CAIR: moderate or bully in the school yard?

A must-see video from Hot Air: The Speech that CAIR didn't want you to see. This is the "must-see" speech given by Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch at the Young America's Foundation meeting in Washington, D.C. The speech is replete with quotations by Senators about the ties between some of CAIR's members and terrorist organizations. Spencer asks CAIR to stop their threats of law suits and intimidation, and to engage in honest, genuine debate about concerns that Americans of all faiths, including those who practice the personal spiritual aspects of Islam, about the political and societal ideologies of Islam that are used by jihadists to give license their terrorist attacks and hatred of "infidels". Spencer's request is genuine and it is one that needs to be entered into. To paraphrase, "moderate" practitioners of "spiritual" Islam need to engage the Islamists and the former must seek to reform Islam so that it can be a "peaceful" religion, not be viewed as it is seen now as a true threat to Western Civilization. Spencer asks CAIR to step up to the plate and prove through its actions and behavior that it is an organization that does not seek to intimidate Americans into silence but, itself wants - as it says it wants - open dialogue about Islam. The threats help no one and only hurt all of us. Threats and intimidation will not win, not in the long run. American will not fall under Sharia Law and the Qur'an will not become the "law of the land" as two Islamic leaders in America have stated they would like to see happen. The more Americans are threatened, the harder they will push back and the more vocal they will become. The more moderate Muslims who practice "spiritual" Islam see they communities fall prey to Islamists and their mosques turned into radical Islamic havens, the more they will fight back - if they have caught the "I'm an American" bug. For now, I'm going to bet on the moderate Muslims but they have to make their voices heard. Right now most of America is getting the wrong side of the story...if they are paying attention at all.