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Bruce Hagen Facebook

US mayor says sorry to Muslims for calling Barack Obama a Muslim

He continued his criticism of President Obama.

THE MAYOR OF a city in the US has apologised to the Muslim community for comments made on his Facebook account “in a moment of anger”.

In the original comment, Bruce Hagen called President Barack Obama a Muslim, adding that he is destroying US democracy.

Protests and international condemnation of the mayor of Superior in Wisconsin followed.

In a letter to a local newspaper, the Superior Telegram, he apologised to Muslims but not to the President.

He used the opportunity to criticise Obama further.

“I apologise to the Muslim community for being insensitive. My comment was intended to shed light on the resistance of President Obama, and lack of leadership qualities to stand up for America against the world’s enemies,” he wrote.

Hagen had cut a holiday short to return to Superior for a meeting with leaders of the Muslim community.

His full letter reads:

To the citizens of Superior and the Muslim community:

Recent days have brought considerable responses to my Facebook post regarding our president. The anger, pain and extremely foul comments are duly noted as are the substantial numbers of positive messages received.

I have zero ill will, disrespect or animosity toward the Muslim religion.

Being a strong, God-loving Christian, I adhere to the teachings of Christianity in accepting and encouraging faith and all respective beliefs.

Like most, my very daily existence evolve [sic] around basic beliefs and principles: Family, God and the preservation of the freedoms set forth, and guaranteed by, the Constitution of the United States of America.

My reference to the president being a Muslim was indeed a poor choice of words in a moment of anger. My fear is we are a nation of all walks of life, religious beliefs, differing political persuasions and hard-working citizens that are standing by watching this country being denigrated by all of Washington D.C.

I apologise to the Muslim community for being insensitive. My comment was intended to shed light on the resistance of President Obama, and lack of leadership qualities to stand up for America against the world’s enemies.

The Muslim communities across the world do not embrace what is occurring by these terrorists, and I was wrong to include them in my comment.

I ask that you accept my apologies and as we go forward — together — to make Superior a better community, I pledge to you that I will continue to be mindful and respectful of all our citizens.

I have shown Superior’s citizens my dedication to our town for 16-plus years I have served as mayor. I will continue to do so.

More: Saudi Arabia has executed 47 men, including a prominent cleric, for terror offences

Read: Donald Trump’s call for a ban on Muslims has just been used in a militant Islamist recruitment video

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43 Comments
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    Mute Beano
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    Jan 2nd 2016, 5:18 PM

    I hear you’re a racist now Father

    153
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    Mute Monty Wuggy
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    Jan 2nd 2016, 5:35 PM

    It’s really astonishing that extremist Republicans see Obama as a closet Muslim considering the fact he’s bombed seven Muslim-majority countries since taking office. Obama’s drones have killed thousands of Arabs, predominately Muslims. It just shows how out of touch with reality US Republicans are.

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    Mute JimmyMc
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    Jan 2nd 2016, 5:50 PM

    An extremist wouldn’t apologise

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    Mute Paddy o'brian
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    Jan 2nd 2016, 5:54 PM

    Fundamentalists from whatever religion they come are a virus in the world and should be slapped down whenever they stand up on their soapbox to incite hate

    53
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    Mute Codology
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    Jan 2nd 2016, 6:07 PM

    So what if they were offended? People who think Mohammed flew around the place on a winged horse are offended. So what?

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    Mute JimmyMc
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    Jan 2nd 2016, 6:12 PM

    They’re voters

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    Mute Gavan Duffy
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    Jan 2nd 2016, 6:27 PM

    As opposed to people who believe Jesus walked on water , turned water into wine, raised the dead, cured lepers and the blind, before returning from the dead himself?

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    Mute Chris Kirk
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    Jan 2nd 2016, 6:28 PM

    Taking out his anger on Facebook…..idiot !

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    Mute Robert Cummins
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    Jan 2nd 2016, 6:44 PM

    Gavan, we shouldn’t care if they are offended either but way to play the classic regressive left whataboutery card

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    Mute Monty Wuggy
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    Jan 2nd 2016, 6:47 PM

    Robert: Glad you despise the regressive left. Christopher Hitchens, posing as leftist while supporting a murderous intervention in Iraq. Regressive in the extreme.

