Not in My Country

Later this week, Representative Peter King, a Republican member of the House of Representatives from Long Island, New York,  intends to hold congressional hearings about so-called Muslim extremism.  Regardless of his motivations, which I find suspect, the fact is that his hearing is stimulating the sort of ugly, racist, nativist, invective that damages all that America stands for.   The Obama Administration is leery of King's hearing and so am I.  In fact, no decent person can stand aside and watch this happen.

Despite what you might have heard, ours is not merely a Christian nation.  It is a nation founded in support of liberty.  And the 1st amendment requires a protection of religious liberty from government interference.  The power of our nation is in the protections of all religious faiths (and none, for that matter).  A congressional hearing to explore the intolerance present in all religions might be interesting (and even useful) but that's not what Representative King has in mind.  He wants to conduct a McCarthy-esque circus of name-calling and accusations directed at Muslim Americans.

It makes my heart ache to think that Muslim Americans must fear for themselves while Peter King insults both their faith and their patriotism.  All of our citizens deserve better than to be demonized by ignorant members of Congress.   We must stand for more than ourselves.

Tell Representative King that he's part of the problem and ask him not to stage his ridiculous hearing.   You can contact him here. 

Rednecks: Jersey Style

When I lived in Nebraska there was no shortage of pickups making a statement.  NRA membership proclamations, gun racks, anti-abortion bumper stickers, the Stars and Bars….all found themselves a very happy home in the Cornhusker state and, in defiance of stereotypes, far more then I ever saw when I lived in Tennessee.

I've been in New Jersey for 8 years and I've only rarely seen similar pronouncements.  But I saw a redneck pickup this weekend in the Target parking lot.  And in keeping with the In-Your-Face New Jersey attitude, the statements on this pickup were so far beyond the boundaries of good taste that I was startled into making pictures of them for the purposes of deriding the character of the pickup's owner right here on the Internet.

In case the words aren't clear, the back of the pickup has a short treatise in favor of hunting, the second amendment, gun ownership and a parting line which reads, "have you eaten a fawn lately?"  Why no, sir, I don't believe I have.

Lest that not offend, the gas tank cover reads, "diesel-only, towel head."

New Jersey is a state in which pump-your-own gas isn't an option; all fuel stations here are full-serve.  And lots of gas stations employ hard-working, first generation immigrants, many of whom are unlikely to speak English at home.  I can't imagine what it must be like to be one of those men confronted by that sign when pumping gas on a hot afternoon.  That they don't instantly fill the tank with sugar is an indication that some people attend to their karma with a lot more care than the driver of this pickup.