Arizona Representative wants to remove plaque of a Sikh killed (after 9-11) AND 9-11 Responders Bill Checks for being terrorist

[MathiasOfAthens]

The Issue - Republican in Arizona wants to remove a sikh who was fatally shot after 9-11 from the 9-11 memorial and melt down his plaque as scrap metal. The crime was listed as a hate crime and even the suspect who was convicted admitted to seeking revenge for 9-11.

A petition to stop the removal:

Arizona Representative John Kavanagh introduced the bill because Sodhi “was not a 9/11 victim.” In fact, Mr. Kavanagh believes the tragic hate crime was unconnected to 9/11. SALDEF is outraged at the disrespect the Arizona state legislature has shown Mr. Sodhi’s memory, family, and the Sikh American community. The efforts by Mr. Kavanaugh and his colleagues to deny the fact that Mr. Sodhi’s murder was a consequence of 9/11 is completely unfounded, unacceptable, and shows a complete failure in leadership.

Following the shooting in 2001 the Phoenix police responded to 4 more similar shootings of muslims or people who looked muslim.

About the crime in 2001.
New York Times
Wikipedia

Anyway Jan Brewer is trying to decide whether or not she should sign this... if she doesnt she look like a RINO. If she does she is an obvious racist... yeah yeah I know shes not but come on why does the state of Arizona need to spend the money removing his name and his plaque because he was killed in retaliation for 9-11? If he was killed at the 9-11 site this wouldnt even be an issue... would republicans really threaten to remove someone from a memorial who died at the ground zero site?

Oh the Republicans did stoop lower.

All 9-11 Workers must be verified as not being on a Terrorist watch list before receiving health benefits that they suffered from for 9+ years.

From the Huffington

I mean ... not even the Libyans in Libya fighting Gaddafi have to go through such rigorous screening... and there are most certainly terrorists among that bunch.


Soren Discovered why the legislator lumped in this Sikh in his bill... seems he just didnt research who this guy was.

[irontaino]

Not surprised really, it's Arizona.

[legate]

what a tit

i think its time to get the tits out

[MathiasOfAthens]

Yeah but what can Brewer do... shes really backed up to a wall on this one by the TP.

[mongrel]

I am seriously concerned that some politicians seem to have the time and the budget to remove the name of someone from a memorial when there must be more pressing needs that are of concern to voters. At this rate I think Obama need not bother contacting the removal men come the next election

[motiv-8]

Yea I'm sure there are plenty of terrorists among emergency personnel..

Theyll bring you back to life so they can kill you, again. Dastardly.

[justicar5]

Yea I'm sure there are plenty of terrorists among emergency personnel..

Theyll bring you back to life so they can kill you, again. Dastardly.

and I'm sure no one got put on the watch list for reasons completly unrelater to islamist terror (like offending a senator or some such, that'd never happen right?)

[flonky]

How stupid is this politician? Are they trying to piss people off on purpose? If so, it's working...

[Thanatos]

Arizona seems to be a bastion for racists and their kind. Makes me wonder if there is anyone in power who isn't. My friend is Mexican-White, and he can easily recount dozens of tales of time when people were racist towards him.

[kentuckybandit]

Ridiculous waste of time, must be the desert heat in Arizona. But I am wondering why some one who was gunned down for "looking Muslim" four days after 9/11, is listed on a 9/11 memorial?

I am of Iranian descent, my father coming over from Iran days after the revolution sparked. I know the days after 9/11 were tense and I worried about someone starting in the hallway at school, or at the grocery store or where ever. But I just think putting some one who was killed "because of 9/11", days later, by a psycho, on a 9/11 memorial is kind of ridiculous.

Have never understood the resistance by Republicans to give benefits to 9/11 first responders either, seems a no brainer to me.

[MathiasOfAthens]

Well this guy was targeted... its not an incident that just happened to have taken place after 9-11. So the two events are intricately linked.

[kentuckybandit]

Well this guy was targeted... its not an incident that just happened to have taken place after 9-11. So the two events are intricately linked.

If it had happened that evening perhaps. If someone gunned down a Japanese person tomorrow, and told police that it was "for revenge for Pearl Harbor", are they now a victim of the attack on Pearl Harbor? If I was gunned down on the way to Wal Mart tonight, and the guy said it was revenge for his brother killed in Iraq, would I be a victim of the Iraq War? Seems like a lot of feel good stuff to me.

