Gaetz and Mace: Dead Wrong on Ilhan Omar

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) and a handful of other Republicans are opposing Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy’s desire to kick anti-Semitic Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) off the chamber’s Intelligence Committee.

It’s hard to fathom an error of this magnitude. If you’re a conservative, Republican or lover of freedom — not to mention an opponent of statements supporting the annihilation of Jewish people and Israel — such a position on the part of Republicans leaves one speechless (not in a good way).

Their defense basically comes down to: You can’t kick people off committees merely because you disagree with them. But are there no rational distinctions? I’m reminded of the story about making a trade with another person. If you have an item that you believe is worth $50 and the potential buyer believes is worth $30, that’s a disagreement. It’s possible to split the difference and settle on a price of $40.

Not so with a difference of principle. In that example, a difference in principle would consist of the potential buyer saying, “Hey, I want that item. Forget $50; forget $10. Hand it over.” You can’t negotiate such a difference. Attempting to do so would lead to disaster, not just in that one transaction, but in all transactions going forward.

Ilhan Omar has minimized and ridiculed 9/11 not because she doesn’t believe it was a serious attack on America — but because it was a serious attack on America. And she doesn’t think that’s a bad thing. She hates Jews. She virtually says so. She all but openly calls for the annihilation of Israel, America’s only ally in the Middle East. To her, the destruction of America’s only ally in the Middle East is a GOOD thing. Not just because it would kill a lot of Jews (her goal), but also because it would aid the destruction of America (also her goal).

Reps. Mace and Gaetz: these are differences in principle.

They’ll reply that they’re standing for the principle of freedom of speech. Do the people holding the guns to take away YOUR freedom of speech deserve that care and concern? If you were in the middle of a battlefield in World War II, would you walk away saying, “We have no right to fight Nazis. It’s just a difference of opinion. And what about their freedom of speech?”

Mistakes of this kind are worse than political or intellectual blunders. They strike me as moral ones. We are at war with these people, especially ones like Ilhan Omar. These are not differences in price tags or nonessentials. These are mortal, life-or-death distinctions.

Ilhan Omar, like most of her party, has made herself explicitly clear. Either you’re for me, or you’re against me. If you’re against me (and especially if you’re not of the race or religion I like), then you’re as good as dead.

In a couple of years, when in all probability Omar will be back in a position of authority (along with a continued Democrat-RINO Senate and Democratic President), it will be interesting to see how Reps. Gaetz and Mace are treated.

 

 

 

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