Bryan Fischer: Muslims Have No First Amendment Rights

[RandySF]

Bryan Fischer, the "Director of Issues Analysis" for the social conservative group the American Family Association, says that when it comes to Islam, the First Amendment is a privilege, not a right. "Islam has no fundamental First Amendment claims, for the simple reason that it was not written to protect the religion of Islam," Fischer wrote today.

"The First Amendment was written by the Founders to protect the free exercise of Christianity. They were making no effort to give special protections to Islam. Quite the contrary," Fischer wrote on his Renew America blog.

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/03/bryan_fischer_muslims_have_no_first_amendment_righ.php?ref=fpblg

[derby378]

1. If he had said that about Jews, he'd be skinned alive

Fucker doesn't know how to read the Constitution, and he's telling the rest of us what to think about it.

[Atman]

"ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL."

I don't see where religion is mentioned at all. Where do the Republicans get this stuff? I mean, other than pulling random turds out of their collective ass.

.

[damntexdem]

15. Sure it is: there shall be no religious test.

And then there's that First Amendment thing about no established religion.

[Atman]

23. You're correct. I quoted the Declaration of Independence.

Embarrassing! But it doesn't change the sentiment the founding fathers were stating; we're ALL equal. Not just some of us, ALL of us. The founding fathers declared this as a fundamental reason for breaking with England. The ensuing Constitution expanded upon and codified this. No matter how you read it, we are all supposed to be treated equally under the law. Republicans like to ascribe absurd abstracts to the words, like, since the were written by largely wealthy white men then it must mean they were talking ONLY about wealthy white men. Further, they claim that these founding fathers were all Christians, so that means the Constitution only applies to wealthy white Christian men. I think Thomas Jefferson blew a huge hole --several, in fact -- in that line of reasoning.

[Angry Dragon]

6. I would think he is saying the same thing about Jews

they are not part of the Christian religion ........ so he is attacking Jews

[Mariana]

10. Of course he is

although he may be too stupid to realize it.

[Warpy]

2. Fortunately, he's only a roaring mouse in a fringe organization

and the body of law disagrees with him.

Just give him a little piece of cheese and let him scurry back into his hole.

[gratuitous]

5. I agree with you

But the problem is that so many of these patently loony pronouncements start off in these fringe organizations, and then somehow are imbued with a life of their own. They eventually worm their way into the political discussion, and we find ourselves having to deal with Very Serious People who demand to know why this vital issue hasn't been addressed. And after a week or so bouncing around the echo chamber, it almost sounds like a real issue. Certainly Morning Joe and Wolf and the Situation Room and this show and that program are discussing it; it must be important!

I'm not sure how to smack down any individual loony pronouncement. I'm sure there are half a dozen or more of them that come out daily, and we get the early word on just one or two every few days. This one, from a bigot with an extensive record of looniness, seems like a slam dunk to knock down. But it depends on who picks it up. This sort of twaddle sounds like it could come out of Huckabee's or Palin's pie hole, and if it does, we can't just depend on the American people to know that it's totally illegal and antithetical to the Constitution. We'd better be prepared to argue it all over again, which of course takes time and oxygen away from truly real issues.

[Warpy]

18. The problem are media outlets looking for sensationalism

so that any right wing crackpot is given a place to spew his poison because that sort of sensationalism attracts viewers and viewers attract revenue from advertisers.

Unless we as a country have the will to separate news outlets from the profit motive, the screeching fringe lunatics will continue to be presented as mainstream news.

[gratuitous]

21. That's part of it for sure

The ersatz equivalency argument: "Well, some people say that the Constitution guarantees freedom to practice the religion of one's choice. But we have this crackpot who says that right applies only to people who coincidentally agree with his religious viewpoint! Who's right? We can't say for sure. We'll just have to agree that there's some debate on this issue." That way, CNN gets to keep the slack-jawed viewers' eyeballs glued to their shows because they didn't dismiss their crackpottery out of hand. And the discourse is cheapened, the populace actually becomes dumber, and the bigots gain that much more credibility.

[n2doc]

3. Yet another ignorant idiot who would never be given a public platform to speak

in a civilized, educated society.

[Zephie]

4. They say the same things about Pagans

It seems that anything not Christianity isn't protected by the first amendment according to these loons.

http://wildhunt.org/blog/2010/10/patrick-mccollum-in-court-today.html

[geardaddy]

7. Director of Issues Analysis

What an ass.

[Bake]

8. So you Buddhists are just SOL ... sorry.

What a tool.

Bake

[BattyDem]

9. Um, no.

Hey Fischer ... there is nothing in The Constitution that makes any distinction between a "right" and a "privilege". They are all rights and those rights apply to everyone EQUALLY, which is sort of the whole point of having a Constitution!

The First Amendment was written to protect the free exercise of RELIGION, not Christianity specifically. The Founding Fathers were very thoughtful and very thorough when writing The Constitution. If they meant "Christianity", they would have said so. Read the damn document - "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." - that statement is very clear and leaves no room for interpretation.

I am so sick of these right-wing bigots trying to rewrite our history and reinterpret our Constitution to fit their narrow views!! :grr:

[walldude]

11. So let me see if I have this right...

American citizens are free to be Christian because thats what it says in the constitution, all other religions are out of luck.


Well we have a real Patriot here don't we :rofl: :rofl ::rofl:

[Angry Dragon]

13. If he really loved his country and was true Patriot

he would go lust after newt's wife ........ newt showed us the way

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

12. Bryan Fischer is perfectly within his rights

The First Amendment protects his right to express his opinion, no matter how moronic.

I'm exercising my right to ignore Mr Fischer's drivel.

:hi:

[damntexdem]

14. So John Adams was wrong when he signed the treaty with Tripoli?

Imagine, he was involved with the Constitution, and he was president when he noted to a Muslim ruler that the U.S. was NOT a Christian country.

[dawg]

16. I object to Mr. Fischer on religious grounds.

When asked about the most important part of the (religious) law, Jesus replied that to love God with all your heart and mind and then to love your neighbor as much as you love yourself. That, according to him, was the sum total of all the teachings of scripture.

How can we possibly fulfill that instruction when we are willing to deny a right to others that we cherish for ourselves? Based on everything I have ever read about him, I truly believe that Jesus Christ would be disgusted by this notion of unequal rights based on religious doctrines.

[Bragi]

17. That's hilarious

I read some this guy's other mumblings, which are similarly idiotic. Of special note is his demand to shoot bears in National Parks. He calls a bear "a hotdog on two legs" which is very funny, since bears have 4 legs.

Someone should get this guy on a national tour.

[hifiguy]

20. Or let him meet one of the larger bears

Close up and unarmed (the idjit, not the bear).

[hifiguy]

19. Give this assklown an enema and he would disappear.

And how I wish someone would.

[Travelman]

22. How absurd.

I just went and re-checked my Constitution, and I don't see where the First Amendment says anything about someone's chosen faith.


Bryan, you're an idiot.