how, considering the 1st amendment and limits on federal authority in these local matters, would the President stop the building of a mosque in NY?
It simply would be unconstitutional. However ridiculous this mosque is, the government has no right to stop it’s construction anymore than they could prevent a Church from being built or arrest people for being Catholic.
True enough; the only restrictions the government can place are the ones it puts on any other kind of building for legitimate reasons of public safety (i.e. it has to conform to construction codes so it isn't a firetrap and has to be maintained so it isn't an eyesore or a health hazard).
That's a different issue from the article, which is about a former president possibly using his reputation as a tool of persuasion.
Are you saying that the President can’t have an opinion? It seems he has an opinion about everything else, but when it comes to muslims, he’s deathly quite.
If the people of the Catholic Church did what the muslims did in NY, do you believe that the President or the people of the country wouldn’t be doing the same thing? There’s a limit as to what the people can take, regardless of what our Constitution says. Where is that limit and what are our people supposed to do when they reach that limit? As we have seen in our history, people will take a lot if they disagree with things, but this is beyond just standing by and letting this continue. They are asking to much of the people and I don’t think they will stand by this time. Maybe they will, but that would be the end of what we believe in. It’s getting to the point that many are saying “Screw it, do whatever you want. I’m done.” Is that what we want? I don’t think so. You can push our people a long ways, but be careful. You push to far and look what has happened in our history. It may not be very pretty.
Can’t the state or the feds declare the area near ground zero to be a national battlefield monument or other historical designation, which would add an extra layer of approval and take the decision out of the hands of the city? Recalling how VA kept Disney away from one of the civil war battlefields.
Do you really think all the zoning laws in this country are unconstitutional? Because every day, a zoning law is applied to prevent someone from building something, despite the fact that the buyer's willing, the seller's willing, the builder's willing. There are "community standards" to be considered. There's the impact on the neighborhood, on its very appearance, never mind its unbreached peace. The govt can tell you what kind of trees to plant on the sidewalk, and forbid other species. They can veto your choice of house paint color. The Constitution doesn't speak to such matters, nor was it intended to.
And if you wanted to walk your Chihuahua past this mosque, decked out in a porky pink suit with a curly tail in the stern, the city could stop you on the grounds of causing a disturbance, or harassing the muslims, or any of a number of other charges.
So...if the people get over there and holler, DIRECTLY; if they are in outspoken, firm opposition to the construction of an islamic center near GZ, they would not be demanding anything illegal or unconstitutional. It's their city...if they don't surrender it.
As in California, no matter what the citizens vote for or against, the government overrules their vote in support of an issue only favored by the minority. (We keep bending over) At this point even their zoning laws wouldn’t work against the construction of this mosque. Your tag line is right. We no longer have a democracy. Imagine, overturning a majority vote in any election... oh, I forgot, with computer voting, the majority doesn’t count anymore.
I see a storm coming...
At present in the USA, it is not unconstitutional to deny religious non-profits the use of property they own. This denial of use is based upon a variety of reasons, including these churches’ very belief systems.
Like freedom of speech, freedom of religion, at present, is not unfettered. NO ONE has an unlimited right to say whatever they want, where ever they are, nor whenever they choose. The utterance of a simple word or two in certain places will get one arrested, pronto, e. g., “Fire!”, “Bomb!”, “Jesus loves you!”.
Morris Deas of the leftist Southern Poverty Law advocacy group has made a lucrative business suing certain religious groups he and the courts have decided are hate groups. He sues them for hate speech, the courts rule in his favor and seize their church AND personal property AND all assets, awarding huge sums to Deas for his efforts. No one in the press ever complains of the violation of their freedom of speech/religion. There are notable exceptions: the fundie Baptist church group which protests homosexuality in America at gravesite funeral services for soldiers KIA. And, secondly, Islamic American groups. Apparently, the left’s hatred of the military sufficiently exceeds their hatred of fundie Baptists to allow this egregious exercise in odious free speech. Why are Islamic groups universally known for the very most virulent hate speech, accorded greater freedom in America than the Klan, “Christian” Identity churches and Aryan Nation Churches? The left hates America more than it hates the Klan, et al!