I’m so tired of hearing about this “mosque” (in reality: Islamic community center that contains a mosque, among other things) two blocks from Ground Zero. It’s a building that nobody who visits Ground Zero will even see, since it’s not at Ground Zero. It’s two blocks away.
And it’s great and all that Obama spent some political capital supporting religious freedom. I completely agree with him that an Islamic group has every right to build a community center wherever the hell it wants. But it would be nice if he spent some political capital on things that most Americans care about: jobs and the economy. When was the last time he gave a major White House speech on the economy and job creation? It’s not like there’s nothing he can do about it. If he grew some balls and proposed a job creation program, at least we’d have something constructive to talk about. Because the country will talk about whatever the president wants to talk about, as we can see.
And apparently what the president wants to talk about are these wonderful intellectual ideals instead of the meat-and-potatoes issues that are important to most people.
President Obama missed his opportunity early last year to rally the public behind a call for shared sacrifice and a great national mission to rebuild the United States in a way that would create employment for millions and establish a gleaming new industrial platform for the great advances of the 21st century.
It would have taken fire and imagination, but the public was poised to respond to bold leadership. If the Republicans had balked, and they would have, the president had the option of taking his case to the people, as Truman did in his great underdog campaign of 1948.
Obama sucks as a leader. I am so tired of his inaction and timidity.
Be a fucking leader, god dammit.
Maybe we would have been better off with Hillary Clinton after all.
For a religion that demands respect and sensitivity from others, why does Islam not show the same respect? I would be threatened with death if I were to draw a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed and post it here. Yet parts of 1 of the planes crashed through the roof of this proposed location. A “ground-breaking” date of 9/11//11 has been chosen. Coincidence? No one opposes the building of Japanese Cultural Centers but to build one at Pearl Harbor would be disrespectful. No question, they have the right to build it. I only question the motive. Even if your voice is pure Islam, better to let silence reign in this sacred place. That would speak volumes for your religion
Jon, the only answer you need is to see pictures of other things at the same distance from Ground Zero as this community center they want to build: http://bit.ly/aLzpBb. The “sacred” place is not all that sacred. There’s a strip club and McDonald’s at the same distance away from there as the community center they want to build.
Btw … do you think Obama would oppose a Walmart being built near Ground Zero? … just a thought ….
Bart, understand your point above however are you aware that part of the fuel lodge & landing gear of one of the planes crashed through the roof of this proposed Mosque location on 9/11? Does that not make it part of Ground Zero? They have the right to build it but it is so incredibly insensitive.
I don’t get the thought about Walmart. There’s plenty of shitty stores with products of even lower quality around that area too. I also don’t get why you need to hate on an Islamic culture center just because the people who crashed that plane claimed to be from the same religion. That’s just bigotry.
If one of the guys that crashed the plane were found out to be gay, should we oppose a gay community center there too out of sensitivity? I’m sure pieces from the plane and towers fell onto many things in that neighborhood, should we purify them and get rid of that McDonald’s and strip club if it’s found that a piece of the plane fell on them too?
For a religion that demands respect and sensitivity from others, why does Islam not show the same respect? I would be threatened with death if I were to draw a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed and post it here.
Your premise is flawed. Islam is not monolithic. Some radical Muslim groups might threaten you with death for drawing a picture of Mohammed. I seriously doubt the group creating this community center would be among them.
Islam did not attack us on 9/11. Some radical Muslims did. Most Muslims worldwide condemned the attacks.
Yet parts of 1 of the planes crashed through the roof of this proposed location.
I don’t know whether this is true, but even if it is, so what? It’s not part of the World Trade Center site. Should every single spot where a piece of metal from the planes landed be off limits? Not that it matters, because, again, “Islam” did not attack us.
A “ground-breaking†date of 9/11//11 has been chosen.
This is not true.
No one opposes the building of Japanese Cultural Centers but to build one at Pearl Harbor would be disrespectful.
That’s begging the question. Who says building a Japanese cultural center near Pearl Harbor would be disrespectful? It would be a great bridge to mutual cultural understanding. But that isn’t even relevant. Japan is a nation-state with a central government. Islam is a religion practiced all over the world with no central government or ruling body and is second only to Christianity in its number of adherents worldwide.
Btw … do you think Obama would oppose a Walmart being built near Ground Zero?
I don’t see what this has to do with anything. How is Century 21, the enormous discount department store right across the street from Ground Zero, any different from Wal-Mart? How are any of the photos in Bart’s link above any different from Wal-Mart?
“For a religion that demands respect and sensitivity from others, why does Islam not show the same respect?”
For me, it’s not about anyone (or anything or any religion) demanding respect and sensitivity. Our constitution doesn’t mandate that citizens be respectful and sensitive in order to merit their rights under the constitution; constitutional freedoms should be unconditional. As long as all appropriate laws and permits are followed, we shouldn’t oppose an Islamic cultural center anywhere we wouldn’t oppose a synagogue, church, or Buddhist or Hindu temple. (And I say that even as an atheist who personally believes all these religions are wackadoodle; I don’t have to believe they are right to respect that they have rights.)
If the people pushing this issue get their way, and the mosque is not built there, they will next insist that a gay bar not be allowed in Phoenix because a church is three blocks away or that a Planned Parenthood clinic not be built because a Catholic Hospital is four blocks away.
I haven’t heard a single one of these extremists (Palin, Bachmann, Gingrich, and now Reid) explain exactly how far away the fucking Islamic fucking cultural center has to be before it is alright. Three blocks, four, five, etc., etc.
And I agree, if this is such fucking sacred ground why is there a lingerie shop and a peep show place within two blocks?
Thom: I totally agree about religions being wackadoodle.