Another manufactured controversy from the people who claim to defend the Constitution but don't want it to apply to people they don't like. The cries of ignoring the will of the American people misses the point that the Bill of Rights is not subject to a vote.
Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof
The whole idea of the 1st amendment is to protect unpopular minorities or ideas.
I was very proud of my President yesterday when he said something that is not popular but is right:
"Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country."
"That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances...This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakable."
The people who are objecting to the Muslim Community Center in Manhattan say it's OK to build Mosques but not in this place. This Daily Show clip shows otherwise. Staten Island, Tennessee, Wisconsin and even California have people objecting to a Mosque being built in their neighborhoods. True Americans all.
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This press release from Lou Barletta greatly disappointed me. He has done his best to midi gate the "I hate Mexicans" charge because of the illegal immigration ordinance and I don't think Lou is a racist but he is a political opportunist.
Lou Barletta strongly opposes Ground Zero mosqueI like the historical analogies about the Dome of the Rock and Cordoba. Maybe they should hit the books again and document how many churches Constantine built after military victories.
Barletta is jumping on the national GOP bandwagon on this issue that has nothing to do with Hazleton or the 11th Congressional District.
The initial reaction from the Kajorski camp has been weak, I hope they do better in the coming days.
Ed Mitchell said "we don't have stance on it" and suggested Barletta should focus on Hazleton's financial issues.
Stand with the President Paul.
Why did you leave out the part that the President essentially said it should be built elsewhere when he wouldn't comment on the wisdom of the location? There are Jews in this country that would take exception to anything built by the Nazi Extermination Camps.
ReplyDeleteAll the space on this planet to practice religious freedom and the Muslims had to pick it near Ground Zero. That site is the first time our soil has been violated since the early 1800's. It needs to immortalized not mocked.
I suppose people support the pastor who uses religion known as the Westboro Baptist Church to go to the funeral of the deceased Marine and call him a homosexual which was blatantly not true.
"Thank God for Dead Soldiers."
"You're Going to Hell."
"Semper Fi Fags."
Fred Phelps is hiding behind religious freedom. And so are the Muslims by being insensitive to the grief those families still experience today.
I suppose if pro-choicers protested Pat Robertson constructing a ministry down the street from an abortion clinic that Newt, Rush and the Gang would all support banning it. Not!!!
ReplyDeleteThis issue is pure bullshit politics plain and simple.
The neocons give poor examples to defend their position. Japanese restuarants at Pearl Harbor, a Nazi group building near a Synogague and on and on.
Fact is, whether you like it or not, Muslim is a religion, not a terror group. The Muslims that crashed those planes into the WTC were no more representative of their religion as were the "Christians" who bomb abortion clinics are of theirs. We must wake up to the fact that many fanatics pervert religion.
Besides, even if you are scared to death of a mosque near the WTC remember the words of the late great Michael Corleone: "Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer."
Nevertheless, I am realistic enough to know that the majority of the American people will continue to side with the right on this one. And Obama's decision to defend the mosque is only going to enhance the belief of many that he is in reality a Muslim.
Hey, nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people.
Islam, is a religion. Typo. Even those educated in Catholic schools can flub it once in a while. Bless you.
ReplyDeleteWhy are you surprised by Barletta? He has shown a ignorance about the constitution in the past and he has demonstrated he is willing to use hate to further his ambitions.
ReplyDeleteNobody asked me, but wasn't the World Trade center the most tacky looking piece of architecture that the world had ever seen??? It ruined the whole NY skyline.
ReplyDeleteThe Republican Party uses the Nixon Southern Strategy: they scare white, heterosexual, christian, healthy, employed males into voting for them.
ReplyDeletePlease don't vote for Lou Barletta and make this the Confederacy.
Barletta always says he doesn't hate Hispanics...but he does backs the illegal immigration laws/racial profiling/SB1070 and called Jan Brewer a hero for racial profiling "papers please" law that also targets LEGAL American Hispanics.
I suppose he doesn't hate Muslims...but he's against their Mosques.
When are people going to just say he's racist??? How can everything you do cry out you're a racist...and people continue to be afraid to say this? If it walks like a duck, quacks........I think it's a duck!!!!!!!!!
His ACTIONS say he's a racist. Is he a homophobe, too? Or does he TOO, not hate gays, but is against gay marriage and for Prop 8?
Yeah, just all the actions of a racist, etc...but you got him all wrong! His actions and words don't count!
Let's see: he just ACTS like a racist homophobe...but he really LIKES Muslims, Hispanics, gays...you got it all wrong!!!
