Posted on 08/15/2010 3:32:11 PM PDT by dselig
In the end, John Edwards was right. There are two Americas, though not based on Mr. Edward’s fairy tale of GOP rich and liberal poor. Those divisions of course exist, but the richest among us tend to belong to Mr. Edwards own party. The real dividing line in this country is: those that are for an Islamic Mosque and cultural center in the shadow of Ground Zero, and those that are against it.
All polls show that the majority of this country falls into the latter category. Not surprisingly, President-out-of-touch Obama is for the mosque.
From health care, to economic policy, to the Ground Zero mosque, President Obama cares not for the will of the American public. The President’s historic election offered so much hope. That image is in shambles. The worst part? Obama could care less what the majority of Americans think. To paraphrase a leftist commenter on a leftist blog I read last night: “Why should we care what the majority of the American public thinks, they elected George W. Bush twice.” That sentence could have been written by Barack Obama himself.
To borrow a phrase from Mr. Out-of-Touch, let me be clear, American Muslims have the right to build mosques wherever they can get the permits for them. What galls most Americans is the insensitivity of the left and Muslims to the fallen of 9/11. The developers of the mosque harp on constantly about how the cultural center will lead to greater understanding between cultures.
I ask respectfully, what has Islam as a whole done to shed itself from the hold of its radical members? Where are the throngs of moderate Muslims protesting against terrorism? You haven’t seen them on CNN? Neither have I, or anyone else. Crickets from over a billion moderate Muslims does not equate to being against terrorism.
By building the mosque near Ground Zero, the proponents of Islam in America are causing further division. By backing the faith of his childhood (at least culturally) over the will of the American public, Barack Obama is showing his true colors: those of a complete ideologue. Obama rules this country only for the narrow interests of himself and his closest supporters.
It is hard to see a more harmonious America at the end of Mr. Obama’s reign. But I digress.
To the New York mosque-eteers. Move the mosque. Show that Islam is actually capable of sensitivity to those around it. In the end, moving (or at least delaying until Ground Zero is re-built) the mosque would be a real first step toward improving U.S./Islamic relations.
Not to anyone who took a few moments to investigate his background.
There are two Americas indeed: the pro-America and the anti-America.
Obama is the leader of the latter.
>Show that Islam is actually capable of sensitivity to those around it.<
.
Shall we go back to the 6th century and start searching throughout history?
We still don’t get it, do we?
70% of the people are AGAINST it, recent poll shows.
Hardly two Americas, it isn’t as if the numbers are 50/50 split. 70% or better of Americans don’t want the mosque built at ground zero. These a**hats try to make it sound as it if is an even split, the lying POS.
They’ve had nine years to rationalize away 9-11 and really believe that if we’re just NICE to them, they’ll just be awed by our bending over for them and LOVE us!
I will be surprised if we don't see all out war in the streets in the next few years.
Just silly.
Islam is more than a religion. It is a system of government and courts that cannot exist in the same country with our Constitution.
Do Americans believe Western Civilization is better than Islam or not?
Got that far and knew I had just wasted a minute of my life.
But, who knows, maybe the scales are coming off some blind eyes.
Just walked in on the nbc Hamster tootheth White House correspondent claiming (His thoughts?) that Americans can not complain of Christian Missionaries being murdered in Muslim countries due to americans attitude against the Cordoba Mosque at WTC site.
How’s that for propaganda?
It goes on and on, this pattern of provocation and disrespect.Obama wants America to rise up and polarize itself, in order to give his movement unity and lock step. He is cast straight from the fascist molds of Europe IMHO. His seeming erratic conduct has a specific goal, and the sooner writers like this understand that,the better.
This article is out to lunch, wool gathering.
HUH????? he is a fake a fraud a Damn cheat and a Liar! a No records an invention by Soros and the Scum that hate us. any-school kid could give a speech written by 350 writers and spoon fed Via Teleprompters there needs to be an investigation and a lot of People Jailed for this treasonous crime perpetrated on the American people!
1 America, 1 Mosque, 1 911 - Background Links:
Re Mosque - Discussion Thread and Research
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2408932/posts
Re 911: Memorial Page and Research
http://www.truthusa.com/911.html
“To the New York mosque-eteers. Move the mosque. Show that Islam is actually capable of sensitivity to those around it. In the end, moving (or at least delaying until Ground Zero is re-built) the mosque would be a real first step toward improving U.S./Islamic relations.
Just silly.
Islam is more than a religion. It is a system of government and courts that cannot exist in the same country with our Constitution.
Do Americans believe Western Civilization is better than Islam or not?”
Exactly!! Nice post thank you for that.
“It is hard to see a more harmonious America at the end of Mr. Obama’s reign.”
Au contrar, at least 80% of the country will be unified
is seeing it doesn’t happen again.
ON THE INTERNET:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2570370/posts
#
NOTE The following text is a quote:
www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/08/13/remarks-president-iftar-dinner
Home • Briefing Room • Speeches & Remarks
The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release August 13, 2010
Remarks by the President at Iftar Dinner
State Dining Room
8:37 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Good evening, everybody. Welcome. Please, have a seat. Well, welcome to the White House. To you, to Muslim Americans across our country, and to more than one billion Muslims around the world, I extend my best wishes on this holy month. Ramadan Kareem.
