Over the top, and dangerous!

United States
August 14, 2010 6:27pm CST
OK. I know I promised to stay out of this interest area so I wouldn't be bombarded with ridiculous ignorance, but I can't help it. I just received about the fifth or sixth political call of the day, and this recording really made me ill. The candidate promises to go far beyond changing our area to a conservative stronghold; he promises to institute strong Christian values, and be sure we all live within the tenets of the New Testament. He will have all illegal aliens jailed until they can be extradited, make sure we all carry appropriate identification to be shown any time it's requested, and not allow even the slightest breach of the law to go without the harshest possible punishment. It went on and on in this vain, and I can't imagine how this person is ahead in the polls!!! Since I am not a Christian, should I expect to be exiled or jailed? Since I will never allow anyone to check into my ID unless they can prove there's extremely good cause, will I be exiled or jailed? Since the stop sign at the end of my block is placed where nobody can see what's coming without moving forward, will that infraction cause me to spend the rest of my life in jail? Since my fingerprints were burned off in an accident when I was a little girl, will that be proof that I'm a criminal, eluding the law, so I have to go to jail? As most Jews did, I lost a lot of family members in the 1930s. Will I have to wear a yellow star and become a second- or third-class citizen because I am a Jew? Will my home be taken from me? I know some of this seems extreme, but I can't imagine it's more extreme than this guy's recording, which started with, "Hi, neighbor!" I know there's a lot that's wrong in this country these days, but are willingly being led into Hitlerian fear?
7 people like this
15 responses
@irisheyes (4370)
• United States
15 Aug 10
Dear Lord, have these people never heard of freedom of religion or the first amendment or Thomas Jefferson's great wall separating church & state? Send that guy to Philadelphia. We'll teach him about Billy Penn's "Holy Experiment". We still revere that Quaker teaching here because it's why so many of our ancestors came to this area in the first place. (Bad climate but guaranteed freedom of religion) Come to think of it, it's probably the reason we don't have politicians of his ilk calling us up.
2 people like this
@irisheyes (4370)
• United States
17 Aug 10
Wow, I'm sorry to hear that it's spreading here also. I honestly haven't seen much of it in my neck of the woods and I hope I don't. You know I do actually remember a guy on the radio when I was a kid. His name was Carl mcIntyre. I'm not sure exactly where he was from but his show was broadcast in the Philadelphia suburbs. He was a real right wing religius nut. I remember my parents and others used to laugh about him. Maybe I don't think anybody took him seriously beause my parents and other adult I knew didn't. I guess somebody somewhere took him seriously. He did have his own show before he faded away.
1 person likes this
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
16 Aug 10
Yeah, I hear people wanting to make Christianity the official religion of the USA up here, sometimes, too. But they are a small handful, really tiny minority. Read what I wrote and you'll know what the majority of us are.
• United States
15 Aug 10
Hi, Irisheyes! I'm afraid the reactionary atmosphere is spreading everywhere. My best friend lives just outside Philly, and she tells me about things in the news there that are too much like some of the horrors here. The thing is, we all have to fight extremism, as it leads to nothing but horrors!
@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
15 Aug 10
It sounds crazy and all, but could you at least give us the guy's name or a link to where these things were said? Right now everyone here is getting riled up about a faceless and nameless person.
2 people like this
• United States
15 Aug 10
Good point, although he is far from the only such candidate in this nation at tis time. His name is Amador and he's running for Congress in the state of Florida.
@Maggiepie (7816)
• United States
20 Aug 10
Taskr, I looked & LOOKED & looked, yet could find nothing like the stuff described here. In fact, many of his supporters are, judging from the surnames, Hispanic. And the only thing I found which he supposedly said that was "bad" was that he supposedly called one of his opponents "ugly," which may be a dumb political move, but hardly reaches the outrageous stuff cobrateacher claims was said. And again, that statement was "attributed" to him by opponents! Amador is pro-family, pro-God, pro-life--in short, the sort of Conservative most of us pray will be elected! I told the discussion master to post a direct link to these statements to see the "offensive" statements for ourselves. Until then, after such a deep search yielding nada, I'm dismissing this as just another smear on Conservatives. Not because there are no loons like the one portrayed here, but because he's supposedly well in the lead, & IF he'd really said such crazy things, I can't believe so many Conservatives would elect him! Maggiepie "If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks & the corporations that grow up around them will deprive the people of all property until their children wake up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered." ~ Thomas Jefferson
@laglen (19759)
• United States
15 Aug 10
I am a Christian, and I am a conservative. But "forcing" your beliefs on another is the sole purpose of our freedom of religion. Like others responded, does this mean that Jewish people or atheists, are in the wrong and should be re-educated? I disagree with that whole heartedly. While I insist on the ability to believe in MY God, I believe everybody should have that same right. The values that most speak of when discussing Christian values, are not Christian only. this falls under self sufficiency, generosity etc. You do not have to be a Christian to live this way. Christians are not the only ones to live this way. I disagree with the guy, he will most likely be a very dangerous candidate/representative.
