The Danger with the Republican Approach to Problems

If you click on the link in this entry's title you can read an article about the House Republican Caucus that summarizes the problem with the Republican approach to government. A House Democratic Chair has made arrangments for a group to use a conference room to give a seminar on America's relations with the Muslim world. The Republicans are objecting and calling on the Democrats to retract the invitation. The reason, according to the Republicans, is that the group is an "apologist for terrorism." The group points out that it has been used by the FBI and other governmental agencies for information.

Here's why we think this is important: House Republicans have an adversion to receiving information that doesn't conform with their beliefs. They don't want to hear about global warming, they didn't want to hear whether the Bush Administration's reasons for the Iraq War were valid, they didn't want to hear medical evidence in the case of Teri Schaivo, and they don't want to know whether the policies they push actually work. They believe in "faith-based" government. If they have faith that they are right, that good enough for them and ought to be good enough for the rest of us.

We are fighting two wars involving Muslims. We were attacked on 9-11 by radical Muslims. We get oil from nations that are governed by Muslims. You would think that a member of Congress might want to know more about Muslims and especially the preception in Islamic societies of the United States. Of course, if the member of Congress is a Republican leader or perhaps even a regular Republican member, chances are that you would be wrong.