Lorie Byrd of Polipundit writes today about Charlie Rangel making the kind of idiotic statement we have come to expect from Howard Dean, the ACLU, AI, et al:
On Steve Malzberg’s radio show Monday, Charles Rangel compared U.S. actions in Iraq to the Holocaust .
“It’s the biggest fraud ever committed on the people of this country,” Rangel told WWRL Radio’s Steve Malzberg and Karen Hunter. “This is just as bad as six million Jews being killed. The whole world knew it and they were quiet about it, because it wasn’t their ox that was being gored.” …
…Asked to clarify his Holocaust comparison, Rangel told Malzberg:
“I am saying that people’s silence when they know terrible things are happening is the same thing as the Holocaust, where everyone would have me believe that no one knew those Jews were killed over there.”
First thing, I am not shocked by the Holocaust comparison one bit. After all, Hitler was responsible for the Holocaust and Democrats have been comparing Bush to Hitler for years now. They just haven’t been quite this specific before this. Actually it would be a good thing if more were asked to clarify those embarrassing Hitler comparisons.
She does a fine job fisking this outrageous statement, and you should read the whole thing here. I find Rangel's comments personally offensive as they should be to anyone with a mind still able to make distinctions between 500 inmate prisons for terrorists and 25,000,000 inmate Gulags.
What troubles me as the MSM, left wing Democratic politicians, anti-American NGO's, et al, continue to escalate the noxiousness of their rhetoric and reach, daily, new extremes of despicable bilge is that they are failing in their very necessary function as a "loyal opposition".
They were on the losing side of a national argument/discussion, yet even though they lost the argument they have a crucial role to play. Any government needs an opposition to keep it honest. Without a "loyal opposition" the risk of hubris, corruption, and creeping authoritarianism grows unchecked. Too much of the opposition has become a "disloyal opposition" so committed to harming Bush and our war efforts, that they are willing to lie and distort in ever escalating fashion; that they are making our fight much more difficult seems to not even occur to them. This is disheartening.
Rangel must know his comparison of our fight in Iraq is a "Big Lie" yet he makes the statement, apparently without shame. The increasing weight of outrageous statements by the Democrats, the ACLU, Amnesty International, etc, means that, like the boy who cried wolf, most people no longer can bear to pay attention to their yapping. Here is the problem (from USA Today ):
Senate Intelligence Committee approves new FBI powers in Patriot Act
WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI would get expanded powers to subpoena records without the approval of a judge or grand jury in terrorism investigations under Patriot Act revisions approved Tuesday by the Senate Intelligence Committee.
And the danger?
Rockefeller and other committee members, such as Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., also are concerned that the bill would grant powers to federal law enforcement agencies that could be used in criminal inquiries rather than intelligence-gathering ones.
If this is true, it represents a threat to our civil liberties that many would be alarmed by (including myself). I don't particularly like criminals but they should, especially during these parlous times, be given their full measure of rights. Unfortunately, in light of all the exaggerated and irresponsible statements flying around the airways these days, how can anyone believe the likes of Feinstein and Rockefeller who have shown repeatedly they will say anything as long as it damages Republicans. They have discredited themselves so thoroughly that regaining the trust that I would like to have in order to believe they have my and my country's bests interests in mind, is impossible. Without a rational and loyal opposition we are in much more danger of civil liberties erosion than otherwise would be the case. Yet to give them any credence, and increase their power to influence political debate, risks endangering our country.
Our "disloyal opposition" endangers us with the terrorists and with those, who even if well meaning, are tempted to acquire more powers for the authorities. It is a sad and dangerous state of affairs.
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