Religion

The PBS NewsHour Boys: Dubya Is Lincoln, Today's GOP 'Horrendous' on Refugees, Islam
By Tim Graham | November 21, 2015 | 7:41 AM EST

The Public Broadcasting Service isn’t really a representative of the Public, as everyone should know. It’s the defender of liberal elite opinion, no matter what the polls say. This week, the polls are stacking up against President Obama on his ISIS policy and his Syrian-refugee policy. But the PBS NewsHour stands with Obama and in horror at the current Republican Party.

Both liberal Mark Shields and fake-conservative David Brooks agreed Friday night that today’s GOP presidential candidate are horrendous, especially compared to how George W. Bush now looks like Abe Lincoln now on Islam.

CNN's Costello Hounds Democratic Rep. Over Syrian Refugee Vote
By Matthew Balan | November 20, 2015 | 5:30 PM EST

On Friday's CNN Newsroom, Carol Costello badgered Democratic Rep. Kurt Schrader over his vote in favor of additional scrutiny for Syrian refugees applying to enter the U.S. Costello spotlighted how "some on Twitter have not been kind — calling you a traitor to Oregon and...xenophobic," and how "some say the intent of this bill is to really create so many checks that it will be impossible for any Syrian refugee to come into this country any time soon." She later touted how "some say that's just one part of what some call what's becoming a disturbing climate in America."

Sally Kohn: Christian Fundamentalists, Similar to ISIS, Perpetually Hostile
By Michael McKinney | November 20, 2015 | 3:07 PM EST

On Friday, Sally Kohn took to The Daily Beast to argue that we should all be heartened by the fact that  “The Religious Fundamentalists Are Losing.” In making her case, Kohn compared Christian ‘hardliners’ – you social conservative ones who are pro-life and pro-traditional marriage – with DAESH, or ISIS as many in the West know it.

Colbert Accuses GOPers of Being Unchristian on Syrian Refugees Comparable to KKK
By Curtis Houck | November 20, 2015 | 12:25 PM EST

On the heels of news that he’s slipped to third place in the network late night comedy show ratings due to his alienation of right-leaning voters, Late Show host Stephen Colbert proved why it’s the case on Thursday as he accused Republicans of not being Christians for wanting to put a hold on the U.S. accepting Syrian refugees, contending it's comparable to the KKK as an example of Christians committing acts of terrorism.

Mohyeldin: 'Important to Emphasize We Don't Know Identity' of Mali Gunmen
By Mark Finkelstein | November 20, 2015 | 7:22 AM EST

Joe Scarborough opened today's Morning Joe with coverage of the unfolding terror attack in Mali, and promptly turned to Ayman Mohyeldin for a report.

The very first words out of Mohyeldin's mouth were "it's important to emphasize we still don't know the identity of these gunmen who have taken the hotel hostage." Great point, Ayman. I mean, sure, they were yelling Allah Akhbar, and released hostages who could recite passages from the Koran. But can anyone prove they're not a bunch of Yale frat boys on early Spring Break wearing hideously inappropriate Halloween costumes? Or perhaps some insufficiently sensitive Mizzou administrators invading the safe space of the hotel guests? 

IBD: Islamist Organization Involved in 'Screening' U.S.-Bound Refugees
By Tom Blumer | November 19, 2015 | 5:38 PM EST

Add what follows to the long list of items we should be reading about in wire service reports but instead must find in the editorial sections of the nation's two leading business newspapers.

An Islamist organization tied to the Muslim Brotherhood is involved in the screening potential Syrian refugees allegedly receive before being allowed to come to the United States. Investor's Business Daily revealed this information, which is in stark contrast what U.S. government officials are telling the nation, in a Tuesday evening editorial (bolds are mine):

Liberal Journalists on CNN: U.S. Has Been 'Racist' To Refugees Since 1939
By Matthew Balan | November 19, 2015 | 3:20 PM EST

On Wednesday's CNN Tonight, Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times and liberal analyst Rula Jebreal bewailed the latest poll that found that 53 percent are opposed to letting in 10,000 Syrian refugees. Kristof hyped that "this almost exactly matches up a poll in January 1939 of whether or not to admit 10,000 mostly Jewish children into the U.S.....in retrospect, we clearly acknowledge that was a shameful period in American history." Jebreal slammed this majority as "racist," and cried, "They're weaponizing fear! That poll reflects fear."

Scarborough Questions President’s Mudslinging, Ignatius Says Governors Are Worse
By Michael McKinney | November 18, 2015 | 11:27 AM EST

Morning Joe on Wednesday discussed the recent remarks by President Obama on Republicans who are “afraid of orphans and widows.” When the discussion turned to David Ignatius for commentary, he gave a defense of Obama. Scarborough would press Ignatius with on using "the widows and orphans" to antagonize Republican governors. While Ignatius conceded there is always room to correct the words used, he thought the President was on point.

Margaret Carlson: Maybe Potential Terrorists Will Americanize and Not Carry Out Plots
By Mark Finkelstein | November 18, 2015 | 9:29 AM EST

There's been a lot of arrant nonsense spoken since the Paris attacks, but Margaret Carlson's might just take the cake . . . 

On today's Morning Joe, Bloomberg columnist Carlson suggested that because the US is better than Europe at assimilation, potential terrorists sneaking into our country might not carry out their plots. Said Carlson: "maybe they become Americanized, maybe the anger goes away. Maybe what they snuck in to do they're not going to do because we do have an acceptance of these people." Great point, Margaret.  If only we'd had a little longer to hug it out with the 9/11 terrorists.

Amanpour Uses Paris Terrorism Standoff to Denounce ‘Far Right,’ ‘Xenophobic Parties' in Europe
By Curtis Houck | November 18, 2015 | 7:35 AM EST

As the police shootout and standoff early Wednesday morning in the Paris suburb of Saint Denis, France was in its contentious moments, CNN’s Christiane Amanpour and guest Julien Theron couldn’t help but fret about how the standoff was helping to “literally stok[e] the fires of the far right, anti-immigrant, anti-immigration, xenophobic parties” in Europe.

NBC's Richard Engel Doubts Paris Attacks Will Bring U.S., Others Together to Stop ISIS
By Curtis Houck | November 18, 2015 | 7:17 AM EST

In a welcome change of pace for MSNBC programming on Tuesday night, liberal primetime host Rachel Maddow was given the night off in favor of NBC News chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel, who anchored the network’s 9:00 p.m. Eastern coverage of the Paris Islamic terror attacks and closed with a brief but astute commentary on how it’s doubtful that Paris will change the global ISIS strategy.

ABC’s Jonathan Karl to Ted Cruz: Isn’t It ‘Un-American’ to Put Restrictions on Syrian Refugees?
By Curtis Houck | November 17, 2015 | 10:18 PM EST

In a combative exchange that aired on the Tuesday edition of ABC’s World News Tonight, chief White House correspondent Jonathan Karl hinted to Republican Senator Ted Cruz (Tex.) that he was “un-American” for suggesting that only Syrian refugees who are Christian should be admitted the United States while a moratorium would be placed on those that are Muslim.