Herman Cain: Americans have right to ban mosques
Herman Cain, supposed defender of the U.S. Constitution, told Fox News this morning that American communities have the right to ban mosques.
Like I said Friday, Cain has proved himself to be no better than a David Duke or a Lester Maddox. His campaign was never going anywhere and had already peaked. Now he’s in the process of throwing away whatever reputation his brief moment in the sunshine might have brought him.
UPDATE: It should be noted that at least some conservatives understand the issues at stake here and understand the dangers and repugnance of what Cain has said.
At RedState, a poster by the name of T Christopher, apparently a once-fervent Cain supporter, writes, among other things:
“I know the Cain defenders will be out in full force and I’m sure my previous support for Mr. Cain will be washed away with the fact that I am so absolutely appalled by his Sunday remarks. I’m also very aware that sites like HuffPo and ThinkProgress will probably be the only places where I will find anyone who agrees with me; or at least will be willing to share their views. I get that; and I’m fine with that. Bring on the RINO assaults.
Despite that, I share this story and my thoughts with you without reservation, because last I checked it was among the many causes of conservatism to defend religion from all who would aim to do it harm; to uphold the Constitution and defend the First Amendment. Did I miss something? Did someone float around a memo addressing the change in our ideology and leave me off the distribution list?
Is Islam not a religion? If a “community” can tell a group of Muslims that they cannot construct a mosque, could another community not deny a group of Catholics the opportunity to construct a church? Could a community of atheists not deny all individuals the right to construct any places of worship?
… I am sincerely disappointed that Mr. Cain has decided to take his campaign in this direction. He has not only lost my support, he has now, regrettably, also lost my respect.”
Good for him.
– Jay Bookman
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541 comments Add your comment
Straw Man
July 17th, 2011
2:13 pm
Oh…so you DO watch Fox, Jay?
Kamchak
July 17th, 2011
2:18 pm
Herman Cain — two week old cold pizza.
David
July 17th, 2011
2:29 pm
Of course you have to watch FOX if you want to know what the lunatic Right is thinking. Just not if you’re wondering what’s going on with the Murdochs and their phone hacking schemes. Cain is proof that you don’t have to be white to be a racist. I don’t know that he thinks he’s peaked or not. The fact that he got into the race in the first place demonstrates a wide capacity for self delusion. But he’s listening to someone on his staff who’s telling him how much traction he can get with the bible beaters out there who can’t wait deny someone else the right to practice their religion. Along with the likes of Michele Bachman, Sarah Palin and the rest of that loony bin of right wing candidates, there’s lots for comedians and late night talk show hosts to lampoon to the delight of millions.
N-GA
July 17th, 2011
2:43 pm
If only everyone who contributes to GOP candidates would send all their money to Herman Cain. Problem solved….
lantana
July 17th, 2011
3:14 pm
What an idiot!
Tamika
July 17th, 2011
3:16 pm
Didn’t mention Shelia Jackson Lee’s race baiting comments yesterday did you. You see Bookman’s concerns are only one sided. He wants to talk about Cain’s comments but will never comment on the overt race baiting from Jackson-Lee. Her hate filled, hate inciting comments are apparently just fine with Bookman.
Thomas
July 17th, 2011
3:17 pm
Jay- you do know that David Dukes and the KKK use to kill folks, correct? Little too much school girl drama on this never ending story.
By the way for all the so called intelligent and informed folks on the blog- where was the first Mosque in Atlanta?
in shallah
Hmmmmmmmm
July 17th, 2011
3:21 pm
One sided and totally flawed logic… A true racist would truly understand a racist….Thanks Jay for you never ending one sided totally skewed logic….
Mama Says
July 17th, 2011
3:25 pm
David it is apparent that you are more suited for the MSNBC crowd. The loons on the left. I am sure since you think anyone who watches FOX is brianwashed maybe you can explain how Rachael Madow, Kieth Olberman and Schultz are any less extreme or the Libs who watch them are any better. While you are at it explain how it is that Obama voted against an increase in the debt limit under Bush and now wants to increase it since he is in office. Matter of fact if he gets his increase the limit will be 7 trillion higher than what he voted against !
Toby
July 17th, 2011
3:28 pm
You gotta work hard to be the Mayer of Crazy town.
