Rep. Sue Myrick goes looking for nefarious Muslim spies again -- and uncovers ordinary lobbying plan
By David Neiwert Saturday Oct 17, 2009 1:00pm
Rep. Sue Myrick, the crazy Republican from North Carolina, is an Islamaphobe's Islamaphobe. She's been at it since Day One, bashing Muslims and concocting paranoid theories about their nefarious intentions. Who can forget the time she wondered whether there was something to all those strangely accented people who run the nation's convenience stores?
Now she has fresh meat for that grill, torn straight from the pages of WorldNetDaily:
A group of House Republicans is calling for an investigation into whether a leading American Muslim advocacy group tried to "spy" on congressional offices by placing interns on key security committees.
Rep. Sue Myrick, North Carolina Republican, cited an internal January 2007 memo in which the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) discussed placing Muslim interns on Capitol Hill to "focus on influencing congressmen responsible for policy that directly impacts the American Muslim community."
As Steve Benen explains, this is classic right-wing paranoia -- mixed with its usual underhanded criminality:
The book Myrick, Shadegg, Broun, and Franks are relying on was published by WorldNetDaily, a radical fringe website that recently "reported" that the Obama administration is considering Nazi-like concentration camps for dissidents.
The book's co-author's son pretended to be Muslim to infiltrate the not-so-nefarious organization as an apparent intern. (Put another way, "the dastardly plot to plant Muslim interns as spies on the Hill was uncovered by an intern acting as a spy.") The book's co-author's son alleges that CAIR -- an entirely legitimate, mainstream advocacy group, that is not "connected to" terrorists -- is secretly plotting, using fake interns as pawns in some elaborate scheme.
So, do Myrick, Shadegg, Broun, and Franks know of any intern/spies CAIR has sent to Capitol Hill? Actually, no, but they heard about this book and want an investigation anyway.
Honestly, I get the sense that some of these guys are getting dumber as time goes on.
As for "infiltration" of CAIR, the man who pretended to be a Muslim and an intern apparently took as many documents from the organization as he could during his time there, and discovered that the lobbying group intends to do "ordinary lobbying work on Capitol Hill." When Myrick, Shadegg, Broun, and Franks released an internal CAIR "strategy" document yesterday, they unveiled "a fairly straight forward public relations and lobbying strategy."
Media Matters has more context. Think Progress has details on the criminal aspect of it all:
Now, CAIR has filed a criminal complaint against the authors of the book, alleging that the memo they are using to attack CAIR was stolen. Indeed, Sperry was interviewed by Radio America yesterday and admitted that the planted intern “collected whole boxes of evidence marked for shredding” and took documents that “he felt he needed to preserve as evidence [of illegal wrongdoing].” ...
According to DC law, the authors could be guilty of conspiracy to commit theft with a “bias-related crime” specification, meaning that they could face up to 15 years in prison if the stolen document is deemed to have a value of $250 or more, or only 270 days if it is deemed to have less value.
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Keep the focus on the Muslims. If not them then Communists, or ACORN types (shhhhh… colored people…, wink, wink, nod, nod) …or Mexicans or hell, the guy behind the tree…
Anything to keep attention away from looting and pillaging of the Plutocrats.
Republicans ruined everything
Including most of the Democrats who are now DINOs.
Republicrats, doncha know…
Say no more.
I know you're using the term plutocrat correctly as per the dictionary, but to me the term seems miscoined (so to speak).
Pluto was the God of Wealth, and His Underworld the source, so it's all rightfully His and we're only borrowing it for a short while.
Although I usually prefer to call Him Hades, his Greek name.
I think technically we could agree on the term oligarchy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vN7_1E4WvI
Rhymes with 'fraid-ee-cat.
I'm sure that means something if you look deep enough.
Could Cerberus scare three cats at the same time?
You tell me:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkyn5fucANQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxeKGXvgfv8&fe...
If you want to argue technicalities.
The Judeo-Christian-Muslim monotheistic god is the only one capitalized, though I refuse to do so being an atheist.
