Mikaela says:
Such a great feeling to read about bravery at the beginning of this season of peace.
Read here for the most compassionate, reasonable, and open response to bigotry and fear-mongering I've ever seen. The newly-elected muslim House Representative confronts the ignorance of Virginia Representative with a wall of acceptance. It's fantastic. I've never felt more patriotic.
(From a spiritual side, I've never seen a Christian with more to learn about Christian values than Rep. Goode [all of a sudden, this is a Hawthorne morality tale]. Christians who don't listen to Jesus really exasperate me. It's about loving your neighbor, people.)
Mr. Ellison: Well, what I’d tell [Representative Virgil Goode] is that, you know, there might be a few things about Muslims that he might want to know. He might want to know that Muslims, there are about five million in the country, that they’re here to support and strengthen America, that they are nurses, doctors, husbands, wives, kids who just want to live and prosper in the American way, and that there’s really nothing to fear, and that all of us are steadfastly opposed to the same people he’s opposed to, which is the terrorists.
And so there’s nothing for him to be afraid of, and that what we should do is to tell our constituents that we should reach to each other, not be against each other, and we should find ways for common ground.
I would urge Congressman Goode to have his congregation reach out to a synagogue or a mosque and start some interfaith dialogue so that we can increase understanding among each other, as Americans of different faiths. That’s what I’d tell him.Mr. Blitzer: Do you think he’s a bigot?
Mr. Ellison: You know what? I don’t know the fellow. And, you know, I’d rather just say that he has a lot to learn about Islam. And, you know, we all have a lot to learn. I don’t know him. I look forward to meeting him. I’m not afraid of being frank about my views about him, but I simply haven’t gotten a chance to get to meet him so I don’t want to start any name calling.
Asked by Mr. Blitzer what he thought of the reaction to his election, and to his swearing-in preference [to place his hand on the Koran], Mr. Ellison said:
Well, Wolf, I’m glad you made that distinction because when I’m officially sworn in, I will do it the same, exact way as every Congressperson-elect who is sworn in. We will all stand up and, in unison, lift our hand and swear to uphold that Constitution.
And then later, in a private ceremony, of course, I’ll put my hand on a book that is the basis of my faith, which is Islam. And I think that this is a beauty. This is a wonderful thing for our country, because Jewish members will put their hands on the Torah, Mormon members will put their hand on the Book of Mormon, Catholic members will put their hand on the book of their choice. And members who don’t want to put their hand on any book are also fully free to do that. That’s the American way.
But I think that we need to not focus on what religious text any Congress member might want to use. Let’s focus on the text that binds us together. That’s the Constitution. That’s a great document, and I’m looking forward very much to raising my hand and swear to uphold that Constitution.
Mr. Blitzer: So when you hear comments like Virgil Goode’s, I suppose — you’ve reacted in all of your public statements, as well as here, really taking the high road, but I assume inside, it’s really irritating you.
Mr. Ellison: Well, Wolf, you know, my reaction, externally and internally is the same. I can honestly say that I’m not angered by Representative Goode’s comments. I just think it’s a learning gap we have to close.
Read here for an explanation of the bravery of public servants and mainstream media to report the truth about government that we all need in order to form knowledgeable opinions about our role in the world and the next steps toward peace for all people. Former CIA agents explain the unprecedented censorship of non-classified material by the White House in reponse to an editorial about our missteps in foreign policy with Iran.
Once again, when confronted with realities they don't like, Bush & Company simply opt for secrecy and continue down the wrong path, taking America's reputation in the world -- and our safety -- south with them. Thank you to all individuals and organizations that stand up and speak the truth anyway."[W]e have spent a collective 20 years serving our country as career civil servants in national security, for both Republican and Democratic administrations. We know firsthand the importance of protecting sensitive information. But we also know the importance of shared knowledge. In the entrance to the C.I.A.’s headquarters the words of the Gospel of John are inscribed, “And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.”National security must be above politics. In a democracy, transparency in government has to be honored and protected. To classify information for reasons other than the safety and security of the United States and its interests is a violation of these principles. It is for this reason that we will continue to press for the release of the article without the material deleted."
It's a good day in America. I feel all, like, filled with the holiday spirit and stuff.
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