by Jack
The title says it all. America is the great melting pot and we ought to be proud of that…period.
We’re a society of immigrants and this broad diversity united behind a commonly shared beliefs in inalienable civil liberties has made us a great nation. We just have to make sure that new arrivals are willing to join in protecting those fundament concepts that formed the Untied States.
The road to equality and tolerance has not been easy and we are still far from perfect. Almost everyone here has some group affiliation or ancestry that in some way has been oppressed or victimized. But, here we are in spite of the bigotry, racism, religious oppression, savagery, etc., Because that came from a tiny minority. The overwhelming citizens of America of were extremely tolerant and strived for equality. So, we’ve done darn well considering all the bias, grievances and hateful legacies we had to shake off as we arrived to form this new nation.
The vast majority of Americans are among the most tolerant, accepting and outright friendly people to be found anywhere in the world. But, that doesn’t mean the struggle against intolerance is over. Some of the worst racism ever to exist is now harbored in groups that were once considered oppressed minorities and they’ve allowed their victimization to turn into hate and bigotry just like their former oppressors. This is another problem to be solved, but we’re making progress, sometimes two steps forward and one back, but we’re getting there.
Most recently we’ve heard fears coming from mostly liberals and from some within the Muslim-American community, that Muslims may be suffering a backlash of hate because of recent acts of terrorism done by people calling themselves mainstream Muslims. (We of course call them radicalized Muslims) As a result of our overall concern for fairness we’ve done very well. But, some among us have gone too far, like failure to connect the words terrorist and Muslim, for an irrational fear that we would be maligning an entire religion. As Bill Whittle pointed out, “If we were to say a man from North Carolina was lynched and omitted it was a black man, we would have done a disservice to the black community.” Who else avoids linking words for politically correct reasons, except our far left? Certainly not the Muslim terrorists! They proudly point-out who they are and who they are killing. They want the world to know, but not saying 
their religious affiliation when reporting terrorism does not make them kinder or more tolerant.
Despite the mounting global death toll at the hands of Islamic terrorists, the United States has been virtually backlash free. That is quite remarkable considering what we’ve suffered and what has triggered mass riots and acts of vengeance in other countries. And this is especially true in Muslim countries, where a perceived disrespectful magazine cartoon can be seen as a good reason to behead anyone associated with its publication.
When it comes to civil rights and tolerance, the United States has set a very high standard, especially for the Muslim world and that alone has created some friction. And even though some may scoff at and malign our values, its the price we must pay to be free and fair even when our enemies aren’t.
So, when our tolerance is tested it only points out that some people are still a little behind on the old evolutionary ladder. Think of them as being forced to stare up at our posteriors, because they don’t get what it means to be tolerant and treat others with respect and dignity. Maybe you’ll get some consolation out of that imagery? I guess when they get tired of the view they will change, in the meanwhile I just hope we won’t.
Chris, that’s okay, you agreed with the most important stuff.
Of course the other really important stuff is glossed over by this “Bush did it first” answer. Bush would not have hesitated in naming the Fort Hood attack nor would he have attempted to downplay the significance of it.
Obama’s entire “war” demeanor is different. His attitude about radical Muslim terrorists is different. And the terrorists have not been deterred by his friendly posture or tone, in fact, they have been emboldened.
It is foolish to tolerate or appease a monster. This monster may be proud of its Muslim link but its pride is irrelevant; it is still a monster and must be dealt with accordingly.
The perception that America is intolerant springs from activists making a lot of noise and media pushing their various agenda. Resentment and division follows.
Before the great activist push of the sixties Americans lived by a few simple principles: 1. Live and let live, 2. Mind your own business, 3. Mind your manners, 4. Love your neighbor as yourself, 5. Mend your fences.
We could be rid of a lot of weighty, burdensome garbage if we would just return to these simple rules of civility.
I agree. it is the united part where we united because of founders guiding principles. Only one thing,if we get too many people here that don’t know about our principles or dont care about them then we got trouble. If they resent what we stand for and say they only come here for the money or something else we got bigger trouble.
And Tina, you clarified the very important stuff glossed over in Chris’ repetitious response naming Bush as the originator of Obamas failings on this subject.
Also: ‘We could be rid of a lot of weighty, burdensome garbage if we would just return to these simple rules of civility.’ …. Yes!
