Are you, or have you ever been…? UPDATED
The ‘when did you stop beating your wife?‘ smear just got a makeover. Here’s CNN’s Glenn Beck interviewing Keith Ellison, the first Muslim to be elected to congress.
BECK: History was made last Tuesday when Democrat Keith Ellison got elected to Congress, representing the great state of Minnesota. Well, not really unusual that Minnesota would elect a Democrat. What is noteworthy is that Keith is the first Muslim in history to be elected to the House of Representatives. He joins us now.
Congratulations, sir.
ELLISON: How you doing, Glenn? Glad to be here.
BECK: Thank you. I will tell you, may I — may we have five minutes here where we’re just politically incorrect and I play the cards face up on the table?
ELLISON: Go there.
BECK: OK. No offense, and I know Muslims. I like Muslims. I’ve been to mosques. I really don’t believe that Islam is a religion of evil. I — you know, I think it’s being hijacked, quite frankly.
With that being said, you are a Democrat. You are saying, “Let’s cut and run.” And I have to tell you, I have been nervous about this interview with you, because what I feel like saying is, “Sir, prove to me that you are not working with our enemies.”
And I know you’re not. I’m not accusing you of being an enemy, but that’s the way I feel, and I think a lot of Americans will feel that way.
Why not just get Ellison to swear on the bible?
Watch the video for the full flesh-creeping effect.
(Cheers to Tim for the link.)
Update: More enemies right here. (via The Nether-World)
Posted on November 16th, 2006 at 12:50 pm
| See also • Religion: angry and organised • Mark Steel: If you think Islam is medieval, look at Catholicism • Blair to Muslims: You’re on your own |
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Fucking bonkers. I love the bit at the end about Europe. What a knob.
“Sir, prove to me that you are not working with our enemies.â€Â
Then, two lines later,
“I’m not asking you to prove…
It even moved me to words, itself a rare event these days.
Jeez. The guy got elected. By Americans, allegedly. By definition, he’s not the enemy.
I know Teh Fear has been exhaustively hyped, but doesn’t Beck realise how his attitude has been distorted?
And why the opener on Religion? That’s a smokescreen, so much for incisive journalism.
Urgh, just read the ’shooting’ link in Jarndyce’s post. No, Beck doesn’t realise.
Because he is knob cheese.
This sort of stuff is just as common in the UK. One popular theme is the “do you condemn?” question, in which somebody is invited to distance themselves from somebody, with whom they are, thereby, associated.
Even if they do this, they can then be asked again! I once saw Jon Snow do this on Channel Four News, to a non-violent animal rights activist who was asked to condemn somebody else, and when she duly did, was then asked for a second condemnation of somebody else.
Then there’s “divisive”. Non-mainstream politicans can always be asked whether they’re basically A Bad Thing, rather than asking them what they actually stand for and whether that programme is reasonable, realistic or what you will. You can avoid their views altogether and in this instance you’re allowed as many goes as you like.
If this is what will happen if we lose political correctness, then long live political correctness.
That said, valid point by ejh.