The United West, an anti-Islamic organization led by Tom Tentro, will host an event in Tallahassee on the first day of Florida’s 2012 legislative session to honor members of the U.S. military who served in Iraq. The group has called for an investigation into U.S. Muslim organizations like the Council on American-Islamic Relations due to ties it alleges exist between them and the Muslim Brotherhood.

“The first time I met Tom, he was with his original organization the Florida Security Council, showing The Third Jihad,” Hamze said. The Third Jihad is a movie about “radical Islam’s vision for America.”

Hamze added that GOP Senate candidate Adam Hasner “was there, promoting the movie, making blanket statements of Muslims.”

He told the Independent that the narrative that CAIR is a terrorist organization made by individuals like Trento, the United West and Adam Hasner is ridiculous. “There is no serious law enforcement agencies that take any of those people seriously,” he said.

“That is how they win their vote,” Hamze said. “Adam Hasner is going all over the state propagating this Muslim Brotherhood threat, that they are coming to take over the United States, but the reality is there is no Muslim Brotherhood in Florida. T hey are grandstanding and sensationalizing.”

Hamze added that “unfortunately right now to bash Muslims, or bash Islam, has become mainstream GOP strategy. You have quote after quote from Republican presidential candidates that are absolutely ludicrous and fringe. It’s unfortunate because if you take those quotes and you replace Islam with Judaism or Christianity, it is completely unacceptable, but for some reason it has become mainstream in the GOP to attack Muslims.”

“The traditional Republican values of conservatism is where I align myself, with the traditional Republican Party platform and not necessarily the mouthpieces of the GOP of today,” Hamze said. “You take fiscal issues, spending issues, foreign policy and I will got toe to toe with any Republican out there.” He added that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Ron Paul are two of the very few GOP leaders who do not use anti-Muslim rhetoric.

Last night, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart aired an episode on the decision by the Broward Republican Executive Committee to reject Hamze’s application to become a member of the Executive Committee and create a Muslim Republican Club last September:

Florida Security Council Director Tom Trento (Photo: Facebook)

The United West, an anti-Islamic organization, will host an event in Tallahassee on the first day of Florida’s 2012 legislative session to honor members of the U.S. military who served in Iraq.

The United West writes that its mission is to defend and advance “Western Civilization against the kinetic and cultural onslaught of Shariah Islam, so that America remains a land of freedom.” According to the organization’s website, it also “educates and activates freedom minded people” to “propagate the exceptionalism of Western Civilization over against the totalitarian choke-hold of shariah Islam.”

United West has called for an investigation into U.S. Muslim organizations like the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the North American Islamic Trust and the Islamic Society of North America due to ties it alleges exist between them and the Muslim Brotherhood.

In a United West video, GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum called the Obama administration’s security/foreign policy “fuzzy-headed,” “pie in the sky” and “naive,” adding: “The worst nightmare for the enemies of the United States in the Middle East is a Rick Santourm presidency, period.”

Tom Tentro, president of The United West, has received help from “good friend” and GOP Senate candidate Adam Hasner, who said he helped “form” the Florida Security Council, also run by Tentro.

“Hasner has been positioning himself as a tea party favorite on a slew of issues,” the Independent’s Ashley Lopez wrote last September, “but none seem as close to his heart as his long-time crusade against the supposed threat of Sharia in the U.S.”

Red County blogger Richard Swier writes: ”The first occasion since the end of the Iraq War to recognize our returning military men and women in Florida will be held in Tallahassee on January 10, 2012,” adding that “The United West is there to recognize those who have fought and died to protect the freedoms and liberties enjoyed by every American.” Swier is the vice president of The United West.

“Florida has experienced the largest deployment of its Reservists and National Guard personnel in history to Iraq and Afghanistan. U.S. Central Command, the joint command headquarters for the War in Iraq and Afghanistan, is located at MacDill AFB in Tampa. Florida is home to over 1.8 million active duty, Reserve, National Guard and veterans,” Swier adds.

