there are somewhere between 2-6 million people who consider themselves

[WCGreen]

as followers of the Islamic faith here in God Fearing US of A...

So all these people are worried about special laws that this growing tide of Muslims are going to force on us.

Since when did the majority in the country ever bow to the wishes of any minority, especially one that makes up less than 2% of the population at best...

Jesus H Christ, people get all worked up over the damnedest things.

But we know that some people aren't happy unless they feel threatened by imagined fears.

I just don't get it...

[leftstreet]

1. The only minority that rules the US...the wealthy 1%

:grr:

[grahamhgreen]

3. +1.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. I don't get it either.

I suspect some folks just aren't happy unless they're worried about something, and I suspect they see the followers of Islam as different enough to encourage their fears.

Recommended.

[Mojeoux]

4. I remember when it was witches, warlocks and alien abductions. nt

[CaliforniaPeggy]

11. Exactly. I remember those times too...nt

[Recursion]

5. The faux worry is based on the UK and the Netherlands

Where immigrant communities have in some cases essentially formed nearly autonomous sub-states.

[LeftishBrit]

10. 'Nearly autonomous sub-state' in this context sounds like a euphemism for 'ghetto'

There ARE semi-isolated immigrant communities in the UK, as there are in America I believe; not restricted to Muslims; and often linked to poverty plus English limitations plus very strong family ties. However, there are many very integrated and diverse areas in the UK, e.g. the place where I live. Actually, perhaps the strongest 'ghetto-ization' in the UK has been between Catholic and Protestant communities in Northern Ireland, who can scarcely be described immigrants.

In any case, the isolation and separation of some mostly-poor immigrant communities is quite the opposite extreme from their taking over the country.

[EFerrari]

6. The Bush Junta spent millions of dollars making people afraid of Muslims

Didn't the Rumsfeld Pentagon open a big new propaganda office? Here it is:

Office of Strategic Influence

The Office of Strategic Influence, or OSI, was a department created by the United States Department of Defense on October 30, 2001, to support the War on Terrorism through psychological operations in targeted countries, including the United States. Although the closure of the office was announced by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld soon after its existence became publicly known, later comments by Secretary Rumsfeld imply that the actual operations of the OSI have continued unabated.<1> OSI was authorized to use "military deception" against the public by "presenting false information, images, or statements."<2> The OSI would have been a center for the creation of propaganda materials, for the stated purpose of misleading enemy forces or foreign civilian populations. After information on the office spread through US and foreign media in mid February 2002, intense discussions on purpose and scope of the office were reported. The discussions culminated in a public statement by Rumsfeld in late February that the office has been closed down.

Some argue that due to its secretive nature and stated purposes the existence of such an agency would be hard to determine. In fact, in November 2002, Rumsfeld stated in an interview that only the name of the office was abolished, that it still exists and continues to fulfill its original intended purposes.<3> Much of the OSI's responsibilities were shifted to the Information Operations Task
Force.<4>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_Strategic_Influence

Between the Junta propaganda and the Republicans operating as a hate group and with the media either owned by or sucking up to both, it's not surprising that some segment of the public is worried.

[formercia]

7. It's an addiction

Just like people use the fear factor to get the Adrenaline rush, clients of the fear-mongers need their daily fix, otherwise, they would have nothing to focus on but their own miserable existence.

[get the red out]

8. I'm worried about religious laws

Fundamentalist Christian ones.

[WCGreen]

14. Much more firghtening....

[LeftishBrit]

9. Similar stuff in the UK...

but though Muslims are one focus of the fearmongers, it's really any immigrants (cf. Enoch Powell and his 'rivers of blood' speech in the 1960s). Over the years, it's been the Irish, the Chinese, the Jews, the Afro-Caribbaeans, all Asians whether Muslim or not; and now it can be any of these, but especially the Muslims AND the East Europaeans - yes, even white Christians can become the subject of bigotry when they're immigrants! Generally it gets worse in hard economic times.

The extremes are the EDL - specifically Islamophobic; and BNP - against *all* immigrants and their descendants; but the tabloid press is pretty good at giving the impression that we are all being overrun by evil immigrants and that any objection to prejudice against them is 'PC' surrender to these dreadful people (oh, and don't forget the Gypsies and Travellers as subject of tabloid hate).

[pampango]

12. There are lots of links between anti-immigrants in the US (Pam Geller) and in Europe (Geert Wilders)

They attend each others rallies and use each other as an example of how anti-immigrant sentiment is a "world-wide" phenomenon. They also have ties to the EDL and BNP.

[Still Sensible]

13. Simple.... Fear equals votes. n/t

[librechik]

15. Demonizing The Other is the #1 tactic of the cheap labor conservative movement.

They will ride that donkey until every American makes $1 a day. Then they will be satisfied.

[hfojvt]

16. we often bow to the wishes of a minority

especially when that minority is a judge.

Everson vs. Board of education 1947
Engel vs. Vitale 1962
Abington vs. Schempp 1963

"Recent polls suggest that a LARGE MAJORITY of Americans still favor prayer in the public schools, AS THEY HAVE since polling began on the question." (From the Oxford Companion to SCOTUS, emphasis mine)


Now before somebody misunderstands this, I am not arguing in favor of school prayer, simply making a point that a large majority is in favor of it, and yet they have been trumped by a minority.

[Angry Dragon]

17. They listen and believe the fear mongers .........

No different than "Believe in me or go to hell"

[Initech]

18. Another symptom of the Fox News virus is constantly needing a scapegoat.

And rather than point fingers at the people who are actually causing the trouble - Wall Street they're focusing on a very small percentage of the population so the financial terrorists can continue to get away with their crimes.

[slackmaster]

19. Poor, deluded fools

All of them.