WHEN WORDS MATTER

    The Corporate Media has been carrying on all day about an arson committed against a mosque in Florida. There was some notoriety about the incident---both because it happened coincidental to the 9/11 anniversary and the start of an Islamic holiday. The mosque itself has been under some scrutiny. One of its attendees, a supporter of ISIS, carried out the Pulse Nightclub Massacre earlier this year; while another---a member of Al-Qaeda---was killed in Syria in 2014.

    On its website, the mosque itself condemns terrorism and violence, and it is known that both terrorists who attended it were known to each other. Their actual level of involvement in the mosque is the subject of some debate. As of this writing, however, there has never been documented evidence that its preached Jihad or are connected to the Wahhabi Cult. In July, some congregants were attacked and beaten outside of the mosque.

    However, what is not in any doubt is the political sympathies of the arsonist. Joseph Schreiber---a character with an extensive criminal history---was apprehended yesterday. Schreiber confessed to the arson today, and, as it turns out, was a recent convert himself to Alt-Right ideology. He posted the following on a Facebook blog (edited for grammar):

     "If America truly wants peace and safety and the pursuit of happiness they should consider all forms of Islam as radical. The truth is, there is no such thing as radical Islamic extremism. All Islam is radical and [Moslems] should be considered terrorists and criminals. And all who participate in such activities should be found guilty of war crimes until law and order are restored in this beautiful free country."

     Now where would we suppose that an intellectual pygmy like Schreiber would have gotten such ideas? We would not have to look very far: talk-radio, media pundits, and internet bloggers say nearly the same things on a daily basis. Many on the Right have gone so far as to advocate censorship for what they consider their own brand of hate speech. But it is rather disingenuous of them to complain about Moslems radicalizing people with their words, when it's quite obvious they are doing the same thing.

       Congressman Peter King today, for example, denounced football player Colin Kaepernick's protest against the National Anthem as sympathetic to ISIS. In part of an interview with Corporate Media outlet Newsmax, King argued that Kaepernick had no right to free speech and should be thrown out of the NFL. His proof that Kaepernick is a supporter of ISIS:

      "I understand that Kaepernick has an Islamic girlfriend who is also his fiancée. That has changed him and he has taken on some radical political views along the way. This is activism that is sympathetic to ISIS."

      This kind of bombast is exactly what incites fringe elements like Schreiber. Conservatives should be above this kind of rhetoric and denounce it for what it is. The Radical Left and Wahhabi extremists recruit people and incite by appealing to the worst in human nature. That is why those respective movements are characterized by their thuggery, fanaticism, and hatred. It is of no benefit to the Conservative cause to advocate speech codes or engage in this kind of demagoguery.

      President Reagan used to say that "Conservativism is a big tent." We need Reagan's spirit to return to the movement, if we ever hope to really Make America Great Again.