Nuts! It Takes All Kinds

| August 18, 2011

Via The Armorer:    

‘NUTS!’ — Allen West’s Strange, One-Word Response To Being Called Out For Ties To Islamophobes

Earlier this month, a local chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) sent Rep. Allen West (R-FL) a letter asking him to cut off ties with leading anti-Muslim activists like Pamela Geller and Brigitte Gabriel with whom he had shared stages before. Muslims protect and serve our great country and are afforded equal protection under law,” said the letter. “We shouldn’t have to defend our rights to worship freely or participate in the governing of our society.”

Now, CAIR has received a letter from West with a one-word response to their request. In what the Miami New Times is calling possibly “dumbest thing ever written on congressional stationery,” West simply wrote back, “NUTS!” Here’s a copy of the letter:

And those at Think Progress were very perceptive to note: “Whatever he meant by his response, one thing West did not appear to offer is any sort of condemnation of the radical anti-Muslim company he has been keeping.”

Category: Geezer Alert!, Politics

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DirtyMick

Somebody doesn’t know there history. 101st Airborne, battle of the bulge, Bastogne, General McAuliffe etc. Reporters are stupid

2-17AirCav

I am beginning to admire West. He is surrounded. He is outgunned. He is outnumbered. He is invited to surrender. He says, “Nuts.” He, at least, knows American history.

StrikeFO

General Anthony Clement “Nuts” McAuliffe (July 2, 1898 – August 11, 1975) was the United States Army general who commanded the 101st Airborne Division troops defending Bastogne, Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. He is famous for his single-word reply to a German surrender ultimatum: “Nuts!”

PurpleDragon

Or, like me is a movie fan.

OldCavLt

Pithy. Very pithy.

2-17AirCav

Well, Purple Dragon, at least he watches good movies!

VCO Cheech

BASTOGNE! Hooah LTC West!

DaveA

Have you ever watched his speeches on Muslims and Islam. He has actually learned his history of Islam throughout the ages. He can also recite dates and times to back up his speeches and does it all without a teleprompter. Heis way more articulate than the richard in the Oval office. He also uses common sense.

NotSoOldMarine

Anyone that pisses of CAIR gets some automatic cool points in my book.

CI

I am less and less impressed with West.

DaveB

@CI – Why are you less and less impressed? CAIR sent him a letter to tell him not to be see with people they don’t like and he told them to get bent. If someone told you to quit being seen with certain people because they don’t like them, would you follow their wishes or would you tell them off?

CI

@DaveB – Let’s be factually correct; CAIR sent him a letter asking him [urging was the word I believe]….not telling him.

West had the opportunity to return a cogent and well thought response to an organization who, while making a salient point in their request, has a less than transparent history.

I’m not impressed with his lapel ORB or his taking honorable military service and turning it into a political shtick. He has not displayed the reason and maturity that I desire from an elected representative.

Opinions may vary…..

UpNorth

#12, so, Col. West hasn’t “displayed the reason and maturity that I desire from an elected representative”. Kindly inform us just what you consider the reason and maturity you desire, and who has exhibited it?
As for your plaintive paen that Col. West “had the opportunity to return a cogent and well thought response”, to the haters at CAIR, see post #8. He’s far more well versed on Islam than you appear to be.
And, who gave CAIR the right to pick and choose who anyone can associate with?

CI

“He’s far more well versed on Islam than you appear to be.”

….and there’s the expected distraction-turned-personal-attack.

“And, who gave CAIR the right to pick and choose who anyone can associate with?”

To be logically consistent, you equally decry Christian groups who exhort elected officials to conform to their wishes, right?

1AirCav69

Why isn’t he running for President?

Honor and Courage

JonP

He could have looked around him at all of the moonbats circling him and quoted the immortal Gen. Chesty Puller :

“Great. Now we can shoot at those bastards from every direction.”

Or maybe: “All right, they’re on our left, they’re on our right, they’re in front of us, they’re behind us…they can’t get away this time.”

2-17AirCav

I was unaware of his and his family’s extensive military backgrond before this evening. He would get my vote over any of these characters now running, 1AirCav69.

Major Kong

Congressman West’s response was precisely correct. CAIR does not deserve the time of day of any decent person. CAIR is nothing but the North American public relations wing of the terrorist organization Hamas, the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. Apologists for terrorist organizations do not deserve a “cogent and well thought out response”, as called for above. Terrorist mouthpieces deserve only open contempt and withering disdain, and West’s response was spot-on.

AW1 Tim

To be concise, CI, I’d believe that you were never impressed with COL West at any time.

CAIR is a front for terrorists in the same manner that Sinn Fein is for the IRA, but without the same sort of manners and general good breeding that all Irish possess.

CAIR isn’t worth a bucket of warm spit to any American with more than 2 functioning brain cells, and COL West’s comments were square in the black.

Arrow

Allan West Answers A Marine’s Question

Aguila2011

Rep. West spotted a not so cleverly concealed trap which CAIR thought would garner a PC response. What those twinkle-toes don’t know is real change is afoot. They are behind the curve this time using worn out tactics. Now if CI, would that be “Constipated Ignoramus,” would just get unstuck from stupid he would see that the reply is but the beginnings of American’s, real American’s, taking back their country after letting idiots run roughshod over it for too long.