“My position is that the United States should not have gone into Libya because again the last chapter isn’t written. This is a snapshot in time,” Bachmann told Christiane Amanpour of ABC’s ‘This Week.’ “Clearly this was about regime change. That is the precursor for the United States’ involvement in another nation’s affairs.”

Bachmann said the result of Gaddafi’s overthrow was a “mess.”

“We don’t know who the next leader will be,” she said, “It could be a radical element. We knew who the devil was that was running. We don’t know that next one.”

She said Libya’s oil revenues could finance a “global caliphate and extremist elements.”

On Iran, Amanpour pressed Bachmann. She had earlier called the plot to assassinate the United States’ ambassador to Saudi Arabia an “act of war.” Iran has denied any involvement in the foiled plot.

Amanpour asked how she would retaliate against Iran if she were elected president.

“I think the one thing that I would do that is very different than President Obama is I wouldn’t take my eye off the fundamental problem in the Middle East and that is an Iran that is seeking to gain a nuclear weapon,” said Bachmann.

Amanpour pressed Bachmann again about what types of force she would use considering Bachmann had already declared the plot an act of war, but Bachmann dodged.

“I would consider the use of everything we need to do,” she said.

Here’s a full clip of Bachmann’s interview:

“Yeah because he chickened out,” Jones said of Agema. “He called and said he wanted to come and speak. We said that would be fine. That would be great. A little bit later, all of the sudden, he said he couldn’t speak.”

Jones said Agema claimed he had agreed to speak without knowing his schedule, which the pastor said he “found hard to believe.”

“I believe some type of group or interest group got to him and put pressure on him. And of course he backed down,” Jones said. “I mean our politicians are not men of courage, they’re politicians.”

“Rep. Agema did not call Mr. Jones. That is completely untrue,” said Mark Kasvin, a legislative aide to Agema.

Jones’ version of events was followed up by an email from James Terpening, a Lansing area resident who facilitated Jones’ appearances in Lansing.

“I am the rally organizer for Operation Freedom’s Tree that had Terry Jones in Lansing. Agema DID agree to speak and I was the one that spoke to him, when he canceled he called my cell phone and left a voice mail saying he had to cancel and he was sorry which I still have. He wanted to do our rally and only backed out after he had pressure placed on him.”

Michigan Messenger has requested the audio from this voicemail, but has not received it as of press time.

Kasvin said that the scheduling conflict was a meeting with a constituent in Lansing.

“I was shocked a member of the Michigan legislature would agree to speak at an event like this in the first place,” Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero said of Agema’s alleged agreement to speak at the rally. Bernero called Agema’s “foreign laws” legislation “a solution looking for a problem.”

“I just think it’s much ado about nothing,” said Bernero. “It’s a bunch of crap.”

GOP Gov. Rick Snyder’s office on Tuesday came out against the foreign laws bill.

“Regarding Rep. Agema’s bill, we have yet to see any evidence that it is needed or that foreign laws are being practiced in our state,” said Geralyn Lasher, Snyder’s communications director.

Agema has made a series of headlines this year with proposals to eliminate the Healthy Michigan Fund Initiative which would eliminate Michigan’s match for federal HIV funding dollars and instead use that money to pay for airport improvements; proposals to fine state universities for offering partner benefits to same-sex couples and legislation to develop an Arizona like immigration law in the state.

Jones spoke to the media following his rally on the steps of the state Capitol Wednesday night, which drew a half dozen supporters, 15 protesters and gaggle of press. He was also surrounded by the highest security put in place at the state Capitol in recent years. As people entered the grounds, they were subjected to having their bags searched. At least 50 officers were visible flanking either side of the Capitol steps, as well as across the street in front of Lansing City Hall and the Romney building. In the hour before Jones’ speech was scheduled, officers with bomb sniffing dogs patrolled the grounds, while facilities staff filled a series of orange plastic barricades with water.

Jones said the small turnout didn’t bother him.

