Peter King's "WITCH HUNT" REALLY?

AP: WASHINGTON – The White House is pushing a message of religious tolerance ahead of this week's congressional hearing on Islamic radicalism, which has sparked protests on grounds it unfairly singles out Muslims as potential terrorists.
President Barack Obama sent his deputy national security adviser, Denis McDonough, on Sunday to a Washington-area mosque known for its cooperation with the FBI and its rejection of the al-Qaida brand of Islam.
"Being religious is never un-American. Being religious is quintessentially American," McDonough said. (Z: Is being religious what's in question here?  really? And, while we're at it, my friend Mike just sent me THIS...!! What is going  ON?)

The speech came just four days before the congressional hearing, which has already given rise to protests on grounds it is unfairly targeting Muslims. In New York's Times Square on Sunday, about 300 people gathered to speak out against the planned congressional hearing, criticizing it as xenophobic and saying that singling out Muslims, rather than extremists, is unfair and divides the nation.  (Z: why would anybody single out non extremists except for help, which is exactly what King wants and one would think all Muslims would want)

Speaking to an interfaith forum of Muslims, Christians, Jews and other faiths, McDonough, the president's point-man on countering violent extremism, was clear: "We're all Americans." (Z: this counters violent extremism?)
The majority of the recent terror plots and attempts against the U.S. have involved people espousing a radical and violent view of Islam, making it difficult to ignore the role religion plays in this particular threat. But focusing too closely on Islam and the religious motives of these attempted terror attacks also threatens to alienate an entire community that has nothing to do with these violent beliefs.
New York Republican Peter King, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee that is holding the hearings, thinks the Muslim community can and should do more to help law enforcement thwart these attacks.
"I don't believe there is sufficient cooperation" by American Muslims with law enforcement, King said Sunday on CNN. "Certainly my dealings with the police in New York and FBI and others say they do not believe they get the same — they do not give the level of cooperation that they need."   Z: THIS article goes on and ends with the following paragraphs:

King's critics, including the first Muslim elected to Congress, Minnesota Democrat Keith Ellison, say it is wrong to single out a religion.  "We're concerned about the breadth of this," Ellison said on CNN Sunday. "To say we're going to investigate ... a religious minority, and a particular one, I think is the wrong course of action to take."

Congressman King's hearings might be exactly what is needed to wake up good Muslims (and yes, I know many of my readers disagree with me that there are any good muslims) and show America that there are people (Muslims and non Muslims) trying to stop the Imams from creating terrorists in this country who threaten your family and mine.  Would anybody be targeting any particular religious minority if that particular religious minority wasn't quite so obviously worthy of investigation?  Should the hearings be including investigating Sikhs and Lutherans and Catholics so it looks a little less Muslim-specific :-)?  WHY?   Why not let Congressman King talk, have hearings, show what he's got?  TO SEE WHAT AMERICA NEEDS TO BE SAFE AGAIN?   I don't think that will ever happen, America's safety, but at least we can try.  And a White House which can't even mention the words "islamist terrorism" doesn't help.  Calling the hearings a WITCH HUNT doesn't help, either. I understand they want to be nice and can't inflame the nuts here but....STOP THE PRESSES!   ARE there 'nuts' here or aren't there?  And, since everybody seems to agree there are, let's DO something about it, let's TALK politely, with civility, with good information, and maybe some input from the Muslim community just as interested in keeping their children safe as we are.   Who can argue that.....(but the White House!)?   Maybe we'll see some excellent American Muslims who'll speak on America's side during the hearings, wouldn't that be a good thing?

Do you agree that King should hold these hearings and show America is at least trying to do something about terrorism?   And, do you think they'll actually happen on Thursday or be squelched?

z