[Søren]

This is a very one-sided story and a case of bad journalism. It seems like Rep. Kavanagh's main aim was to remove the following semi-political messages from the public memorial:

1. "Fear of foreigners"
2. "09 15 01 Balbir Singh Sodhi, a Sikh, murdered in Mesa"
3. "Foreign-born Americans afraid"
4. "Feeling of invincibility lost"
5. "Must bomb back"
6. "You don't win battles of terrorism with more battles"
7. "Violent acts leading US to war 05 07 1915, 12 07 1941, 08 04 1964
& 09 11 2001"
8. "06 03 02 Congress questions why CIA & FBI didn't prevent attacks"
9. "FBI agent issues July 2001 warning in 'Phoenix Memo'"
10. "03 13 02 New Afghan leader elected"
11. "Middle East violence motivates attacks in US"

Also it looks like the problem was just Kavanagh grouping the Singh Sodhi bit in with the rest as extraneous to 9/11 without thoroughly researching the case. He's now saying he'll propose follow-up legislation to redact that change. I sympathise with wanting to remove overtly politically-charged statements like "You don't win battles of terrorism with more battles" on a memorial. Regardless of whether you agree with them or not, it's not the right place.

[MathiasOfAthens]

Well **** Mathias, let's put all the military personnel, Afghan and otherwise, that have been killed in the war that was spawned by 9/11 on the plaque too. I mean, the events are intricately linked. It's not always about race you know, yes EVEN with republicans.

The 9/11 responder terrorist check thing is just retarded.

Really? The guy was gunned down in America in his store FOR LOOKING like a Muslim. He wasnt occupying a foreign country? And soldiers get their own memorials.

Anyway seems Soren made an interesting discovery... its not about race just stupid legislative work. The legislator didnt ing read about the Sikh... just assumed it was a coincidental shooting.

If it had happened that evening perhaps. If someone gunned down a Japanese person tomorrow, and told police that it was "for revenge for Pearl Harbor", are they now a victim of the attack on Pearl Harbor? If I was gunned down on the way to Wal Mart tonight, and the guy said it was revenge for his brother killed in Iraq, would I be a victim of the Iraq War? Seems like a lot of feel good stuff to me.

Seriously man?

This is a very one-sided story and a case of bad journalism. It seems like Rep. Kavanagh's main aim was to remove the following semi-political messages from the public memorial:



Also it looks like the problem was just Kavanagh grouping the Singh Sodhi bit in with the rest as extraneous to 9/11 without thoroughly researching the case. He's now saying he'll propose follow-up legislation to redact that change. I sympathise with wanting to remove overtly politically-charged statements like "You don't win battles of terrorism with more battles" on a memorial. Regardless of whether you agree with them or not, it's not the right place.

Good find... plus rep.

[kentuckybandit]

Seriously man?

Seriously, man. I don't understand your confusion.

[s.rwitt]

Well **** Mathias, let's put all the military personnel, Afghan and otherwise, that have been killed in the war that was spawned by 9/11 on the plaque too. I mean, the events are intricately linked. It's not always about race you know, yes EVEN with republicans.

The 9/11 responder terrorist check thing is just retarded.

[Blaze86420]

Well **** Mathias, let's put all the military personnel, Afghan and otherwise, that have been killed in the war that was spawned by 9/11 on the plaque too.

That's a great idea. And I'm not trolling this time, wallah.

[Yosemite]

gee it's not like there are more pressing matters anyway right

[Armenum]

Idiots probably don't know what a Sikh is. Probably just saw a picture of a Sikh and ran to do this...

[HissingNewt]

I understand where you guys are coming from and it's a truly nice sentiment to want to include this guy (or I guess necessary in your view since you two do view him as a victim of 9/11), but it does lead to the question of why every single soldier or contractor who has died in Afghanistan (and arguably Iraq, too) isn't on there, since we would not be there if not for 9/11. If 9/11 hadn't happened, we would have just kept attempting to Tomahawk Osama every year or so and not lost a single person in that country. I just don't think they should include people who did not die directly from terrorist attacks on that day.