It happens more or less on a regular basis. Somebody with too much time on their hands will point to the large Middle Eastern and Muslim communities in Southeast Michigan and declare their suspicions of nefarious activity. They typically have no real understanding of the nuances — some are Muslim and some are not, some are Arab and some are not, some have been citizens for generations and some have not. But the numbers get lumped together to make the fear more plausible.
It’s bad enough when it’s a low-level political operative or a barfly at your local watering hole, but in this case it was Fred Fleitz, the recently appointed Chief of Staff and Executive Secretary for the National Security Council and also Deputy Assistant to President Donald Trump. The Detroit Free Press reported this week that Fleitz had given an interview last year to Breitbart News where he shared this little chestnut of wisdom:
“…there are some communities in the United States that have not assimilated. I’m not concerned about Amish or Jewish communities, but I will tell you that there are enclaves of Muslim communities in Michigan and Minnesota that concern me. The problem with these Muslim communities is that it is making them susceptible to this radical worldview that wants to destroy modern society, create a global caliphate, and impose sharia law on everyone on Earth.”
Look, I do understand the possibility of danger — every group of people has potentially bad elements. (As a middle-aged white guy from Michigan, I bear the burden of never knowing what stupid thing Ted Nugent is going to do next.) But I also understand the greater harm of disparaging an entire community. Or more to the point, the overwhelming benefits the people of these communities provide Michigan.
John Auchter draws cartoons. Lots and lots of them. You can find them at his incredibly popular website auchtoon.com. You can also find his stuff on Michigan Public Radio’s website under Opinion.
Brilliant!
Agreed.
AMEN!
Awesome Article!! The bigotry expressed by Trump continues with everyone he appoints! They continue to perpetrate hate and control which reminds me of Pre WWII Germany….he is using Hitler’s playbook because I feel
Trump would LOVE to be Dictator. Just observe the way he touts high regard for other dictators and bashed our Allies.
Right on the money.
Republican/Conservatives, I do not think you are all racists. Many of you are very good and patriotic people with just very different ideas of what the right path forward is. In that regard, I can disagree with most of you, but still respect you. However, I think you need to recognize that your house has been taken over by the deplorable types that decent people try to distance themselves from. You shouldn’t be digging in to defend the racism and hate that is plaguing your party. You should be strongly denouncing it and vowing to clean your house.
You have a president and other leaders of your party who openly promote and praise neo-Nazis and Klan members. They are also lauding strongmen, communist dictators and murderous tyrants, such as Kim Jung Un, Vladmir Putin, Rodrigo Duetre and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan with praise and respect, while condemning leaders of free nations, such as our allies Justin Trudeau of Canada and Angela Merkel of Germany. You should recognize that there is a problem that not only makes you look bad, but is also damaging to our country.
If you cannot recognize these problems in your party and rally behind respectful conservatives such as John McCain and John Kasich, who have the courage to call out and stand against this inappropriate behavior, instead of staying in line with what the president wants, then you are part of the problem. If someone calls you a racist, a fascist, or a communist dictator sympathizer, it’s your own fault, because you continue to support and defend those who exhibit that behavior.
It doesn’t have to be this way for you. It’s not too late to come to your senses and show the world that those labels do not belong on you. You can still do the right thing for the country, your family and yourself.
Republican Representative Promotes Known Neo-Nazi
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/steve-king-white-nationalist-neo-nazi-retweet_us_5b200eaee4b0adfb826e8e40
Brothel Owner Wins GOP Primary
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/brothel-owner-dennis-hof-nevada-gop-primary_us_5b20fe4be4b0bbb7a0e36adb
That is not fake news.
What Tom says!
Agreed all!