Asalaam alaikum, may all Islamo-terrorists be with their virgins quickly!

CI

“To be concise, CI, I’d believe that you were never impressed with COL West at any time.”

Not at all, I believe I would have taken the same actions as he did when he was in BN CMD. Even though follow-on actions weren’t exactly vindicating, that earned my respect

West had an opportunity to distance himself form the Geller-Gaffney crowd, and didn’t. That doesn’t command my respect.

2-17AirCav

This isn’t going to be pretty.

Old Trooper

CI says “West had an opportunity to distance himself form the Geller-Gaffney crowd, and didn’t.”

Why should he? What have they done to need to be distanced from? Is it because they call a spade a spade? Is it because they say what a lot of people are thinking in regards to CAIR? CAIR never apologizes for the words spoken in the name of their organization, they never apologize for sponsoring speakers that have clear, irrefutable ties to terrorist organizations. CAIR is, like most islamic groups today, in perpetually offended mode.

Quoting General McAulliffe (sp?) isn’t a bad thing and actually shows that Allen West gets it.

CI

It’s not a question of what he ‘should’ do, he’s a grown man and must abide by his decisions. I’m a bit perplexed by the incorporation of BG McAullife’s reply to the German’s in this instance, unless the premise is that Muslim-Americans are akin to the Nazi threat of WWII. I realize it’s part of his shtick, but perhaps I merely have a lower level of paranoia about Islam destroying western civilization, or something.

This isn’t strictly about CAIR, to me anyway….it’s his entire approach to a class of US citizens that has become PC for certain strains of the modern GOP.

1AirCav69

#17…Agree bro. Can’t go with any of the current candidates. I might just right him in instead of not voting.

Honor and Courage

1AirCav69

#26…that would be “write”….but right might not be all that wrong.

Big Dan

Everyone should donate to his re-election. A man that eloquent has to be saved.

UpNorth

“To be logically consistent, you equally decry Christian groups who exhort elected officials to conform to their wishes, right?” Yes, yes I do, thanks for asking. And, we will note you didn’t answer the question, except by asking a question.

Doc Bailey

I don’t know what made me laugh harder, Rep West’s response or Think Progress’ bafflement. I half heard a German voice sayin “Nutz? Vas ist Nutz?”

PintoNag

Rep. West better be prepared for the response he’s going to provoke. Some people get very angry when you speak the unadorned truth, and they WILL start breaking things: careers, reputations, wallets…anything they can think of and reach, will become targets of their wrath.

Trent

” unless the premise is that Muslim-Americans are akin to the Nazi threat of WWII”

CI, its not that he took it as it being “akin to the Nazi threat of WWII”. IMO, he took it as being asked to surrender to CAIR just like McAuliffe was being asked to surrender. Therefore the response of “Nuts” was extremely appropriate.

As for his approach being PC, its anything but that.

CI

@Trent – What exactly is West being asked to surrender to? Surely not the exact wording of CAIR’s letter….unless there is some unwritten ulterior motive you’re asking me to subscribe to.

And PC exists on the right as surely as it does on the left. It differs in quality, but is mirrored in quantity.

tankerswife

@ #25. To clear up your perplexion pertaining to the kinship between Nazis and Muslim extremists, or rather, German Nazi sympathizers and Muslim-Americans…Yes. There is a direct correlation. Any organization (such as CAIR) that blatantly promotes such extreme stances, or even simply gives tacit approval, is no better than Hitler’s Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda. Did it escape your attention that both groups, at their very core, are do or die types? Either you do as they say, or you die.

Trent

CI, CAIR absolutely has ulterior motives. If you don’t think so, then you are sadly mistaken.

As for the rest, tankerswife said it better than I ever could.

CI

I absolutely agree that CAIR has agenda(s), but what in the wording of their request to West, calls for West to ‘surrender’ to anything? Now, take into account the paranoid rantings of other elected officials and activists concerning Muslims. I’m not focusing on CAIR, I’m concerned with the general strain of PC amongst much of the GOP towards segments of the American citizenry.

You surely realize that just as there is disinformation from Muslims, there is disinformation about Muslims.

Miss Ladybug

CAIR has gotten used to people asking “how high” when they say “jump” in letters such as these. They don’t come out and say explicitly “you MUST do X”, but is damn well implied that they expect the recipient to acquiesce to their “request”.

UpNorth

“And PC exists on the right as surely as it does on the left. It differs in quality, but is mirrored in quantity.” Whaaa, they do it too. And, nope, I don’t expect yet another question in reply, CI.

CI

I haven’t been the one crying about the evils of PC.

What is the question you want an answer too?

UpNorth

“Kindly inform us just what you consider the reason and maturity you desire, and who has exhibited it?” I don’t recall your reply. That was up in #13.
And, might you be “Constitutional Insurgent”?
“Take into account the paranoid rantings of other elected officials and activists concerning Muslims.” Would that be a politician raving about the beauty of the Muslim call to prayer? Please do elucidate.
You do know that Islam is a political system that has been on the quest for domination of the globe for several centuries?