M
July 17th, 2011
3:29 pm
Because everyone knows that Christians don’t have any sets of comparable laws.
Jack P
July 17th, 2011
3:30 pm
Yes a community should be able to block the building of a Mosque. Jay you have misinterpreted what Mr. Cain is saying and that makes you a biased reporter who has his own liberal agenda, damned the truth.
M
July 17th, 2011
3:31 pm
Yes a community should be able to block the building of a church.
Mama Says
July 17th, 2011
3:35 pm
One more fact that CANNOT be ignore as to why the left has lost their collective mind.
normal mind says when you are in deb,t cut what you don’t need and budget your money.
the liberal mind says ask for more credit, spend more and let your kids pay the bills after you die.
oldguy
July 17th, 2011
3:39 pm
And they frequently do M.
zoning etc.
The coty of Winston-Salem recently blocked a church being proposed by my home church.
Abbey Normal's Mind
July 17th, 2011
3:39 pm
I get teh nooze from Fox!
M
July 17th, 2011
3:40 pm
Zoning is different from “OMG SHARIA LAW.”
midtownguy
July 17th, 2011
3:40 pm
I find him more to be the black George Wallace. Wallace was more of an opportunist than a racist who loved the spotlight. He said what he had to say to get attention. If Cain actually believes what he is saying, then he would have to look up to see Lester Maddox or George Wallace.
Rodriguez
July 17th, 2011
3:43 pm
Oh come on bookman…Comparing Herman Cain to David Duke and Lester Maddox? What kind of fool would make such a stupid comment?
josef
July 17th, 2011
3:45 pm
Thomas…
Interesting post there, especially your in shallah…it’s in sha’All-h and used when a future wish or action is stated…not something you did in your post. Secondly, there’s nothing specifically “Muslim” in the phrase, though Koranic scholars do suggest it be used in these circumstances of future volition. It translates pretty much directly into our English “G-d willing.”
It is also much a part of everyday moden Spanish in the phrase “ojala” and in Ladino, “ojala,” pronounced in the latter with the zh-sh “i.e. o-zha-lah.”
I’m not sure about the first mosque in Atlanta, but Islamic prayers date back at least to the 1860s when Turkish and Ottomon soldiers attached to Confederate units were reported facing Mecca and performing the rites of their faith. In Georgia such practices go back to the 18th Century among the Sea Islanders slaves who came from Islamic areas of West Africa and kept their faith in a marisco form for many generations.
RW-(the original)
July 17th, 2011
3:46 pm
I wasn’t about to let let this notion that Fox News is ignoring the News Corp story interfere with watching the race, the Braves, and the poker tournament, but I just popped over to their web site and it’s one of the lead stories. Where do you people get these crazy ideas?
out of the blue
July 17th, 2011
3:46 pm
Who opened the flood gates and let the right wing lunatic fringe loose?
josef
July 17th, 2011
3:52 pm
RW
Was channel surfing myself earlier and it was the topic of one of Fox’s roundtable discussions…
Redneck Convert (R--and proud of it)
July 17th, 2011
3:56 pm
Well, this is what happens when you let one of Those People pretend to be a Republican. Cain don’t even know the code words. You got to start off with something like “I got nothing against Muslims, but . . .” or “I’m not a bigot, but I believe . . .” Some of the godly Republicans on this blog got the code words down pat, but you can’t expect people with the wrong color of skin to do it right. And after you do it right, you got to slam the librul Democrats with something like “George Wallace was a Democrat” or “At least our guy never killed a woman by driving her off of a bridge and then going to get drunk.”
So bring on the next canadate. I got no patience with people that are too ignorant to know how to do a racial or religious slur without being accused of being a rascist or bigot. They need to start testing people before they announce as Republican canadates. People like Cain give the rest of us Conservatives a bad name. I mean, I agree with everything he says, but he just don’t know how to say it right.
Bill Cranford
July 17th, 2011
3:57 pm
Mr. Bookman, I bet you think Beverly Hall is a great educator also, right?
You liberals need to wake up to what is really going on around you.
GreatATLGuy
July 17th, 2011
3:58 pm
Herman Cain should be banned from singing Negro spirituals at town hall meetings.
