Another one down

[bae]

For those of you firmly in the camp of the "Not OK with this".....let me point out that all of us have an arm of the government paid for by our tax dollars that routinely conducts warrantless searches. It is the National Security Agency under the Department of defense.

And that's a very naughty thing they are doing, as it is outside the scope of their organization to spy domestically, and it is arguably quite illegal.

So, I'm not OK with that either, and I never have been.

[Ultralight]

Ultralite: I think you are wrong & that people would not keep quiet this time. I really believe we have learned from our past mistakes.

Since his comments Trump took the lead again. I think that is very telling.

http://www.cnbc.com/2015/11/20/poll-...kes-gains.html

[bae]

Isn't it odd that my 100% German father--1st generation American on his mother's side--wasn't interned or threatened with internment?

My German-American relatives experienced significant discrimination during WWI though. Want some victory cabbage and liberty sausages for lunch?

The more things change....

[catherine]

I remember right after 9/11, when we got back to our business travel, I was eating lunch with a colleague who was talking about her recent flight. "I was so freaked out," she said, "There was a guy with a TURBAN sitting next to me."

So, I said to her, "why would that freak you out? The terrorists who blew up the planes weren't wearing turbans."

She couldn't answer. But it was an example how we subconsciously make those leaps of faulty logic. John is a Muslim. John is a terrorist. Therefore all Muslims are terrorists. How about John is a Christian. John is a member of the KKK. Therefore all Christians are members of the KKK. Both are illogical. Which feels less logical?

[LDAHL]

My German-American relatives experienced significant discrimination during WWI though. Want some victory cabbage and liberty sausages for lunch?

The more things change....

In some cities there were ordinances against performances of works written by German or Austrian composers.

[Ultralight]

I remember right after 9/11, when we got back to our business travel, I was eating lunch with a colleague who was talking about her recent flight. "I was so freaked out," she said, "There was a guy with a TURBAN sitting next to me."

So, I said to her, "why would that freak you out? The terrorists who blew up the planes weren't wearing turbans."

She couldn't answer. But it was an example how we subconsciously make those leaps of faulty logic. John is a Muslim. John is a terrorist. Therefore all Muslims are terrorists. How about John is a Christian. John is a member of the KKK. Therefore all Christians are members of the KKK. Both are illogical. Which feels less logical?

I have a close relative who thinks all Middle Eastern folks are terrorists. Boggles my mind. He lived next to one and when I was waiting for him to come outside so we could go fishing I ended up sparking up a conversation with the Middle Eastern guy. Turns out he was a keen fisherman!

My relative was none too pleased. But it goes to show, you cannot judge folks.

I also have a couple friends from college who were brought up Islamic. They both boldly left their faith. Luckily their families were moderate. No harm came upon them.

Another friend who I met recently moved here from Syria a few years ago. She joined our atheist group. She is apparently "out" to no one because she could be in harm's way. Sad.

[Ultralight]

In some cities there were ordinances against performances of works written by German or Austrian composers.

Ridiculous.

[herbgeek]

"There was a guy with a TURBAN sitting next to me."

The folks wearing turbans tend to be Sikhs, not Moslem.

[catherine]

The folks wearing turbans tend to be Sikhs, not Moslem.

Exactly. That's what made her faulty conclusion all the more troubling.

[JaneV2.0]

My German-American relatives experienced significant discrimination during WWI though. Want some victory cabbage and liberty sausages for lunch?

The more things change....

Hmmm. My immigrant G-grandfather died before WWI broke out, but I wonder about the rest of the family. My parents were so circumspect about our heritage I grew up thinking I was mostly French and British. I'm always up for sausage and kraut, though.