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Trump’s Proposed Muslim Immigration Moratorium Is the Wrong Response to Political Correctness
National Review ^ | December 7, 2015 | David French

Posted on 12/08/2015 1:39:56 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife

I completely get the fury over political correctness. I completely understand that the aristocratic political, media, and academic establishment have been lying to us about Islam and the Muslim world for more than fourteen years. As I explain at length on the home page, it's simply not the case that Islam is a peaceful, tolerant faith plagued by a tiny few extremists. Rather, Islam has massive problem with hate and bigotry - with hundreds of millions of Muslims supporting the worst kinds of religious intolerance and tens of millions more outright terrorist sympathizers. In the refugee controversy, I've repeated over and over that it's foolish to admit a class of refugees when we know the world's leading terror army is attempting to infiltrate the displaced masses or recruit from their ranks. We can be compassionate without making ourselves vulnerable.

But the correct response to political correctness isn't to simply take the opposite position, to answer one form of unthinking ideology with another. By tacking to the opposite of Obama's scolding self-righteousness, Trump isn't charting his own course so much as merely reacting. In fact, now that he's "clarified" that he's not just talking about immigration but a moratorium on all Muslim entry to the United States, he's gone well beyond being the anti-Obama and has reacted straight into foolishness.

Off the top of their heads, even the most hawkish national security conservatives can identify multiple categories of Muslims who should have access to the United States, beginning - of course - with our own citizens. There are many others. What about the interpreters who've laid down their lives to serve our warriors downrange and now find themselves under imminent threat from jihadists? What about members of allied militaries who are training to be the Muslim "boots on the ground" that we need to help take the fight to the enemy? Do we treat the Kurds - who are sheltering so many of Iraq's Christians while also providing the most effective fighting force against ISIS - the same as we treat suspected terrorists? It makes no sense.

On the merits of Trump's proposal, I agree with Ben Shapiro:

Kiss Our Intelligence Apparatus Goodnight. We need to work with Muslims both foreign and domestic. It's one thing to label Islamic terrorism and radical Islam a problem. It's another to label all individual Muslims a problem. That's what this policy does. It's factually wrong and ethically incomprehensible. Donald Trump has just transformed into the strawman President Obama abused on Sunday night.

There is nothing wrong with closing our borders to select groups when confronted with actionable intelligence or to place some groups under greater scrutiny because of known threats. But to treat every single Muslim as a threat, regardless of whether they're from Raqqa, Erbil, Cairo, or Des Moines - and regardless of whether they've tweeted jihadist threats or bled on the battlefield alongside our troops - is to act mindlessly. I would also say Trump is acting maliciously, but I don't think Trump despises Muslims as much as he loves leading the news cycle. This is a political stunt and should be treated as such.

I often speak to audiences on college campuses and elsewhere about the proper response to PC nonsense. I call the formula "apathetic, informed conviction." When formulating cultural or political opinions, one must be completely apathetic to PC pressures - don't react against or capitulate to leftist browbeating. Instead, educate yourself and act through informed conviction. Respond to unreason with reason, to intimidation with a bored shrug, and speak truth even when the truth is unpleasant. In this instance, however, Donald Trump is the voice of attention-seeking reaction, not principled leadership.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: drumptydumpty; gopprimary; islamicterrorism; muslims; nationalsecurity; newscycle; pc; politicalcorrectness; trump
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
It's "reasonable" until the shoe is on the other foot and the "wheels of power" start going into churches saying there are religious extremists there (note, "religious extremists" has become the Left's preferred usage).

I've been hearing this "Shoe is on the other foot" talk in relation to liberals and I believe it's fundamentally flawed.

It rests upon the notion that liberals have any sort of principles which restrain their actions.

If they possessed any self restraint, they wouldn't be liberals.

It's as noble (and empty) as thinking that if you don't torture terrorists, they won't torture you...or that if you don't kill the bear, it won't kill you.

RATs do what they can get away with, period.

121 posted on 12/08/2015 8:27:09 AM PST by gogeo (If you are Tea Party, the GOPee does not want you.)
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To: gogeo

True enough!


122 posted on 12/08/2015 9:11:28 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: jpsb
What the USA needs is more Muslims! /s

...but we DON'T want the Irish!

123 posted on 12/08/2015 9:44:13 AM PST by Rodamala
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To: VanDeKoik
You are aware that there is a whole post from Cruz people claiming that he had the idea first?

I was not aware such a thing existed... but that is probably because it doesn't.

124 posted on 12/08/2015 9:48:15 AM PST by Rodamala
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To: Rodamala

You’re kidding, right?


125 posted on 12/08/2015 10:05:12 AM PST by VanDeKoik
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To: FreedomPoster

And IMHO, that is why Trump is precisely, dead nuts correct in the position he is advocating.


126 posted on 12/08/2015 10:09:19 AM PST by Tucker39 (Welcome to America! Now speak English; and keep to the right....In driving, in Faith, and politics.)
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To: VanDeKoik

No kidding. I naturally doubt any alleged fact some “Yes we can! Yes we can” Trumpanzee offers right now.


127 posted on 12/08/2015 11:01:32 AM PST by Rodamala
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To: Cincinatus' Wife
Kiss Our Intelligence Apparatus Goodnight. We need to work with Muslims both foreign and domestic.

And how's that working out? We get nada from the inhouse muslim community now, and the muslims in the cia/dod/state are busy making it impossible to even talk about islamic imperalism or islamic terrorism.

128 posted on 12/08/2015 11:04:48 AM PST by slowhandluke (It's hard to be cynical enough in this age.)
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To: Rodamala

Trumpanzee
Trumpty dumpties
Trumpsters

Seriously do you guys have some sort of issue where this is the bull you keep using?


129 posted on 12/08/2015 11:11:51 AM PST by VanDeKoik
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To: gogeo
Neither do you, you snarky, pompous, bitter witch.

If I'd call her a dyslexic cunning runt, that might be close to the line.

130 posted on 12/08/2015 11:56:35 AM PST by USS Alaska (Exterminate the terrorist savages, everywhere.)
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To: butterdezillion; Black Agnes; ImNotLying
perhaps defining islam as something other than a religion.

It is not a religion as commonly defined in the Judeo Christian West. It is an ideology that dictates rules for every aspect of life including religion, politics, justice, marriage, hygiene, sexuality, law, science...

It's adherents are commanded by their "god" to dominate the world, overthrow governments, slaughter unbelievers and enslave those to timid or unable to fight and subjugate all women.

It's tenets command muslims to terrorize infidels, to rape, behead, crucify and pillage all that are not muslim or not muslim enough.

It's time we quit asking "What did we do to offend you? Please don't hurt us."

We need to start saying "HELL NO! WE'RE NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE!"

131 posted on 12/08/2015 3:15:42 PM PST by Eagles6 ( Valley Forge Redux. If not now, when? If not here, where? If not us then who?)
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To: FreedomPoster

Yes, you are succinctly correct. As Shakespeare said, “Brevity is the soul of wit.” You and I and most right thinking Americans would understand exactly what you said.

But truth be told; I doubt if even after all the detail I went into in my reply, most Libtards understand what I was saying, or care to. Instead, they will use the patented Obama dodge of ignoring it, and continue to bash Trump.


132 posted on 12/08/2015 6:01:19 PM PST by Tucker39 (Welcome to America! Now speak English; and keep to the right....In driving, in Faith, and politics.)
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To: VanDeKoik
You forgot Trumpeteers.


133 posted on 12/08/2015 6:08:18 PM PST by Rodamala
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