Parallels

An odd parallel occurred to me today. (Rich would call it a context switch).

Obama is being criticized by the vocal right for not labelling ISIL as Islamic Terrorists. His rationale is that he wants moderate non-violent Muslims to help in the fight against extremism and lumping them all together as some do (the "they're all to blame" crowd) doesn't help.

Ironically this is completely consistent with the other call from the vocal right; that it's time that the moderates distanced themselves from the extremists. That the vocal right doesn't see the contradiction in their rhetoric is nothing new - their comments, as John Stewart noted last night, often come more from the heart than the head.

But here's the parallel. I need to be careful not to lump all Republicans into the same category as the lunatic fringe (Bachman, Palin, Trump et al) or the s#*t stirring, hate-mongering loonies on Fox (Hannity, Gutfeldt and his acolytes). There are some decent Republicans (I happen to know one).

Perhaps, then the moderate middle will disown the virulent infection of unthinking "I'm not a scientist" blowhards. But I have to stop labelling Trump and his ilk "Republicans" - he may claim to be a Republican, just as ISIL claims the legitimacy of Islam. But tarring them with the same brush will help push the moderates (Muslims and Republicans) into the arms of the extremists.

Extremists, whether political hacks or disenfranchised angry youth, have both found a cause through which to find a sense of purpose, build community, and gain power and respect (or fear). And both are doing so by peddling an equally perverted and insane variant of their faiths, narratives that the moderates shouldn’t want anything to do with.