A Response To My Many Critics - And A Solution (Dennis Prager Responds Over Keith Ellison Alert)

Townhall.com ^ | 12/05/2006 | Dennis Prager

[goldstategop]

A long and thoughtful response over the l'affaire Keith Ellison by Dennis Prager to his critics. There's a reason ALL public servants swear on The Bible. We after all as Americans, have a national culture rooted in it and our concept of self-government derives among other things, from our Judeo-Christian understanding of human freedom and its relationship to God and earthly power.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." -Manuel II Paleologus

[Lurker]

I cannot name any Western European country that does not have a document similar to the American Constitution and something akin to our Bill of Rights.

I can name two.

England and France.

L

[taxesareforever]

Had he originally announced that he would do that, I would have written a different column -- filled with praise of him

I would never praise a person who holds to the Koran. If he brought a Koran and a Bible he would be a typical democrat. Say and act one way but do something different. Nothing would change if he brought both books. He is still a muskie adhering to the Koran.

[bruinbirdman]

What book did Barak Hussein Obama swear on?

[smoketree]

Agreed.
Our enemy which seeks our total destruction gets it's guidance from the koran.
If we allow a member of our government who is sworn to protect us swear his oath on the book that seeks our end is suicidal in the name of diversity.
I believe this is very serious.
You wouldn't allow a career crimunal into your house for dinner simply because he is a biped like you so he can see everything he wants to steal.

[davisfh]

"You wouldn't allow a career crimunal into your house for dinner simply because he is a biped like you so he can see everything he wants to steal."

Indeed!!

[Zeroisanumber]

I cannot name any Western European country that does not have a document similar to the American Constitution and something akin to our Bill of Rights.

England has no Constitution-style document enumerating specific rights such as the right to free speech or freedom of religion. And I could very well be wrong, but to my knowledge neither does Canada.

[Zeroisanumber]

What book did Barak Hussein Obama swear on?

Senator Obama is a member of the Trinity United Church of Christ on Chicago's South Side. So a Bible, if anything.

[TheLion]

This is more important than most seem to comprehend at the moment.

[kitkat]

BUMP

[ByteMercenary]

Excellant response; well reasoned and articulate. Too bad that the leftists mentioned on the referenced web sites will not read it; most could not understand it if they did. Prager's prose requires more than a fifth grade education to understand.

[WilliamofCarmichael]

RE: "Senator Obama is a member of the Trinity United Church of Christ"

But wasn't his father and his grandfather Muslims? Don't the sons sign in as Muslims at birth -- whether they want to or not?

Call me a bigot.. please! but I have suspicions about young Mr. Obama.

How come he gets a pass from radical Muslims for leaving Islam? Do they say, "Aw, shucks. He was just a kid?"

Every radical Muslim nut-group in the world issues fatwas against some poor Ali Al Sixpack if he leaves Islam.

[Alouette]

I think it has probably already been pointed out, but the official swearing-in ceremony for members of Congress is given to all representatives at once, and there are no Bibles, Torahs, Books of Mormon, Dianetics, Kama Sutras, Allen Ginsburg Poetry, Lady Chatterley's Lover, or any other "holy books" of any religion or non-religion in sight.

All this uproar is over a private photo-op performed after the official ceremony.

[TangoLimaSierra]

To me, Ellison swearing in on a Bible would be like a christian swearing to Zoroaster. What good is that?

[Coldwater Creek]

It is truly amazing that otherwise intelligent Freeper's and other's on talk radio still do not get this fact.

Thanks for bringing it to our attention again!

[liberallarry]

A guy named Rosenberg over at TPM Cafe wrote one of the "racist" screeds Prager talks about. Read it...if you want to gag. The man is the most pompous, self-righteous, ignoramous I've ever encounted. A living advertisement for anti-semitism and the value of a nazi response.

I know how controversial this last sentence is. I do not post it thoughtlessly.

[Sloth]

I generally like Prager, but he's not being honest.

I agree with the tens of thousands of office holders in American history who have honored the American tradition -- I am well aware it is not a law, and I do not want it to be -- of bringing a Bible to their ceremonial or actual swearing-in... I am for no law to be passed to prevent Keith Ellison or anyone else from bringing any book he wants to his swearing-in

Yet in his earlier column he said:

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...

The only way that we may disallow such an activity is by law. And it would be an unconstitutional law, at that.

[liberallarry]

I am for no law to be passed to prevent Keith Ellison or anyone else from bringing any book he wants to his swearing-in

Praeger goes on to say

Why wouldn't Ellison bring a Bible along with the Koran?

This may seem like quibbling but it isn't. Praeger doesn't object to Ellison taking the oath on the Koran and the Bible. He objects to him taking the oath on Koran instead of the Bible.

He's not being dishonest. If he's at fault it's for not being careful. The issue is not exactly a strictly legal one...but it's not clear how to resolve it.

Also, one wonders how the Left would have responded had Ellison been white.

[AmishDude]

The Constitution, interestingly enough, does not assert any "right" to free speech nor freedom of religion. Read it carefully.

[The Ghost of FReepers Past]

People have seized on this and twisted Prager's words to mean that he thinks we should force a different religion on the man. That's not the point at all. But how do you argue with people who don't care what you actually said?