The Rush to Judge Ilhan Omar

[Anonymous]

Kirsten Gillibrand is getting completely annihilated by Democrats for this tweet:

As a Senator who represents 9/11 victims, I can't accept any minimizing of that pain. But Trump's dangerous rhetoric against @IlhanMN is disgusting. It’s a false choice to suggest we can’t fight terrorism and reject Islamophobic hate at once—a president should do both.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:[
Until someone gives context that changes the perception, I’m going to think that you don’t know what “context” means. What you seem to be saying is that we need to listen to her speech, understand her message and ignore the offensive words because they don’t matter. That is not the same thing as taking her words out of context. In that case, one could say concede that if people were insulted, perhaps she could have been more careful with her words, yet urge people to hear her message. It’s not clear why some will not make that concession.

Do you honestly think that if Omar conceded that she could have used better words that it would end the controversy? There are people actually producing videos that Trump is retweeting. Omar's opponents are absolutely gleeful at this opportunity. Do you think that if she conceded that they would say, "thanks for the concession, now let's discuss your point about all Muslims being blamed for the attack"?

But, let me turn this around. Here is Omar's complete sentence:

“CAIR was founded after 9/11, because they recognized that some people did something and that all of us were starting to lose access to our civil liberties.”

How would you rephrase that to not be offensive while still making the point that all Muslims were punished for the actions of a few?

...because the entire middle eastern and Muslim communities were being wrongly lumped in with the terrorists who committed the heinous acts on 9/11, yada yada yada.

I'm a bleeding heart liberal, but I think the congresswoman wasn't being sloppy with her choice of words. Words matter, and she knows that...which is precisely why she characterized the terrorists that way. I mean, can't we agree that the terrorism that occurred on 9/11 was in fact committed by terrorists?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's fair to assume tha she has neither apologized nor clarified the words "some people did something" because she expressed her feelings and doesn't regret them. She can certainly make that choice, but in doing so, she is minimizing the pain and suffering that resulted from that terrible act.

As someone who suffered a lot of pain as the result of 9/11, I understand what she was saying -- and you asshats just continue to prove her point. A small group of crazy zealots are not representative of Muslims, yet 18 years later you still are a bunch of Islamophobes. Get over it already. You're embarrassing yourselves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The cavalier attitude with which she views the events of 9-11 are deeply offensive to those of us who lost loved one in the attack and to any American who remembers the unprovoked attack by the terrorists.

+1 I have a friend whose son innocently went to work that day and wound up as a cloud of dust. She's very offended by Omar's words and feels strongly that what occurred was far more than "some people doing something."

I lived in NYC during 9-11 and my coworkers in the Empire State Building (I was late to work) literally saw the plans fly past our office. My immediate thought was "the chickens are coming home to roost" due to U.S. imperialism. My roomate (a lovely Iranian girl) was harassed on the street. I started law school right after, and lived through the irony of being lecture on the "sliding scale of due process" while muslim men were being rounded up in Brooklyn and held incommunicado.

I am not offended in the least minimal amount by what she said. Since 9/11 the U.S. has bombed and killed hundreds of thousands of Muslims. To view 9/11 in isolation is naive and incorrect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:[
Until someone gives context that changes the perception, I’m going to think that you don’t know what “context” means. What you seem to be saying is that we need to listen to her speech, understand her message and ignore the offensive words because they don’t matter. That is not the same thing as taking her words out of context. In that case, one could say concede that if people were insulted, perhaps she could have been more careful with her words, yet urge people to hear her message. It’s not clear why some will not make that concession.

Do you honestly think that if Omar conceded that she could have used better words that it would end the controversy? There are people actually producing videos that Trump is retweeting. Omar's opponents are absolutely gleeful at this opportunity. Do you think that if she conceded that they would say, "thanks for the concession, now let's discuss your point about all Muslims being blamed for the attack"?

But, let me turn this around. Here is Omar's complete sentence:

“CAIR was founded after 9/11, because they recognized that some people did something and that all of us were starting to lose access to our civil liberties.”

How would you rephrase that to not be offensive while still making the point that all Muslims were punished for the actions of a few?

...because the entire middle eastern and Muslim communities were being wrongly lumped in with the terrorists who committed the heinous acts on 9/11, yada yada yada.

I'm a bleeding heart liberal, but I think the congresswoman wasn't being sloppy with her choice of words. Words matter, and she knows that...which is precisely why she characterized the terrorists that way. I mean, can't we agree that the terrorism that occurred on 9/11 was in fact committed by terrorists?

She's a non-native English speaker. I think she meant exactly what she said -- that CAIR was founded due to the anti-Muslim backlash after 9-11.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it's fair to assume tha she has neither apologized nor clarified the words "some people did something" because she expressed her feelings and doesn't regret them. She can certainly make that choice, but in doing so, she is minimizing the pain and suffering that resulted from that terrible act.

As someone who suffered a lot of pain as the result of 9/11, I understand what she was saying -- and you asshats just continue to prove her point. A small group of crazy zealots are not representative of Muslims, yet 18 years later you still are a bunch of Islamophobes. Get over it already. You're embarrassing yourselves.

