Attacking incivility

Hat tip to PJMiller at Sola Dei Gloria.

Looks like the Interfaith Alliance has jumped into the war on incivility.For Immediate Release
October 21, 2009

Clergy and Faith Leaders Call for Civility

Washington, DC – A group of prominent faith leaders brought together by Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy, President of Interfaith Alliance has released an open letter to other religious leaders, politicians, and pundits calling for civility in public debate and to specifically refrain from using inappropriate references to the holocaust and Nazis. A copy of the letter along with its signers follows.

An open letter to religious leaders, politicians, pundits and the public:

In the last month, we have seen an alarming number of public figures use the Nazis and the Holocaust as metaphors in public debate on issues critical to this country. This development is but the most vile example of the disturbing language that has insinuated itself into our national dialogue. Examples of this divisive and ill-spirited rhetoric include:

-Richard Land, a leader and spokesperson in the Southern Baptist Convention
compared some of the proposed health care reforms to ”what the Nazis did.”
Actually, Land bestowed a “Joseph Mengele Award” on Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, the president’s chief health-care adviser. After strong criticism, Dr. Land apologized for his comments, though he offered no apology to Dr. Emanuel.

-The Republican National Committee was asked to take down a link to a YouTube video parody where subtitles in a movie portraying Hitler were doctored to convey the impression that Hitler was criticizing the Democrats’ health care proposals.

-Fox News Host Glenn Beck compared the treatment of Fox News by the Obama Administration to the treatment of Jews during the Holocaust

-Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) referred to the failure to reform the U.S. health care system as a “holocaust.” Grayson later apologized stating that he in no way meant to minimize the Holocaust.

The Holocaust was a tragic event in which the Nazis systematically murdered six million Jews. The Nazi regime that perpetrated this mass genocide was one of the most horrific in world history. There is no place in civil debate for the use of these types of metaphors. Perpetrators of such language harm rather than help both the integrity of the democratic process and the credibility of religious commentary.

We the undersigned faith leaders call on our colleagues in all religious communities as well as elected leaders, commentators, pundits and others engaged in public debate to refrain specifically from using inappropriate Nazi and Holocaust references and, generally, to help restore civility to our national dialogue.

Sincerely,
The Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy
President, Interfaith Alliance

I’ve talked about this before, especially the cheapening of Nazi imagery. Seriously, people, is this what you want to do?

I have been an admirer of Dr. Land, and I’m repulsed by his “Mengele” comment. Dr. Mengele was a monster who performed vile experiments on human beings. Dr. Emanuel is a part of an effort to make health care available universally. One is free to disagree with Dr. Emanuel, but it hardly makes him worthy of comparison to Dr. Mengele.

Glenn Beck’s reference is patently absurd, and I don’t think any honest reader can defend it. Until and unless Pres. Obama orders killings of Fox News officials, staff, and collaborators, to make this comparison is so stupid as barely to need comment.

Rep. Grayson has apologized for his remark, but only for trivializing the Holocaust. Dr. Land, by the way, apologized to the Anti-Defamation League for the same thing. Neither has, to my knowledge, apologized to the people whom they compared to Nazis.

Seriously. It’s time for this to stop.