Maybe I’m just dense.
1) Obama defends the PRINCIPLES of the 1st Amendment of freedom of worship.
2) Obama defends the right of NYC to make its zoning rules. (rules that ALLOW this Islamic center)
3) Mayor Bloomberg, (who is Jewish), supports the right of these people to build where they want.

How is this backing away? What am I missing here?

@Blackspeare

Sure, at a certain point of elevation in the new tower (assuming it’s ever built, but that’s another story) one will be able to see the roof of the Islamic Center, just as from that height one will be able to see the roofs of most of the buildings in the neighborhood.  Likewise the empty pier would be visible from some point in the new tower.  That simply doesn’t hold up as a criterion.  But consider that there are no less than four rows of buildings between Ground Zero and 45 Park Place.  The south side of Park Place is a row of buildings the smallest of which is 12 stories.

markpkessinger…

Nice job on the video, but you miss the point.  At ground level you cannot see the proposed Islamic Center from any where on the WTC site, but from the 15th floor and above the Islamic Center will be quite visible to people in the new tower——triumphalism at it’s best!  Actually, Governor Paterson’s suggestion to give the Cordoba Initiative the rights to air space over the abandoned pier near Battery Park is commendable——that way the Islamic Center and Jewish Museum will overlook each other——very apropos!

LJL…

You are referring to revisionist history regarding Cordoba.  Only after the Muslims were routed from Spain did the city of Cordoba blossom into a bastion of tolerance.  But in reality it was not.  Muslim Spain was ruled under the tenets of Sharia.  As such, women were treated as property and those not of the Islamic persuasion were dhimmini or second class citizens subject to unprovoked abuse personal as well as political.

Those who think they have something to gain politically by opposing the mosque, as well as those who simply don’t have the kind of first-hand knowledge of the area of the proposed center, would have you believe that the proposed Islamic Cultural Center will tower triumphantly over Ground Zero. I know the block well where the Islamic Cultural Center is to be built. Yes, it’s downtown, and yes, it’s “near” the Ground Zero site in terms of geographical proximity on a map. But in the context of the dense urban landscape that is lower Manhattan, two blocks might as well be twenty. And the site for the Islamic Cultural Center is rather obscure relative to the World Trade Center site. To help folks see what I’m talking about, and hopefully in the interest of adding a measure of rationality in the ongoing debate, the other day I created a video slide show, using Google Maps’ “Street View” feature. It’s an annotated, virtual walk around the block from 45 Park Place, the site of the proposed center. It gives viewers a sense of the reality of the location, as one experiences it as street level, and show just how out-of-the-way the site is relative to the World Trade Center. The link to the video is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6cpEAvvYB4 .

Blackspeare asks why the name of Cordoba.  Simple it was a place where Christians, Jews and Muslims found a great deal of equality and tolerance, a rare thing at that time and even now.

Why the name “Cordoba? for the Islamic center.  Something smells here.  Cordoba was the Islamic capital and seat of power in Muslim Spain——it is still considered a Muslim holy site.  Using the name “Cordoba” smacks of triumphalism.

Irrespective of deliberating on, my personsl view on this issue is positively negative. The history of 1400 yrs is not a bad testimony. We did not have these ITs even a couple of decades ago what we have today. Thank God, we can communicate fast today and know what is happening. As someone said during even Jonson era, the media did not deliberate but elborate
on what the Pres said and meant. It is not very long.

I respect the views of all those who have different than mine. But I am not dilly dallying. It is firmly ‘no’ in one word.

God bless

@Anarcissie,
The US has been relatively free of stupid bigotry?! - I suggest your taking a primer in basic American history. Violent intolerance is a known famous cultural trait. Think internment - think ask don’t tell, think Watts riot etc…
Other democratic countries have learned the basic and elementary lessons of history and this naked stupidity on religious/racial issues could not be seriously engaged in media dialogue by a populace of even average intelligence. I know in Canada, it would be dismissed out of hand - being Canadian I can assert this with confidence.

It is only the irrational (perhaps crypto-racist) Obama haters who say he walked back his politically courageous statement of Muslim religious liberties at a Ramadan dinner. Obama did what any intelligent person would, he affirmed the Constitution and the rightness of the NYC zoning people to grant permission for the Burlington Coat Factory site.  The people who are insisting that the President wade deeper into the controversy, whether they want the mosque there or nowhere, are doing it in order to stir up religious warfare.  I don’t think it is the President’s job to encourage religious warfare either aimed at Muslims or stupid Christians.

No, lots of countries have gone through periods of uncivilized religious bigotry—Ireland and Yugoslavia in the last few decades.  And look at the Middle East.

That is why it’s so stupid and evil to try to stir up that kind of thing in the U.S., which has been relatively free of it.

Why do Americans insist of being celebrated for uncivilized stupidity? This kind of obvious religious bigotry would be exposed for what it is and would never survive the light of day in any other country.

Further proof that what you think is happening is the result of a fantasy being constructed by the media to keep you engaged in THEIR story.

Obama makes a statement. Obama backs away. Obama breaks with his base. Base reacts to Obama. Blah Blah Blah. Obama did it again. Stay tuned for our analysis.

Ever see the movie “War Games”? General, what you’re looking at isn’t real! Why would the President of the United States do the thing you say you want him to do—i.e. uphold free religion, reform health care, reduce nukes, balance the budget—only to subsequently do the the thing you say you don’t want him to do?

