Posted on 09/07/2010 12:26:04 PM PDT by SixGun2010
A frequent, and well-founded, criticism of American journalism is that too many reporters focus more on a good story than telling the truth.
To be fair, though, that label must also be applied to a large segment of the American people. Perhaps it’s because we’ve evolved into a quick-fix, instant-oatmeal society, or maybe it’s because tackling tough problems can seem hopelessly daunting.
But maybe the main reason for the proliferation of red herring issues is that so many American politicians shamelessly take advantage of people’s fears, manipulating issues to their political --- and financial --- gain.
Whatever the reason, it’s no excuse for citizens to willfully ignore the real problems while blindly jumping on the bandwagon of those screaming about irrelevant matters.
The mosque slated for construction near Ground Zero in New York is a prime example. And with the anniversary of the September 11 attacks later this week, there is no better time to laser in on the issues that truly need addressing.
*****
Proponents want to build a $100 million Islamic mosque and cultural center with the stated purpose of promoting interfaith dialogue and peace. The complex is to be constructed several blocks from where the Twin Towers fell on 9/11.
Standing adamantly opposed are those who view the Islamic center, located so close to hallowed ground, as an in-your-face insult not just to America, but the 3,000 souls who perished that day.
Fair enough, because in all likelihood, it is.
There are so many other places to build a mosque that to innocently choose that location just doesn’t pass the sniff test.
Americans have a legitimate reason to feel incensed, and are making that view loudly known. But when calls are made to block the construction through legal means, and when some demand that the owners’ financing be investigated because we don’t happen to like what they stand for, America ceases to be America.
We must be extremely vigilant not to throw our freedoms to the wind just because we find something or someone insulting or offensive. When cooler heads don’t prevail, the result is almost always catastrophic.
Jailing American citizens in internment camps during World War II comes to mind.
That’s why the Founding Fathers, knowing full-well the dangers of mob mentality, ingeniously created America’s law-making bodies.
The House of Representatives, elected every two years and therefore much more responsive to the people’s whims, is counter-balanced by the staid and deliberative Senate, with its more insulating six-year terms.
And as a final check, the Supreme Court, with its lifetime-appointed Justices free from future job considerations, is designed to provide the ultimate safeguard.
The intensifying mosque debate may be one that tests the system like no other.
Will Congress attempt to pass legislation regulating what can and can’t be built near war memorials? Stranger things have happened.
***** One of the most outspoken critics of the mosque has been former House Speaker turned political commentator Newt Gingrich. Like his views or not, Gingrich is universally considered an extremely intelligent analyst with well-thought out positions.
Which makes his pandering on the mosque construction so pathetic.
He’d have been better off just coming clean, saying he’s raising millions on the issue, which could help him prepare for a presidential run. But while he’s placating the evangelicals, he’s approaching lunatic status with the mainstream.
To say, as Gingrich did, that we shouldn’t build mosques in America until Saudi Arabia has churches and synagogues on its corners is, quite simply, insane.
And Newt knows better.
Since when do we elevate Saudi Arabia --- or any other country for that matter --- to equal status with the United States of America?
We may despise how Saudi Arabia conducts itself, but that is their business. The way to change it is not to interfere in its sovereign affairs, but to do what we’ve always done best: be the beacon of light for the rest of the world.
When America leads by example --- such as it being the most generous, free and forgiving nation in the history of mankind --- it makes other nations and peoples emulate it. That is why millions want to come here --- to be part of the dream found nowhere else on Earth.
Yet Gingrich misses this point entirely.
In a recent column, he correctly criticizes an op-ed which compared sharia law (the Islamic code) with the Declaration of Independence.
“This isn’t mere dishonesty; it is an Orwellian attempt to cause moral confusion about the nature of radical Islamism,” he wrote.
So Gingrich wants it both ways. He’s offended when the Declaration is compared to sharia, but wants to impose his values on Saudi Arabia.
The point that Gingrich and so many of the anti-mosque people are missing is simple:
“So what?”
So what that they are building a mosque?
In America....
Read the rest and post a comment at Philadelphia Magazine's Philly Post:
http://blogs.phillymag.com/the_philly_post/2010/09/07/why-are-we-arguing-about-the-ground-zero-mosque/
Liberals know the vast majority of American voters oppose the Ground Zero Victory Mosque. So it’s a “non issue” by order of the LSM?
Where are the Muslims voicing their support of Christian churches being built in Muslim countries? You know, since Muslims are all about religious tolerance and people of any faith having freedom of expression.
Right?
Maybe when America is sharia-compliant, we will wake up.
It is not a mosque, it is a training camp/building for potential terrorists. It will be a 13 story high building with the Crescent overshadowing Ground Zero. It is a building financed by untraceable cash. It is a poke in the eye building inter-faith dialogue...
So, what... sarc.
Inaccurate. The Senate was never intended to be directly elected by the people. The 17th amendment is one of the reasons why we are where we are with Prince-like Senators.
This is a valid point in that Muslims from other countries are not tolerant of other religions nor do they petition their countries governments to become more tolerant, but yet they expect the tolerance to ooze from the sidewalks here. Extremely hypocritical.
What this person is saying is that symbols have no meaning. I disagree. I do not like the symbolism of the mosque at Ground Zero one little bit, its meaning is unmistakable, and I am sure that the Muslims know exactly what they are doing and how offensive it is.
9/11... “So what?”
I guess standing against possible terrorist financing is somehow un-American to this moron.
“The way to change it is not to interfere in its sovereign affairs,..”
Well, what the Hell makes the writer think that Saudi Arabia isn’t interfering in OUR sovereign affairs?
The Saudis have been financing the construction of mosque’s all over the U.S., even in places where the Muslim population is tiny. Those mosques are being used as centers for teaching radical Wahabism, collecting donations for terrorist groups, and coordinating terrorist cells. The issue of Sharia is in the news constantly as Muslims try to exert influence, and force their laws, religion, and culture upon America.
It was a Saudi prince who paid for Obama’s Harvard Law education plus millions were donated to that school to build an edifice.
The Saudis bought and paid for the Presidency.
As for the GZ mosque and so-called cultural center, symbols do matter — very much.
He must have meant "illegal means," because why would he begrudge someone following legal means and still say "America ceases to be America?"
The House of Representatives, elected every two years and therefore much more responsive to the people’s whims, is counter-balanced by the staid and deliberative Senate, with its more insulating six-year terms.
I'm surprised that people still say this. Haven't they realized that gerrymandering has protected the House, while direct election of Senators had made them more vulnerable to the whims of the people?
-PJ
Sharia funds what we call terrorism. Shari is a pillar of their society.
On sharia global finance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7iHxl90CD0&feature=related
On sharia global Economy and huge financial fraud!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qbb5s8hALVE&feature=related
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