@laglen (19759)
• United States
16 Aug 10
The term Christian means to be Christ -like so anytime we are being rude, judgmental or hypocritical, we are not being Christ-like. Regarding Catholicism, they pray to idols. I am not saying whats right or qrong, just the facts
2 people like this
• United States
16 Aug 10
Your definition of Christianity is what I thought it's supposed to be. It brings about peaceful coexistence. I don't know a lot about Catholicism, but I think the statues are symbolic, and not being prayed to; just representing the prayers they are sending out. I could be totally wrong, as the only religion I know well is Judaism.
• United States
15 Aug 10
Thank you for a great response, Laglen. I recently discovered that ,y husband, who is Catholic, is not considered Christian by these extremists. I don't get that at all. I did tell a woman who was screaming at me for being Jewish and headed straight for Hell that she might want to consider acting more as Jesus did. He was Jewish. She turned and walked away...
1 person likes this
• United States
15 Aug 10
Welcome to fear mongering!!! This has been going on for decades, around this country, it appears is if this is the first time you have personally seen it. These candidates talk about things that they can't, or won't control (like the illegal immigration problem), and feed you a line of bull so you can vote for them. Once in office, they blame the other side for all of the promises they didn't keep because they didn't vote with them. So you need to help them elect more of their friends, so they can have a total majority, and control the world (sounds like a Pinky and the Brain episode, but the sad party is that WE are dumb enough to believe it). This is politics, at it's worse, but it isn't anything new at all in this country, but WE need to stop it. By voting for this guy, the people are sending a message that they approve of this kind of behavior, and you will see a lot more of it in the future.
• United States
15 Aug 10
I've seen bits of it for many years, but even in hyper-political Miami, it's never gone this far. People fear additional unemployment (ours is the highest in the country) and being unable to meet their bills, but this is certainly not the way to respond to these fears!
1 person likes this
• United States
16 Aug 10
Cobra, in many areas the churches have started to assist people who are struggling to get by, and this may actually be worse. I understand that these people need help, but at what cost? Religion can be just as bad, if not worse than governments.
1 person likes this
• United States
15 Aug 10
greatdebater- I sometimes don't think there is a lot of difference between the Extremist Mulsims and our "religious right". Both want to force their religious views on the populations of their country and make them live by that religion. Neither cares about the rights of poeple who are not of "their" religion. Scarey huh?
3 people like this
• United States
15 Aug 10
I am sooo glad I don't get these calls. This guy is obviously from the "religious right" of the repubican party and pandering to his base. I am NOT fond of the religious right...why? Because they think everyone should live by THEIR religious beliefs. They can not separate their beliefs from their politics. Which is wrong and sometimes scarey. Don't worry...most people are not as crazy as this guy...nor are most voters. Most conservatives are not either. But it definately gives you something to think about when it comes time to vote...like NOT voting for him.
2 people like this
• United States
15 Aug 10
Well said, indeed, but the guy is far ahead of other candidates in the polls and early voting has already begun!
• United States
15 Aug 10
Well said Lil.
1 person likes this
@epicure35 (2814)
• United States
16 Aug 10
I, too, am Jewish, and consider our roots in this country to be Judeo-Christian. The use of the word Christian to me is more generic than religion-specific. I believe Yeshua, Jesus, is the Messiah and I know that, obviously, there can be no Christianity without its Jewish foundation. All of the Old Testament is fulfilled in the New Testament. The Bible was written by Jews and, of course, Jesus, Yeshua, is Jewish and God Himself. Most true Christians of all "faiths" know that. What you do not understand is that we are deliberately being led into Hitlerian deception by the liberals, radicals, Socio-Marxist leftists, and, above all by the terrorist loving and Israel hating usurper in the WH. It breaks my heart that so many of my fellow Jews are so deceived and misled. If you even look at just the policies of these criminals, they are anti-Israel, pro-Hamas and other Muslim organizations, even to the ridiculous point of trying to get NASA to "cater to Muslims". What's that all about? A dinner to celebrate Ramadan in the WH? Tons of money thrown at Muslims who want to destroy Israel and their causes, and threats and sanctions against Israel if they dare defend themselves. This is not only insanely evil, but is Hitlerian personification. Anti-Semetism is on the rise worldwide and in our own country, the "president" disparages and insults Jews every chance he gets. Look how rude he was to Netanyahu, intending to humiliate him and leave him alone at the WH rather than dine with him as did every other real president with Israel's leaders. Please wake up and smell the coffee before there is no longer coffee to be had.
