"Church of the Poison Mind" in Minnesota's 5th Congressional District

On January 4, 2007, Rep. Keith Ellison of Minnesota's 5th district became the first Muslim member of the U.S. Congress. This photo of me and my daughters Kate and Julia congratulating him outside his new DC office was taken on that historic day.

Our family had volunteered all year in our home district (PA-7) to help Joe Sestak defeat a 20-year Republican incumbent, and we rode a bus to DC with the other volunteers to see Joe's first day in Congress. But the 2006 elections had been about more than just one seat; many of us saw a chance to change the majority of both the House and Senate from Republican to Democratic, and I donated to progressives around the country trying to help make this happen. I had read about Keith's candidacy because his religious faith would make him a "first" if he won, but I sent him money out of affinity with his progressive positions and his activism in his community. So after making sure my daughters saw the House elect its first female Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, we set out to visit the offices of some of these newly-elected progressives. When Rep. Ellison's staff heard we had donated to his campaign despite living in Pennsylvania, they introduced us and took this photo. I thought it seemed pretty gracious and inclusive of Keith to take time out from that busy first day to pose with a white Christian guy and his two adopted daughters from Peru.

Well, Lynne Torgerson probably wouldn't think so. In fact, she'd probably put me, Kate, and Julia on some terrorist watch list based on this photo. Ms. Torgerson is one of the candidates running against Keith this year, and the "Issues" page on her website includes the following contorted observations:

• And, what do I know of Islam? Well, I know of 911. Nineteen (19) men from Saudi Arabia, all Muslim, hi-jacked planes, and flew into the two (2) World Trade Towers murdering thousands of people, and tried to fly into our Pentagon, and some believe they also tried to fly an airplane into our White House. From this, what I perceive is Islam conducting an act of war against my country.
• the total "religion" of Islam is not fully protectable by our First Amendment to the United States Constitution.
• Keith Ellison simply is not a proper person to have in our federal government.
• Stop Iran.

Wait - "Stop Iran"?!? Stop them...from what, exactly? From speeding down a highway? From breathing? Are we to stop all people in Iran, or just the current government? I guess they're just up to something no good, and they need to stop. Period.

Her "Issues" page also gives us this important point:

• Me, I am a Christian. If someone criticizes Jesus, I am not going to go kill them. I may not even notice.

You see the logic here, don't you? Those who follow the "religion" of Islam, according to her, are trying to kill the nice, nonchalant Christians who would never dream of killing anyone. Perhaps Ms. Torgerson needs to brush up on her history, such as the Crusades (Christians killing Muslims for living in Jerusalem), the Spanish Inquisition (Christians torturing and killing Jews and Muslims for not being convincing enough in their conversion to Christianity), or the colonization of the Western Hemisphere (Christians enslaving, raping, and killing the natives). If she prefers more recent events, she can revisit the 1995 bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, in which 168 innocent people were killed by those nice Christian boys Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols. Of course, these reprehensible acts by killers calling themselves Christians in no way indicts the entire religion of Christianity, just as the actions of 19 hijackers calling themselves Muslims indicts Islam.

But don't just take my word for it. Ms. Torgerson's website complains that some of her statements have been taken out of context, so by all means, read for yourself here.

Sadly, one thing you will NOT find on her website is the following passage from Article VI of the United States Constitution:

The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States. [emphasis added]

They always seem to forget about that part...

So please, everyone, let's stop this silly distraction about religious affiliations. It's not Muslims from another country who are foreclosing on homes and driving their owners into bankruptcy; it's American banks doing that. It's not Muslims killing people like Nataline Sarkisyan by denying them healthcare; that would be American insurance companies.

I will once again take out my checkbook and donate to Keith Ellison's Congressional campaign, as I did in 2006 and 2008. Not because he's a Muslim, and not in spite of it. Because of his record of service on issues that matter to working American families like mine.