Say what you will about Ann Coulter: She's brilliant. She may not always be civil, and I for one dislike her speaking voice, but she is as intelligent as any of her critics (though they would never admit it). Coulter is a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School, where she served as an editor of the law review. She went on to clerk for a federal judge. Only the very best law students serve on law review and clerk for federal judges.
Yesterday, on The O'Reilly Factor, Coulter said something that got me thinking. She said that Muslims are the new victims in our society. They became victims on 9-11. This seems right to me, though I confess I hadn't thought of it. Progressives play what I call "the victimization game." They designate certain classes of individuals as victims and then promise to protect these individuals from their "oppressors." You're aware of some of the victim classes: blacks, Hispanics, homosexuals, women, the disabled, union members, teachers, the poor. Add Muslims.
The quid pro quo is as follows. Progressives identify and protect victims (via legislation, for example); victims, in turn, support progressive candidates and causes. The reason so many journalists failed to note the Fort Hood mass murderer's terrorist connections is that he is a Muslim, and therefore, by progressive logic, a victim. As such, he must be given special treatment, not general treatment. His misconduct is to be excused, not blamed. Qua victim, he cannot be held responsible for his conduct, however evil it may be by any reasonable standard.
Coulter's point explains a lot. It explains why progressives refuse to criticize Islam (compare their treatment of Christianity), why they bend over backward to avoid offending Muslims (think Mohammed cartoons), why they hate Israel, and why they remain silent in the face of Muslim atrocities against women and homosexuals. Progressives give Muslims a pass. If I were a Muslim, I would resent this. Not holding people responsible for their conduct is demeaning to them. It treats them as subhuman. I guess that's the price of accepting progressive support.
Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. 