1 person likes this
• United States
16 Aug 10
So sorry you're so bitter. I called my cousin, who is one of the higher-ups of NASA, to ask about your statement, and he swears there has been no directive or even conversation about catering to Muslims or any other group. I don't think hatred or prejudice toward any group has a place in a free country. We must stand up for our beliefs in freedom and acceptance of all.
• United States
17 Aug 10
I've done quite a bit of research that shows much of what you've written to be ill-informed. Your mind will feel so much better if you allow it to open up!
@epicure35 (2814)
• United States
17 Aug 10
cobra, I'm wondering what "research" you've done and what your sources are. Re O's instructions to Bolton, it has been widely reported, even in the MSM, which never reports on O's negatives. Even Brit Hume discussed it; Charles Krauthammer as well, and it's on several websites. Are you referring to something else? Many times an "open mind" becomes the equivalent of a "hole in the head".
1 person likes this
• United States
15 Aug 10
Unfortunately, there are always candidates who run for office by pandering to the fears of the electorate. The only way they can be stopped is for people to expose them for what they are. I would hope that you do just that, as much as possible. A Letter to the Editor of your local newspaper can be very effective. Letters, phone calls and emails to the campaign headquarters of this candidate can be sent daily. In the end, the power of your vote and all the people you can get to join you, is the most effective way of preventing this person from being elected. One of the main reasons the atrocities of the 1930's were allowed to happen was the inactivity of people who knew things were not right. I would hope this telephone call would be a call to action for you.
1 person likes this
• United States
15 Aug 10
Good points, Cotton! I'm one of very many who have written those letters, spoken on talk radio, etc. Unfortunately, I can't speak Spanish, and many of his backers don't speak English. I understand there are some Spanish-speakers, however, who are pushing as hard as I am for South Florida to remain part of a free country...
@sierras236 (2739)
• United States
15 Aug 10
Well, I agree with you. This candidate really did go overboard. Probably got carried away on a rant and didn't edit at all.
1 person likes this
• United States
15 Aug 10
Could this be our future? I'm really afraid to think it could be!
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
16 Aug 10
This guy is ahead in the poles. That's scary. Tenants of the New Testament. That wouldn't work up here. Bunch of fornicaters (I've been informed by many Christians), most people up here are. So would they arrest all non-married people that live together and throw them in jail? We also have lots of gay people. Would they be in jail, too? (An abomination, they were called in the newspaper by one person who wrote, "I am a Christian." God said, this and that.) So we would have to worry about "bedroom cops" invading our homes. I'm married and living with my husband (we're female and male), but we lived together first. Lots of Native Americans and French Canadian decendents up here do that. NY State, it's difficult to get a divorce. You have to accuse the other person of something. One of you has to defend him or herself. We don't have "no-fault" divorce, so we have to be very careful. So most people live together before getting married. If it doesn't work out, they split. As long as no children involved and everyone was healthy, it works out. Children or one of 32 sexually transmitted diseases, now that complicates things. I think Native Americans have been persecuted for being different enough and that includes the religious boarding schools that used to beat them for speaking their language and taught them that the religion of their parents was evil. So they came home afraid of their parents. I think French people being fined, inprisoned, hung, or tortured for speaking French was bad enough the first time around (mostly province of Quebec, Canada, but the map was redrawn, our area was Canada before it was USA). Maybe because I'm part of the original 13 states in which many witch trials happened and Salem, Mass isn't that far, I wonder if this current next generation of kids who claim to be wicca/wiccan will be the next to be persecuted. Many people are pulling their kids out of public school because tolerance is being taught. They object to tolerance, kids tolerating kids who are different from them. I'm all for home schooling. But for that reason? So does that mean they're pulling them out to teach intolerance? Some of the stuff I've been reading lately, we'll be back to public floggings in the common public areas before you know it if some people have their way.
