Lesson over?

Tamara Dietrich is our local copy of an arrogant liberal.  Time and again she embraces leftist lunacy and does her ablest to mimic the illogic of liberalism gone amuck.  She's outdone herself this time.

Recently, a local school superintendent, upset by what he perceived to be a journalist's disrespect while not standing for the pledge of allegiance, took it upon himself to see the spokeswoman who oversees the alleged disrespecter to address the matter.

Ms. Dietrich picks it up from there:

Daily Press reporter Samieh Shalash didn't always stand for the Pledge of Allegiance at School Board meetings, he said, and while two attorneys told him that it wasn't illegal for her to remain seated, they all agreed it was disrespectful.

Stephens-Cherry duly passed on his concerns, so Shalash asked to meet her and Russo to discuss it.

Russo told Shalash that when she didn't stand for the pledge, he was personally insulted. In fact, he's insulted for every parent and child in the room.

Oddly, he told Shalash that he would respect her country's flag and merely expected her to respect his. Apparently, he was thrown by the head scarf that Shalash, a Muslim, wears.

Shalash explained that she was born and raised in Lexington, Ky. America is her country.

This account comes from Shalash, confirmed by Stephens-Cherry. I called Russo on Thursday to discuss it but, seconds after telling me that he'd be "glad to talk about it" once his spokeswoman briefed him, he called his spokeswoman and told her to relay the message he's on vacation and wouldn't talk to me at all.

OK, then.

First, Shalash says this isn't about her religion. Second, Shalash's reasons for not standing for the Pledge are immaterial.

Let me concede that Russo has every right to feel bad if someone doesn't salute a flag he cares deeply about. I care deeply about it, too.

But neither of us has the right to pressure or compel another to salute it.

She goes on to cite Hitler and then goes back nearly 70 years to a time in this country when some were forced by law to recite the pledge and those who did not were met with violence.  Then with the smugness and disdain so often displayed by today's modern liberal, she ends her column with a dismissive "Lesson over."

But is it really?

If Dietrich can take the simple communication of disrespect proffered by this superintendent and turn it whole cloth into something seen by history to be vile and Hitler-esque, what would stop the superintendent of thinking in like terms as to the behavior of the journalist?

Hmm?

The idea being bally-hooed here, though less than directly, is that the superintendent is acting in a bigoted and presumptuous manner, spurred on by the journalist's wearing of a Muslim head scarf, someone who refuses to stand for the pledge of allegiance to a country that stands between her and the fascist ideology that far too many of her Islamic brethren embrace.

One wonders why Dietrich didn't do the research necessary to show that she need not go back 70 years to see who it is that is foisting Nazi-like behavior on the masses.  Who is it that threatens those who believe not like they do.  Who is it that turns to violence at every perceived insult or affront or claim of disrespect.  Those of us who've not bought into political correctness know the answer.  It is not people like this school superintendent.  It is indeed the people who claim to share Shalash's faith.

Dietrich should write a column detailing why Shalash deems it necessary to stay seated during the pledge.  Her answer and the beliefs that ground that answer might indeed be most material to any of us who recognize the threat posed by radical Islam. But I guess that column wouldn't fit the meme regularly imposed by Dietrich on her readers now would it?

Comments

[mhchien]

I thought the discussion about diversity and community relations might be improved by adding a few verses from the Qur'an.

Islam directly urges the faithful through commandments, allegedly from God, to slay disbelievers wherever they find them – no matter the circumstances, within or outside the community of faith (apostates or heathens), in foreign lands, with or without just cause:
“Fight those who do not believe in Allah, nor in the latter day, nor do they prohibit what Allah and His Messenger have prohibited, nor follow the religion of truth, out of those who have been given the Book, until they pay the tax in acknowledgment of superiority and they are in a state of subjection” (Sura 9:29).

Saudi textbooks read, “A Muslim who kills an apostate or someone who commits adultery against an infidel is not punished; if a Muslim kills an infidel or a slave, he is not punished; if a Muslim man, father, or grandfather kills someone from his offspring, he is not punished.”

