On Sunday, February 26, a front-page story in the San Antonio Express-News announced that the Virginia-based group ACT for America, had revoked its affiliation with retired Lt. Colonel Roy White. ACT describes itself as an organization which "monitors the hate education and incitement to jihad preached in mosques across America, and works tirelessly to shine a light on any radical Imam inciting hatred, jihad, or the overthrow of our government". Lt. Col. White was the San Antonio chapter head for Act, which chose to part ways with White after he advertised a chapter meeting which was to be focused on learning how to "shut mosques down". Why did the Express-News chose to put this story on it's Sunday front page? Not surprisingly, the article started as a simple announcement of the decision to revoke the group's affiliation with White, and morphed into a thinly-veiled, predictable attack on the ACT organization.
The Express-News pointed out that White's ouster "occurred against a backdrop of escalating violence against Muslims." What an absolute load of horse crap. On the rare occasions that I pick up an Express-News nowadays (only for the excellent Sports Section), I am reminded that the editors down on Broadway are convinced that if you print garbage often enough, people will start to believe. As evidence of the anti-Muslim escalating violence, the Express-News reminds the reader that a mosque in Victoria and one in Lake Travis were destroyed by fire this year. You know Victoria and Lake Travis, well-known hotbeds for anti-Islamic activities. Then we are informed that last Friday a mosque near Tampa escaped damage from a fire which authorities believe might have been deliberately set, a clear indication that Muslims in the Sunshine State are being targeted. In Kansas City last Wednesday, an unstable drunk shot two Indian Immigrants and two bystanders who tried to intervene. The progressive media jumped on this incident, trying to paint it as a hate crime, but it appears that the shooter was just off-his-rocker, simply put. The unfortunate fatality in this incident was Christian, by the way.
If anyone believes that the above-mentioned incidents constitute evidence of "escalating violence against Muslims" in a nation of almost three-hundred nineteen million people, well then, I can't imagine how you will judge the fact that during this same time period, over two-hundred Jewish headstones were desecrated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Earlier last week, in St. Louis, more than five-hundred graves were desecrated. I have been unable to find either event mentioned in the Express-News, although mysanantonio.com did report on the St. Louis incident. Something else you won't find in the Express-News: in the first weeks of 2017, sixty-nine bomb threats were called in to Jewish community centers across the country. The truth is, these disgusting, reprehensible acts against the Jewish community could have been carried out by bigots from either side of the spectrum, just as the deliberate burning of a mosque could be the work of Islamic groups who oppose the teachings of a particular Imam, or even an act related to the centuries-old conflict between Sunni and Shia. That said, the Express-News seems to be purposely adding on to the false narrative that Muslims face profound discrimination and violence in the United States. If that's the case, then why are so many trying to relocate to our fair shores?
What I found most disturbing about the Express-News article was its continued positive description of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). The article makes every attempt to paint CAIR as the peaceful, anti-violence organization, while leaving the reader with the distinct impression that ACT is a meeting place for bigots and anti-Muslim fanatics. I respectfully ask anyone interested in this "comparison" to please to a bit of homework; read about the history of these groups, and in particular, the founders. The Express-news will provide all the nasty tidbits about ACT. Lets shine the light on CAIR, at least as far as the National Review, and Daniel Pipes, president of the Middle East Forum (2014), has unearthed:
In 2004, CAIR initiated a libel lawsuit over statements made by s group called Anti-CAIR. Two years later, CAIR settled the suit with prejudice, implicitly acknowledging the accuracy of Anti-CAIR's assertions, which included:
*CAIR is a supporting front organization that is partially funded by terrorists.
*CAIR is supported by terrorist supporting individuals, groups, and countries.
*CAIR has proven links to, and was founded by, Islamic terrorists.
*CAIR actively supports terrorists and terrorist supporting organizations.
As of 2014, at least seven board members or staff at CAIR have been arrested, denied entry to the U.S., or were indicted on or pled guilty to (or were convicted of) terrorist charges.
I had the distinct honor of meeting Lt. Col. White on one occasion, and I will happily put my reputation on the line by assuring anyone interested that he is not a bigot. He is an honest, dedicated, passionate patriot who has done more than his part to defend our country. As for the Express-News, history has demonstrated that the reality of diminished subscribers no longer discourages political activism on the part of journalists. Its up to us to chose who and what we read, and to educate ourselves as much as possible in the meantime.
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