“We’re not disappointed. We would like to have a lot more but we realize that these things are difficult,” Jones said of the lackluster turnout. “They’re very controversial. People are afraid of Islam. They’re afraid of the radical element, what would happen. They’re afraid maybe their neighbors will them. Of course the mayor spoke out against us. That’s a whole lot for people to over come.”

He delivered a rambling speech arguing that Islam poses a growing threat to America. The speech was peppered with claims that those of the Islamic faith have never contributed to betterment of society, that Islamic regimes such as Saudi Arabia did not participate in foreign aid as the U.S. and Europe do, and that true Islam is not what he called “the watered down version” seen in the United States. Jones’ said true Islam is represented by suicide bombers, honor killings, polygamy and more.

Early on in the evening protesters started chanting “stop hate speech.” Jones ignored the chanting, but one supporter, who would only identify himself as Eugene because he was afraid of people knowing who he was, frantically and angrily pleaded with police to stop the counter protesters. MSP officers did move in, telling protesters that they either had to stop chanting or move to the public sidewalk.

Protesters held a large banner and series of smaller signs condemning Jones’ views.

After the event, Jones also announced he will hold an event at Lansing’s Hunter Park today at 5 p.m.

“We will have to deploy more resources; spend more money to allow him to exercise his Constitutional rights,” said Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero. “We’re taking all the necessary precautions to protect the kids and the neighborhood…Our main priority is public safety.”

The case, which has been going on for more than two years, has drawn a lightning-storm of controversy that had Christian conservatives and church-state watchdogs fighting alongside one another.

In 2009, the ACLU of Minnesota filed suit against the Minnesota Department of Education, the school and the school’s sponsors.

The case made for strange bedfellows. Katherine Kersten, a conservative Christian columnist at the Star Tribune and longtime critic of Islam, first broke the news in early 2008 that the school might be breaking the law. She followed up with a report from a Republican activist who also happened to be a substitute teacher at the school.

The ACLU, an organization that Kersten has been sharply critical of, picked up on the story and launched an investigation and then a lawsuit.

On Thursday, the school, the Minnesota Department of Education and the ACLU reached a partial settlement in the case. Under the terms, the Minnesota Department of Education must require charter schools to sign an annual statement declaring under penalty of law that the schools are not promoting religion.

In addition, the parties to the case released a set of facts that demonstrate the entanglement of religion with state in the school, which was called Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy (TIZA). It closed last year because it could not find a charter school sponsor.

The facts released in the case paint a portrait of a school using public money to advance a religious mission.

According to the judge’s order, the school illegally transferred money to its religious landlords, specifically an organization called Minnesota Education Trust whose mission is to “present the image of Islam.”

The school was marketed to Muslims as a school that followed Islamic law. Landlords for the school prohibited anything in the building that went against Islamic teaching. In its IRS tax filings, the school’s sponsor listed as its accomplishments that it created a “charter school to promote the message of Islam to Muslims and non-Muslims,” and numerous fundraising materials mentioned the school as part of promoting Islam in Minnesota.

When the Muslim American Society of Minnesota conducted after school religious trainings, the school gave the group free space, the school did not offer buses to students who did not want to attend the trainings, and even threatened to mark them absent if they didn’t attend. Many of the teachers at the school were the instructors for the after school courses and those who didn’t teach Islamic religious courses were not allowed to leave until the courses were ended for the day.

Textbooks used during class time to teach Arabic focused on the Quran.

Over $3 million in state and federal funds went to benefit two religious entities—the Minnesota chapter of the Muslim American Society and the Minnesota Education Trust—in the form of improvements to the TIZA campuses and rent payments. When those campuses were remodeled—in one case to install foot sinks for use in Islamic religious tradition—the landlords provided no financial support.

“The Court’s decision and our settlement with the Department of Education are bittersweet. We remain sad that TIZA’s administrators and supporters hunkered down for years rather than changing their practices to conform to the Constitution and Minnesota law,” Charles Samuelson, executive director of the ACLU-MN, said in a statement on Monday. “Sadly, this case highlights the problems that can arise from the lack of transparency in public charter school laws.”

