Dean Gets Standing Ovation from Arab-Americans; attacked leading conservatives, religious right

Reuters ^ | 10-18-03

[Brian S]

Sat October 18, 2003 06:09 PM ET By Tom Brown

DEARBORN, Mich. (Reuters) - Democratic presidential hopeful Howard Dean received a standing ovation from an Arab-American audience on Saturday when he attacked leading conservatives and figures from the religious right.

Dean, one of seven Democratic presidential candidates to address the Arab American Institute's national leadership conference in Dearborn, pointed to an American flag and named some of the people he said it did not belong to.

"It does not belong to General Boykin, or John Ashcroft, or Rush Limbaugh or Jerry Falwell or Pat Robertson," the former Vermont governor said to cheers in the packed hotel conference room in the Detroit suburb which is home to one of the highest concentrations of Muslims and Arabs outside the Middle East.

"This flag belongs to every single American, including every single American in this room, and is the hope and aspiration for many other folks who are not yet citizens," he said.

The message was warmly received by the crowd of about 300 as Dean named Ashcroft, the U.S. Attorney General and a prominent spokesmen for America's conservative or religious right, along with Army Lt. Gen. William Boykin, the senior Pentagon intelligence official who has told Christian gatherings that Muslims worship an "idol."

His speech was repeatedly interrupted by applause as he condemned violations of civil liberties, racial profiling and abuse of authority under the USA Patriot Act, the anti-terror legislation championed by Ashcroft that passed after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Hundreds of Muslims and Arabs were detained in roundups after the attacks and Dean said the detentions and deportations of an untold number of immigrants based on secret evidence were unlawful and should be repealed.

"Today we see another shameful chapter in American history. Because John Ashcroft touts the Patriot Act around this country does not make John Ashcroft a patriot," he said.

"The war on terror cannot become a war on civil rights and freedoms. We should not have to chose between securing our homeland and securing the blessings of liberty. We can have both, otherwise the terrorists have won and we will not permit that."

Dean also won applause by reiterating his recent promises to send former President Bill Clinton to the Middle East as his peace broker if he is elected next year.

[ladyinred]

I would imagine there are more than a few freepers around here who just decided to vote for Dean based on these statements.

[muawiyah]

Hey, look, it doesn't really matter of Dean's wife is Jewish ~ in this world from time to time somebody has to become a voluntary zonderkommando. Might as well be her!

[muawiyah]

A clue for Dean, it's not his flag to giveaway anyway. It's mine. Kick his a$$ in a second over it too!

[nwrep]

If it is his flag, why does he appear at anti-American peace rallies where people burn and trample upon the flag? How many of Dean's supporters fly the flag proudly?

[concerned about politics]

A clue for Dean, it's not his flag to giveaway anyway.

He seems to think he has the right to sell it to the highest bidder.
He's from the group that burns it and refuses to hang it in public.

Ironic he'd even mention it. That's liberal blasphamy. He's from the 666 brigade.

[muawiyah]

No, don't give him "666" either! Dean's the sort that Satan would rightly reject ~ he's going straight to outer darkness.

[autoresponder]

GO AHEAD AND CLICK THE PHOTO FOR MUSIC

THIS WAS NOT A HARD CHOICE OF TUNES

(the eagle is watching to see were the pig downloads)

[Democratshavenobrains]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=554285

The DUers are aghast at all the hate on this thread lol. Maybe I'd feel sympathy for them if they didn't want to deport every evangelical Christian in our country.

[Cobra64]

Dean is a nutcase. His logic mimics ALgore. What is it with these treasonous bastards?

[Burkeman1]

Not me. I am totally against the war in Iraq. But will be voting for Bush in the next election. The war is going to go on in Iraq no matter what party is elected. I would wager it would even be made a wider war if a Democrat was elected since then the press would back them fully as they did Clinton's disgusting "wag the dog" uses of the military. The Democrats are the "war party" of this century. Both World Wars Democratic Presidents pledged to keep us out of but did everything in their power to get us in. Korea? A Democrat. Viet Nam? A Democrat (notice how the second Nixon became President so many pro war Democrats who got us in that war became anti war overnight?)

I will vote for Bush even though I believe this war to be stupid and against our long term interests because of the Supreme Court nominations that are sure to come in the next four years- and just because I think Republicans, on measure, actually believe in what they say and are not just in it for power.

If Dean were elected President? There would be serious talk about a draft again and the NYT's would be bully for Iraqi nation building or an invasion of Syria or Iran.

[Victoria Delsoul]

Dean also won applause by reiterating his recent promises to send former President Bill Clinton to the Middle East as his peace broker if he is elected next year.

Of course, we are in this predicament because Clinton never did anything to fight terrorism.

[patriota-ferus]

THIS flag belongs to every AMERICAN who WILL defend it!

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

What an absolute doofus. Other than peaceniks in Berkeley and Madison, WI nobody's gonna vote for this loser.

Some people are just plain stupid.

[Democratshavenobrains]

Yeah DUhers, I know we're not suppossed to link to your cesspool, but sometimes its allowed. Like on the night when Arnold was elected, and all you bedwetters were crying like little girls. That was some funny stuff.

[Burkeman1]

Clinton ignored terrorism entirely. I am not sure who said this- but it was very recent. "9/11 is Clinton's one true lasting legacy." Harsh? Not at all. True.

[smadurski]

funny how the hate infested DU site is trying to use this thread as proof that us Freepers are full of hate. The truth is I see much more hate at DU then I have ever seen here.

[Victoria Delsoul]

I remembered very well the first WTC bombing, the bombing of the USS Cole, and the bombing of our embassies in Africa and Clinton did absolutely nothing. This was after he vowed to "leave no stone unturned" in hunting down the perpetrators. What a joke!

[Burkeman1]

Oh- not only that! When was the first "War on Terrorism" declared? Yep- under Clinton. When? The day Monica testified before the Grand Jury and he bombed Sudan and Afghanistan. He actually declared a "War against Terrorism" that day. The man is simply a sociopath.

[hilaryrhymeswithrich]

What was your first clue??? :)

[WOSG]

I agree ...

Every disagreement with their pathetically dis-proven world-view is "hateful".

They say moronic stuff like Christians and Muslim worship the same God. (gack - I've read both the Bible and the Quran and let me assure, he's NOT the same God). They seem to be clueless that this Dean speech was nothing more than bottom-of-the-barrel pandering of the worst sort. The Patriot Act was a good act, even if it has flaws it was and is useful to fighting legal battles against the terrorists and would-be terrorists in our midst.

They think criticizing Dean means we freepers are 'scared'. LOL. Um, only 'scared' in the sense that I fear for the brain damage he does to those who listen to his flawed viewpoints. I do fear for this nation if he is elected.

OTOH, the idea of sending Clinton to the middle east (one way ticket please!) does appeal in a strange way. But it is a lunatic suggestion to imply that Clinton, who led Post-Oslo down a primrose path to more terrorist violence is "qualified" to do anything there.

But to call things as they are is to be "hateful" to the DUmmies. DUmmies need to check out that plank in their eye.
They exhibit more hate and venom than those they complain about.