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    Mute Robert Cummins
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    Jan 2nd 2016, 6:55 PM

    Hitchens supported the war in Iraq because he knew that it had to come eventually and the longer they waited the worse it would be. It turns out he was right and the US did wait too long and ended up in the mess they did. But that wasn’t the main reason. He despised totalitarian governments and being the only journalist to visit all “axis of evil” countries, saw first hand the miserable life’s these people were forced to live. Misery on a scale you can’t imagine but will still support the likes of sadam over the US because it’s a trendy regressive leftist position. He supported the end of such misery and I agree with him. Pity it was so badly botched on the wests part

    27
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    Mute Monty Wuggy
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    Jan 2nd 2016, 7:18 PM

    Eh? Knew what had to come? Intervention? You’re seriously not that delusional to think the US intervened for humanitarian reasons are you? The US supported Saddam while he was committing the most gruesome of crimes, including assisting him while his regime gassed Iranians. Opposing imperialist US aggression does not mean supporting murderers like Saddam. Only regressives like yourself post such illogic.

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    Mute Robert Cummins
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    Jan 2nd 2016, 7:29 PM

    I never said humanitarian reasons was the main reason but the end of a brutal dictatorship was the reason Hitchens supported the war. It’s irrelevant if the US initially supported Sadam. A lot of people initially did support him because he seemed like a progressive secularist but it turned out he was a lunatic and they changed there mind rightfully and went in after he gassed thousands of civilians. But the US are the bad guys. They are so much worse than mad men dictators who use chemical weapons on civilians and torture and kill for fun. You people are so delusional it makes me sick. The absolute arrogance of you and your ilk who sit in your western luxury whilst suggesting the people of these countries should continue to live under the most miserable, brutal conditions because the west have no right to intervene

    20
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    Mute John Considine
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    Jan 2nd 2016, 7:48 PM

    Hitchen’s support of the Iraq War shows him not as a hypocrite, as suggested, but rather as a sort of cowardly, faux-intellectual “leftist” looking to somehow differentiate his particular brand of morally bankrupt “socialism” so that it can be printed and sold. It’s simply the case that he is bad at it, lacking any writing that could be described more positively than “readable”. Perhaps Asimov said it best, “Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.”

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    Mute Monty Wuggy
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    Jan 2nd 2016, 7:49 PM

    Robert: Wanting to end brutal dictatorship and help the Iraqi people is a laudable goal. But liberation was never going to come from an imperialist government with a history of terror and violence. The US’ support of Saddam is far from irrelevant, and your version of events is inconsistent with reality. The US supported him when he committed his worst crimes, and directly assisted him when he was gassing Iranians. The US also managed to shoot down a civilian Iranian jet during that war. The reason he went from friend to enemy was not because of his human rights violations, which you correctly point out were extensive, but because he betrayed the US by invading Kuwait. When the US invaded they never had the welfare of the Iraqi people at heart, it was about power.

    The effects of white phosphorus are extremely bad, similar to chemical weapons. US forces admitted to using them them in Fallujah, a city which was bombarded by US bombs. Cancer rates exploded and the infant mortality rate is 8 times higher than in Kuwait. The US also have a long history of torturing people who later turn out to be innocent. Why are you so eager to overlook their crimes?

    What’s arrogant Robert is ignoring the people of that region. You’ll find that most of the people in the Middle-East harbour great hostility for the US, and not because, like you suggest that they’re irrational but because they’ve been seeing the effects of US terrorism all their life. It’s sad to see you regurgitating propaganda.

    http://foreignpolicy.com/2013/08/26/exclusive-cia-files-prove-america-helped-saddam-as-he-gassed-iran/

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    Mute Monty Wuggy
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    Jan 2nd 2016, 7:54 PM

    http://www.ibtimes.com/gallup-poll-biggest-threat-world-peace-america-1525008

    Most of the people in the Middle-East consider the United States the greatest threat to world peace. I think what’s truly odious and regressive is supporting the adventures of the US military in MENA, when it’s been made abundantly clear the amount of suffering they’ve caused.

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    Mute Robert Cummins
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    Jan 2nd 2016, 7:55 PM

    Monty you make a good case but I’ll be honest with you. It’s 9 am here and I’m on a bus in New zealand. I haven’t slept at all last night and I’ve been 10 straight days on the piss. I don’t think I’m in the right frame of mind for this conversation so I’ll gracefully bow out now

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    Mute Monty Wuggy
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    Jan 2nd 2016, 7:58 PM

    Fair enough Rob. Recover well!

