A TV show portraying real Muslim-American families who are proud members of America's melting pot. Sounds like a pretty good idea, right? Showing both Muslims AND America in general that we CAN all get along. Seems to me that is about as American as we can get.

However right wing America won't stand for tolerance and acceptance of differences. They are boycotting companies advertising on the show and Lowes, for one, caved to their racist, anti-American demands.

From BBC News:

Home improvement retailer Lowe's is facing criticism after removing advertising from a reality TV show showcasing American Muslims.

The company pulled ads from All-American Muslim after complaints from the Florida Family Association.

The cable TV show portrays the lives of five families in Dearborn, Michigan, a city known for its Muslim and Arab population.

Lowe's issued an apology, but did not say it would re-advertise on the show.

The North Carolina-based company said in a statement it apologised for having "managed to make some people very unhappy".

"It appears that we managed to step into a hotly contested debate with strong views from virtually every angle and perspective," the firm said...

Wait...a "hotly contested debate?????" What debate? Whether racism or tolerance is better? Whether Muslims should be treated like people? Exactly what side is Lowes coming down on here?  read more »

Racism and anti-Semitism rhetoric has become increasingly acceptable among the right wing. Intolerance has become an accepted value among all too many Republicans. The latest example of this is Republican nominee for NY Governor Carl Paladino. It seems this guy isn't just infamous for his racism and love for bestiality videos (I kid you not!) but also his anti-Semitism and trivializing the Holocaust.

From the Huffington Post:

"If I could ever describe a person who would fit the bill of an Antichrist or a Hitler, this guy is it," Paladino said. "I'm sure Chris had no -- absolutely no -- intention whatsoever of insulting the Jewish faith or the ethnic group or religion."--Carl Paladino

Of course this comes in addition to Paladino's blatant racism:

Paladino has sent emails that include:  read more »

They hate us for our freedoms...that's what they told us about the Islamic militants. Of course the reality is much more complicated, but as a first approximation it makes a good sound bite. Fine...for purposes of argument, let's say they DO hate us for our freedoms.

So why are we giving into them by giving up so many of our freedoms? If they hate us for our freedoms, why don't we embrace and cherish those freedoms as an act of defiance against the extremists?

Instead, Bush and Co. did all they could to reduce freedoms Americans enjoy, increasing surveillance to levels unparalleled in free societies, trying to eliminate habeas corpus, advocating torture, trying to avoid jury trials, etc. Bush did his best to surrender our freedoms that he claims extremists hate us for. Obama has reversed some of the worst of Bush's attacks on our freedoms, but not enough. More needs to be done.

But Americans are now in the habit of surrendering those freedoms that we claim Islamic extremists hate us for. The latest is attacks on religious freedom.  read more »

I recently warned people about a visitation from right wing, anti-gay, anti-Jewish, anti-Catholic fanatics from Kansas (that I dubbed the Kansan Dickheads) threatening to sweep through NYC on a three day protest tour targeting schools, synagogues and St. Patrick's Cathedral. The scope of the protests was impressive, targeting multiple places per day. The nastiness of their rhetoric was also impressive, basically calling for the rape and destruction of Israel, the destruction of Jews, and the destruction of gays.

These folks arrived today and their first day of protests was, to put it mildly, unimpressive. They seem to be rather impotent when it comes to being Dickheads. Here is the description from the Brooklyn Paper (itself owned by right wing fanatic and hatemonger Rupert Murdoch who inspires people like the Kansan Limp Dickheads) of the first day of Dickhead protests:  read more »

I have argued for some time that the right wing use of hate speech to stir up its base into a frothy tizzy has led to an increase in intolerance and hate crimes in America. Almost the entire Bush Administration saw a constant rise in hate crimes, most particularly anti-Semitic, homophobic and anti-immigrant hate crimes. There have been attacks at a Holocaust museum and at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle. In Indiana, a prominent Republican told a group of Jews that their opinion on the recitation of Christian prayers at legislative sessions didn't matter because they only made up 2% of the population. There have even occastionally been what can only be described as pogroms here and there. There have even been hate crimes right in our subways, even as violent crime has overall been declining in NYC. I believe the blame for this increase in hate crimes is not just the continuing effects of Bush's Republican economic collapse. It is also thanks to the violent, intolerant rhetoric of people like Glenn Beck, Bill O'Reilly, Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh. [UPDATED AT BOTTOM]

This week we have two examples of American right wing intolerance coming to Brooklyn. One has already happened and one is scheduled for this weekend.  read more »