McCarthyism Alive & Well in 21st Century

By Michael Honda

My father loved this country and proudly served in the U.S. Military Intelligence Service. Yet when I was a young child during World War II, we were confined for several years at Camp Amache, an internment camp in southeast Colorado, simply because we were of Japanese ancestry. Hundreds of thousands of innocent Japanese Americans were unjustly placed under scrutiny and suspicion because few in Washington were brave enough to say "no." The decision to incarcerate, according to a report by the congressionally mandated Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians, was based on "race prejudice, war hysteria, and a failure of political leadership."

Now, decades later, something similarly sinister is returning to our country. Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., is organizing congressional hearings on Muslim Americans. These hearings are scheduled to take place within the House Homeland Security Committee.

Rep. King's intent seems clear: To cast suspicion upon all Muslim Americans and to stoke the fires of anti-Muslim prejudice and Islamophobia. By framing his hearings as an investigation of the American Muslim community, the implication is that we should be suspicious of our Muslim neighbors, co-workers or classmates solely on the basis of their religion.

This should be deeply troubling to Americans of all races and religions. An investigation specifically targeting a single religion implies, erroneously, a dangerous disloyalty, with one broad sweep of the discriminatory brush.

In building the pretext for the hearings, King has repeatedly said that American Muslim community leaders have failed to cooperate with law enforcement officials in the effort to disrupt terrorism plots -- a claim that has been refuted by U.S. counter-terrorism experts and top law enforcement officials. Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, for example, who works with a large Muslim American population, has countered King's allegation by asserting, unequivocally, that cooperation with the community is active and aggressive. (Incidentally, Rep. King will not be calling any law enforcement professionals to testify during his hearings.)

While protecting our homeland from acts of violence should be a top priority for policymakers, we must remember that no entire community can be held responsible for the acts of a few people. A "presumption of guilt" should never be applied collectively. We must aggressively investigate criminal behavior, watch for patterns that point to emerging threats, and stay constantly vigilant as citizens, but we must also not divide or target Americans simply on the basis of their faith or ancestry.

Rep. Mike Honda, D-San Jose, serves as House Democratic senior whip, and is a member of both House Budget and Appropriations committees.

By framing his (King) hearings as an investigation of the American Muslim community, the implication is that we should be suspicious of our Muslim neighbors, co-workers or classmates solely on the basis of their religion.

Pakistani authorities have released details of a letter threatening Christians and others who support repeal of Pakistan's blasphemy law.

The note was found along side the body of Shabaz Bhatti, the Christian minister of minorities following his assassination this week.

The Islamic terrorists responsible for Bhatti's murder--Tanseem Al Qaeda and Tehrik-e-Taliban theaten to send all of those like Shabaz Bhatti "one by one to hell."

Here's an English translation of the letter:

All praise is for none but Allah Most High, who bestows glory on believers and makes them victorious and humiliates the infidels and apostates May innumerable salutations and blessings be on the Leader of Mujahideen, the beloved of the Lord of the worlds, Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa sallam. To proceed:

From the Mujahideen of Islam, this fitting lesson for the world of infidelity, the crusaders, the Jews and their aides who claim to be from the Ummah especially, the leader of the infidel government of Pakistan Zardari, his ministers and the employees of all the Organizations of this regime of falsehood.

Oh, enemies of Allah!

Oh, infidels and apostates! Listen and understand whatever is being said. You have transgressed the limits in rebellion against Allah Most High. You legislate what is lawful and forbidden (besides Allah). Love of the Prophet Mohammad sallallahu alaihi wa sallam is our Iman. Our beloved Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam is more dearer to us than this world and whatever is in it. In defense of his honor, we will sacrifice even our lives. And we will never tolerate even a smallest irreverence (insult) in his greatness?inshaAllah. Allah Most High says.

The Prophet is closer to the believers than their ownselves.

(Al-Quran, 33:6)

In the Islamic Sharia, the ruling for one who insults the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam is nothing but death.

By Allah! Now only one of us will remain in this world. Your insolence against Allah has reached such a state that you make laws favoring a blasphemer, and make a Christian disbeliever, Shahbaz Bhatti, the cursed one, as the incharge of the committee? This is the fitting end of the accursed one which would serve as an example to others. And now with the blessing and aid of Allah, the mujahideen will send all of you, one by one to Hell inshaAllah.

O Crusaders! Our war with you will continue until the religion of Allah and His Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam is victorious, and either disbelief and all the taghoot are destroyed, or we attain martyrdom, in the footsteps of Hamza and Musab may Allah be pleased with them.

And Allah has full power and control over His Affairs, but most of men know not (Al-Quran, 12:21)

From the Martyrdom Seekers of Muhammed sallallahu alaihi wa sallam

Tanzeem Al-Qaeda and Tehrik-e-Taliban Punjab

Keli wrote:

By framing his (King) hearings as an investigation of the American Muslim community, the implication is that we should be suspicious of our Muslim neighbors, co-workers or classmates solely on the basis of their religion.

That's not true. I am suspicious of radical Muslims and Sharia Law BEFORE the King hearings. Twenty-two attacks or plots from one religious group (comprising .6 percent of the US population) is worthy of examination. Even Eric Holder has said that things he knows about Muslims in America keeps him awake at night. If the Amish had been guilty of as many attacks and plots, we would be investigating them! What makes Muslims special? Anti-Zionism?

Using new information obtained from studies of old Soviet files in Moscow and now the famous Venona Intercepts -- FBI recordings of Soviet embassy communications between 1944-48 -- the record is showing that McCarthy was essentially right. He had many weaknesses, but almost every case he charged has now been proven correct. Whether it was stealing atomic secrets or influencing U.S. foreign policy, communist victories in the 1940s were fed by an incredibly vast spy and influence network.


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Aaron wrote:While I don't agree with the hearings and believe King is an idiot (perhaps the visionaries told him to hold these hearings)

Stephanie wrote:I will say this, most acts of terrorism conducted by environmental and animal rights extremists are against property and are not designed to kill or physically injure anyone.