OPINION:
So the House, under Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s leadership, responded to anti-Semitic comments made by a member of the Democratic Party by first vowing a resolution against anti-Semitism, then waffling on a resolution that calls out the member who’s responsible for the resolution in the first place, and then penning a resolution that blandly, broadly condemns hate and racism and discrimination in all its many, many forms.
How stupid. We needed a winnowing stick. A nun’s ruler, even.
Instead, we got a vanilla ice cream cone. A silly document that says, in essence, hey now — hate is bad.
What’s next, a resolution expressing opposition to child molestations?
Here’s what congressional members — yes, even Republicans, minus the 23 who courageously voted nay — condemned, according to CNN: Anti-Semitism. Anti-Muslim discrimination. Bigotry against minorities. White supremacists. Persecution of African Americans, Native Americans and other people of color, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and immigrants. More white nationalists. Other white nationalists. Jew killers. Anti-Muslim bigots. Mosque bombers. And yada yada.
But wait, there’s more.
“Whereas the Federal Bureau of Investigation reported that hate crimes against Muslims or Muslim institutions in the United States increased by over 99 percent between 2014 and 2016 … Whereas attacks motivated by bigotry against those who are Muslim or perceived to be Muslim have substantially increased since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks,” the resolution read, CNN reported.
Oh boy. What started out as a scolding against anti-Semitism from a Muslim turned into a generic condemnation of discrimination, particularly against Muslims.
What a real piece of work this resolution turned out to be — a real win for Rep. Ilhan Omar, who escapes any kind of accountability for making the anti-Semitic statements that led to the resolution in the first place.
But moreover, what a mocking of the American people — more to truth, a middle finger to the American people — this has turned out to be.
Lawmakers were asked to tamp down the anti-Semitism from one of their newly elected members. They were asked to make it clear that anti-Semitism, in any and all of its ugly forms, would not be tolerated by the United States of America.
Instead, members of the Democrat-led House scattered in fear, fled in fright of being labeled anti-Muslim. They signed on to a document that states what we all already know: hatred and intolerance are bad.
And now, with this useless, meaningless document, the message we’re left with is this: Anti-Semitism is bad. But let’s not hurt the anti-Semites’ feelings — let’s not offend — by calling them out for their badness. This is unbelievable.
Unbelievable — and stupid.
• Cheryl Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com or on Twitter, @ckchumley.
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