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
16 Aug 10
So while I'm not a Jew, I can remember a time when I read that blacks and people who were not WASPS (white anglo-saxon Protestants) were hung for being different. So I hope this guy does not get in office. We had some choice words when Louisianna elected a former KKK member as Gov. to run their state. A state that was considered so Catholic that it doesn't even have counties, it has parishes, that just blows my mind. You'd think the KKK would be run out of that state. Esp. with the diversity in some of the areas of that state, the place that started so many musical, food, etc. multi-cultural traditions. We were screaming at our TV sets when he got elected and vowed not to go to LA until he was out of office in protest. And my family normally didn't care who was voted in.
1 person likes this
• United States
17 Aug 10
Prejudices are among the shames of the South. William Faulkner and many other Southern writers pointed out that there is no way to atone for the sins of the South, so people have to try to make themselves feel better by stomping on others. Sadly, it's not a Southern phenomenon any more. I wonder how many would really want to go back to the times of the colonies? Can they produce all their won food, clothing, etc., walk everywhere unless they can afford horses, and have little communication with anyone outside of their home, as the distances between neighbors were too vast? Women could neither vote nor own anything, and only white men could vote if they chose to do so. The past wasn't really all that great! By the way, a friend in Arizona tells me the many people who are boycotting that state have caused her real estate business to go completely under, and not only the candidate I mentioned, but many others are campaigning about bringing Arizona-like laws here. I think I might like to find a place where I can help create a free country, which this is trying to stop being in too many cases!
• United States
19 Aug 10
Intolerance is, basically, an expression of fear. That can't be overcome without real, honest, unbiased education. The greatest problem with that is the number of minds tightly closed against such education.
@Adoniah (7513)
• United States
15 Aug 10
Get a majic jack phone and the garbage call instantly stop. I am not kidding. I did it. It takes some getting used to. The computer has to be on for the phone to ring, but...my computer is always on lol. I am Jewish too and I am on a few lists apparently. My computer was recently crashed by Homeland Security...Honest, I was reading what I thought was a perfectly innocent website sent to me by a relative. Her husband's computer was also partially crashed later that day same way. They actually came across the screen and said who they were and that the site was a no no. I now will stick with refurbished elcheapo computers and change my ips address regularly. FUN!!! I live in Fl. In my little area, two of our Synogogues have been attacked. Our Past president had a fire started in the trunk of his brand new car that his wife bought him as a retirement gift(payments of course). It was a ruse to get someone to come out of the Temple. It worked; fortunately there were several folks there and the jerks were scared off. The police said it was our fault for being "different". We had to get tighter security and better locks and keep the Temple locked at all times or our insurence would cancel on us. Our fault! The Chabad Rabbi was beaten severly walking to fri services awhile ago and now has to be escorted by members of Chabad. His wife and younger children do not go to fri. services. I am the last person with my family name simply because I am a Jew. I do know how you feel. You are not alone. Shalom~Adoniah
@Adoniah (7513)
• United States
16 Aug 10
Fortunately I grew up around the Space Center where there was every race known to man and everyone was so busy inventing things that there was not time for that crap....There is now however. We did go to your part of Fl. when I was a kid. I saw what you saw, but did not experience it. The woman that raised me was catholic and tried to beat the "Jew" out of me. In public, I was not allowed to be a "Jew". I guess it saved her grief. It sure did not save me any. I left home VERY young.lol Stay safe...Message me and I will give you an email if you like. Shalom~Adoniah
1 person likes this
• United States
17 Aug 10
My father was a rabbi until the organizations became intolerant. When they said a person couldn't attend services without being able to pay for membership or tickets to Yom Kippur service, he left and never entered a temple again, although we remained practicing Jews at home. Frankly, I never feared the anti-Semites. When I was 12 or so, my parents were having the house painted, and they said my sister and I could spend a week in a hotel, since our allergies wouldn't let us stay home. She's my MUCH older sister, so that wasn't a problem - she was visiting from graduate school at that time. Anyway, when they wouldn't let us in a hotel in Ft. Lauderdale, I just thought they were really stupid. We called my uncle, who had designed and built the place, and he laughed, too - they wouldn't let him in, either. We ended up staying with him, and his family laughed with us about what fools people can be. They lost a major amount of money for not letting two girls spend a week at their place. What I fear now is the fact that so many people are anti- everything and everyone who is not exactly as they are. Message me any time!
