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Islam is better than Christianity (or, "What Judeo-Christian heritage?")

12/13/2007

[Update: The Democrats in question are: "No" votes: Ackerman, Clarke, DeGette, Hastings (FL), Lee, McDermott, Scott (VA), Stark and Woolsey.

"Present" votes: Conyers, Frank (MA), Holt, Payne, Schakowsky, Schwartz, Wasserman Schultz, Welch (VT) and Yarmuth

Lee voted no on Christmas and missed the Ramadan vote.]

What would you say if I told you that eighteen Democrat Representatives -- elected members of the United States Congress -- either voted against, or simply voted "present" on, a resolution passed in honor of Christmas?

Then, what would you say if I told you that seventeen of these eighteen American Representatives also voted for a resolution passed in honor of Ramadan?

No joke -- and believe me, it gets better.

The resolution brought to the floor in honor of Christmas (H.R. 847 - warning, temporary link) said simply the following:

HRES 847 EH

H. Res. 847

In the House of Representatives, U. S.,

December 11, 2007.

Whereas Christmas, a holiday of great significance to Americans and many other cultures and nationalities, is celebrated annually by Christians throughout the United States and the world;

Whereas there are approximately 225,000,000 Christians in the United States, making Christianity the religion of over three-fourths of the American population;

Whereas there are approximately 2,000,000,000 Christians throughout the world, making Christianity the largest religion in the world and the religion of about one-third of the world population;

Whereas Christians and Christianity have contributed greatly to the development of western civilization;

Whereas the United States, being founded as a constitutional republic in the traditions of western civilization, finds much in its history that points observers back to its Judeo-Christian roots;

Whereas on December 25 of each calendar year, American Christians observe Christmas, the holiday celebrating the birth of their savior, Jesus Christ;

Whereas for Christians, Christmas is celebrated as a recognition of God's redemption, mercy, and Grace; and

Whereas many Christians and non-Christians throughout the United States and the rest of the world, celebrate Christmas as a time to serve others: Now, therefore, be it

    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
      (1) recognizes the Christian faith as one of the great religions of the world;
      (2) expresses continued support for Christians in the United States and worldwide;
      (3) acknowledges the international religious and historical importance of Christmas and the Christian faith;
      (4) acknowledges and supports the role played by Christians and Christianity in the founding of the United States and in the formation of the western civilization;
      (5) rejects bigotry and persecution directed against Christians, both in the United States and worldwide; and
      (6) expresses its deepest respect to American Christians and Christians throughout the world.
Yes, it references and honors Christianity as "one of the world's great religions," using the occasion of Christmas to do so.

Objectionable? Well, to seventeen Democrat Congresspersons, it was more objectionable than the following resolution honoring Islam:

HRES 635 IH

110th CONGRESS
1st Session

H. RES. 635

Recognizing the commencement of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting and spiritual renewal, and commending Muslims in the United States and throughout the world for their faith.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

September 5, 2007

Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas (for herself, Mr. MEEKS of New York, and Mr. ELLISON) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs


RESOLUTION

Recognizing the commencement of Ramadan , the Islamic holy month of fasting and spiritual renewal, and commending Muslims in the United States and throughout the world for their faith.

Whereas since the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, threats and incidents of violence have been directed at law-abiding, patriotic Americans of African, Arab, and South Asian descent, particularly members of the Islamic faith;

Whereas, on September 14, 2001, the House of Representatives passed a concurrent resolution condemning bigotry and violence against Arab-Americans, American Muslims, and Americans from South Asia in the wake of the terrorist attacks;

Whereas it is estimated that there are approximately 1,500,000,000 Muslims worldwide;

Whereas Ramadan is the holy month of fasting and spiritual renewal for Muslims worldwide, and is the 9th month of the Muslim calendar year; and

Whereas the observance of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan commences at dusk on September 13, 2007, and continues for one lunar month: Now, therefore, be it

    Resolved, That--
      (1) during this time of conflict, in order to demonstrate solidarity with and support for members of the community of Islam in the United States and throughout the world, the House of Representatives recognizes the Islamic faith as one of the great religions of the world; and
      (2) in observance of and out of respect for the commencement of Ramadan , the Islamic holy month of fasting and spiritual renewal, the House of Representatives acknowledges the onset of Ramadan and expresses its deepest respect to Muslims in the United States and throughout the world on this significant occasion.
Which of the two is more strongly-worded? I'll take the one that prostrates a nation before "law-abiding, patriotic Americans of African, Arab, and South Asian descent, particularly members of the Islamic faith" who have supposedly been the targets of "threats and incidents of violence" -- it sure goes a long, long way to make clear that not only is America "Okay with Islam," not only is it willing to kowtow to it so as to make doubly sure that we aren't seen as racist bigot Islamophobes, but it pulls the Clintonian move of apologizing to people who have been wronged very little, on behalf of people who have done very little wronging.

Here's one thing I have learned very well and very clearly from my time in Iraq and elsewhere in the Arab/Islamic world: there is one language which is spoken above all others -- the language of power. Concession and compromise are signs of weakness beyond measure to those who would kill us; every time we attempt to show our goodwill and humanity, what they see is an invitation to redouble their efforts.

If the rationale behind this vote was to show the Islamic world not only that is America willing to keep trying to make nice with it (in hopes that the fringe elements will simply vanish), but also that, as a sign of our goodwill, we (in the form of these seventeen Representatives) will symbolically elevate it over the religion that provided America's moral and theological foundation, then it is simply a move made out of a complete and utter ignorance of how our enemies view the world.

If it is out of something other than that, well, that's just pathetic. Merry Christmas to you all anyway -- even if you were one of the eighteen Grinches to vote against it :-)


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2 Comments:

At 4:30 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Where do you get your information? H.R. 635 was an ammendment to the Clean Air Act. H.R. 847 was the Healthcare Disclosure Act of 2007. By December, the 110th Congress was already in the 4000's for House Resolutions! If you're going to try to make a point, do so without lies! If you were misinformed check your facts otherwise you look like an idiot!

 
At 12:41 PM, Blogger Jeff Emanuel said...

While there are similarly-numbered bills, HR 635 IH and HR 847 IH are correct for these; feel free to fact-check this by simply going to Thomas and typing into the Search box "Ramadan" and then "Christmas."

It's very easy to fact-check correctly -- and doing so saves you the embarrassment of beclowning yourself by calling someone a liar when they are not only not knowingly spreading false information, but are, in fact, completely correct.

 

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