The ACLU’s attorney’s say they asked for the release of the facts of the case because TIZA had repeatedly sought to keep them from public inspection.

“We are pleased with the court order because we have long believed that TIZA misused the court’s protective order to maintain the secrecy of documents that the public has a right to see, because they show how TIZA was using public funds,” said Peter Lancaster, an attorney with Dorsey and Whitney who worked on the case.

Torgerson, who has the backing of Tea Party Nation, also took shots at fellow Republican challenger Chris Fields for his divorce and support for LGBT rights.

Torgerson is running for the Republican nomination in Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District. Earlier this year, she told Tea Party Nation that she would be running—the group backed her previous run for office. Torgerson raised $60,000 in the last cycle—nearly as much as the Republican in the race. She self-financed $25,000 of that money and she was the only Minnesota-based donor to her campaign; all other contributions are from out of state. She ran as an unaffiliated independent.

One of Torgerson’s main issues is an opposition to civil rights for gay people. She said homosexuality goes against “natural law.”

“Two men cannot make a baby. Two women cannot make a baby. Further, all cultures which have evidenced moral decline have fallen,” she wrote. “Homosexuality has traditionally been seen as evidence of moral decline. Thus, homosexuality is not good for America, nor any culture.”

Torgerson told Golden Valley Patch at her 9/11 campaign launch that she was “entering the race to stand for the moral, Judeo-Christian values the country was founded upon. That’s our foundation, and if we don’t have our foundation in place, then the economy and things aren’t going to be doing so well.”

She said it was important to her to support the U.S. Constitution.

“I still need to expose Keith Ellison for being a radical Islamist. I do believe that he says he does eventually want to replace the U.S. Constitution with sharia law,” Torgerson said.

Torgerson told Patch she recently asked Ellison whether he believed the Constitution or “Sharia law” was supreme.

“He evaded the question,” she said. “He refuses to state that the U.S. Constitution should be supreme over Sharia law, which is to me quite surprising. He talked about how the Constitution has been amended and it appears that he would amend the Constitution to incorporate Sharia law.”

Torgerson’s question was caught on video posted by her campaign. In the exchange, Ellison said there are no communities in the United States that have tried to install Sharia law.

“I believe that the United States Constitution which has been amended well over 25 times is the bedrock of American law,” Ellison said. “This whole movement to try to ban Sharia, this bill has been introduced in over 22 states, in my view, this is a very thin-disguised effort at religious persecution of people who are Muslim.”

The controversial Quran-burning pastor Terry Jones says that state Rep. Dave Agema (R-Grandville) called him and asked to speak at his Wednesday rally but “chickened out” when it came time to stand on the Capitol steps and give a speech about his anti-foreign laws legislation.

“Yeah because he chickened out,” Jones said of Agema. “He called and said he wanted to come and speak. We said that would be fine. That would be great. A little bit later, all of the sudden, he said he couldn’t speak.”

Jones said Agema claimed he had agreed to speak without knowing his schedule, which the pastor said he “found hard to believe.”

“I believe some type of group or interest group got to him and put pressure on him. And of course he backed down,” Jones said. “I mean our politicians are not men of courage, they’re politicians.”

“Rep. Agema did not call Mr. Jones. That is completely untrue,” said Mark Kasvin, a legislative aide to Agema.

Jones’ version of events was followed up by an email from James Terpening, a Lansing area resident who facilitated Jones’ appearances in Lansing.

“I am the rally organizer for Operation Freedom’s Tree that had Terry Jones in Lansing. Agema DID agree to speak and I was the one that spoke to him, when he canceled he called my cell phone and left a voice mail saying he had to cancel and he was sorry which I still have. He wanted to do our rally and only backed out after he had pressure placed on him.”

Michigan Messenger has requested the audio from this voicemail, but has not received it as of press time.

Kasvin said that the scheduling conflict was a meeting with a constituent in Lansing.

“I was shocked a member of the Michigan legislature would agree to speak at an event like this in the first place,” Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero said of Agema’s alleged agreement to speak at the rally. Bernero called Agema’s “foreign laws” legislation “a solution looking for a problem.”

