Wednesday, August 01, 2007

Fighting them over here so he doesn't get his ass shot off over there."So, anyway I'm...what? Is it my hair?...What? What's so funny? What?"

MATTHEWS: OK.

Let me ask you about—both you gentlemen, but starting with you, Jason. What are you guys—what do people your age think about the war in Iraq right now, as it is going, as we‘re fighting this to try to get the Iraqis to take over the fighting? What‘s the view of your group?

MATTERA: I think my group is supporting President Bush on this matter. We‘re looking to defeat the terrorists.

MATTHEWS: Where? In Iraq.

MATTERA: In Iraq. Of course in Iraq.

And there—you won‘t see on college campuses, as you did in the 1960s, these rampant protests, these obstruction of classroom, these—the book burning, everything that went down. I think kids are more conservative today. And I think groups such as the Young America‘s Foundation help that—help mold that conservatism.

MATTHEWS: Would you like to enlist them? You‘re 21. You‘re eligible to serve. Would you like to serve in this war?

MATTERA: I‘m fighting the battle for ideas. I‘m fighting...

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: No, I‘m just asking a particular question. Would you like to enlist in this war?

MATTERA: No, because I‘m fighting a separate battle. I‘m fighting—we‘re fighting the culture war here, but I‘m also supporting the battle that‘s raging in Iraq.

MATTHEWS: Well, what kind of people should fight in this war, if not you?

MATTERA: Those who want to, those who want—who feel the desire, who have the passion to go over to Iraq. I have many friends who are in Iraq myself, people from my church, people who I graduated with.

MATTHEWS: Yes.

MATTERA: They went to go fight over there. I‘m here. I‘m fighting the culture war right now. Both need to be fought and both need to be won by conservatives.

Noted author, Hot Air contributor/host and jihad watcher Robert Spencer is scheduled to speak before a gathering of the Young America’s Foundation in Washington on Thursday. CAIR, whose spokesman Ibrahim Hooper defamed Spencer on CNN Tuesday night, has issued a demand via its lawyers that YAF cancel the speech or “ensure that false and defamatory statements are not disseminated at that session.”
[...]

This is an effort to stifle free speech in advance of anything having actually been said. It’s pernicious in my humble opinion, and a serious mistake on CAIR’s part to try to preempt its critics. I’m told by YAF that the speech will proceed as scheduled, and Jason Mattera, spokesman for YAF, responded to the CAIR complaint:

“CAIR can go to Hell and they can take their 72 virgins with them.”