Likewise His Underworld would not be capitalized. Nor would His.
Whatever Pluto's, or Hades' source in the matter, they are of course, mythological.
That is to say IMAGINARY, and are used as figures of speech. As to me, are all deities.
So for current usage I don't really give a squat about them.
According to my Websters, Plutocrat and Oligarch are essentially interchangeable with the former inferring power as derived from wealth, per se.
I will say this, if Oligarchs don't begin wealthy, which I doubt, they will be plenty wealthy after their plunder, which has been so richly enabled. So to speak.
I use both terms, and will continue to do so. I don't use Aristrocrats which is another matter entirely.
All three designate a power of anti-democracy.
You are more likely to have you insurance cancelled than be killed in a terrorist attack by a scary brown muslim. The corporatist shills of the GOP know this so they want to keep you diverted.
Please don't feed my God a peanut. I will have to ask you to leave and thank you...come again.
time to dig a hole and bury the Republican party
And throw in the DINOs…
Then we can vote socialist…
Bernie Sanders can be the first socialist majority leader…
but what of the MSM? What if people become happy and at peace? - like before the Bushies ruined everything. What if we became at peace with the world again? - like before bush. Maybe if that happened then the MSM would have to become like it was before too. As it is the MSM operates as if it were some kind of national nerve center, but it's a fake - a TV show. They have been exploiting the people they serve and the damage is becoming apparent.
a bigger hole.
Apu is a Hindu from India, not a Muslim from the Middle East.
And a Peanut is not a nut, it's a LEGUME.
;)
Why, did I GRABU?
but I didn't get that one.
:(
Pronounce the e.
for your own good.
;)
This is what I thought, but it made no sense:
Grabu
Actually I prefer the music of Michael Praetorius.
making me Wiki!
Are you a Wikkan, or sumptin'?
;)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XvVtszPyTs
is the same time that the Republican Party denounces the teabaggers. The teabagging crowd is the biggest threat to democracy in America.
If they have a legitimate concern it isn't getting across. They should sharpen their communication skills if they want to be heard.
Actually I'm having my tea time right now.
it's HIGH tea?
;)
Can't afford the Twinkies bill anymore.
the infamous "Twinkie defense".
Hold the Milk.
BOO!
;)
time for madatory psychological testing and counseling for ALL members of congress?
And if diagnosed as a sociopath, then you're banned from public office.
Oh great! What? Have we got another Michelle Bachmann on our hands? Another paranoid, psycho, frequent FOX News talking headcase, just what we need. Watch for her to become a regular on Glenn Beck's show. Don't these idiots have any other business to do in Congress? To borrow from Bill Maher - New rule: no one from red states such as NC,SC, OK,TN, MS, TX, AL,or ID can serve on important committees such as the Intelligence committee;they simply don't have the smarts for that position.
is still bigotry.
What about Utah, Georgia, Louisiana, Arizona, even California?
All the states have insane and sane people. I still say mandatory pychological testing for publicoffices.
tattoos on everyones forehead?
666?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZ5eCHrFT40&fe...
I saved it
Expect to see it popping up now.
Funny thing is Revelations was ripping from 1 Kings 10:14 (KJV). "Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred threescore and six talents of gold..."
But also Aeschylus The Oresteia Agamemnon, where soldiers were playing petteia, a dice game played with three dice and the winner is the first to get three sixes.
Not mandatory but; A voluntary aptitude test could become part of a good candidates resume... I'd vote for such a person over one who will not take such a test.
I'm sick of inept, borderline crazy, and plain batshit crazy people getting into public office and going fucknuts.
The only way you can use that term in regards to Bachmann is "borderline personality disorder". She took the bus to crazytown and then stole a tricycle to go further.
Hence my use of "AND plain batshit crazy".
I think voluntary might work on it's own, and i'm guessing mandatory could be easily corrupted, as to what is "crazy" and what isn't.
Crazy = Republican
Not-Crazy = Not Republican
Easy!
;)
(Good thing I'm not in charge, huh?)
well, those pink triangles just clashed with everything!