“I just think it’s much ado about nothing,” said Bernero. “It’s a bunch of crap.”

GOP Gov. Rick Snyder’s office on Tuesday came out against the foreign laws bill.

“Regarding Rep. Agema’s bill, we have yet to see any evidence that it is needed or that foreign laws are being practiced in our state,” said Geralyn Lasher, Snyder’s communications director.

Agema has made a series of headlines this year with proposals to eliminate the Healthy Michigan Fund Initiative which would eliminate Michigan’s match for federal HIV funding dollars and instead use that money to pay for airport improvements; proposals to fine state universities for offering partner benefits to same-sex couples and legislation to develop an Arizona like immigration law in the state.

Jones spoke to the media following his rally on the steps of the state Capitol Wednesday night, which drew a half dozen supporters, 15 protesters and gaggle of press. He was also surrounded by the highest security put in place at the state Capitol in recent years. As people entered the grounds, they were subjected to having their bags searched. At least 50 officers were visible flanking either side of the Capitol steps, as well as across the street in front of Lansing City Hall and the Romney building. In the hour before Jones’ speech was scheduled, officers with bomb sniffing dogs patrolled the grounds, while facilities staff filled a series of orange plastic barricades with water.

Jones said the small turnout didn’t bother him.

“We’re not disappointed. We would like to have a lot more but we realize that these things are difficult,” Jones said of the lackluster turnout. “They’re very controversial. People are afraid of Islam. They’re afraid of the radical element, what would happen. They’re afraid maybe their neighbors will them. Of course the mayor spoke out against us. That’s a whole lot for people to over come.”

He delivered a rambling speech arguing that Islam poses a growing threat to America. The speech was peppered with claims that those of the Islamic faith have never contributed to betterment of society, that Islamic regimes such as Saudi Arabia did not participate in foreign aid as the U.S. and Europe do, and that true Islam is not what he called “the watered down version” seen in the United States. Jones’ said true Islam is represented by suicide bombers, honor killings, polygamy and more.

Early on in the evening protesters started chanting “stop hate speech.” Jones ignored the chanting, but one supporter, who would only identify himself as Eugene because he was afraid of people knowing who he was, frantically and angrily pleaded with police to stop the counter protesters. MSP officers did move in, telling protesters that they either had to stop chanting or move to the public sidewalk.

Protesters held a large banner and series of smaller signs condemning Jones’ views.

After the event, Jones also announced he will hold an event at Lansing’s Hunter Park today at 5 p.m.

“We will have to deploy more resources; spend more money to allow him to exercise his Constitutional rights,” said Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero. “We’re taking all the necessary precautions to protect the kids and the neighborhood…Our main priority is public safety.”

Its headline wonders if Perry will be considered “the pro-Shariah candidate,” during his bid to win the GOP nomination, a label sure to make some conservative voters cringe.

Perry has embraced small sects of Islam like the Ismailis, while avoiding close ties to the broader Muslim community.

Perry’s cozy relationship with the Aga Khan, an extremely affluent jet-setting billionaire, is mutually and monetarily beneficial. Khan’s far-reaching network spends $350 million a year on projects in South Asia, Africa and the Middle East. The governor has capitalized on the leader’s scope and influence, agreeing to partnerships, including a deal with The University of Texas and the Aga Khan University in Pakistan to bring Muslim history and cultural studies to high school educators.

The pair have shared about a decade of friendship, hosting and attending various invitation-only events. For instance, in April 2008 the Austin American-Statesman reported on Perry’s plans to host a private dinner “to honor the Aga Khan, a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad celebrating his 50th year as the spiritual leader of a Muslim sect.”

The powerful alliance between the West Texas politician and the Kenyan-raised Ismaili leader may have some pivotal right-wing voters thinking twice about a Perry ticket — especially in light of the hard-line approaches against Islam voiced by his opponents — but is the bond really indicative of Perry’s larger relationship with Muslims?