I want to welcome members of the diplomatic corps; members of my administration; and members of Congress, including Rush Holt, John Conyers, and Andre Carson, who is one of two Muslim American members of Congress, along with Keith Ellison. So welcome, all of you.
Here at the White House, we have a tradition of hosting iftars that goes back several years, just as we host Christmas parties and seders and Diwali celebrations. And these events celebrate the role of faith in the lives of the American people. They remind us of the basic truth that we are all children of God, and we all draw strength and a sense of purpose from our beliefs.
These events are also an affirmation of who we are as Americans. Our Founders understood that the best way to honor the place of faith in the lives of our people was to protect their freedom to practice religion. In the Virginia Act of Establishing Religion Freedom, Thomas Jefferson wrote that “all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion.” The First Amendment of our Constitution established the freedom of religion as the law of the land. And that right has been upheld ever since.
Indeed, over the course of our history, religion has flourished within our borders precisely because Americans have had the right to worship as they choose -– including the right to believe in no religion at all. And it is a testament to the wisdom of our Founders that America remains deeply religious -– a nation where the ability of peoples of different faiths to coexist peacefully and with mutual respect for one another stands in stark contrast to the religious conflict that persists elsewhere around the globe.
Now, that’s not to say that religion is without controversy. Recently, attention has been focused on the construction of mosques in certain communities -– particularly New York. Now, we must all recognize and respect the sensitivities surrounding the development of Lower Manhattan. The 9/11 attacks were a deeply traumatic event for our country. And the pain and the experience of suffering by those who lost loved ones is just unimaginable. So I understand the emotions that this issue engenders. And Ground Zero is, indeed, hallowed ground.
But let me be clear. As a citizen, and as President, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country. (Applause.) And 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 unshakeable. The principle that people of all faiths are welcome in this country and that they will not be treated differently by their government is essential to who we are. The writ of the Founders must endure.
We must never forget those who we lost so tragically on 9/11, and we must always honor those who led the response to that attack -– from the firefighters who charged up smoke-filled staircases, to our troops who are serving in Afghanistan today. And let us also remember who we’re fighting against, and what we’re fighting for. Our enemies respect no religious freedom. Al Qaeda’s cause is not Islam -– it’s a gross distortion of Islam. These are not religious leaders -– they’re terrorists who murder innocent men and women and children. In fact, al Qaeda has killed more Muslims than people of any other religion -– and that list of victims includes innocent Muslims who were killed on 9/11.
So that’s who we’re fighting against. And the reason that we will win this fight is not simply the strength of our arms -– it is the strength of our values. The democracy that we uphold. The freedoms that we cherish. The laws that we apply without regard to race, or religion, or wealth, or status. Our capacity to show not merely tolerance, but respect towards those who are different from us –- and that way of life, that quintessentially American creed, stands in stark contrast to the nihilism of those who attacked us on that September morning, and who continue to plot against us today.
In my inaugural address I said that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus —- and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and every culture, drawn from every end of this Earth. And that diversity can bring difficult debates. This is not unique to our time. Past eras have seen controversies about the construction of synagogues or Catholic churches. But time and again, the American people have demonstrated that we can work through these issues, and stay true to our core values, and emerge stronger for it. So it must be -– and will be -– today.
And tonight, we are reminded that Ramadan is a celebration of a faith known for great diversity. And Ramadan is a reminder that Islam has always been a part of America. The first Muslim ambassador to the United States, from Tunisia, was hosted by President Jefferson, who arranged a sunset dinner for his guest because it was Ramadan —- making it the first known iftar at the White House, more than 200 years ago. (Applause.)
Like so many other immigrants, generations of Muslims came to forge their future here. They became farmers and merchants, worked in mills and factories. They helped lay the railroads. They helped to build America. They founded the first Islamic center in New York City in the 1890s. They built America’s first mosque on the prairie of North Dakota. And perhaps the oldest surviving mosque in America —- still in use today —- is in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Today, our nation is strengthened by millions of Muslim Americans. They excel in every walk of life. Muslim American communities —- including mosques in all 50 states —- also serve their neighbors. Muslim Americans protect our communities as police officers and firefighters and first responders. Muslim American clerics have spoken out against terror and extremism, reaffirming that Islam teaches that one must save human life, not take it. And Muslim Americans serve with honor in our military. At next week’s iftar at the Pentagon, tribute will be paid to three soldiers who gave their lives in Iraq and now rest among the heroes of Arlington National Cemetery.
These Muslim Americans died for the security that we depend on, and the freedoms that we cherish. They are part of an unbroken line of Americans that stretches back to our founding; Americans of all faiths who have served and sacrificed to extend the promise of America to new generations, and to ensure that what is exceptional about America is protected -– our commitment to stay true to our core values, and our ability slowly but surely to perfect our union.
For in the end, we remain “one nation, under God, indivisible.” And we can only achieve “liberty and justice for all” if we live by that one rule at the heart of every great religion, including Islam —- that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us.
So thank you all for being here. I wish you a blessed Ramadan. And with that, let us eat. (Applause.
END
8:47 P.M. EDT
Read a translation: Arabic | Persian | Russian
Where are the so-called moderate Muslims who are willing to stand up and announce publicly the Cordoba mosque should be built somewhere other than ground zero?
Oh, that's right. I'm sorry. There aren't any.
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