The New York Times Calls 70% of Oklahomans Bigots

In classic the New York Times style, they found a way to paint the overwhelming majority of a Midwestern state as crazies, loons, and bigots.

In a piece written by James C. McKinley Jr. entitled ” Oklahoma Surprise” the author details the ongoing fight between extremes and rational moderates, like CAIR. The subject is Oklahoma’s Constitutional Amendment that would ban Islamic law or any other international law from being used in an Oklahoma court.

Mr. McKinley laments that “In Oklahoma, many conservative Democrats from rural areas lost, sounding a death knell for the state’s famous Blue Dogs, who have wielded power since the 1930s”.

Due to the loss of these heroic folks, it is the extreme “right-wing” that pushes things like English as the state’s official language and proposals that mandate the showing of picture ID to vote. Mr. McKinley frames these measures as outlandish.

In mentioning that in the article, it’s obvious that the author is attempting to frame a racists vs. moderates, a.k.a. liberals, clash.

He bemoans the law by distortion, “Muslim leaders in Oklahoma said the amendment felt like a slap in the face. They worry that marriages, wills, divorces and contracts — often drawn up between parties under Islamic principles then submitted to a court for approval — will no longer be valid.”

This is not true at all. The law simply says you judges can’t cite Islamic law in cases. Private agreements will not be affected at all.

But alas it is the “anti-Muslim” mood in the nation he blames for this atrocity that 70% of Oklahomans approved.

But when you lose the argument, and then the vote, you play the final thing you have: the “my opponent is a bigot” card. CAIR is quoted as saying, ‘”Islamophobia is really popular,” said Mr. Awad, of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. “With fear and hate, you really rally up a lot of supporters.”‘