Quote of the Day
Jeffrey Goldberg responds to an article by Ta-Nehisi:
Perhaps this means nothing but I feel that I should acknowledge that a black man was killed on guard duty at the Holocaust museum. That may mean nothing. But I think it should be said.
No, it means something. More than something, in fact. The great tragedy of the rift between blacks and Jews is that while we waste time arguing with each other, our common enemy — racialist fascism — goes unfought. Add Stephen Tyrone Johns to the group that includes Schwerner, Chaney, and Goodman. All were victims of the same sick ideology.
Isn’t that what it’s all about? Not some petty arguments between people of different religions or races, but a unified front against radicalism in all its forms, whether political or religious. Whether it’s committed by a Christian, Jew, Muslim, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, environmentalist, pro-lifer, or anybody else, doesn’t matter. Whether the victim is Christian, Jew, Muslim, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, or anybody else, the same principle applies.
Everybody needs to get with the program, because too often when attacks like the murder of Stephen Tyrone Jones, the murder of Pvt. William Long and injuring of Pvt. Quinton Ezeagwula, or the murder of Dr. George Tiller happen, they’re swept aside by somebody under the “this isn’t representative, move along now” canard. While I believe that’s true no matter what kind of person is committing these acts of terrorism – and that is what they are, all of them – too often the discussion ends up being not how to combat radicalism in all its forms, but the pettiness of those trying to sweep the act under the carpet and redirect the talk somewhere else. This is a distraction, and provides nothing of substance to the debate.
Time to wise up, I think.