Ryan
July 17th, 2011
3:58 pm
Much like a community can come together to block a Wal-Mart, so do they have the right to block a mosque, a church, a restaurant, or the toilet that you call this article. Jay, this is a classless example of how STUPID liberals have become. The fact is, Cain is black and a conservative and that pi$$es off all of you liberal Democrats who are in fact RACISTS. Deal with it, stupid.
The Thin Guy
July 17th, 2011
4:00 pm
We should have the same number of mosques in the United States as the number of churches and synagogues in Saudi Arabia. Herman Cain is a breathe of fresh air and a man capable of running this country and getting us out of the mess the left wing idiots have created. We need a leader. ØDumbø couldn’t lead Charlie Sheen to a crack house staffed by the Mustang Ranch.
RW-(the original)
July 17th, 2011
4:03 pm
“At least our guy never killed a woman by driving her off of a bridge and then going to get
drunksober.”Sorry, but that one needed fixing.
GreatATLGuy
July 17th, 2011
4:05 pm
@Ryan – you’re resorting to name-calling, I talked you Repubs abhor (and whine about) that trait in liberals…. ps – if you don’t know what abhor means you should Google it. You also need to listen to what HC is really saying in this bigoted tirade.
oldguy
July 17th, 2011
4:10 pm
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!!!!!
Kamchak
July 17th, 2011
4:10 pm
GOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLL!
midtownguy
July 17th, 2011
4:12 pm
I think some conservatives are making assumptions about the objections to Cain’s comments and various stances on issues. It has nothing to do with his being black, conservative or Republican and everything to do with his views being prejudiced and unconstitutional.
Personally, I enjoy reading Thomas Sowell’s editorials even though I rarely agree with his point of view because I believe him to be intelligent and thoughtful and he can make a conservative point without attacking or demeaning others. Cain is the exact opposite of that.
oldguy
July 17th, 2011
4:13 pm
Nice one Kammie!!!
midtownguy
July 17th, 2011
4:21 pm
That US Goalie is enough to turn a gay man straight!
Deal
July 17th, 2011
4:21 pm
lantana
July 17th, 2011
3:14 pm
“What an idiot!”
Cain or Bookman?
Kamchak
July 17th, 2011
4:22 pm
Uh, oh…….
The Owl
July 17th, 2011
4:25 pm
I agree communities should have the right to ban mosques and declair sharia law illegal and unconstitutional.
1811/1801 - 0311/0317
July 17th, 2011
4:25 pm
Of course under our Constitution mosques must be allowed.
Special note: I suppose that if thousands of green Martians landed comprising a huge faction that ate humans alive but who also worshipped the god “Mars” that we would also allow “Mars Temples” to be built. But alas, I digress.
However, whether you realize it or not (or care or not) you can rest assured that each and every new mosque in this country receives an FBI case number for intelligence gathering purposes (and many have active/paid informants on the inside). Yep, this is going on even under your Obama administration ………… you can take it to the bank.
“The number of terror incidents involving Islamic radicals who are U.S. citizens has seen an uptick in recent years.[142] The September 11, 2001 terror attacks by al-Qaeda killed nearly three thousand people. Between 2001 and the end of 2009, the U.S. government reported forty-six incidents of “domestic radicalization and recruitment to jihadist terrorism” that involved at least 125 people. There had been an average of six cases per year since 2001, but that rose to thirteen in 2009.[142]
A March 2010 Bipartisan Policy Center paper points out an increasing number of American Muslims are playing high-level operational roles in al-Qaeda and aligned groups, as well as a larger numbers of American Muslims who are attaching themselves to these groups.[143]
A 2007 Pew poll reported that 15% of American Muslims under the age of 30 supported suicide bombings against civilian targets in at least some circumstances, while a further 11% said it could be “rarely justified.” Among those over the age of 30, just 6% expressed their support for the same. (9% of Muslims over 30 and 5% under 30 chose not to answer).[115]
More than 80% of all convictions tied to international terrorist groups and homegrown terrorism since 9/11 involve defendants driven by a radical Islamist agenda, a review of Department of Justice statistics shows.[144]
Though Muslims represent about 1% of the American population, they constitute defendants in 186 of the 228 cases DOJ lists.[144]”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_the_United_States
pogo
July 17th, 2011
4:26 pm
Had the pleasure of staying a few days out in Seattle last week. Some of the business people I was there to see are some of the most die-hard liberals that live in this country. Thursday night, during a social outing, they finally admitted that Obama is a loser and the country desperately needs something else. It took a few cocktails to loosen them up but boy when the evil liquid took effect, they vented. Now if these people have lost faith in Obama, what is left for him?