+1000000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it's fair to assume tha she has neither apologized nor clarified the words "some people did something" because she expressed her feelings and doesn't regret them. She can certainly make that choice, but in doing so, she is minimizing the pain and suffering that resulted from that terrible act.

As someone who suffered a lot of pain as the result of 9/11, I understand what she was saying -- and you asshats just continue to prove her point. A small group of crazy zealots are not representative of Muslims, yet 18 years later you still are a bunch of Islamophobes. Get over it already. You're embarrassing yourselves.

PP here. Whether you want to admit it or not, you're embarrassing YOURself. I stand by what I wrote, and clearly you agree with Ilhan Omar. That's your right. But for you to accuse someone of being an Islamophobe because that person doesn't agree with you about her comment is utterly absurd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it's fair to assume tha she has neither apologized nor clarified the words "some people did something" because she expressed her feelings and doesn't regret them. She can certainly make that choice, but in doing so, she is minimizing the pain and suffering that resulted from that terrible act.

As someone who suffered a lot of pain as the result of 9/11, I understand what she was saying -- and you asshats just continue to prove her point. A small group of crazy zealots are not representative of Muslims, yet 18 years later you still are a bunch of Islamophobes. Get over it already. You're embarrassing yourselves.

+1000000

No said those murderers were representative of Muslims.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it's fair to assume tha she has neither apologized nor clarified the words "some people did something" because she expressed her feelings and doesn't regret them. She can certainly make that choice, but in doing so, she is minimizing the pain and suffering that resulted from that terrible act.

As someone who suffered a lot of pain as the result of 9/11, I understand what she was saying -- and you asshats just continue to prove her point. A small group of crazy zealots are not representative of Muslims, yet 18 years later you still are a bunch of Islamophobes. Get over it already. You're embarrassing yourselves.

+1000000

No said those murderers were representative of Muslims.

Seriously. Has anyone here said anything like that? Why does this ALWAYS have to be the go-to? I would be just as disappointed if I heard anyone say that. And I think, too, that it's shocking because, in 18 years, I never have.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it's fair to assume tha she has neither apologized nor clarified the words "some people did something" because she expressed her feelings and doesn't regret them. She can certainly make that choice, but in doing so, she is minimizing the pain and suffering that resulted from that terrible act.

As someone who suffered a lot of pain as the result of 9/11, I understand what she was saying -- and you asshats just continue to prove her point. A small group of crazy zealots are not representative of Muslims, yet 18 years later you still are a bunch of Islamophobes. Get over it already. You're embarrassing yourselves.

+1000000

No said those murderers were representative of Muslims.

Seriously. Has anyone here said anything like that? Why does this ALWAYS have to be the go-to? I would be just as disappointed if I heard anyone say that. And I think, too, that it's shocking because, in 18 years, I never have.

Then please explain why someone on here - just a few dats ago - compared putting a mosque near WTC was like putting a Nazi flag near a concentration camp?

[Anonymous]

Why isn't anyone calling her out for her claim that CAIR was started in response to the attacks on 9-11? This is factually incorrect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Latest tweet from Rashida Tlaib:

They put us in photos when they want to show our party is diverse. However, when we ask to be at the table, or speak up about issues that impact who we are, what we fight for & why we ran in the first place, we are ignored. To truly honor our diversity is to never silence us.

Democratic Party coming apart at the seams.

If Omar and Tlaib advocated on economics and that was their focus, no one would complain.

Stick to health care policy, climate change, UBI, wealth inequality, raising education standards, etc.

We don't care you guys are muslim. Just don't bang on the drum about it 24/7!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why isn't anyone calling her out for her claim that CAIR was started in response to the attacks on 9-11? This is factually incorrect.

It’s been discussed and she’s already made a statement about that. ??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Latest tweet from Rashida Tlaib:

They put us in photos when they want to show our party is diverse. However, when we ask to be at the table, or speak up about issues that impact who we are, what we fight for & why we ran in the first place, we are ignored. To truly honor our diversity is to never silence us.

Democratic Party coming apart at the seams.

If Omar and Tlaib advocated on economics and that was their focus, no one would complain.

Stick to health care policy, climate change, UBI, wealth inequality, raising education standards, etc.

We don't care you guys are muslim. Just don't bang on the drum about it 24/7!

Yes, how dare they bring up controversial subjects?! They should know their place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Latest tweet from Rashida Tlaib:

They put us in photos when they want to show our party is diverse. However, when we ask to be at the table, or speak up about issues that impact who we are, what we fight for & why we ran in the first place, we are ignored. To truly honor our diversity is to never silence us.

Democratic Party coming apart at the seams.

If Omar and Tlaib advocated on economics and that was their focus, no one would complain.

Stick to health care policy, climate change, UBI, wealth inequality, raising education standards, etc.

We don't care you guys are muslim. Just don't bang on the drum about it 24/7!

Yes, how dare they bring up controversial subjects?! They should know their place.

An unprovoked attack on our country shouldn't be controversial. Omar made it so. That is the issue.