What’s crazier in this case is that BOTH statements the President made are statements liberals support!

Obama came out in support of freedom of religion. Then, he “walked it back” by refusing to intrude in the specific instance of a local zoning, local community matter.

Hummm, people in the locality are free to decide how their communities are run, as long as they don’t decide based on religious prejudice. Wow, if that doesn’t infuriate the base, what will, huh.

Here’s something to chew on: 20% of the public think the President is a Muslim. Of those, 60% got that notion from the media.

That stat confirms a concerted, deliberate media initiative designed and intended NOT to clarify and inform people of the truth, but to confuse, to twist, to lie.

And maybe worse.

The President hasn’t backed away from anything. General, you’re listening to… to a machine!

Don’t.

“We believe that all men have certain unalienable rights. Yet many Americans do not enjoy those rights.”

“This is why the Civil Rights Act relies first on voluntary compliance, then on the efforts of local communities and States to secure the rights of citizens.” - Lyndon Johnson, at the signing

Now, THERE’S a “walk back”.

Once again President Obama starts out on the right footing then backs down when the Republican squawk machine revs up.

http://texshelters.wordpress.com/2010/08/18/muslims-have-sent-mayor-bloomberg-to-hell/

Hey Obama, the Republicans will NEVER vote for you, and I won’t until you show you stand for something other than getting reelected.

Peace,
Tex Shelters
http://texshelters.wordpress.com

Robespierre

You’re wrong! but Joe Conason is a great investigative journalist who has served the American people well. He’s worth more than he gets paid.

Little known poll results: the majority of Manhattanites are in support of the cultural center/mosque being built in the desired location.  Me,too.

Sharron Angle is a fascist, a brown shirt extraordinaire, but not a “fruitcake”.  She is not insane.  She knows exactly what she is doing.

Robespierre115—You’re right, but Conason is a professional shill for the Democratic Party.  He’s just doing the job he’s paid for.

Ok, i am only guessing that US policy towards islam is shifting.

I think that US sees now that getting 1.2 billion muslims onside to whatever degree possible is a big plus for US.

Vast majority of muslism are sunni. Hatred between sunnis and shias appears as great as ever.This would isolate theocratic iran even more!

Improving relation with sunnis alarms mosheists and talmudists.
Obviously their and israel`s importance wanes as muslims` increases.

And ulema is more supportive of iniquitous leaders like aghs, beys, beks, amirs, kings, plutos than even christianity and talmudism-mosheism!

Thus, it is not obama being principled, i think, but USAUSAUSA policy or whatever is good for uncle is correct!
Some things never change. Presidents come and go, but USA always stays the same! tnx

“Obama made one comment, backtracked…”

Johnson wasn’t subjected to the same gamesmanship media culture that exists today. Then, a President made a statement and his statement was final, and the media explained what it meant.

Now, “follow-ups” are purposely designed to generate the kind of crack-pot pseudo issues the modern media thrives on. Media doesn’t explain the President’s meaning, but rather implies meaning that isn’t there in order to manufacture controversy.

That’s the business model today. Fox News isn’t about opening bureau outposts for reporters covering beats so as to deliver facts more quickly and reliably. Who needs that crap when all you need to do is hire high-profile personalities in leather skirts, and jam a joystick in their hand so they can maneuver virtual missiles at anyone who dares to open their mouth about anything.

“But, Mr. President, in supporting the mosque, are you not ignoring the ramification of Zoning Ordinance 12 and all that entails? OMG! Hold the presses! What does it mean when the President of the United States isn’t familiar with New York law? Is New York not a state in this union? Is the President listening too much to his ‘Kenyan’ friends?”

It’s easy to do. That’s why today’s degenerative media does it. It’s also a lot cheaper for Fox to write copy around this topic than to report what’s actually happening in the world.

It’s a sign of the decline of our empire. The “informed public” the Founding Fathers spoke of, pertained not only to matters of local elections and American democracy, but also to our ability to understand our place in the world and employ our unique ability to compile global knowledge for technical and economic advantage.

Look how far we are from that.

Our current candidates for federal office come to the campaign trail lacking basic geographical knowledge of the earth. Forget deep knowledge of foreign relations and international histories. We’re too busy arguing whether these incompetents are “right about the mosque”.

Or whether the President flip-flopped after being asked two different questions.

Harry Reid can’t get re-elected in Nevada if he defends the 1st amendment, so he came out against it.

I’ve NEVER understood how the Dems could be SO stupid as to elect a Majority Leader who is elected from a fundamentally Republican state.  Sooner or later he would be in danger.  Anyone with an IQ over 90 would recognize that the Majority Leader MUST come from a safe state so he/she can take the necessary actions without fear of being unseated because of them in the next election.

You would think the Dims would have learned the lessons of Tom Foley and Tom Daschle, one the Speaker, the other the Senate Majority Leader who BOTH lost their seats from being from fundamentally Republican areas.

But no, not the Dims.  Harry Reid is proof and if he survives this election it will SOLELY be due to the Tea-baggers usurping the GOP and running a total fruit-cake against Reid.

Isn’t this article a bit misleading? LBJ didn’t BACK AWAY from signing the civil rights act one day after signing it. Obama made one comment, backtracked, and has remained silent. Limousine liberals really need to wake up and smell the thorns.