Un-American Activity?

The days of HUAC are long gone (and by the way that was House Un-American Activities Committee, therefore had nothing to do with Senator McCarthy) but as we have noticed for some time or, to be precise, ever since people have started treating President Obama just like any other politician and criticize or disagree with him, the tendency to throw that expression around has increased. Most recently the accusations have been levelled at those who opposed the building of the Muslim Centre and mosque near Ground Zero. They do not oppose building it in general somewhere in New York, where there already are numerous mosques, but on that particular spot. Faugh, we hear, how un-American. Why? Errm, well, errm, freedom of religion and whatever.

Roger Simon has appealed to Speaker Pelosi, who has been throwing around the expression rather freely, to investigate him before anyone else. One could say that this shows Mr Simon to be somewhat egocentric but he is a writer and a commentator so that goes with the territory. Madam Speaker has suggested that there should be a government investigation of who is financing the opposition to the mosque on Ground Zero and given that the majority of the population is in that opposition, the financing must be phenomenal.

But what's this? Apparently, at some point when she was clarifying what she said or her office was clarifying what she said (what a lot of clarifying goes on these days among politicians) Madam Speaker also suggested that there should be some investigation of the financing behind the organization that is determined to build a whacking big mosque near Ground Zero.

James Taranto thinks that there is only one possible outcome: Madam Speaker will have to be investigated for Un-American Activity. After all, Mayor Bloomberg thought that the Republican gubernatorial candidate in New York was indulging in UAA when he called for transparency on the subject. Then why not the Speaker? Not to mention various other Democrat politicians who, staring at the looming November elections, are coming out against that mosque. If HUAC is reconstituted it will be a very busy organization.