Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney is an Idiot

Right From the Start

On this past Thursday evening, Edward Archer shot and critically wounded Officer Jesse Hartnett, a Philadelphia police officer, in an unprovoked attack. Mr. Archer proclaimed that he was a disciple of the international Islamic terrorist organization known as the Islamic State and that he shot Office Hartnett in “the name of Islam.”

I watched the initial press conference and saw the look of anguish, anger and determination on the face of Police Commissioner Richard Ross as he detailed, with photos, the filmed attack on Officer Hartnett. While Mr. Ross described the horror that Officer Hartnett must have felt when Mr. Archer reached inside the officer’s vehicle and shot him multiple times and point blank range, he also took time to praise the courage of Officer Hartnett who, though critically wounded, exited his patrol car when Mr. Archer sought to flee and fired several times wounding Mr. Archer seriously enough that his fellow officers were able to locate and arrest Mr. Archer.

And then, in what is one of the most bizarre moments I have witnessed, the mayor of Philadelphia, Jim Kenney (D), took his time at the podium, not to express his gratitude for the courage and bravery of Officer Hartnett, not to condemn yet another attack on police officers, and not to condemn the actions of yet another adherent to the Islamic terrorist group, the Islamic State, but rather to go on at length that this attack had nothing to do with Islam stating:

“In no way shape or form does anyone in this room believe that Islam or the teaching of Islam has anything to do with what you’ve seen on the screen,”

“That is abhorrent. It’s just terrible and it does not represent this religion in any way shape or form or any of its teachings. This is a criminal with a stolen gun who tried to kill one of our officers. It has nothing to do with being a Muslim or following the Islamic faith.”

So too was President Barack Obama who, through his spokesman, steadfastly refused to acknowledge that the incident was a terrorist attack let alone an Islamic terrorist act, preferring instead to say that the matter is still under review – idiot.

Political correctness is killing us. It is making us addlepated. In the face of facts, we choose fantasy. In this instance, what part of the declarations by the would-be killer would lead you to believe that this had nothing to do with Islam? Was it the part where Mr. Archer proclaimed his allegiance to the Islamic State? Or maybe the part where he declared that he shot Officer Hartnett in the name of Islam. Or maybe it is the part where he yelled “Allahu Akbar.” Apparently, Mr. Kenney, another white liberal male, assumes that he speaks authoritatively on behalf of Islam and the Quran.

Like his fellow liberals with their heads planted firmly in the sand, or perhaps some dark bodily orifice, Mr. Kenney could not see any relationship with Islam but he could see that this did demonstrate a need for further gun control – ignoring the fact that Mr. Archer used a gun stolen from the police – moron.

But this is all about Islam. Islam is the sine qua non for the Islamic State and its practice and encouragement of terrorism. The whole concept of the Islamic State is based on the establishment of a caliphate and, in doing so, the establishment of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as the caliph – in essence the leader of all Muslims. The Caliph is supposed to embody the essence of the Quran and other Islamic teachings. He can only remain Caliph so long as he adheres to these teachings. By extension the acts and edicts of the Caliph define expected conduct of his Islamic followers. In this instance, al-Baghdadi, having declared the Islamic State as a caliphate has defined terrorism as not only acceptable conduct, but expected conduct.

Whether you believe that al-Baghdadi and his followers represent true Islam is irrelevant. Their movement, their caliphate, their conduct is all based upon their interpretation of Islam. They proceed in the name of Islam and have, by declaring a caliphate, stated that their acts are the accepted and expected acts of Islam. To say that al-Baghdadi and his followers have nothing to do with Islam is deliberately ignorant. It is like saying that wine has nothing to do with grapes. Not all grapes are made into wine, but all wine comes from grapes.

Most assuredly, not all Muslims support the barbaric violence of the Islamic State, not all Muslims practice jihad, and not all Muslims are Islamic terrorists. But all Islamic terrorists are Muslim, all of them justify their acts in the name of Islam, and all believe that these acts are required of them under Islam.

When I was in college inane and irrelevant comments received a routine response – “Bite Me!” It’s time to bring that custom back.  Mayor Kenney – Bite Me!. President Obama – Bite Me! And for those who feel compelled to remind me that there are such things as dandelion wine, currant wine and Liberal whine – Bite Me!