Sound the Sharia alarm!

Now the right-wing is going batshit crazy over... soup. Yes, Campbell's (Canada) has introduced a line of halal-certified soups, and it's apparently the end of civilization as we know it.

These are like kosher foods. But while kosher-certified foods are made in accordance to Jewish dietary laws, halal-certified foods are made in accordance to Muslim dietary laws. See the problem? No, neither do I.

According to TPM, where I got this news (and my title), the Islamic Society of North America has been certifying halal foods since 1988. American companies have been advertising kosher foods since 1911. That's basically the difference.

Now, maybe religious bigots were upset by the introduction of kosher foods outside of Jewish ghettos, I don't know. But even if that's so, haven't we learned anything in the past century? Do you get angry when you see kosher pickles in the grocery story? Do you boycott companies that sell certified kosher foods? Do you see how stupid this is?

From TPM:

To some people, that's just more evidence that Sharia is coming to North America -- this time, via the grocery store.

"M-m-good for the Islamists. Not so yummy for the rest of us," reads the blog of Scaramouche, which broke the news Tuesday, some eight months after Campbell's launched the line.

Robert Spencer, who writes Jihadwatch.org and has been saying for years that ISNA is tied to Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, quickly echoed the alarm.

"So why is Campbell's Soup rushing to do its bidding?" Spencer wrote on Tuesday. "'M-M-Muslim Brotherhood Good?'"

Park51 opponent Pamela Geller is now calling for a boycott of Campbell's.

The Tea Party Nation is on board, too, tweeting today, " Campbell's now making Muslim approved soups. Mmmmm Mmmmm not good. No more campbells for me."

A Facebook group created just Tuesday called "Boycott Campbell Soup" already has almost 2,000 members. Members who leave messages like [sic]:

This is yet another example of just how dangerous creeping shariah is to Western Civilization, Democracy and all freedom loving peoples. There are stages to the islamization of non-islamic countries. [...] This is just another way that terrorism and it's sponsors are insinuating themselves into our culture, Terrorists are NOT freedom fighters they are murderous thugs and I will not pay money for soup or any other product that supports, aids or abetts their tactics. Hope someone puts a list out of all of Campbell's affiliates.

The blog Creeping Sharia notes that Kellogg UK has halal-certified cereals and asks, "Are their U.S. products secretly halal?"

Secretly halal? Er, the whole point of marketing halal-certified foods is so Muslims who follow their dietary laws can buy them. You know, just like marketing kosher-certified foods? What would be the point if no one knew about it? Do these lunatics think that they'll be made Muslim by eating soup??? No doubt eating pickles will turn you Jewish, too, huh? (Yes, I know that kosher dill pickles aren't necessarily certified kosher. Through long association, the name has become just a flavor profile in America. But that's kind of my point.)

Tell me that the right-wing doesn't get crazier by the day. Tell me - please! - that we Americans aren't completely losing our minds - or our courage. When will there be a backlash against this kind of lunacy? When will we see the right-wing laughed off the political stage? This is complete insanity, and it just seems to be getting worse and worse.

I don't doubt that we've always had lunatics like this. But they've always been a fringe, even in the Republican Party. Now, the lunatics have taken control of the Republican Party, such that even presidential candidates echo their lunacy (either because people like Newt Gingrich have also lost their minds or because they feel it's the only way to regain political power). These days, the lunatics have political power - either because there's more of them now than ever before, or just because the rest of us let them.

Either way, it's a sad commentary on America, don't you think? So, what are you going to do about it? You can join the lunatics (perhaps you have ambitions as a Republican politician?), you can give up and let the lunatics have their way, or you can stand up for what's right. Individually, we can't do much. (Collectively, we can, though you may not believe that.) But that's no excuse. Apathy is just another name for cowardice.