JohninJax
July 17th, 2011
4:26 pm
Jay you are such an idiot liberal. Liberals like you are so ready to play the race card or should I say the idiot card when you are trying to trash someone who does not support “the chosen one.” No group divides our country like the liberals.
dre
July 17th, 2011
4:30 pm
…and Herman Cain is against teaching “Gay History” to kindergartners, and he’s against Gay marriage. This thing about communities actually having a say as to what goes in their community? Sounds like he’s making too much sense for some folks. I’ll either vote for Cain, or write him in.
1811/1801 - 0311/0317
July 17th, 2011
4:31 pm
P.S.
Just remember folks, a “democracy” is the only form of government I know of that is expressly set up to allow it’s own (redundant) self-destruction.
“At the root of the opposition to mosques is the fear that Islam is not just another religion like Christianity or Buddhism or whatever. These fears are well-founded. In fact, Islam is NOT a religion like other religions; and Islamic scholars are the first ones to say so. For example, Yusuf Qaradawi (the most influential Muslim cleric in the world today, the spiritual head of the Muslim Brotherhood) said: “Islam is not a religion in the common, distorted meaning of the word, confining its scope only to the private life of man. By saying that it is a complete way of life, we mean that it caters for all the fields of human existence. In fact, Islam provides guidance for all walks of life — individual and social, material and moral, economic and political, legal and cultural, national and international.”
“This “complete way of life” is the Sharia sacred Islamic law which calls for the legal subordination of non-Moslems to Moslems and of women to men; it requires death for homosexuals, apostates and blasphemers. And, it calls for eternal war (jihad) against non-Moslems until Islamic law dominates throughout the world. These doctrines all come from the Koran and the sayings of Muhammad which are preached and taught in every mosque in the world. Mosques are not like churches because mosques are centers for the propagation of sharia law. If Islam is not like other religions, it should not be treated like other religions. If mosques are not like churches and other houses of prayer, then mosques should not be treated like other houses of prayer.”
“Mosques are centers for the propagation of Islamic supremacist ideology, and they should be treated like other centers for the propagation of supremacist, violent and imperialist ideology, such as the Communist Party, the Nazi Party, or the Christian Identity Movement.”
Author Unknown
midtownguy
July 17th, 2011
4:33 pm
Owl: Can communities ban any religious organizations they find objectionable? If so, I will start a petition to ban, within the confines of Midtown, any religious organization that does not accept openly gay members and fully support marriage equality. About 70% of the churches, including all the Baptist ones, will have to close up shop and move.
Kamchak
July 17th, 2011
4:33 pm
Free futbol.
getalife
July 17th, 2011
4:33 pm
Dave’s candidate does not believe in freedom of religion.
The last roundtable I saw at fox they said they would not touch the murdoch scandal with a ten foot pole.
London police chief quits.
Neal Ray Schmidt
July 17th, 2011
4:34 pm
Yes, American’s should have the right to vote Mosk, Sharia laws, and the islam out of their area is they don’t want it. This is American democracy and voting are the rules. The liberals are deviding the country with the liberal medias!!!!
kc
July 17th, 2011
4:34 pm
cain leading the dolt revolt
SpecialKinNJ
July 17th, 2011
4:36 pm
Citizens of other religious persuasions aren’t identified in official checklists as, for example, Methodist-Americans, Catholic-Americans or Jewish-Americans,and by and large tend to think of themselves as Americans who happen also to be of the particular religious persuasion involved. So it is with members of ethnic groups as well.
If citizens who happen to be of Muslim persuasion think of themselves as American Muslims and not Muslim Americans, they should be permitted to erect houses/places of worship subject only to general ordinances governing construction there of.
getalife
July 17th, 2011
4:39 pm
pogo please,
They probably rolled their eyes and ignored you.