• United States
15 Aug 10
It can be a scary place. Have you lived here long enough to remember when all the hotels on the Beach had huge signs that said "No Jews, dogs or N******s allowed?" That was the way it was when I was little. The stereotype of a bunch of elderly Jews on the beach was a very small area, a lot like a ghetto. Now that's become the glitzy South Beach where the celebrities party. Meanwhile, in the past couple of years, a neighbor's house has been defaced with swastikas five times! For the most part, though, diversity is very well entrenched in Miami. I'm really afraid these extremists will bring back a lot of the old prejudices, and that's simply not acceptable! Shalom, my friend!
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
20 Aug 10
Scary, freaking scary...
1 person likes this
• United States
20 Aug 10
Fear=mongering has made this sort of thing entirely too common in the US these days!
1 person likes this
• United States
21 Aug 10
The Patriot Act was probably well-intentioned, but it's done a lot more harm than good. I was shocked that it was extended by the current Congress!
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
20 Aug 10
Not that we don't have things to be concerned about. I'm not happy about the impact that the Patriot Act had on civil liberties, for one example. But there seems to be way too much "chicken Little" like behavior, and no basis for a lot of it.
1 person likes this
@Maggiepie (7816)
• United States
16 Aug 10
The guy may think he's Christian, & I actually agree with him on some points, but Christianity is not about controlling or torturing or "the harshest possible punishments," if that is indeed what he said. Just because someone calls oneself a Christian doesn't make it so. Following the Christ's stern but gentle precepts does. Our laws are based on the Judeo-Christian ethic, to the betterment of our nation. We ignore them at our peril. Now if only the government would enforce these laws, we'd be in a lot less deep kim chee than we are at present. That said, I'd worry a lot more about such dictatorship as you describe from the Far Left, especially the current crop, who seek to control every single aspect of everyone's lives. I'm just sayin'... Maggiepie "It cannot be emphasized too clearly & too often that this nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religion, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ." ~ HENRY, May 1765, Speech to the House of Burgesses This is all the inheritance I can give my dear family. The religion of Christ can give them one which will make them rich indeed." ~ HENRY, Last Will & Testament "The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity. I will avow that I then believed, & now believe, that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal & immutable as the existence & attributes of God." ~ John Adams
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
16 Aug 10
You're right Cobrateacher. People forget that there were a variety of religions, Masons trace themselves back to the Founding Fathers.
1 person likes this
• United States
17 Aug 10
I forgot to mention Crispus Atticks, a black man!
1 person likes this
• United States
16 Aug 10
I still think about the ideas I've learned all my life, about equality and acceptance for all. There were not only Christians among the Founding Fathers, or fighting in the War for Independence. We've worked hard to maintain equality and acceptance of all, for all. There were even Jews and atheists among them. Fortunately, we've all grown and matured and changed since then, too.
@savypat (20216)
• United States
15 Aug 10
Just the little seeds of fear start the whole forest. The words us and them alone germinate into poison. I am hoping good sense will prevail andnot elect fear as our representitives
1 person likes this
• United States
15 Aug 10
How fervently I pray you (and I) are right!
@jb78000 (15139)
15 Aug 10
yes, that is really frightening. what is even more frightening is that people would actually vote for this, fear mongering works.
1 person likes this
• United States
15 Aug 10
I THINK he's ahead in the polls because there's a great deal of respect in this community for his deceased father, but I hope people will realize the difference before they put this buffoon in office. His father was murdered for his statements of liberal beliefs. He must be spinning in his grave now!
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
15 Aug 10
I'm afraid that this man's type of campaign rhetoric is what's "in" these days. The far right wing conservatives believe that they have the election in the bag due to the current political climate and I guess the more conservative, the better for some folks! I've stopped being surprised when members of my own party (Republican) call me names (RINO) because I'm a moderate and not ultra-conservative. Hopefully this guy won't win...and that you don't have to suffer any injustice if he does. I certainly wouldn't vote for anyone like him.
@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
15 Aug 10
I think what's "in" though is lower taxes and less spending. The "New Testament" lifestyle is not, at least not from what I've seen. Besides, right now just wanting the government to abide by the constitution is defined as "far right wing".
1 person likes this
• United States
15 Aug 10
The narrow-mindedness is dangerous, as it doesn't permit any other thinking, and certainly no change. I'd love to know why the Supreme Court said it's OK for corporations to have the rights of individuals, if it's not just an opening for additional graft. I'd love to know why the legislatures impose sentences on crime, when that's the job of the judiciary, and our checks and balances were just thrown out the window by this. As our nation and each person does, things change as they grow. Going backwards rarely has any good results; more people are hurt than helped.