Granholm Crushes Armey on MTP

Wherein Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm systematically destroys the fear-mongering of Tea Party Shill Dick Armey.



Granholm on the issue of the Park 51 Community Center:

Gregory: Governor, a lot people thought this was a hedge, and attempt to walk back (The President's) previous support.

Granholm: Well I think that any time someone stands up for the Constitution, which is exactly what he did, I don't think there's any disagreement. I don' think anyone would disagree with that (Ed: Yes, they would!) The question is whether it's a good decision on their part, right? What's the imam saying. So the question is what is the nature of this particular imam and sect? It's a Sufi Sect, apparently, and that sect is supposed to be one of the most peaceful -- that sect has been under attack by al Qeada.

Michigan has one of the largest Arab-America populations outside of the Middle-East, so I called one of our imams and asked about (Rauf). He said "(This imam) is one of the most bridge building - in the country." We ought to be holding imams like this close - not attacking them with a broad brush, they're being attacked by al Qaeda too.

(I still think the entire idea of the community center might go down better if they were to highlight the 9/11 Memorial Planned for the Building and point out and highlight at that this space is available for Non-Muslims to pray or worship as they see fit within the facility. They should IMO even include altars for Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Sihk and Hindu worship as well as Islamic in this space, since persons of all these faiths were lost in the 9/11 attack. How can this Community Center be an "affront" to 9/11 when it has an Inter-Faith Memorial to 9/11 in it? Moving it is completely nonsensical, it belongs right where it is - where the fences can be mended and bridges re-built.)

Anywho...

The fact is that al Qeada hunts down members of the Sufi and target's them for murder. And now they have to listen to bigoted nutbagger's like Armey, Gingrich and this total fruit-loop Bryan Fischer from the so-called "American Family Association" attacking them too?

As hilariously noted by Stephen Colbert.

Fischer: Permits should not be granted to build even one more mosque in the United States of America, let alone the monstrosity planned for Ground Zero. This is for one simple reason: each Islamic mosque is dedicated to the overthrow of the American government.

Each one is a potential jihadist recruitment and training center, and determined to implement the “Grand Jihad” of which Andy McCarthy has written.

Because of this subversive ideology, Muslims cannot claim religious freedom protections under the First Amendment. They are currently using First Amendment freedoms to make plans to destroy the First Amendment altogether. There is no such thing as freedom of religion in Islam, and it is sheer and utter folly for Americans to delude themselves into thinking otherwise.

If a mosque was willing to publicly renounce the Koran and its 109 verses that call for the death of infidels, renounce Allah and his messenger Mohammed, publicly condemn Osama bin Laden, Hamas, and Abdelbaset al Megrahi (the Lockerbie bomber), maybe then they could be allowed to build their buildings. But then they wouldn’t be Muslims at that point, now would they?

So the enemy (Sufi) of your enemy (al Qeada) isn't your friend? The idiocy and bigotry of this minds the boggle.

Despite what Rick Lazio says with his biased and distorted recounting of imam Rauf's ability to "bridge build" (which were heavily relied upon by the Bush State Dept) during the Round table their clearly are people calling for a halt to ALL Mosques in the U.S.

Granholm also destroys Armey's entire Tea Party anti-government dogma - pointing out that Government investments and partnerships in Michigan have saved thousands of jobs at GM and begin to create 60,000 Green Collar jobs in battery manufacturing plants (during which Armey laughs at here - LAUGHS at people getting JOBS! Can you say 'WhattafrackinDick Armey?")

Granholm: Just quickly, this argument - and it's a 20th Century argument, not 21st Century - When we are competing in a global economy, the government has to partner with private sector to create jobs. If you just slash spending you slash investments in the things that are going to move our economy forward. Last year the vice President came to Michigan and said we were going to get all of these battery grants - we have 16 companies in Michigan now just in the past year because we partnered with the private sector creating 62,0000 jobs.

On some of the other things that Armey discusses, the Paul Ryan Budget Plan is a fiasco that would cut Social Security, cut Medicare, cut taxes for the rich and Raise them for Everyone Else according to the CBO.

He also talks about this Christian Scientist straw-man situation where someone who wants to collect Social Security doesn't want to also have to pay for (and get) Medicare on religious grounds - but the thing is Medicare is PART of Social Security. They are linked, that's how Medicare was created as an extension of Social Security, if he's wants one he has to have the other.

Armey previous brought up this subject on The Daily Show (during section 3 of the extended interview) where Jon Stewart also managed to Take Him Apart.

Stewart: You just want us to elect Republicans - and they're going to leave office with bigger spending and a bigger deficit because they always do!!.

Yeah, that just about says it.

Vyan