It seems the Wingnuts really need a boogey man and when they lost the USSR, they set about finding a new one. In their desperation, they chose Muslims and Islam. It doesn't matter that the vast majority of Muslims are peace loving types who simply want to work hard, put food on the table and live a blessed life. That makes no difference to Cal Thomas and the Culture of Hate that needs something, anything to feed on.
(Please note I don't provide links to WingNut propoganda. You can find the source yourself. Cal Thomas' drivel is in a huge number of WingNut publications, unfortunately.)
As recently as October 2007, Cal Thomas wrote "
From the rapid construction of mosques and Islamic schools across the country -- many of which are financed by Saudi Arabia -- to the use of front organizations as conduits to channel money to terrorist groups abroad, a "fifth column" has been opened in the United States." For those unfamiliar with the term "fifth column," it usually refers to a group of people who are assumed to have loyalties to countries other than their own, or who support some other nation in war efforts against the country they live in.
So, those who practice Islam are "fifth columnists" (Cal had to define the term to his readers. I guess it's not enough that they might know how to read?)
From this, you'd think Muslims where building mosques and schools at every intersection in the US. Frankly, it's a rare case when I come across either one in my travels. But that's not his point. That's not scary enough for Cal. To Cal Thomas, every Muslin is a potential traitor to the US --- a fifth columnist!
Why does this remind me of the days following Pearl Harbor and the placement of Japanese living in the US in "internment camps"? The assumption then was that because they were of Japanese ancestry, they must be in league with the Japanese government. Likewise, just because some Muslim extremists are acting out politically, they must all be "terrorists".
Gosh, does this means that all Christians are religious fundamentalists intent on overthrowing the US government for their version of Old Testament "Law"? Fortunately, like the radial Muslims, the fundy Christians who would consider this are still a minority.
I wish we had the USSR back again. At least the wingnuts had an enemy that was more identifiable. I don't like their recent choices at all!