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    Mute Rob Kavanagh
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    Jan 2nd 2016, 8:09 PM

    Fairly cheap bow out. After coming in with a two footed lunge, and being put back in your box by Monty. Thread will still be active tomorrow or whenever you recover from your decadent indulgences

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    Mute Robert Cummins
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    Jan 2nd 2016, 8:25 PM

    Thanks for the advice Rob but I have a feeling I won’t remember this thread in an hour, let alone tomorrow

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    Mute Richard Cheney
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    Jan 2nd 2016, 8:34 PM

    Wow Robert Cummins,what a mad lad you are,what are you,18 years old?

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    Mute Pat O'Dwyer
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    Jan 2nd 2016, 9:05 PM

    Truth is and remains that the USA invaded Iraq illegally . Sadam Husein a long time friend of USA with billions of dollars support to make him the man (maniac) he became They even gave him the ingredients and knowhow for Chemical weapons and provided him with satellite pictures of civilian targets to attack in Iran .until he nationalized his oil and gas reserves and then made the biggest mistake in his life , to rally some oil producing countries behind him to trade his and their oil and gas on the world market in EUR. ( Gaddafi would make the same mistake a few years later) This would have been very good for the EUR because every barrel of oil that is sold on the world market at the moment, a big percentage goes automatically back into the USA exchequer, This was the reason that Germany and France did not partake in this War .( The Dutch did ,because of BP/Shell contracts. It would have been very good for Europe, Result : USA used the old colonial trick of “divide and rule” which resulted in civil war between Sunni, and Shiite and Kurdish. Result by latest UN statistics : at least 600,000 civilian deaths, ( some estimates go to over one million) up to four million displaced, and a country totally KAPUT. So Who is to blame ?
    “Saddam Hussein donated large sums to various institutions in his campaign to curry favour with the United States. He was made an honorary citizen of Detroit in 1980.United States support for Iraq during the Iran–Iraq War, against post-revolutionary Iran, included several billion dollars worth of economic aid, the sale of dual-use technology, non-U.S. origin weaponry, military intelligence, Special Operations training, and direct involvement in warfare against Iran.
    Support from the U.S. for Iraq was not a secret and was frequently discussed in open session of the Senate and House of Representatives. On June 9, 1992, Ted Koppel reported on ABC’s Nightline, “It is becoming increasingly clear that George Bush, operating largely behind the scenes throughout the 1980s, initiated and supported much of the financing, intelligence, and military help that built Saddam’s Iraq into the power it became” and “Reagan/Bush administrations permitted—and frequently encouraged—the flow of money, agricultural credits, dual-use technology, chemicals, and weapons to Iraq.” A land in total turmoil is much easier to control and manipulate than a unified land. Today all major oil and gas contracts have been signed between the government and large US and UK oil companies, so even if China or India wants to purchase oil or gas they must do it through these companies.
    There were no Al-Qaeda in Iraq until US introduced them as mercenaries as in Libya and Syria. Sometimes they need them as enemies, when it’s necessary to keep the war machine rolling and normal American citizens submissive, and sometimes they are on the payroll of CIA. As in Syria today.

    20
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    Mute William Grogan
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    Jan 2nd 2016, 5:23 PM

    Note that the “city” has a population of only 27,000.

    34
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    Mute Brian Ward
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    Jan 2nd 2016, 6:07 PM

    Swaggers into Superior and says “Superior City. You call this a city?! Why back in Ireland we call this a town. Man, you guys don’t know how big a city is”.

    21
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    Mute Joe MacCarthaigh
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    Jan 2nd 2016, 5:29 PM

    The truth hurts I guess. They don’t call him Hussein for nothing.

    29
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    Mute Monty Wuggy
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    Jan 2nd 2016, 5:39 PM

    I despise both the Republican and Democratic party but the GOP are completely alienating themselves to the average American. You haven’t a chance at winning the presidential election this year. The largest competition to Hillary comes from within her own party.

    22
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    Mute Joe MacCarthaigh
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    Jan 2nd 2016, 5:45 PM

    Monty 8 years ago people like you said America would never elect a black and sadly you were wrong on that occasion as he has done untold damage. The American people will see a vote for Hillary is a vote to continue the Obama agenda.