COME ON!!!!!!! LET'S STOP F*CKING AROUND! HE'S A RACIST!
OH! But it's not HIM...he's speaking for those who are racists!!! (The people who will vote for him?) He's speaking for racist 9/11 victims! As if 9/11 victims all hated Muslims when over 100 of them died on 9/11. People from ALL walks of life died on 9/11, including Muslim Americans.
Here's the rhetoric we're getting from the Republican party: anti-gay, anti-Muslim, anti-unemployed, anti-ground zero workers who need health care (they voted 100% against giving free aid to ailing ground zero workers paid for by taxing corporations sending American jobs overseas...THEY REALLY CARE ABOUT 9/11!!!).
Don't forget the blacks! The hoax ACORN and Shirley Sherrod videos, Van Jones, Rev Wright, the fake Black Panthers stories...brought to you by their media.
Yep! Heckuva job dividing America!!!
Remember: ALL these people are AMERICANS: the American Muslims, the American gays and lesbians, the American blacks working for ACORN, the American 9/11 ground zero workers, the American unemployed.
WHO is "unAmerican"???
Can ANYONE deny the rhetoric we're getting from the Republican Party? You would be a FOOL to argue this point! THAT is what they are. THAT is what they do.
And I, personally, find it DISGUSTING, SHAMEFUL, and ANTI-AMERICAN and appealing to the lowest levels of humans. Absolutely DISGUSTING and I AM SICK OF IT!!!!!!!!!
And the kicker is they "blame" someone else! "Oh, it's the 'victims' of 9/11 I'm concerned about their feelings! I am not like that, it's THEM!!!"
Lou Barletta comes down on the side of RACISM...EVERY...SINGLE...TIME! How much more proof do you need???
ReplyDeleteRepublicans, who claim they oppose the Mosque in NY because of 9/11 victims, vote 100% against funding health care for 9/11 victims!!! And the bill was funded by taxing corporations sending American jobs overseas!!!
ReplyDelete"Lou Barletta comes down on the side of RACISM...EVERY...SINGLE...TIME!"
ReplyDeleteThen I say God Bless Racism! We need someone to start looking out for the white man for a change.
Another thing that people are missing here, is how the GOP plays the "liberal media". All we talk about are GOP talking points: Joe the Plumber, Rev Wright, Van Jones, Black Panthers, Sarah Palin, bashing Muslims, bashing gays, lesbians, blacks, hispanics, the unemployed, people on welfare, social security...it's one thing after another. I can make a chart out of it. And what's next? The Ground Zero Mosque...that's not at Ground Zero...and is not a Mosque. Sound like Karl Rove thought of this.
ReplyDeleteYeah Big Dick and the Democrats bash the job creators, the tax payers and anyone who is driven enough to start a business and create their own wealth. Each side demonizes the other. Just like you did and I just did. Because if any of us ever just talked about real issues and what to do about it no one would watch the news, listen to talk radio or read blogs.
ReplyDeleteSo many great points out there to refute this...
ReplyDeleteBig Dan mentioned the funding for first responders (or lack thereof by the Republicans)...
His Holiness pointed out that Muslim is a religion. Al Quaeda, a very small group of self identified muslims, are the ones that attacked us.
We don't hold entire religions responsible for the few bad actors when the religion is Christianity (when someone bombs an abortion clinic or protests a soldier's funeral as was helpfully pointed out by Anon 6:29, I don't hear cries of "ban Christians from all clinics or funerals"). If Al Quaeda was the group that wanted to build the mosque that wouls be a different story...
The imam looking to build this mosque is a moderate and has worked with the Bush administration...I though W could do no harm, all you W lovers out there...
Newt says the mosque can be built when we can build a church in Saudi Arabia. We can't. So Newt's solution is to lower our standards as a nation to Saudi Arabias as far as religious freedom is concerned. Nice thinking Newt....
Is two blocks really in the shadow of something? And if that's sacred ground, how does the strip club that's right there fit in with the whole 'sacred ground' thing?...
Plus, now we have found a way to offend a religion (which only has over a BILLION followers worldwide) rather than just a small group of extremists. Smart. way to think this one through conservatives.
The first amendment trumps fear!
ReplyDeleteFrom Lou Barletta's statement - "The area around the site of the former World Trade Center is hallowed ground, and we need to treat it as such."
ReplyDeleteI wonder if Lou has ever contemplated this sacredness while stuffing a dollar into a g-string at the Pussycat Lounge which is actually in view of Ground Zero? Or pondered the sacredness of the site while placing a bet at the OTB, located closer than the proposed mosque/cultural center?