but we would have betrayed the very things we are trying to protect -- the pluralism and the openness, our rule of law, our civil liberties -- the very things that make this country great; the very things that make us exceptional. And then the terrorists would have won. And we cannot let that happen. I will not let that happen.Two weeks ago, I was at the commencement ceremony at the Air Force Academy. And it could not have been more inspiring to see these young people stepping up, dedicated to serve and protect this country. And part of what was inspiring was the incredible diversity of these cadets. We saw cadets, who are straight, applauding classmates who were openly gay. We saw cadets, born here in America, applauding classmates who are immigrants and love this country so much they decided they wanted to be part of our armed forces. We saw cadets and families of all religions applaud cadets who are proud, patriotic Muslim Americans serving their country in uniform, ready to lay their lives on the line to protect you and to protect me. We saw male cadets applauding for female classmates, who can now serve in combat positions. That’s the American military. That’s America -- one team, one nation. Those are the values that ISIL is trying to destroy, and we shouldn’t help them do it.Our diversity and our respect for one another, our drawing on the talents of everybody in this country, our making sure that we are treating everybody fairly -- that we’re not judging people on the basis of what faith they are or what race they are, or what ethnicity they are, or what their sexual orientation is --that’s what makes this country great. That’s the spirit we see in Orlando. That’s the unity and resolve that will allow us to defeat ISIL. That’s what will preserve our values and our ideals that define us as Americans. That’s how we’re going to defend this nation, and that’s how we’re going to defend our way of life. Thank you very much."
>
> **************
> Obama on Orlanda nightclub shooting:
>
> "...this is a sobering reminder that attacks on any American -- regardless of race, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation -- is an attack on all of us and on the fundamental values of equality and dignity that define us as a country.
> And no act of hate or terror will ever change who we are or the values that make us Americans."
>
> https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2016/06/12/president-obama-tragic-shooting-orlando
>
> "We stand together in unity and solidarity against bigotry and hatred against all minorities.
> Diversity is an important value in our society.We share the ideal that we are all equal.
> Since the founding of our nation we have pursued the never- ending quest to ensure those words ring true for every single American.  
> We are a nation of immigrants. Thats who we are!"
> We have all come from somewhere else.
>
>
> “It is my firm belief that immigration is not something to fear,”
> . “We don't have to wall ourselves off from those who may not look like us right now or pray like we do or have a different last name. … What makes us Americans [is] our shared commitment to an ideal that all of us are created equal, all of us have a chance to make of our lives what we will."-
> -Borack Obama
>
> Hilary Clinton has appeared more in tune with patriotic American values than Trump, whose proposed ban on Muslim immigration and incendiary tweets and speeches are striking large numbers of Americans as unconstitutional, unwise,uncharitable,regressive,  and unAmerican.
> What kind of America will we choose to become?
The choice of leader in America is extremely crucial not just for America but for all humanity.
>

8 comments:

  1. America is nothing without its immigrants

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. anti-immigrant sentiment on the rise

      America is a nation of immigrants

      "It is odd that the United States has begun to turn its back on the cornerstone principles of her founding. From the inception of America it had been a mainstay of its consciousness that the fabric of our nation would be woven from the threads of myriad national and ethnic identities.We would be the melting pot of all nations.
      The vast majority of Americans are descendents of immigrants, yet we often act as if today's immigrants don't deserve what we do, that we have something to protect from their encroachment, that they pose a threat to our core values, our lifestyle,our identity.
      It seems paradoxical that we would brag about our ancestors' coming over on the Mayflower, yet condemn someone trying to do the very same thing today.
      Of course there are immigrants who abuse our system, just as there are people born here who abuse our system.
      But the truth is that the majority of today's immigrants bring with them an infusion of the same values that our ancestors personified, the values America is so sorely lacking.They are people willing to work hard to make a better life for themselves.
      Our children do not stand to be corrupted by their values, so  much as their children stand to be corrupted by ours.
      The scapegoating of today's immigrants makes a mockery of the American dream.
      It is a national immorality when we say no to compassion.
      The have-nots have become the "haves", but we who are descendents of those who "had not" are refusing to treat others as we have been treated.
      We now feel superior as though we have more rights and privileges than others."

      --marianne williamson

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  2. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  3. A party at war with itself:


    Many Republicans are jumping ship.
    They no longer recognize what Republicans stand for and the values they express.
    The "party of Trump" is not the Republican party. Trump does not represent traditional conservative principles. There is a disconnect between the image of Donald Trump and the image of the Republican party.
    Many of the policies expressed by Trump
    have been subliminally endemic in the Republican party: zenophobia,protectionism,anti-immigrant attitude,etc.
    Beneath the surface, the Republican party has always been a lobby group for the interests of the wealthy.

    **************************
    The Trump Show is ending.
    Matt Bai
    October 20, 2016

    https://www.yahoo.com/news/the-trump-show-is-ending-sad-134109964.html

    " There aren’t actually more of these voters than there used to be. Contrary to liberal hysteria, Trump hasn’t managed to ignite some new White Power movement.What he’s done, in his frenzied, yearlong effort to find love and acceptance among people with whom he really has nothing in common, is to relegitimize attitudes that had become unacceptable in polite conversation and often career-ending in public discourse.
    This is a different thing from enforcing political correctness, which is what bigots always scream you’re trying to do. I’ve written a few times before about my disdain for “safe spaces” and “trigger warnings” and the bleaching out of historical figures who make us uncomfortable. I’ll be the first one to stand up for your right to disagree about how we define liberty and progress.
    No, what we’re talking about here is a worldview that says: America is a white, male-dominated, Christian country, and the blurring of cultures and ethnicities (not to mention genders) represents not our evolution, but rather our undoing. It is an inherently anti-American creed, and until this year it had been gradually discredited in national politics."

    ReplyDelete
  4. "American leaders must honour American values" --Merck CEO

    http://nationalpost.com/pmn/news-pmn/merck-ceo-stepping-down-from-american-manufacturing-council/wcm/e8005322-a875-48fa-b2a9-80016b79fecf

    Trump attacks exec for quitting council over Charlottesville

    The Associated PressAugust 14, 2017 9:08 AM EDTLast Updated August 14, 2017 3:20 PM EDTFiled under:PMN NewsTRENTON, N.J. — President Donald Trump lashed out at the CEO of the nation’s third-largest pharmaceutical company after he resigned from a federal advisory council, citing the president’s failure to explicitly rebuke the white nationalists who marched in Charlottesville, Virginia.
    Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier wrote on Twitter Monday that “America’s leaders must honour our fundamental values by clearly rejecting expressions of hatred, bigotry and group supremacy, which runs counter to the American ideal that all people are created equal.”

    ReplyDelete
  5. Trump reveals his true colour: Racist!

    https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-monday-edition-1.5212082/jeff-flake-calls-trump-s-tweets-about-congresswomen-vile-but-he-won-t-call-them-racist-1.5212084?fbclid=IwAR1vd0mtx3au7RO1isRy5aOc6bgB57vREgRLLPJClwACDg_WPNBxUj2vy4c

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Congress calls Trump a racist:

      https://www.npr.org/2019/07/16/742236610/condemnation-of-president-delayed-by-debate-can-lawmakers-call-trump-tweets-raci

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    2. America has no decency!

      https://cathedral.org/have-we-no-decency-a-response-to-president-trump.html?fbclid=IwAR34sMQZYdnD6fUaDkVFHzZmffTAAG0qbcmHsbW6bl3RfuTvyznXzVOlElY

      Delete