Two of our most cherished American values are under assault by what I consider Un-American activities - our right to vote and our religious freedom. These two pillars of American society set us apart from most of the countries in our world and we must be ever vigilant to protect them.
As President Obama said in his proclamation on Religious Freedom Day earlier this year, “The writ of the Founding Fathers has upheld the ability of Americans to worship and practice religion as they choose, including the right to believe in no religion at all.” But what we have experienced in the years since the terrorist attacks of 9/11 is a mindless attack on the religion of Islam, a religion practiced by an estimated 2 million plus American citizens. From ill-advised Congressional hearings to attacks on mosques to demonstrations against the construction of mosques, the drumbeat of religious bigotry has been deafening.
Recently Brian Fischer of the American Family Association claimed that the First Amendment was written to protect the free exercise of Christianity and that Muslims are not entitled to First Amendment protections. We could write him off as an obnoxious extremist were it not for the painful fact that he has been courted recently by at least five of the prospective Republican candidates for President. It is our shame as a nation that anti Muslim propaganda is not denounced forcefully and repeatedly by our political establishment, neither Democratic nor Republican. It has been ever so that in times of economic hardship we have settled on a scapegoat, but that does not make it any less un-American.
Results of the 2010 census show our country growing ever more ethnically and religiously diverse. It is the glory of our country. But to ensure that our diversity is reflected in our elected leaders and our laws we must embark on a national campaign to educate our citizen on the importance of exercising our right to vote. Our most fundamental opportunity to participate in the political process is our vote. In my lifetime people marched and died to expand the franchise to African Americans in the South. In my lifetime young men under the age of 21 were fighting and dying in
To honor those struggles we should be engaged in a national campaign to make voting easier and turnout more robust. Instead, in over half our states, Republican legislative majorities are advancing restrictive voter registration and voter ID laws, making it more difficult to vote. All in response to almost non-existent “voter fraud”.
Make no mistake, an overwhelmingly white, overwhelmingly male political movement is seeking to disenfranchise minorities and college students to strengthen their own political power. That, my friends is the most un-American activity of all.
As said in my colleague's blog, I agree that we should protect and honor the First Amendment right for every American citizen. People should not be condemned because of their religion. Just because they have a different belief system is no means to regard them as subordinates. People have always judged groups based on the extremists of those groups, when in reality the majority of the people are well mannered and civil. As we see almost on a weekly bases, Muslims are severely under attack by anti-Muslim propaganda, blaming all those who follow the religion for September 11, 2001. We have seen anti-Muslim practices increased over the last few years from inappropriate slurs, to the preacher that burned to Koran publicly. this public indecency has not only not been told to quit, but rather enforced by favoring those people who speak ill about the Islamic religion. As my colleague states, "we have settled on a scapegoat." Americans are blaming Muslims for many of our country's issues, when in reality, the elites who are doing the name-calling, are the ones to blame. Our diversity is even growing, the census has proved that we are becoming more diverse in different ways. We should honor this standing achievement because in most countries, those minorities would be prosecuted just for being different. How can we call ourselves Americans when we are doing the exact same thing? How is it that America prides its self on being the country of immigrants when we do not accept them for equals?
ReplyDeleteJoanne Senyk’s article, Un-American Activity, discusses liberty, freedom, and voting. In her interesting article Senyk wonders about the intent of more restrictive voter registration legislation, comments on the attitudes of President Obama and conservative fundamentalist Brian Fischer, and relates the 2010 census results to a growingly diverse America.
ReplyDeleteSenyk begins with a thought provoking quote, “Free people, remember this maxim: We may acquire liberty, but it is never recovered if it is once lost.” Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778). Segueing from the quote into her article’s premise of diminishing freedom and the right to vote helped capture my attention.
I found her analysis of the proposed voter registration laws in line with my own views. It is hard to imagine a more restrictive voting process increasing the turnout at the polls. Americans need to exercise their right to vote and anything that may restrict that right should not be allowed.
According to Ms. Senyk the 2010 census shows an increasingly diverse nation. To ensure the diversity is protected she promotes improved education of citizens on the importance of their vote. Promoting the rights of individuals is up to each citizen, they must exercise their right to vote and encourage others to educate themselves and vote as well.
Senyk moves on to quote the president and Brian Fischer of the American Family Association. She doubts the president’s follow through on his proclamation of religious freedom, citing increased scrutiny of Muslim activities inside the U.S. including Congressional hearings, demonstrations, and attacks on mosques. Moving on to Mr. Fischer, who believes the Constitutional right to religious freedom was intended only for Christians. While the framers of the Constitution may have written the Constitution intent on preserving their own rights, interpretation of the document over the years has solidified the First Amendment to cover all religions. As I read her commentary and concern over the attitude of Americans I was reminded of a great story I read. “2 Muslims travel 13,000 miles across America, find an embracing nation” http://articles.cnn.com/2010-09-10/living/ramadan.roadtrip.folo_1_ground-zero-mosque-first-mosque-fisherman?_s=PM:LIVING I highly recommend reading this story as a reaffirmation of the openness, tolerance, and greatness of Americans.