Smear Tantrums Unbecoming Office of Presidency

U.S. President’s slandering of Hon. Congresswoman Omar: Time to Check, Reject, and Correct

I

 don’t know from “racism” or “racists.” Such words are too subjective and too imprecise.

I do know when a man is pouring fuel on flames and dividing “tribes” against each other and thus against the Union of the Nation. 

I know when a man is shouting fire in a crowded room. I know when a man is committing malicious acts of slander and libel and acts otherwise unbecoming public office, and particularly the office of the U.S. Presidency.
 

P

erhaps these are not impeachable offenses. I don't know about that either.

But I do know they are reckless, libelous, barbarically aggressive attacks on colleagues; on an honorable member of the Congress of the United States — as they would be against any human being. And they must be checked, called out, and called to account.

An offense that we let stand, we make the “norm.” And this is not “normal” behavior. Nor is it just or, in any way, right. Americans, particularly the young, must know this —

This U.S. president is setting a terrible example that must be corrected. Not imitated.

U

.S. President Donald Trump’s attack on the Honorable U.S. Congresswoman Ilhan Abdullahi Omar of Minnesota provides the hook for my comments above. The Trump attacks, which I have excerpted from his October 10, 2019, Minnesota political campaign rally, are below.   

U.S. President says of a Power Line blog writer

“He knows a great deal about all those tangled lies of Omar, Mr. Scott Johnson of Power Line.

“He wrote some stuff. I can’t believe it. … Thank you, Scott. … What a job. Man, do you have her figured out. …”

The Scott W. Johnson mentioned by the president along with other lawyers or retired lawyers and Ivy League graduates John H. Hinderaker and Paul Mirengoff write opinions in a blog called “Power Line” which is published by Publir LLC (founder Joseph Malchow).

This blog the president likes is noted for its smearing of former President Jimmy Carter: calling him “a nut” and “on the other side”;

Claiming that Carter had “started aligning himself with America’s enemies”;

Claiming that “Carter has never met an anti-American dictator he didn’t like” ; and

Claiming that the former president “is a disgrace.”

One member of their group, Paul Mirengoff, penned a “2011 post regarding a Tucson memorial service honoring those who died as the result of shootings at a Gabby Giffords rally (that criticized the group for including) Native American rituals.”

T

he President’s Smears [my comment in brackets]

“Congresswoman Omar is an America-hating socialist.” [LIE]

“She minimized the September 11th attack on our homeland where far more than 3,000 people died [LIE]

 “She pleaded for compassion for ISIS recruits right here in Minnesota. [LIE]

[Successive U.S. administrations have created, funded, armed, perpetuated and multiplied “terrorists” including al Qaeda and ISIS]

 

The President continued

“Representative Omar has a history of launching virulent, anti-Semitic screeds” [LIE]

“She said the US support for Israel is all about the Benjamins”

[SO WHAT, selling arms to Saudi Arabia and massacring people in Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia, Syria, and many others; threatening Russia and Iran and China is about U.S. power, domination and, yes, money!]

The President continued slandering Rep. Omar

“She said that pro-Israel lawmakers have an allegiance to a foreign country.”

“Omar wrote that Israel has hypnotized the world, may Allah awaken the people and help them to see the evil doings of Israel and the United States.”

[How many “prayer breakfasts” do politicians hold in Washington?]

[Words do not kill and these presidential half-truths and out of context quoted words are not even inflammatory as are the president’s words, patently so, almost every time he opens his mouth (or tweets).]

The President continued

“How do you have such a person representing you in Minnesota?”

S

mear reported in the news March 2, 2019 (and reinforced by the President)

“A poster linking the Muslim lawmaker from Minnesota to the 9/11 attack was reportedly hung in the West Virginia statehouse by Republicans for a ‘Republicans Take the Rotunda’ event.

The poster showed a photograph of the Twin Towers in flames with the words, ‘Never forget - you said....’ followed by, ‘I am the proof you have forgotten,’ alongside a photo of (U.S. Congresswoman Ilhan) Omar.”

[Remember it was not Iraqis or Afghans or Yemenis or Syrians or Somalis but the US administrations-allied Saudis who were involved in the 9/11/2001 event]

T

he honorable Congresswoman is a recipient of 

the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party’s Women’s Hall of Fame (2014) 

Community Leadership Award from Mshale, a Minneapolis-based African immigrant media outlet (2015); and among

Time Magazine’s (2017) ‘Firsts: Women who are changing the world’, a special report on 46 women who broke barriers in their respective disciplines.

U.S. politician Ilhan Abdullahi Omar is the U.S. Representative for Minnesota’s 5th congressional district who, before coming to Capitol Hill, was

• a teacher; campaign manager;
• non-profit executive;
• Minnesota department of education staff member (2012-2013);
• Minneapolis city council staff member (2013-2015);
• member of the Minnesota State House of Representatives (2017-2019)
• She was elected to the One Hundred Sixteenth Congress (January 3, 2019-present).

In the U.S. Congress, Representative Omar holds membership in the Congressional Progressive Caucus and has advocated for a living wage, affordable housing and universal healthcare, student loan debt forgiveness, the protection of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, and abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). 