In fact, a Jewish genocide is integral to Islam’s goal – a final solution to bring about the End of Days. In the oral traditions, or hadiths, relating to the words of Muhammad as compiled by Al-Bukhari, we can read the following:
“The person who participates in (Holy Battles) in Allah's cause and nothing compels him to do so except belief in Allah and His Apostle, will be recompensed by Allah either with a reward, or booty (if he survives) or will be admitted to paradise (if he is killed);“
“The Day of Resurrection will not arrive until the Moslems make war against the Jews and kill them, and until a Jew hiding behind a rock and tree, and the rock and tree will say: 'Oh Moslem, oh servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him!”

Even the Saudi King knows well enough to worry about Iran's messianic-apocalyptic cult obtaining nukes. Obama and his people are clueless - they think Muslims have the same pathology and goals as everyone else. The world is much bigger and complex than the President assumes it is.

As the Qur'an and its hadiths show, the subjugation and elimination of non-Muslims like you and me is integral to Islam's expansion. Unfortunately, no one wants to hear this. In countries like the UK, the civil rights of the many are diminished to serve the incompatible needs of the few. In the US, Minneapolis nearly allowed the Jim-Crow segregation of airport taxi queues between Shari'a-compliant passengers and non-compliant passengers. Since possibly 95% of Minneapolis airport taxi drivers believe in the tenets of Shari'a law, you would be waiting for a very long time for a cab if you planned to take home your duty-free liquor. People realized that this supposed civil-rights enhancement actually rolled back civil rights for everyone, and prevented the plan from going through.

In Western countries like the UK with large Muslims populations, the political spectrum has moved so far that denying Muslims the right to impose Shari'a law, which stipulates beheading of infidels (Sura 47), would be considered "religious persecution." The people that seek to sugar-coat the central tenets expounded in the Qur'an are nevertheless the ones that plan to parley those tenets to their advantage. Give that some thought.

[Morgan K Freeberg]

What a colossal red herring. All sides agreed Ms. Hoozeewotsit had a perfect right to sit instead of stand, but also, that it was outside the boundaries of good manners and consideration for others for her to do so.

Every single word, then, about swastikas...rioting...castrations...beatings...Supreme Court decisions...obligations, rights, constitutional amendments, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera -- is OT. Each and every single syllable.

This isn't "it offends me" versus "but I have the right". This is "it offends me" versus that enduring golden calf of "I wanna I wanna I wanna, me me me me me."

Just stand up you silly bitch, or leave the room.

[TimothyJ]

There are a lot of people who do not wish to salute the flag for religious reasons. I taught 3rd grade, and had a 7th day adventist child in the class who said he could/would not salute the flat. But I had him stand beside his desk like the others out of respect for the others, while he was silent.

[TimothyJ]

Sorry, flat=flag.

[melati]

WELL IF SHE WON'T STAND FOR THE PLEDGE THEY SHOULDN'T TAKE HER QUESTIONS.

[Dan]

She has every right not to stand. But, then she has no rights to cry when she is not shown any respect either.
You have to show respect in order to receive it. If Samiah Salash does not want to show any respect, then do not show any respect for her or the paper she represents.
When she attended the meeting she was a representative of the Daily Press. School officials have every right not to speak to her in the future and residents have every right not to subscribe or read the newspaper.
Why didn't Ms. Dietrich write about why Ms. Salash refused to stand?
Instead she uses references to Hitler and things that were admittedly wrong 70 years ago and corrected.
Suspected witches used to be killed, too.
Why not use that as a good reason not to stand for the pledge?
It's as good an excuse as any Ms. Dietrich used.

[Muhammad]

I seek refuge in Almighty God from satan the rejected one. Oh Almighty God I also seek refuge in you from the mischief of the Anti-Christ.

In the Name of Almighty God You people are just as bad as Bin Laden, not everyone has to stand for the pledge. What law or article in the constitution of the United States says that you must stand.

This is why the country is so economically messed up, you people are just stupid sheep want others to adopted your stupid ways. It a matter of choice and to discriminate against someone for their choice is just like Hitler or Bin Laden.

The vast majority of Americans do not think like you republican losers.-- Obama won

Furthermore, the vast majority of Muslims do not follow Bin Laden he (Bin Laden) faces capital punishment in Saudi Arabia. You misquote another religion Holy Book when they only speak against the colonial attacks by outsiders on a Muslim nation.

