Clarksville 
Tennessee Mayor Johnny Piper has achieved his own degree of infamy for himself and his town. Piper forwarded an email to every City Council member, department head, many city employees, friends and family to raise the alarm over President Barack Obama’s decision to release a stamp to honor Muslims. The only problem is that the man whose Administration ordered the stamps was not Obama but George W. Bush and the stamp merely celebrates the Muslim holiday of Eid.
The stamp was first issued in 2001, and was reissued in 2002, 2006, 2007 and 2008. According to the site of the Postal Service, it “commemorates the two most important festivals— or eids — in the Islamic calendar: Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. On these days, Muslims wish each other ‘Eid mubarak,’ the phrase featured in Islamic calligraphy on the stamp. ‘Eid mubarak’ translates literally as ‘blessed festival,’ and can be paraphrased as ‘May your religious holiday be blessed.’ . . .
The Eid stamp, designed by Zakariya of Arlington, Va., features the Arabic phrase “Eid mubarak” in gold calligraphy on a blue background. English text on the stamps reads ‘EID GREETINGS.'”
Yet, Piper sounded the alarm that it was honoring the Muslims who brought us 9-11: Remember the MUSLIM bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993! . . . To use this stamp would be a slap in the face to all those AMERICANS who died at the hands of those whom this stamp honors.”
Here is the full text of the email forward by Piper:
If there is only ONE thing you forward today… Let
it be this!REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of Pan Am
Flight 103!
REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the World
Trade Center in 1993!
REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the Marine
Barracks in Lebanon !
REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the military
Barracks in Saudi Arabia !
REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the
American Embassies in Africa !
REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the USS
COLE!
REMEMBER the MUSLIM attack on 9/11/2001 !
REMEMBER all the AMERICAN lives that werelost in those vicious MUSLIM attacks!
Now President Obama has directed the United
States Postal Service to REMEMBER and HONOR
the EID MUSLIM holiday season with a new
commemorative 42 Cent First Class Holiday
Postage Stamp..REMEMBER to adamantly & vocally BOYCOTT
this stamp, when you are purchasing your
stamps at the post office.
All you have to say isTo use this stamp would be a slap in the face to all those
AMERICANS who died at the hands of those whom this stamp
honors.REMEMBER — Pass this along to every Patriotic AMERICAN that you know and let’s get the word out!!!
Well, Piper certainly got the word out. Most people, however, are alarmed over a public official who could allow such false information to act in such a hateful and prejudiced way. Piper insisted that he still doesn’t see any reason why it would be inappropriate” to send the emails to city employees or why it could be possibly viewed as anti-Muslim.
He added: “In my mind, it presented an image of mass death at the hands of Muslims” but noted “I have some good Muslim friends.” That makes me feel much better.
Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
_____
“One Nation Under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance in 1954 at the height of Red Fever but it was originally a reconciliation slogan inspired by the bloodbath of the Civil War. The codification of this language remains in direct contradiction with the plain meaning of the First Amendment and it, like all religious based legislation, was sponsored by zealots – in this case the Knights of Columbus sponsoring a bill that was directly counter to the plain meaning of the Constitution. This was also the fearful time when “In God We Trust” was added to the currency (1956) in another religious knee-jerk response to that “godless communism” replacing the perfectly acceptable and religiously neutral motto the U.S. had used since 1749, E Pluribus Unum (One From Many).
We are supposed to be a nation of laws, not men nor the Gods they choose to personally follow. We are One Nation Under the Constitution. God doesn’t have squat to do with it.
if they can do a muslim stamp, then why don’t they do a jesus christ stamp. this makes me really mad about the muslims. we are letting all these nations come over here to dictate to us what happened when our nation was: one nation under God.
apparently the mayor of my my ancestors home town doesn’t do much mailing, otherwise he would have seen the stamp previously, i have seen it for years, and never thought anything of it, other than it was a pretty stamp and a nice good will gesture.
As to why the insanity predominates south of the border is anyones guess, but I do know this: before the Civil War the south emptied of “other”voices because of people’s irrational behavior. Same thing happened during the heyday of Jim Crow and the Klan. I would think it will happen again, it’s so hard to raise a child there; my husband’s grandparents told me that’s why they came north–they absolutely refused to raise a child there given the crazies, that was back in 1910. They constantly lose their sanest voices, I wish i knew the answer to turn it around.
hehehe
priceless
Gyges,
Yes.
Raf and Buddha,
Does being a Southern Politician cause psychic trauma, or are only the mentally disturbed drawn to become Southern Politicians?
I’d be happy if that was the one piece of Neo-con spam that got forwarded to me a today.
Piper obviously subscribes to my philosophy of never letting the facts get in the way of a good story.
raff,
“What is it that causes these Southern politicians to brain dead?”
I blame pesticides, poor education, corrupt politics and petrochemical fractionating plants but in no particular order. Well, a little inbreeding too. That’s probably the #1 cause.
But it costs 44 cents to send a letter!
Now President Obama has directed the United
States Postal Service to REMEMBER and HONOR
the EID MUSLIM holiday season with a new
commemorative 42 Cent First Class Holiday
Postage Stamp..
Plausible Deniability is all I can say. And how many “rag headed” friends does W have? Sorry could not resist.
Among my many acquaintances, I can count Jews, Muslims, people of Spanish Origin, People of Asian Descent, People of African Ancestry White and Blacks and Whites aka Aryans (Angels) s yadda, yadda.
Get over it piper and admit you are racist and don’t have any use for Obama and will take any ball and swing at it even if you know it is a foul. Now how many foul balls do you have to hit before your out. Only one if its caught and buddy you were caught.
If it was wrong it doesn’t matter who did it … remember that “nation of laws not of men” thingy …
Nothing wrong with acknowledging the reality of freedom of religion …
Buddha,
Even Harvey the 6 foot rabbit wouldn’t be caught visible near Piper. What is it that causes these Southern politicians to brain dead?
Those Muslim friends you have there, Piper . . . I’m betting they hang out with the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy. Is your best friend named Harvey?
Piper forwarded this email denoting 20+ years of terrorist attacks perpetrated by Muslims. Yet he claims he has many Muslim friends.
So who will accuse him of “paling around with terrorists?”