CI

Yes, I am. In answer to your first……there are not many in office that exhibit the intellectual maturity much less reasoned thinking in my opinion. These days, I’m partial to Paul Ryan, Mike Pompey and Marco Rubio. I like Christie…..but Im not sure he has the temperament for national office.

Do you really need a primer on Geller, Gaffney and the like? Surely you’ve taken the time to educate yourself on obvious ideological kindred spirits.

Your identification of Muslims also applies to Christian reconstructionists and dominionists………but I don’t associate all Christians with them.

Arrow

American Islamic Forum For Democracy:

http://www.aifdemocracy.org/

Dr. Zuhdi Jasser. A reasonable voice.

Arrow

A multitude of reasonable voices.

American Islamic Leadership Coalition

http://americanislamicleadership.org/link2

http://americanislamicleadership.org/

UpNorth

Thought so, CI. As far as I know, Geller, Gaffney et al, all have a vote, no? They appear to be American citizens, in good standing, and not members of a terrorist-affiliated group, correct?
Reconstructionists and Dominionists? Oh my, you’ve been browsing Wikipedia again, haven’t you? And, Alternet. Not to mention DU and Kos.

CI

I realize that you think you’re smart [or that I’m a liberal] by acting like you know where I go for information….but it’s really sort of transparent and lame don’t you think?

Cedo Alteram

“And those at Think Progress were very perceptive to note: “Whatever he meant by his response, one thing West did not appear to offer is any sort of condemnation of the radical anti-Muslim company he has been keeping.”” WHOA! Talk about a reference going right over there heads and these are the same douches who have the audacity to lecture others about education. I really don’t want to believe this, but you know maybe they don’t know. According to them Harriet Tubmann won the Civil War and Rock & Roll brought down the wall.

CI, it was flipped response of defiance, it was not meant literally. I guess he could have said fuck off but this has better license.

Frankly I’ll meet you half way when it comes to the Islamic world. Are all muslims out to get us? Umm no, but plenty of them like CAIR are, both state and nonstate actors.

Are all muslims the same? Umm no, but there culture is distinctly defective and has been the biggest inhibitor of their own development. This culture is what spawned this jihadist movement not Israel, western civilisation, Hello Kitty, or the US.

Can force of arms transform the Islamic world? I don’t know about transform but it can alter. It has in the past, the history of mankind is ripe with examples, its possible if not probable. At the very least creating a government that can control most of the country is plausible. We reached over there because they reached over here, simple as that.

CI

Well there’s really not a lot of ‘literally’ to a reply of ‘nuts’.

I haven’t conflated this event concerning West with the Islamic world at large, but by even the most generous measure, it’s a fraction of the Muslim population that acts against what we consider our interests, a number far below what I would consider ‘plenty of them’.

We have activists and elected officials that seem to operate from the position that Islam is a threat that will bring down western civilization. I disagree. I personally think it stems from a sense that the idea of American infallibility must have an actor playing the foil in order to survive.

We can certainly have a positive effect on tempering the wave of radicalism [though I believe it to have a shelf life anyway], but we certainly do not always pursue the sensible course of action to that end.

Bottom line, West has his act and it plays into certain segments of our society, I’m just not generally impressed by it. But when he or others who should know better start calling into question the rights and freedoms of other Americans to practice their religion or enjoy their status as citizens, it’s antithetical not only to the supposed principles of the party he belongs to, but to American principles in general.

UpNorth

Sort of lame, or transparent? Nope, not when you use the “code” words that said sites use.
So, to recap, only briefly, Christians are bad, they’re “dominionists” and “reconstructionists”. Muslims are misunderstood, mislabeled and just good ole folks who get demonized by said “dominionists” and “reconstructionists”? Got it.
I know you think you’re smart but you seem to actually be a liberal, from your history of posts at B5, and the eyewash you’re posting here. What’s next? There’s no liberal bias in the news media?

CI

Of course I’m a liberal…I’m a conservative who doesn’t agree with you on some issues…so I have to be a liberal. That saves you from having to do any critical thinking. Can’t have any dissension in the Borg, right? But as usual, when you realize a defense of the original OP isn’t faring well, the ire must be turned toward anyone who dissents. Tiresome tactic, and quite frankly beneath you.

Dominionist is a term used by Dominionists, and I previously stated that I don’t lump all Christians in with them…..so possibly your interpretation of ‘code words’ is really a lack of education and reading skills.

“Christians are bad”, “Muslims are misunderstood, mislabeled” Really? Did you even try to wipe the stink off after you pulled that out of your ass? I know, it’s hard to conceive that somebody may not be scared of ‘teh Muzlims’, but you also declined to respond to the overarching trend amongst the radical right regarding Muslim Americans and their place in our society. There’s a lot of panty twisting going on, with no call for a solution. What’s yours?

2-17AirCav

@23. It just took a little longer than I thought it would.