American should stop trying to take other nations natural resources and personal freedom, oil as republican Bush did, and they will stop fighting you thieves.

Those thieves at the school board meeting are trying to steal Ms Shalash freedom of choice, which she does not by American law have to justify to anyone.

Jesus, Peace to Him, would not act like you people do. --racist Republican LOSERS

For the record I am a veteran of the US Marine Corp who volunteer to serve when the US military was hated by it own people after Viet Nam.

For your information, Muslims only salute God as even some Christian, freedom of choice religions in American also believe.

[chuck aka xtnyoda]

Muhammad wrote:
American should stop trying to take other nations natural resources and personal freedom, oil as republican Bush did, and they will stop fighting you thieves.

You've got to be joking? America has provided freedom for more humans than any other people in human history... with her blood... more valuable than oil.

We've never stolen any natural resource from anybody. We do help other nations develop their resources, then if we use them we buy the resources from them.

To compare us to Bin Laden is... weird.

But you've got the freedom here to say this stuff, but if you said similar in Iran they'd kill you.

[renee]

If the Voting Eligible Population was 212,720,027 and there were 131,256,905 valid ballots counted, then 61.7% of eligible voters voted in the 2008 Election. It was roughly a 69 million (liberal)to 62 million(conservative)split. This means that it was a CLOSE election, NOT a VAST MAJORITY of Americans voted Obama.

40% of the voting population didn't vote and this is typical in elections. This mean roughly 30% of our population won the election for Obama...NOT THE VAST MAJORITY IS IT BUDDY? Who were the 40% of people who didn't vote? Some refer to them as part of the silent majority; apathic, disinfranchized, or otherwise disgusted with the choices they had to vote for.

Now, McCain was a better choice than Obama for conservative voters who have conservative values they aren't willing to compromise, like on abortion, but the majority of conservatives were uncomfortable with him on the ticket...many had decided not to vote. We loved it when he picked Palin and she carried the ticket, but the media had their way with her and tried to destroy her every step of the way, still are. She scares them, her support scared them.

That silent majority I was talking about, that's disgusted with the politicians and hasn't participated much before, is showing up at tea parties nationwide and guess what...they appear to hold to conservative values. So, let's see...it was about 30% against 30% in a close election, total about 60% with 40% out there who didn't vote.

Anyway you look at it, there was NO WAY the VAST majority of people voted for OBAMA. He spent a lot more money than we did and there was the ACORN crap machine that registered imaginary voters and had voters voting more than once...us conservatives watched and we learned some hard but valuable lessons...we have more integrity and honor than to cheat, bully or buy our way to the White House but we learned how to counter their methods. See you in 2010!

Even if we disagree on some things...I respect your right to disagree...as long as it doesn't cause harm to someone else...and thank you for serving our country. And another thing...don't call us racists...we don't like Obama because of his stinkin policies. The racist label doesn't scare us off that fact and its use is just a failure by liberals to engage us on the issues. I'm loving it that the other side is underestimating and insulting the base that's going to defeat them...keep it up, it is only drawing the fire.

[All American]

This racist lady wrote also that terrorism is fighting back. The one giving orders to Hamas to murder Israeli kids in shopping malls is taken out, and Samieh Shalash says it is tragic.

So Shalash believe that taking out the Towers by Bin Laden is fighting back. What kind of offspring are these terrorist producing.

Samieh Shalash father also gave a speech that "beating" your wife if O.K.

Samieh Shalash
University Wire
03-25-2004
(Kentucky Kernel) (U-WIRE) LEXINGTON, Ky. -- You go to church, pray and are headed home in your wheelchair, paralyzed since 1946 from a sporting accident. Bam! A helicopter missile drops from the sky and blows you to smithereens. You are assassinated.

Sheik Ahmed Yassin was the figurehead and spiritual leader of the Hamas movement. He was headed home, paralyzed in a wheelchair, when an Israeli vote to kill was put into play. He paid the price for daring, in a land where independence and freedom are squelched and punished, to fight back.

Ahmed Yassin ...