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    Mute Monty Wuggy
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    Jan 2nd 2016, 6:00 PM

    Funnily enough I’d agree Obama has done ‘untold damage’ just not in the way you think. His drones aren’t as precise as he falsely claimed and have killed countless civilians. His administration are as bad or worse as the Bush administration when it comes to civil liberties and transparency. And far from being a radical, his economic policies are a continuation of the policies that came before him, namely neoliberal and protection of Wall Street. The US political system is broken, regardless of who is elected, that’s not changing.

    http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-echochambers-27074746

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    Mute Joe MacCarthaigh
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    Jan 2nd 2016, 6:11 PM

    I applaud your consistency as many Irish people who spent 8 years hammering George Bush give Obama a free pass because he’s the hip liberal black guy.

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    Mute Rosie Gluten
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    Jan 2nd 2016, 6:32 PM

    Bush only gave the American people two fake wars , $20 trillion debt ,tax cuts for the rich ,all of which helped to bring America to it’s knees ..
    Carry on with blaming the black guy and ,vote for the Trump who will screw the middle classes to further enrich his pals..

    28
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    Mute Monty Wuggy
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    Jan 2nd 2016, 7:57 PM

    Well Joe! A compliment I was not expecting. As much as I abhor your political views I do agree many liberals are hypocrites when it comes to Obama. They overlook things done by the Obama administration that would have been ignored under Bush.

    8
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    Mute Robert Preston
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    Jan 2nd 2016, 11:39 PM

    Rosie Gluton . BullS8it Bush never rang the national dept up to 20 trillion its obama fault . When bush left he was around 10 billion Just in case you had left the planet around 2008 the whole world went into recession especially ireland with the house bubble and borrowing vasts amounts of money on it . Obama is wall streets best buddy and no i was never a fan of bush .

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    Mute Rosie Gluten
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    Jan 3rd 2016, 12:31 PM

    You poor pet,Robert.

    “When Bush left he was around 10 billion”

    That alone has to be one of the most ridiculous posts that I have ever witnessed on the Journal .Congratulations:)

    Whoever green thumbed that piece of crock has to be equally or as deluded as yourself ..

    Obama inherited Bush’s legacy of wars and a huge debt..

    As a Trump supporter you should know that one of his tax policies is to look after Wall Street and it’s investors ..Did you not know of this ?

    P.S : America is booming at the moment under Obama .Fact!

    1
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    Mute Rosie Gluten
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    Jan 3rd 2016, 1:18 PM

    Look Robert lad

    Devil is in the details lad. Bush brought the states to its knees. Worldwide recession was triggered by the housing bubble in the states. Bush gleefully let Wall Street do its thing and almost destroyed the US and world markets. Bush was Wall Streets darling, not Obama. And it all came crashing down the day Lehman proofed / that’s the day the world lost its breath. Quite literally the economy in the states went into a free fall. By the time Obama came into office 4 months later, millions were thrown out of work and the US economy was very close to collapse. Unlike the EU, Obama was anti austerity and pumped liquidity into the country. This raised the debt higher (accounting for the discrepancy you mentioned but really the clean up costs post Bush). The US is out of the Depression and all measures have more or less normalised.

    Now I need to wash my hair, good God it’s annoying having to waste my time schooling you.

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    Mute Josephine Sweeney
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    Jan 2nd 2016, 5:22 PM

    This guy born yesterday?

    25
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    Mute Josephine Sweeney
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    Jan 2nd 2016, 5:25 PM

    Im pretty sure this question was asked many times before

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    Mute Normal Josephine
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    Jan 2nd 2016, 5:29 PM

    Another clever American making comments. Must try and find the American version of the journal

    20
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    Mute D'unredactable
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    Jan 2nd 2016, 6:55 PM

    Try Wall St…..or Sesame even!!

    10
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    Mute Mike Cantwell
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    Jan 2nd 2016, 7:43 PM

    For gods sake how could anyone with a name like Barak Hussain Obama be a Muslim ?

    17
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    Mute Rashers Tierney
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    Jan 2nd 2016, 6:54 PM

    How very RTE of you, Journal. Keep pumping out nonsense from the USA (and Northern Ireland) in the hope of attracting clicks :-(

    16
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    Mute Patrick J O'CONNOR
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    Jan 2nd 2016, 11:58 PM

    Latest CNN poll: 29% of Americans believe that Barack Hussein Obama is Muslim.

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    Mute John Ward
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    Jan 2nd 2016, 7:00 PM

    Christinanity in action!

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    Mute Charles Williams
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    Jan 2nd 2016, 11:11 PM

    If he was that angry why didn’t he say what he really wanted to say and use the N word, substituting it with the next worst word (Muslim) didn’t have the same impact. And he claims to be a Christian.

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