So soon after his controversial Christian prayer event in Houston, it sounds unlikely that anyone would fault Perry for being too inclusive of other religions. The event followed months of protests by faith leaders and activist groups who condemned its lack of religious diversity and said it blurred church-state boundaries.

Muslim groups like the Council on American-Islamic Relations and leaders like Imam Qasim Khan, president and CEO of the Islamic organization Shades of White, denounced Perry for promoting Christianity above all others. The day before the rally Qasim Khan, joined by leaders of a plurality of faith backgrounds, called the governor a “contradictory politician,” one that claims to be religious but fails to help those most in need.

Many of the evangelical leaders who backed “The Response” have a history of contentious statements about Islam — like the suggestion Muslims do not deserve First Amendment rights and should be kept out of the U.S. altogether. Bryan Fischer, a spokesman for the American Family Association, which bankrolled Perry’s event, detailed four steps to “save Western Civilization” on the group’s blog in May.

The steps include eradicating all mosques, denying Muslims inclusion into the U.S. military, and cutting off Muslim migration to the United States. “There is no such thing as moderate Islam. Islam itself is a dangerous infection, and every devout Muslim is a carrier,” he wrote.

Another “Response” host with a history of anti-Muslim sentiments is Dave Welch, executive director of the Texas Pastor Council, who said earlier this year that Texas’ Speaker of the House should be allowed to follow any religion, just as long as he’s not Muslim, as the Texas Independent previously reported.

Cultivating ties to minor sects

Mustafaa Carroll of the Council on American-Islamic Relations says Perry’s relationship with the Muslim community is fairly middle-of-the-road in practice. The exclusivity of his recent prayer rally didn’t help him build any alliances with Muslims, he said, but overall the tone is neither supportive nor negative.

“As far as I can tell, the governor doesn’t have a strong relationship with the mainstream Muslim community,” said Carroll. “He mostly sticks to interacting with minority groups within Islam like the Ahmadiyya and the Ismailis and hasn’t done anything to overwhelmingly gain support from Muslims.”

Carroll mentioned Perry’s 2003 ceremonial signing of Texas’ Halal Law, which seeks to protect consumers from product mislabeling, as Perry’s most memorable act supporting the Muslim community — but could not point to any other major event like it.

“I think he hasn’t branched out because it’s seen as a risk for some politicians to align with the majority of Muslims, they may feel safer with minority groups with less connectivity.”

“I can’t speak to his motivations aligning with [the Aga Khan], but there may be some other benefits in that relationship,” he added.

‘I do believe this could be a problem’

That halal bill was hailed as the “Texas Muslim community’s First Legislative victory” in the state by the Freedom and Justice Foundation, an activist group that lobbied for its passage — but the community’s advocates in the State Capitol focused most of their attention on defeating a pair of anti-Sharia bills that floated around this past Legislative session. And unlike the halal legislation, those bills were embraced by Perry.

“We met with the governor’s office and he seemed to really support the bill,” said Pat Carlson of the conservative Texas Eagle Forum, who called the numerical assignment of H.B. 911, “appropriate.” “Although he didn’t have the power to push it­ — that’s controlled by [Texas Speaker Joe] Straus — he gave me every indication he agreed with the bill.”

The legislation suggested a constitutional amendment prohibiting Texas courts from enforcing, considering or applying religious or cultural law. Though the bills did not explicitly mention Sharia, author Rep. Leo Berman, R-Tyler, did not exclude it, as the Texas Independent previously reported.

As for his long-time partnership with the Aga Khan, Carlson said the bond could pose a sizable roadblock in currying favor with conservative voters.

“I do believe this could be a problem for Gov. Perry in his presidential bid,” she said. “We should not be showing a preference in Texas schools for a religion that is guided by Sharia law […] it is totally incompatible with our U.S. and Texas Constitutions. It is a complete political, social, legal and economic system controlling every aspect of a Muslim’s life.”