That's what you get for being Jehovah Witness.
It was just a bowl of Lucky Charms.
Wingnut cognitive dissonance is such an interesting study.
What happened to the "MORAL" in moral minority?
We've have unsubstantiated suspicions that you are breaking the law so we're going to explicitly break the law to steal things to hopefully prove our vague suspicions. And since we didn't find anything we'll write a book and pretend we did.
Wow. The Pugs have classic arrested development, right?
The Republicans have beeen as inhumane and narsissistic as ever now for weeks and months. They are inhumane and narsissistic, and nothing we do can change that! However, they must never again be elected to office.
god told her to rid the world of non christian brown people?
She needs to be touched by His Noodley Appendage.
http://www.subgenius.com/pam1/pamphlet_p1.html
There are brown christians?!
Actually, I understand that the Coptic Christians of Egypt call God Allah time
Even when He's in the shower.
That's okay. The Mexicans call him "Hey Zeus"!
call him MISTER Tibbs.
I didn't know that theft was one of the possible bias crimes.
Meh.
To me, they should be charged under RICO statutes. Of course so should the Republican party... and the Democratic party.
Can we just get rid of the Patriot Act?
Why????
What do you have to hide, comrade?
Notink, komrad.
Obama voted for that sucker...
He would lose face.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_oOYWxda3eZw/SQSvPm4...
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mermaid...
How do these people get elected. I know we see the teabaggers and their phony concerns...It's racism...but I really, honestly find it hard to believe that there are enough people concentrated in one area dumb enough to vote for these people? At least where I live we elected some pretty stupid people, but after their first term people realized how off the wall they were and didn't vote for them again.
When will Myrick denounce the Christian extremist in her party?
If you see Arnold, Wilbur, Porky, or Piglet fly by, then you'll know.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNa551dR6Rc
I gotta go grocery shopping now.
With all the tins of cat food which is all I can afford to buy, the people at the store must think I'm one of those crazy cat people.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ADPSaybusM
I thought you meant this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkMvKeX7erI
That's what I meant you to think
Then I slip in the other for the unexpected effect.
(delete)
A religious group infiltrating our government to lobby from the inside to further their personal agenda?
Scandalous! Outrageous! How could we have................(sniff)...........oh.....uh.....wait....... I'm thinking that perhaps we have been here before.......AIPAC?.........Liberty "University"...........Focus on the "Family"?..........Scientology?.............Adherents to the Mudshark in Euro-mythology?..........Harvard, Yale?.....Deep-Fried Twinkie Coalition?
I was outraged when I first heard about this — what seemed like a way to ensconce religious bigotry behind a smoke-screen of national security. In fact, I came upon this clip from Fox News on Crooks & Liars, as I was researching to write a letter to my congresswoman, Anna Eshoo, and my two Senators Boxer & Feinstein. In my letter, I was going to ask: "If we substituted the word "Jew" for the word "Muslim," how outraged would congress be?
After hearing Rep. Myrick's explanation of her actions, I can not, yet, write that letter. This is a difference of opinion here that depends upon data. The question that must be answered is: does CAIR— the Council on American-Islamic Relations — have ties with terrorist groups? Are they fund-raisers or a front for terrorist groups or are they a legitimate American organization? I don't know the answer to that question, but I do know that before i write to condemn Sue Myrick, i need to learn that answer.
I doubt that I will end up being a fan of Representative Myrick's in any event, but from the unusually even-handed FoxNews interview, she did raise questions which, if they are sincere, are legitimate. She also stated plainly that she routinely works with Muslim groups and sees no problem in it except for this group. If that is true, my response to her action depends upon facts that I do not have.
Suzzie would be better served looking in her own backyard--christian religious groups infiltrating the government. As an Evangelical Methodist, and a high school graduate,perhaps it's OK, or she doesn't understand the Constitution. Perhaps Suzzie is unaware that the religious right homeschool their children, sends them to Liberty U, Regents U and Patrick Henry, then they get internships in the Congress and other depts, so that they can move up in the goverment, that they want to run by biblical principles.
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