RSN: Ta-Nehisi Coates | Ben Carson, Bigot

Bigotry cloaked in the erudition of Ben Carson is nonetheless BIGOTRY. 

Let's remember the disgrace of World War II when Japanese Americans were forced into internment camps, sacrificed their possessions, businesses and were imprisoned for little else other than being Japanese. 

The Ignorance and Prejudice of the PAST is destined to be repeated if Republican Ignorance is perpetuated. 

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FOCUS: Ta-Nehisi Coates | Ben Carson, Bigot 
 
Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Atlantic 
Coates writes: "Christianity has repeatedly been employed to sanctify our most shameful acts. One might counter that Christianity has also been employed to inspire our most honorable acts. But this is a level of complexity that Carson's ilk do not grant to Islam." 
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Ben Carson, Bigot

By Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Atlantic

24 September 15

esterday presidential candidate Ben Carson was asked if he could ever support a Muslim president. Carson, channeling a significant portion of the American electorate, said that he “would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation.” This proclamation is presently receiving the rebuke that it deserves, though it could stand for even more, if only because of its ugly sanctimony.

Ben Carson is a Christian—a fact he shares in common with all our greatest domestic terrorists and self-styled Indian-killers. From slave-holding to ethnic cleansing, Christianity has repeatedly been employed to sanctify our most shameful acts. One might counter that Christianity has also been employed to inspire our most honorable acts. But this is a level of complexity that Carson’s ilk do not grant to Islam. To Carson, Islam is terror and nothing else.

Christians, fully conscious of their own pedigree, need not completely renounce their faith, nor repudiate their scripture. (If a man seeks to plunder you, Dr. Seuss will suffice for showing cause.) But you would think a wise Christian would be more humble. Carson is neither humble nor wise. Carson is a bigot playing to a base that considers bigotry to be a feature, not a bug.

VoteVets.org: What I would tell Ben Carson

It's time to stop fueling HATE with ignorance by Republicans as a distraction from their failures of governance.  

Join VoteVets and tell Ben Carson there is NO conflict between being a Muslim and an American who wants to serve his country.



As an American Muslim who deployed to Iraq for 15 months, I was extremely taken aback to hear that a serious candidate for President of the United States, Dr. Ben Carson, who has probably had to deal with prejudice in his own life, would say that Islam is not consistent with the Constitution I swore to support and defend. 

As a Platoon Leader who led my soldiers in combat operations, there was no conflict between my faith and my duty as an Army Officer. As a Muslim, the Constitution is a document I hold sacred because it protects my religious liberty. 

If I could speak to Ben Carson, I would challenge him to question my allegiance and service to this country. I would challenge him to question my cousin, Shaniyat Chowdhury, a Marine who is now serving. And I would challenge him to question my cousin, Adil Chowdhury, an NYPD Officer. 

But since he'll probably never speak to any of us, I would love your help getting our message heard. 

Join thousands of veterans, military family members, and VoteVets supporters in telling Ben Carson there is NO conflict between being a Muslim and an American who wants to serve his country. 

Ben Carson has taken a bit of heat since he said a Muslim should never be elected President of the United States. But the truth is, his attack on my service, and countless American Muslims who serve our country and communities every day was just as offensive. 

Thank you for standing against his xenophobic attacks. As veterans, military family members, and VoteVets supporters, our voices matter. 

All my best, 

Shahriar Chowdhury 
Iraq War Veteran 
VoteVets 

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PAID FOR BY VOTEVETS ACTION FUND

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Glenn Greenwald | Arrest of 14-Year-Old Student for Making a Clock: The Fruits of Sustained Fear-Mongering and Anti-Muslim Animus 
 
Glenn Greenwald, The Intercept 
Greenwald writes: "What happened in Irving, Texas yesterday to a 14-year-old Muslim high school freshman is highly illustrative of the rotted fruit of the US's sustained climate of cultivated anti-Muslim fear and demonization." 
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US Hands Court Force-Feeding Videos From Guantánamo Bay 
Lauren Walker, Newsweek 
Walker writes: "The Justice Department handed a Washington, D.C. court eight redacted video tapes on August 31 showing the force feeding of a detainee at the U.S. prison at Guantánamo Bay." 
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Charles Pierce | Illinois to Sick State Workers: Good Luck 
Charles Pierce, Esquire 
Pierce writes: "Right now, as is the case in several states, Illinois has no state budget because the state legislature and the governor can't get together on one. The governor now proposes to stiff state workers who have the misfortune to get sick or injured while he and the legislature snipe at each other." 
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Once Again: There Is No ‘War on Cops.’ And Those Who Claim Otherwise Are Playing a Dangerous Game. 
Radley Balko, The Washington Post 
Balko writes: "2015 is shaping up to be the second safest year for police ever, after 2013." 
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Seattle Teachers, School District Reach Agreement to End Strike 
Mike Rosenberg, Reuters 
Rosenberg writes: "The union said it secured pay raises totaling 9.5 percent over three years, after originally asking for 18 percent earlier this month. That is on top of a state-approved, 4.8 percent cost-of-living adjustment." 
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Hungary Repels Refugees at Serbian Border With Tear Gas, Water Cannons 
Al Jazeera America 
Excerpt: "Hungarian police used tear gas and water cannons on hundreds of refugees who broke through a razor wire fence on the border with Serbia on Wednesday, while asylum-seekers prevented from moving through Hungary increasingly began taking a longer route into Western Europe through Croatia." 
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Arctic Warming Produces Mosquito Swarms Large Enough to Kill Baby Caribou 
Cole Mellino, EcoWatch 
Mellino writes: "Some Alaskans joke that mosquitoes are 'Alaska's state bird,' but the pesky insects are becoming no joke." 
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