But still from near and far to seek America / They came by thousands, to court the wild /But she just patiently smiled, and bore them a child / To be their spirit, and guiding light…
And though the past has its share of injustice / Kind was the spirit in many a way / But its protectors and friends have been sleeping / Now it’s a monster and will not obey
– Monster, written by Jerry Edmonton and John Kay (Steppenwolf), 1969

Alabama State Rep. Tommy Hanes (R-District 23) introduced a resolution during his state Republican summer meeting calling for his state’s representatives in Congress to introduce legislation that would expel Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) from Congress. All but one of his fellow Alabama Republicans voted with him, and that dude was concerned that such a sword could cut both ways, particularly in a Congress with a Democratic Party majority. Still, I wouldn’t be surprised if that guy gets primaried.

In his resolution, Tommy said Congresswoman Omar – you know, the Muslim lady who has the courage to wear her hijab on the floor of Congress – “explicitly runs counter to American values and patriotism,” thus proving he is both a bigot and really, really stupid.

Bigotry of all sorts – religious, ethnic, gender, and political persuasion, to only name the four in which he has engaged legislatively – are not American values. We associate these values with the murder of Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals, Bolshis… people who were known to be in opposition to the Reich who were methodically striped of their rights one by one and then either shot, buried alive, or herded into cattle cars, taken to concentration camps, and violently murdered.

Yes indeed, our American history has been fraught with such behavior, but so have murder and cross-burnings and rape, which remains in vogue in some circles. That doesn’t mean those acts are representative of American values.

As for patriotism, in a democracy it is generally considered kosher to let the representative’s district electorate decide who should and who should not represent them. In a republic, which is what America is and after which you, Tommy, and your fellow Neanderthal haters call your political party, people elect their representatives to vote their conscience. If that conscience turns out to be at odds with the majority of the district’s voters, they do not get re-elected.

If they have violated the law or hidden important facts from the voters, then we can talk about removal from office. But it should be the choice of the voters and not of some paranoid, mindless knee-jerk right-wing nut who thinks Donald Trump just might be the chosen one.

Tommy, you also call Rep. Omar out for her alleged use of anti-Semitic language. Give me a break, pal. I’ve got a pretty damn blatant Jewish name, and I was told so on several occasions in your state, on US-72, in your very district.

Tell you what, asswipe. If you don’t like women wearing hijabs in Congress, let’s ban them. But in order to be fair, consistent and not in violation of the Constitution, we’d have to ban the wearing of all religious articles. Are you ready to abandon your cross, pal? I mean, once you get off of it.

I strongly suspect Tommy Hanes will get all huffy about my allusions to the Nazis. He probably thinks that comparison is in bad taste. Why, yes it is, Tommy. It most certainly is. Congratulations, you got my point.

But maybe you should first take a look at the percentage of Jews, Gypsies and homosexuals who live in your district. I’ll give you a head start: your district is 89% white. 98% were born in America, so I doubt you’ve come into contact with many people who follow in the footsteps of immigrants, willing and otherwise, who built up this nation – many at gunpoint without pay. I don’t see much evidence of a Muslim population in the 23th district of Alabama. I guess you are representing your people, though, if and only if the majority of your electorate is as bigoted as you.

A herd of lily-white elephants, dazzled by the light of the burning cross.

Your district is one thousand miles away from Rep. Omar’s. You two live five states apart. And you’re roughly 150 years apart as well.

If you don’t want to be compared to Uncle Adolf, stop doing his work!