Once again, Republican presidential hopeful, Herman Cain, shows his Islamophobic colors.
BECK: You said you would not appoint a Muslim to anybody in your administration.
CAIN: The exact language was when I was asked, “would you be comfortable with a Muslim in your cabinet?” And I said, “no, I would not be comfortable.” I didn’t say I wouldn’t appoint one because if they can prove to me that they’re putting the Constitution of the United States first then they would be a candidate just like everybody else. My entire career, I’ve hired good people, great people, regardless of their religious orientation.
BECK: So wait a minute. Are you saying that Muslims have to prove their, that there has to be some loyalty proof?
CAIN: Yes, to the Constitution of the United States of America.
BECK: Would you do that to a Catholic or would you do that to a Mormon?
CAIN: Nope, I wouldn’t. Because there is a greater dangerous part of the Muslim faith than there is in these other religions. I know that there are some Muslims who talk about, “but we are a peaceful religion.” And I’m sure that there are some peace-loving Muslims.
It’s comforting to know that Mr. Cain believes that “some” peace-loving Muslims exist. That surely lets at least 5 or 6 of the world’s 1.5 billion Muslims off the hook.
Has no one informed Cain that anyone elected to public office is required to take an oath to defend the Constitution thereby making the attempt to force a specific group of citizens to take a loyalty oath a redundant measure, to say nothing of it being unconstitutional in itself? Pandering to a bigoted segment of the conservative base has become a dangerous practice among many Republican politicians. Should Americans of Italian descent be asked to take a loyalty oath before taking office because of the existence of the Mafia? Following Cain’s line of reasoning, the answer is a resounding ‘yes’. When the actions of extremists becomes the gauge by which we measure the value of the majority, then everyone is dangerous and unsuited for elected office.
I’m not going to bother rehashing the entire Islam vs. Christianity debate but suffice to say that the Bible is rife with passages depicting cruel and violent acts. If you’re going to ask Muslims to take a loyalty oath based on specific passages found in the Quran, then you’d best ask Christians to do the same. The fact of the matter is that bigots and racists always have what they believe to be just cause for their hate. What they will never admit, however, is that they’re actually bigots and racists. Every Islamophobe will tell you that they know “a good Muslim” in the same way that racists will tell you that they know of at least one “good black man”. It’s their feeble attempt at removing the bigot label displayed so prominently on their foreheads. It’s not every Muslim or black man that is dangerous, they’ll tell you, it’s just most of them. Of course.
Cain has little chance of winning the Republican primary. The base would never allow a black man to become their candidate. They’re just not ready for it, especially after four years of Obama. But what if through some strange set of circumstances, someone like Herman Cain or Sarah Palin or Donald Trump or Michele Bachmann ever did become President of the United States? Can one imagine the damage they would inflict upon the nation? It would make the presidency of George W. Bush appear Washingtonian in comparison. Shudder to think…
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By that measure, Christians should be made to take an extra oath, considering that the home-grown terrorist organizations who are supposedly “Right To Life” activists, are professed to be Christian. And you know, birds of a feather and all that…
I would imagine that Cain’s comments have really made Andre Carson and Keith Ellison feel welcome in the hallowed halls of congress. As far as I know neither one of these gentlemen has taken any action to subvert the constitution yet. Better keep our eyes on them just in case.
Ditto.
Mario – You’ve published some pretty scathing articles and guest postings about Mormons, presumably targeting Romney and Huntsman. Don’t you feel the same way about them because of their religions as Cain feels about Muslims?
I watched Piers Morgan interview Romney the other day, and he climbed on board the Mormon attack train too.
I guess I don’t see the difference between the two levels of distrust.
Tommy, why make a statement about me which you cannot back up with any evidence?
a) I have never written a scathing article about Mormons. My thoughts on Mormonism are no different than that of any other organized religion. I don’t care for any of them. But if you believe that I have written such an article, than please link to it.
b) I had a guest author who did write on Mormons. Her beliefs were hers, not mine.
c) As for Romney and Huntsman, I don’t criticize individuals for their religious beliefs. If you think I do, then, again, feel free to link to a post where I criticized those two for their religious beliefs.
d) I happen to like Jon Huntsman. I think he is bright, articulate and would probably make a fine President. I have said as much about him in writing.
e) As usual, you critique without dealing with the the essence of the story. My critique of Mr. Cain was that he showed himself to be Islamophobic. If you disagree, then say so and explain why you think that asking Muslims to take a loyalty oath is not an act of bigotry.
Keep it honest, Tommy. It works better that way.
I guess he’s never gotten ar far as Article VI, paragraph 3:
However, since Cain’s attention span only runs to three pages and Article VI appears on page four, he probably never got that far.
Here’s another page that highlights similar nasties in the bible; it’s not as well-written and hasn’t been upodate much lately, but it’s another source. And, for your amusement, take a look at this.
“Don’t you feel the same way about them because of their religions as Cain feels about Muslims?”
I guess you don’t. I stand corrected.
I’m glad you like Huntsman. Me too. He likes rock-n-roll, diners, and has a GED. What’s not to like?
I’m glad Beck bothered to clarify that there are no similarities between Mormons and Muslims. I am so sick of hearing that from our persecutors.