Book a Congressman
Takes His Oath On
Commentary by Dennis Prager – Nov. 28, 2006, www.Townhall.com
Keith Ellison, D-MN, the first Muslim
elected to the United States Congress, has announced that he will not take
his oath of office on the Bible,
but on the bible of Islam, the Koran.
He should not be allowed to do so
-- not because of any American hostility to the Koran, but because the act undermines American civilization.
First, it is an act of hubris that
perfectly exemplifies multi-culturalist activism
– ‘my culture trumps America's culture’. What Ellison and his Muslim and leftist
supporters are saying is that it is of no 
consequence
what America holds as its holiest book; all that matters is what any individual
holds to be his holiest book.
Forgive me, but America should not
give a hoot what Keith Ellison's favorite book is. Insofar as a member of
Congress taking an oath to serve America and uphold its values is concerned,
America is interested in only one book, the Bible.
If you are incapable of taking an oath on that book, don't serve in Congress.
In your personal life, we will fight for your right to prefer any other book.
We will even fight for your right to publish cartoons mocking our Bible. But, Mr. Ellison, America, not you,
decides on what book its public servants take their oath.
Devotees of multiculturalism and
political correctness who do not see how damaging to the fabric of American
civilization it is to allow Ellison to choose his own book need only imagine
a racist elected to Congress. Would they allow him to choose Hitler's Mein Kampf, the Nazis'
bible, for his oath? And if not, why not? On what
grounds will those defending Ellison's right to choose his favorite book deny
that same right to a racist who is elected to public office?
Of course, Ellison's defenders argue
that Ellison is merely being honest; since he believes in the Koran and not in the Bible, he should be allowed, even encouraged,
to put his hand on the book he believes in. But for all of American history,
Jews elected to public office have taken their oath on the Bible, even though they do not believe
in the New Testament, and the many
secular elected officials have not believed in the Old Testament either. Yet those secular officials did not demand to
take their oaths of office on, say, the Collected
Works of Voltaire or on a volume of New
York Times editorials, writings far more significant to some liberal members
of Congress than the Bible. Nor
has one Mormon official demanded to put his hand on the Book of Mormon. And it is hard to imagine
a scientologist being allowed to take his oath of office on a copy of Dianetics by L.
Ron Hubbard.
So why are we allowing Keith Ellison
to do what no other member of Congress has ever done -- choose his own most
revered book for his oath?
The answer is obvious -- Ellison
is a Muslim. And whoever decides these matters, not to mention virtually every
editorial page in America, is not going to offend a Muslim. In fact, many
of these people argue it will be a good thing because Muslims around the world
will see what an open society America is and how much Americans honor Muslims
and the Koran.
This argument appeals to all those
who believe that one of the greatest goals of America is to be loved by the
world, and especially by Muslims because then fewer Muslims will hate us (and
therefore fewer will bomb us).
But these naive people do not appreciate
that America will not change the attitude of a single American-hating Muslim
by allowing Ellison to substitute the Koran for the Bible. In fact, the opposite is more likely: Ellison's doing so will
embolden Islamic extremists and make new ones, as Islamists, rightly or wrongly,
see the first sign of the realization of their greatest goal -- the Islamicization of America.
When all elected officials take their
oaths of office with their hands on the very same book, they all affirm that
some unifying value system underlies American civilization. If Keith Ellison
is allowed to change that, he will be doing more damage to the unity of America
and to the value system that has formed this country than the terrorists of
9-11. It is hard to believe that this is the legacy most Muslim Americans
want to bequeath to America. But if it is, it is not only Europe that is in
trouble. (End of commentary.)
Publisher’s Comments
On November 29th Don Wildmon
of AFA suggested that folks send an email asking their U.S. Representatives and
Senators to pass a law making the Bible
the book used in their swearing-in ceremony.
Pass a law?
Wildmon has got to be kidding. The last thing
we need is to give government more control over our freedom of religion than
what they already have. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg as to why Wildmon’s idea is a bad idea!
The Facts of the Matter
There’s nothing in the Constitution that say’s Mr. Ellison or any other elected official
must take their oath to office on the Bible,
but as Prager stated in his commentary, “when all
elected officials take their oaths of office with their hands on the very same
book, they all affirm that some unifying value system underlies American
civilization.”
Someone needs to give Mr. Ellison a history
lesson because he obviously doesn’t realize the fact that America’s value
system is firmly rooted in the Bible – not
the Koran!
Christopher Fluharty,
the Vice Chairman of the Constitution Party of Missouri, recently made this
point quite eloquently: “Since the beginning of this great nation, we have been
a country founded on the principles and precepts founded in the Holy Bible. Countless elected officials
have taken their oaths of office with their hands upon this sacred text.
“When the great American patriots spilled
their blood in the name of freedom, it was done so under the banner of Christendom
and liberty. While modern revisionists have nearly erased all signs of God from
our history books, you can still hear the faint whisper of the Founders as they
called upon God for His guidance and providence prior to every session of
Congress.
“Presidents and other elected officials,
with fear and trembling, swore their oaths on the greatest collection of
documents the world has ever known. The Bible
has been a staple in our society since the foundation of the Republic. Even the
Founders spoke of its necessity.”
The Bible
v. the Koran
The Bible
doesn’t tell us to kill innocent people by flying planes into buildings!
The Bible doesn’t tell us that we’re
supposed to chop off the heads of anyone who doesn’t worship Jesus, nor does it
tell us that anyone who is not a Christian should either be a slave or in the
grave! The Koran- the book which Mr.
Ellison wishes to swear on – does – for the glory of its false god!
Does Mr. Ellison realize that the Koran stands diametrically opposed to
everything America represents? Does he realize that, in essence, if he swears
by the Koran, he’s actually swearing
to stand against liberty and freedom. Does he realize
that he’s swearing to enslave or murder anyone who does not bow to his false
god and loathsome false prophet – Mohammad?
How, in all honesty, can Ellison swear to
support and defend the Constitution when the book he wants to swear on stands against every
precept written in our Constitution
and considers every American who is not a Muslim an enemy? You tell me!
It’s bad enough that we have adulterers,
drunks, thieves, liars, cheats and sodomites who have taken their oath to
office on the Bible, but do we really
want someone swearing on the Koran which
commands them to kill us?
As far as I’m concerned, if Ellison refuses
to take his oath to office on the Bible
then the Speaker of the House and/or Congress should refuse to seat him and
the people of Minnesota need to hold another election to elect someone who
will.