Comparing kills amounts to a stupid comparison.
My research shows it depends on how you define terrorists and how you count the kills. Civilian deaths are sometimes counted as terrorists deaths under drone strikes.
Obama also did not have to start at day one. Much of the work to identify and track terrorists was already done when he took office.
Other statistics show a more complete picture of his effectiveness. More American soldiers killed in Afghanistan under Obama.
Changes made by the Obama administration to the rules of engagement have led to unnecessary American and civilian deaths in the ME, a total disgrace.
Obama funded and armed Al Qaeda in Libya and Syria, how do we account for deaths in this instance?
Bush called for hunting down Osama bin Laden, “Dead or alive.” The left ridiculed him…now they brag that they got him, giving no credit to those who did the work that made it possible.
As CNS News points out, Obama kills rather than gathering valuable information through capture. Winning the war is less important than keeping Obama’s hands clean in terms of the hard work of support for soldiers fighting the war, interrogation and detention.
Frontpage Magazine points to the dramatic changes in how we are allowed to refer to Muslim terrorists made by the Obama administration.
I could go on but what’s the point? The left lives in La La Land, a place where they do everything right and nothing they do is bad or wrong. Such narcissism is dangerous.
Chris: “You are describing a time that never existed.”
Say’s the punk that’s barely started wearing long pants.
You have no experience of the time in question so your assessment is flawed, narrow, and most likely colored by the activist propaganda you learned in college.
I did not claim that every citizen lived a perfect life, so don;t put words in my mouth.
I lived in that time and I can tell you for a fact that generally speaking, Americans were able to live with less animosity and strife because they did mind their own business and were responsible for their own lives and deeds.
Your ignorance flows from a very narrow point of view that you arrogantly believe to be all encompassing.
You are addicted to PC agitation and cannot think in terms other than race and gender, if there is a more destructive drug I haven’t seen it.
Good link Chris, yes, we all know the administration is trying to do this, although this is the first I’ve heard about not using the word mujahedeen, I don’t anyway, nor does anyone else I know or listen to on the media. It’s patently absurd for Obama to try to project his romantic (and false) notions about Islam onto us, he doesn’t have that kind of influence, but I’m sure he thinks so.
Chris do you think for one minute that if a bunch of Christian terrorists from Oklahoma rounded up a two male Muslims and lynched them over their beliefs that the White House would refer to them as a group of terrorists lynched two males in Oklahoma? Kinda omits an important part of the story doesn’t it? Obama and the media would be all over this and indicting Christians. I know they would because they do this stuff already. The media and left mock Christians unmercifully all the time, you know they do.
Christians do not have a war with the left or right.
And this whole subject is why Separation of Church and state is important. People trying to take sides claiming they are the true Christians is absurd. There is the same God for everybody.
ISIS is not a religious group. They are trying to hijack one. They will not succeed.
BTW do you folks know the Russians had bombers do a Fly By on the UK? Cornwall I believe.
China and Russia are friends and we gave our economy to China. We have allot going on beyond ISIS.
We need to rebuild this country and make our own goods again. it is becoming National Security
Chris I have not denied that the Bush administration backed off using words when speaking publicly, so please stop acting as if I have.
I have attempted to show you that Obama has taken this recommendation to a whole different level, referring to Fort Hood, for instance, as “workplace violence” when clearly it was a terrorist attack by a man dedicated to the cause of Al Qaeda and other Muslim terrorist groups.
From your article: “U.S. officials are being advised in internal government documents to avoid referring publicly to al-Qaida and other terrorist groups as Islamic or Muslim, and not to use terms like jihad or mujahedin, which “unintentionally legitimize” terrorism.”
Bush did not change training manuals, outlaw the use of such terms even within departments, create substitute language like “overseas contingency operations,” or tie the hands of our soldiers with ridiculous rules of engagement. All of these changes were done by Obama for the same supposed purpose. None of it has led to less terrorist activity and recruitment. So much for an appeasing posture! Deny that if you think you can.
Obama has NOT merely done the same thing the Bush administration did and your inference that he has is patently absurd.
The changes Obama has made are NOT lies. They must be included in any discussion about how Obama addresses the problem of radical Islam’s war on the West and moderate values…at least it must if honesty is to be maintained at all.