I've been steaming over the lack of spine showed by Democratic politicians and party leadership generally on the "Burlington Coat Factory Mosque," and Laughing Planet's link to Howard Dean's disappointing endorsement of the relocation position really set me off today. Glenn Greenwald checked, and Dean stands by his statement: http://www.salon.com/...
It's My Party, and I'll Cry if I Want To: http://www.youtube.com/...
I was going to fire off one of my sternly-worded letters, expecting to be ignored as usual, as apparently the Party has chosen to focus on getting the big bucks. What does it take to get action from DC, anyway?
Why Don't You Do Right? http://www.youtube.com/...
Then this story today prompted me to write to the DNC:
Talking Points Memo reported that a top Muslim donor may quit the GOP over the Islamophobia:
http://snipurl.com/... tpmdc_talkingpointsmemo_com]
M-O-N-E-Y: http://www.youtube.com/...
So I wrote to the DNC, linking to the story and asking why they didn't come out strongly in favor of the Lower Manhattan Islamic Community Center, picking up that donor at minimal cost and incidentally doing the right thing? Win-win.
If they need any further motivation, Grover Norquist calls the anti-mosque thing a failing tactic:
[www_huffingtonpost_com
If they need cover, Ted Olson, 9-11 widower (and Prop. 8 hero) supports the President's initial statement on the mosque:
http://snipurl.com/... tpmdc_talkingpointsmemo_com]
Please email the national Democratic Party here: http://www.democrats.org/...
If Tim Kaine's all that as party chair and wants to get out from the shadow of Dean, here's his golden opportunity to be a mensch and a rainmaker at the same time. If anyone knows how to reach him directly, that would be even better.
Yeah, I'm cynical, but it just might work.
Meanwhile, Laughing Planet's Pakistan diary has many useful links to help Pakistanis and incidentally begin to improve our image in the Muslim world: [www_dailykos_com
Start by seeing human beings, not Others or items on a ledger.
Imagine: http://www.youtube.com/...
If it were up to me: I would end the air campaign in Pakistan and use the money to buy up tons of crops from US farmers to send to Pakistan, and to send some farmers and Ag students to help replant later. The independent farmers could use the price supports, lives would be saved, and everyone involved could stop seeing "scary foreign killers" and begin to see farmers. I would make sure the American farmers understood that the foreign aid was directly tied to their price supports, and make sure that those who went over there would have plenty of opportunity to tell their stories to help reduce public ignorance. I would not care how much credit Zardari took as long as people got what they needed. In fact, allowing him to look like a patron would undercut the Taliban with those whose only motivation was that the government was bloody useless. I can’t imagine a better strike against "terrorism", but then I’m not a politician, just a humanities grad and grandchild of farmers.
The bombings will continue until morale improves. /sarcasm (weeps softly)
FTR, I am not a Muslim, nor do I have to be. I am a human being.