Carroll, though, disagreed, saying that if Perry showed any true support for the anti-Sharia bill, it was “strictly political.” He considers Sharia Law a “non-existent” threat drummed up for partisan reasons. Sharia is a cultural underpinning, he said, not a codified edict; Muslims end up having to defend it because efforts to limit Sharia stomp on their First Amendment rights, Carroll said.

“It’s a red herring, it’s a non-issue,” he said. “The idea people have conjured up that Muslims are trying to overtake our constitution is the biggest lie ever told.”

The press releases (warning: official KKK site), perhaps unsurprisingly, condemn Westboro Baptist Church for protesting military funerals — but hail its anti-gay rhetoric — and seemingly take on the tea party for actually being too liberal. But the statement on Terry Jones sides with a great many people with more mainstream views than those of the Klan:

Florida Pastor Terry Jones said members of his Dove World Outreach Center believe “Islam is of the devil.” He has invited those who feel the same to gather at his church for what he is calling “International Burn a Koran Day.” The Gainesville, Fla. church plans to burn the Islamic holy book on 9/11. It is our opinion that such an act is completely UNACCEPTABLE; it is despicable, and un-American.

There are without doubt Islamic sects that teach extreme views of Islam but, going down to their level of hatred by burning their books is a dangerous and ignorant way to confront their teachings. The flames made by such unholy fires never die out! The Ku Klux Klan, LLC. opposes this most un-American thinking and activity.

Still, the tea party comments were vague and the Terry Jones statement hadn’t been updated since August, when Jones’s plan for the Koran was just an idle threat. So The American Independent called the Ku Klux Klan to find out more.

TAI’s call to the Klan was originally screened by way of a message that stated helpfully that “the person that gave you this number just might be a klansman.” TAI was eventually directed to Travis Pierce, the national membership director of the Ku Klux Klan.

On Terry Jones, Pierce said, “I think his actions speak for themselves. People have died because of exactly what he’s doing. This is a fire that keeps going.“

He called Jones’ continued advocacy of Koran-burning in the face of Jones-sparked mob violence in Afghanistan resulting in the deaths of at least 20 U.N. workers “mind-boggling.” When we questioned him on the irony of his organization deploring violence, Pierce said that the KKK no longer advocates “breaking heads.”

“We understand that violence is not productive,” he said. “It doesn’t achieve our goals. We are even now in the process of hiring attorneys so that we can take our issues to the various federal districts.”

On the tea party, Pierce had this to say: “It’s phony. It’s a distraction. The Republican Party was in serious trouble and they got this outside pressure group and brought it to bear against the Republican Party. The Republican Party folded in on itself, and the American people unfortunately see motion or activity as progress. It’s ridiculous that people are going for it.”

In a more politically-correct version of the Klan’s historical values, Pierce said that the KKK objects to American politics in all its forms and that even the tea party is failing to address the “special rights and privileges” his organization believes are now afforded to minority groups.

Hannity asked Ellison about a statement he made recently: “I think if you listen to Fox News, the station 24-7 is trying to incite and divide Americans along religious lines, scapegoating the Muslim community, and this is a sort of well-worn, right-wing tactic.”

Hannity asked, “This is an incredible charge. This is a charge of bigotry. Can you give me a specific example?”

“I don’t apologize for it,” Ellison said. “If you are telling me you are going to be more even-handed on issues of religious tolerance, that’s a good step, and I thought that by inviting me here, I thought that’s what you were trying to do.”

Ellison didn’t have any specific examples available, but Media Matters did. A good example was Hannity’s criticism of Ellison for taking his oath of office on the Qur’an.

At the time Hannity said Ellison’s oath “will embolden Islamic extremists and make new ones” and suggested that using the Qur’an for a swearing-in is comparable to using “Hitler’s Mein Kampf, which is the Nazi bible.”

“When you only identity terrorism and extremism with one religion, I think that’s too bad,” Ellison told Hannity. “We are at war with violent extremists who would kill Americans, they might be Muslims, they might be white supremacists, they might be people who would kill at abortion clinics. We are trying to protect Americans from any violent extremists, Muslim, Christian or Jewish, anybody.”

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