According to Minnesota congresswoman, Michele Bachmann, you may be if your views run contrary to hers. And far from the staunch conservatism and Christian faith which she claims, these kinds of remarks are actually a form of New Age idolatry which betrays both of those ideologies. Rather than a disciplined approach informed by a specific intellectual or spiritual tradition which serious conservatives both political and theological invoke, the congresswoman spews fear and hate based on nothing more than her own intuition.
On MSNBC's "Hardball", Bachman shared her concerns that Barack Obama harbors anti-American views. Bachmann however, could not define what that even means despite host, Chris Matthews, giving her every chance. Instead she suggested that the views of all Americans be investigated as part of some national expose'. Can anyone say, McCarthy?
Whether your politics are conservative or not, whether they are Christian or not, you should object to this kind of narcissistic, self-righteous, hate-mongering. How is it any different than when those on the extreme left make claims about President Bush being criminal or that all those who are pro-life are woman-hating medievals who don't understand the "real message" of God's love?
In fact, it is precisely because I believe that our faith need not be divorced from our politics that I am so disturbed by this. If this is how religion is used in the public square, then perhaps it should be banned. The words of those on either extreme make that claim increasingly credible every day.
Ultimately what unites all extremists in all causes is there desire to wrap themselves in the words of a tradition which they usually know very poorly in order to distract others from the fact that all they want is for everything to be their way all of the time. And Michele Bachmann is a shining example of that perverse tradition.
Perhaps there are as many anti-America Americans out there as Ms. Bachmann fears. Perhaps I am one of them. Perhaps you are too. I don't think so, but who knows? With no honest conversation about the real meaning of patriotism, the role of dissent in that definition, etc. we can not know. And that is a conversation which all people who really love America should want to have, regardless of their personal understanding of patriotism.
In many ways, it's the conversation which created this country and I wonder why Michele Bachman would rather cast unqualified aspersions than enter the conversation. Could that be called anti-American?
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Author, radio and TV talk show host, and President of CLAL-The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, Brad Hirschfield is the author of 
Of the making of idiots there is no end and they are all in her district, which is why she got elected in the first place.
I wish they were all in her district, but there's plenty of idiocy to go around.
Actually, like many idiots like this, she didn't get elected for the above. She got elected for being pro-life. They are just (that particular batch of one issue voters) willing to elect an idiot, as long as they are a pro-life idiot.
Ms.Bachmann need a true converation to christ and a love for man kind. She is a liberal and has no love for her country. Ms Bachman will not ever know what it means to love her country she'll go around and still bump her head like the story of the bible 40 years wondering in the wildiness. To bad! wake up my dear.
Ms. Bachmann's comments reflect the the paleolithic nature of fundamentalism within the three desert religions - the division by religion between "the people" and "the others". One can see and hear the same kind of behaviour in the ultra-fundamentalist strains of Wa'habi Islam, most notably by the Taliban during their reign of terror in Afghanistan, but also, to a far lesser extent, in the actions of ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel. It may have been a useful survival mechanism for for preserving the coherence of semi-civilized nomadic tribes in the ancient Middle East but in the modern world it is counter-productive - and used a a tool by those who wish to commit violence.
Americans have been in the dark for far to long regarding the ideaology and practice of such that we have ended up with a do-nothing legislature who only worries about their power and re-election day. Now we have the LA Times suppresing info from the people. Personally I'd like to see the congress work for their pay. Their power is of little importance. If it takes an in-depth investigation to give the voters the vital info so we can make the appropriate votes than so be it. And not just the libs or not just the repubs but the whole lot of them. Would'nt it be nice to have a gov't that presses forward knowing that America is a capatilist society, always has been, and casting votes in consideration of how they will affect our basic economic structure? No more voting for re-election day, no more voting with political hopes on the horizon.
Finally the columnist seems to equate Anti American with enemy of America when this is not so. Anti American means that a persons policies work against the American system, this is not an attack like saying someone is an enemy or a bad person. For example adopting a "redistribution" of wealth is a hallmark of socialism but not socialism as a whole. In the case of Obama I believe his policy is AntiAmerican meaning its going to work against our capatilist system. Tax more so we can hand out checks for those who don't have enough instead of tax less so we can create jobs for those who need them.
I believe her word choice was a bit harsh but the truth is the American people deserve more from our congresspeople and many hav brought these harsh words onto themselves.
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