Wednesday, December 06, 2006

Some of my worst enemies are...

If you're lucky, you've never heard of Dennis Prager. He is a talk-show host and self-advertiser, a Jewish darling of the right. He is also a prime example of the kind of person I was talking about when, years ago, I observed that there were a lot of Jews who would have been happy to join the Nazi Party, had they been eligible.

Prager's latest--and, unfortunately, successful--effort to get attention has been a series of columns in Human Events, which bills itself as "The National Conservative Weekly * Since 1944," (when they had the perspicacity to attack FDR in the middle of a war to save civilization). Most recently, he has been making noise over the intent of Rep.-elect Keith Ellison (D-MN) to take his oath of office on the Quran. (Ellison is, apparently the first Muslim elected to Congress. And about time.)

According to Prager, every congressman and senator, not to mention the President and the VP, indeed, every federal official must take the oath on the Bible. Indeed, he says that the Bible should be one that includes both New and Old Testaments, even though he admits that we Jews (he's the kind of person who makes me ashamed to be Jewish) don't believe that the New Testament is properly part of the Bible. (Note that Prager does not say which version of the Christian Bible should be used, as long as it is a Christian Bible.)

What is the "reasoning" behind this? "When all elected officials take their oaths of office with their hands on the very same book, they all affirm that some unifying value system underlies American civilization." Funny, some of us thought that the value system that underlies American civilization is the freedom of each individual to think as he chooses.

Now, this is an issue of no importance beside the fate of people--Muslim, Christian, Jewish, agnostic, atheist, etc., etc. who are dying around the world as a result of hate, intolerance and fear--the very emotions that people like Prager play to.

Frankly, I don't care what book Keith Ellison chooses to take the oath of office on; he could swear on the telephone book for all the difference it will make. What I DO care about is that he abide by his oath, that he serve the people of his district, and the nation, honestly and with his best efforts. If he does that, he will be miles ahead of all the pompous fakes who have stood up, placed their hand on the Bible and lied like Hell.

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