She is a staunch opponent of the Trump administration’s immigration policies, including the travel ban. 

Since her election to Congress she has been subjected to several death threats, conspiracy theorizing, and other forms of harassment.

[U.S. President Donald John Trump was elected U.S. President without a single substantive and pertinent qualification for any public office including public executive office. 

Moreover, he had never done any form of national service.]

I

lhan Omar rose from the war-torn Middle Eastern-Horn of Africa region; and later growing up in the United States, she graduated from Edison High School in Minneapolis, Minnesota; and earned post-secondary school degrees at North Dakota State University at Fargo (Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science, 2011).

While in the Minnesota legislature

Omar was critical of the Israeli government and opposed a law intended to restrict the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

She compared the movement to people who “engaged in boycotts” of apartheid in South Africa.

During her campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives, she said she did not support the BDS movement, describing it as counterproductive to peace; and later clarified her beliefs in saying that she supports BDS movement but has “reservations on the effectiveness of the movement in accomplishing a lasting solution”

On the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict, she supported a two-state solution and has criticized Israel’s settlement building in the occupied Palestinian territories in the West Bank.

H

onorable Ilhan Omar has been quoted saying

• The United States should not “hand pick” foreign leaders but should support, where there exists, “efforts to facilitate peaceful dialogue.”
• Representative Omar in February 2019 [rightly so] questioned the fitness of Elliott Abrams to serve as Special Representative for Venezuela given his past support of right-wing authoritarian regimes in El Salvador and Guatemala, his initial doubts about the number of reported deaths in the El Mozote massacre in 1982, and his two 1991 misdemeanor convictions (later pardoned) for withholding information from Congress about the Iran–Contra affair

• “I don’t know how my comments would be offensive to Jewish Americans,” she said in another context. “My comments precisely are addressing what was happening during the Gaza War and I’m clearly speaking about the way the Israeli regime was conducting itself in that war.”

• Comments in a 2012 tweet the subject of criticism: “Israel has hypnotized the world, may Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel.”

• Then: “I am grateful for Jewish allies and colleagues who are educating me on the painful history of anti-Semitic tropes…. [And continuing to speak the truth]
• I reaffirm the problematic role of lobbyists in our politics, whether it is AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee lobbying group advocating pro-Israel policies to the Congress and Executive Branch), the NRA (National Rifle Association of America lobbying group advocating for and against firearms legislation since 1975) or the fossil fuel industry” (“Fossil fuels lobby”— Big Oil companies e.g., ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch Shell, BP, Total S.A., Chevron Corporation, and ConocoPhillips among the largest corporations associated with the fossil fuels lobby.)

I

 agree with Representative Omar

A member of the U.S. Congress, holder of or candidate for public office should be judged on merit and qualification; not on “allegiance (or) pledge of support for a foreign country”

Moreover, one’s “Americanness” (or country loyalty) should not be questioned based on expressions of their opinions, ideas or beliefs.

Opposing Israel’s head of state, opposing any head of state, or any “ism,” such as Zionism (any extremism), does not constitute an act or utterance of anti-Semitism (or “racism” or any other “ism”).

Ideas are ideas. They do not, in and of themselves, slander. 

H

owever, when a person commits a personal attack; when a person clearly smears, commits libel or slander against others— when a person shouts fire in a crowded room or pours fire on flames— that person must be forced to stand before a court of law and account for his actions.

One president used to speak of our “higher angels” but the acts of the 45th president are, repeatedly, the direct opposite of that thought.

Bad Breeds bad: If impunity persists, lawlessness and slander will prevail.

And U.S. presidents, such as the current one, and those who follow his example, will shrug and say: 

You people “suck!” “I’m the president.”

 

Sources

Face base “Speech: Donald Trump Holds a Political Rally in Minneapolis, Minnesota - October 10, 2019

https://factba.se/transcript/donald-trump-speech-kag-rally-minneapolis-mn-october-10-2019

Factbase is an oneline platform “Factba.se” (https://factba.se) holding a “Collection of Donald Trump interviews, speeches, tweets from twitter (including deleted tweets) and more”. It is a subsidiary of “FactSquared” (http://factsquared.com). Principals:  Mark Walsh and Matt Koll, entrepreneurs and investors

Power Line https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_Line

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress: Ilhan Omar  http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=O000173

Wikipedia

Ilhan Abdullahi Omar https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilhan_Omar https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fossil_fuels_lobby

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fossil_fuel#Industry

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Rifle_Association

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Israel_Public_Affairs_Committee

PressTV “Muslim US Congresswoman slams Republicans for linking her to 9/11” March 2, 2019 https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/03/02/589983/Muslim-US-Congresswoman-slams-Republicans-for-linking-her-to-911

RT “‘I'm anti-occupation, not anti-Semitic’: Ilhan Omar spars with fellow Democrat over Israel” March 4, 2019 https://www.rt.com/usa/452937-omar-israel-brawl-democrats/

Yahoo “Trump lashes out at Fox News over impeachment poll numbers: ‘Whoever their Pollster is, they suck’” Dylan Stableford Senior Writer October 10, 2019

https://news.yahoo.com/trump-fox-news-impeachment-poll-they-suck-152334572.html

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