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 On Conservatives and the ‘Mosque’ FracasPosted on Aug 17, 2010
What’s the deal with the hubbub, coming mainly from right-wing types, over the so-called Ground Zero mosque? Clearly, as The Atlantic’s Conor Friedersdorf notes, it has a lot to do with the popular culture-war-themed wedge issues that crop up right around now in each election cycle. Well, that’s obvious, but Friedersdorf extends his analysis further to remind us of the eventual cost of just the kind of posturing and pontificating that we’re seeing with the mosque-troversy: “Too often we’re electing precisely the politicians who are most adept at exploiting wedge issues.” Word. —KA
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By DBM, August 18, 2010 at 8:20 am Link to this comment
The Ground Zero Mosque is “Magic”!!
That is “Magic” in the sense of “misdirection”. Look! A shiny mosque over there! ... [while I dip my hand in your wallet over here.]
The ones who keep coming up with extraneous BS like this and consume time and space with it are thieves. Why worry that financial reform didn’t reform when there’s a mosque over there? Why worry that medical insurance companies won the healthcare reform battle when there’s an uppity black racist over here? Why worry about ending a foreign military entanglement which has no end in sight nor benefit to anyone at any stage when there’s a socialist white hater in the White House?
Honestly, that anyone wastes mindspace or breath on this crap is amazing. Even calling it a “Ground Zero Mosque” is a farce. There is a muslim prayer centre nearby which pre-dates the World Trade Centre but the proposed establishment. The new proposed “Park51” building is to be 13 stories tall and contain “a 500-seat auditorium, theater, performing arts center, fitness center, swimming pool, basketball court, childcare services, art exhibitions, bookstore, culinary school, and a food court”. If you can imagine a catholic centre like this - which also included a chapel - would you call the entire structure “a church”?
Enough said about this beat-up ... more than enough!
Report thisBy diamond, August 17, 2010 at 10:21 pm Link to this comment
rico, suave is your real name dumbcluck by chance? You must know that this whole mosque beat up is being used by right wing nutjobs to make Obama look bad and to destroy the whole idea of religious freedom, something America was built on, since many of the settlers who came to America in the first place were fleeing religious persecution. Well, what do you think this demonization of Muslims and a place of worship, which is two blocks from the 9/11 site, is? It’s obvious and blatant religious persecution and Michael Bloomberg and Barack Obama are absolutely right on everything they’ve said about it.
I’ve looked into all the facts surrounding 9/11 and most damming of all the 9/11 Commission and the anthrax letters sent in October 2001 and I don’t believe for one minute that Muslims carried out the 9/11 attacks. But even if by some freakish chance the law of gravity was suspended on 9/11 and NORAD was asleep somewhere and, and, and…that would not make this blatant form of collective punishment and religious persecution right. It’s not a civilized way to think or behave and it plays into the hands of far right fanatics who thrive on hatred and division, which is why they are flogging this non-issue for all it’s worth. There’s more than one way to be medieval and there’s more than one way to be a fundamentalist. Islam doesn’t have a monopoly on either of those things, as the hate speech and religious bigotry surrounding this matter proves.
Report thisBy gerard, August 17, 2010 at 3:07 pm Link to this comment
And the mass media shares no responsibility for this? They get rich by milking fringe issues. In fact, mass media have become merchants of hysteria almost exclusively. Result (since most people with a high school education depend on mass media for information!) mass hysteria. Who’s surprised?
Report thisBy rico, suave, August 17, 2010 at 1:51 pm Link to this comment
yours truly: Is your real name Chamberlain by chance?
Report thisBy doublestandards/glasshouses, August 17, 2010 at 1:28 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
An MSNBC online vote has 70% of 42,000+ respondents saying the mosque should not be built there.
It’s disgusting that that many people hold American citizens somehow responsible for 9/11. The question was, “Should the mosque be built at ground zero?” The positive choice reads, “Yes, the freedom of religion is absolute.” What would freedom of religion mean if it were not “absolute”? We’re about to find out.
Since many leftists are atheists this is not an important issue for them but I think that if the right wins this fight we’re going to be hearing a lot about who is and is not a “real American.” If they can intimidate a whole group of people they will not stop in their effort to enact their racist agenda. We already have Newt Gingrich saying that Saudi Arabia should be our standard when it comes to freedom of religion. If we don’t stand up to them were going to be living in a christian version of Saudi Arabia.
Report thisBy Dale Headley, August 17, 2010 at 12:43 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
Somehow, I doubt that any conservatives would recommend that the Lutheran
Report thisChurch not be allowed to build churches in Westfield, New Jersey or Wichita,
Kansas, just because two of the most infamous mass murderers in U.S. history
were pillars of their churches. Lohn List said that killing his wife, mother, and
three children was his responsibility as a respected member of his church. Dennis
Rader (“BTK”) was a deacon of his church as he randomly killed for the pleasure of
it for 20 years. Of course conservatives wouldn’t say this, because it is a
CHRISTIAN church and these were devout CHRISTIANS, who presumably have been
forgiven.
By yours truly, August 17, 2010 at 12:33 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
Progressives should call Islamophobia for what it is, an effort to divert the public’s attention from what will end the bloodshed, specifically, pursuing a peace agreement with the Taliban as well as justice for Palestine. That way we’re not just reacting, we’re being proactive. Otherwise conservatives will continue to set the narrative and we’ll only be heard in rebuttal.
Report this