Same Xenophobic Tune

Dennis Prager wrote these words about newly elected Congressman Keith Ellison.

Keith Ellison, D-Minn., the first Muslim elected to the United States Congress, has announced that he will not take his oath of office on the Bible, but on the bible of Islam, the Koran.

He should not be allowed to do so -- not because of any American hostility to the Koran, but because the act undermines American civilization.

Me thinks someone is trying very hard to scare his readership. Prager has turned a ceremonial task and made it into life and death consequences. If Ellison is sworn in on the Koran then America may crumble like the Roman empire. Prager argues that if Ellison is sworn in on the Koran the terrorists will win.

But these naive people do not appreciate that America will not change the attitude of a single American-hating Muslim by allowing Ellison to substitute the Koran for the Bible. In fact, the opposite is more likely: Ellison's doing so will embolden Islamic extremists and make new ones, as Islamists, rightly or wrongly, see the first sign of the realization of their greatest goal -- the Islamicization of America.

This reminds me of William F. Buckley claiming that Southern blacks were not entitled to voting rights becuase of the "cultural superiority of White over Negro." Prager is preaching the same gospel used during segregation. Savages shouldn't be allowed to vote or freedom of religion. It's the same lyrics with a different melody.

Last time we heard the tune was during the immigration debate. The wingnuts that make up the GOP couldn't hide their xenophobia. Hispanics voted Democrat during the midterms. The RNC attempted to mend things by appointing Mel Martinez. This caused wingnuts to go irate. Live and dieby the Southern strategy.