Dennis Prager's anti-Islamic bigotry is not newsworthy

Congressman faulted for Quran at oath," the AP headline reads.

So, who, exactly, is faulting newly-elected Muslim congressman Keith Ellison for asking to pose with the Quran for his post Oath of Office photo op? Townhall fixture Dennis Prager, unnamed right wing bloggers, and...that's it.

In fairness to the AP reporter, I'm sure he tried unsuccessfully to find a man-on-the street who gave a shit before calling up Dennis Prager.

It's sad when you have to settle for a source who doesn't know how Congressmen are made. Prager is railing against Ellison taking the oath on a Quran. Actually, new members are sworn in together on the floor of the House. Nobody swears on any books. The books are just props for the subsequent photo shoot. Think of it as high school picture day for new members of the House.

Anyway, a source is a source. Thanks to Praeger bold if ill-informed pronouncements, it's officially news that someone is uncomfortable with something Islamic about Ellison. Well played, AP.

Comments

[davis]

Reading Prager's article, it's obvious that he not only doesn't know what he's talking about, he doesn't care. He's just ginning up controversy and pissing off liberals, which is all they want to do, really.

[Stephen Frug]

You misspelled "Prager" throughout, including in your technorati tag.

[Chris O.]

I live in Minnesota, and that was my thought when reading the Star Trib article on it here. They even had Tom Tancredo backing Ellison, for goodness sake.

[John Lucid]

Congressman-Elect Ellison better start wearing some body armor, considering how strongly some folks feel about the Islamofascist threat within our nation's sacred borders. I guess there will always be people who will want everyone to wear armbands of some type or another.

[Anacher Forester]

Prager claims to be a "JFK liberal" but has serious problems with anybody that does not subscribe to his view that Judeo-Christian values are the only values appropriate for Americans. He threw down a long time ago with the hard-core evangelicals in spite of the fact their support of his beloved Israel (not to mention the US of A) is predicated on the ability of both to hasten the "end times." I find it mind-boggling how any member of such a beautiful, highly cultured people can fall in with the evangelical crowd. Especially since this crowd's stated belief is that when the "end times" do come, only their portion of the Judeo-Christian axis will enjoy the Rapture.

[cfrost]

As a rabid atheist, should I ever be sworn into some sort of office, I'll put my hand on Darwin's Origin.

Gotta go, it's war on Christmas season, lots of crèches to vandalize.

[TeddySanFran]

Thanks for this, I found it via Firedoglake's frontpage. Reporter Frommer has latched onto a stupid source. It's a new requirement to advance within AP: be stupid or have a stupid source. Got both covered, eh, Fred J.?

[Ron Chusid]

I even learned something new from this article. Apparently our country even has its own official Bible:

"I want Jews like myself to take the oath on the Bible, even though the New Testament is not our Bible," he said.

Asked if it would be a problem for a Jewish lawmaker to take the oath on a Bible that included only the Old Testament, Prager responded, "Yes, it would," because he said the point is to honor the "Bible of this country."

Oh, and for the guy above who wants to help with the War on Christmas, I hear tonight's plan is to kidnap three elves and burn down a candy cane farm.

[Corinne]

As I always say, you can't spell "crap" without "AP."

[Ghost of Joe Liebling's Dog]

"In fairness to the AP reporter, I'm sure he tried unsuccessfully to find a man-on-the street who gave a shit before calling up Dennis Prager."

Should have backed him up with Dennis Cariello. Or "Jeff Gannon" -- what's he up to these days?

[Dabodius]

"Congressman faulted..."

First RWer:
Is LB in sympathy with Islamofascism? Is she?

Second RWer:
Questions^ have been raised about LB's sympathy with Islamofascism.

MSM:
Unanswered questions persist about the strength, depth and general degree of fanaticism of LB's sympathy with Islamofascism...

[mudkitty]

Prager is just trying to raise his profile. He must have a book coming out. He is an anti-secular bigot.

[Andrew J. Lazarus]

Even many conservatives found Prager's column on this subject un-American and ill-informed. Great! Let them argue amongst themselves. It's how I sometimes feel when I read an Alexander Cockburn screed.

Incidentally, there is just no way that Joe Lieberman swears on a Christian Bible. He's more likely to order the bacon-double-cheeseburger. I thought Prager et. al. thought he was the gold standard.

[1984 Was Not a Shopping List]

Dennis Prager, as I recall, stuck up for Rush Limbaugh once, on the principle of freedom of speech. Of course, I have no problem with that. But when someone he didn't like--I wish I could remember, I think it was either Howard Stern or Al Franken--was criticized and censorship was mooted, he felt it was just fine, and when his earlier support for freedom of speech was mentioned, he sputtered through it by saying "well I didn't say I supported free speech all the time!" His whole "balanced conservative" act crashed right down to the ground. Freedom of speech--for our side!

[Ktesibios]

Well, if it's de rigeur to use some sort of religious text for a swearing-in...

I hereby pledge that if elected to office, I will take the oath with my hand on a copy of the Kama Sutra.

[Dabodius]

How have we survived these seven years?

[Alon Levy]

I don't make any pledges on the grounds that it's pointless, but if pigs take off and fly and I'm elected to any office, I'll swear on A Theory of Justice. Frankly, the political morality Rawls advocates is a lot healthier than the one the Bible advocates.