Over the weekend, President Obama did something that all American presidents are called upon to do. Defend the Constitution of the United States.
One of those tenets is Freedom of Religion. Not amend section A: popular religion [this week] only.
It’s how and why I feel free to tell folks I’m an atheist – or introduce someone in my family as a student of Buddhism – or note in the course of a conversation about San Antonito Chapel down the road that most of my neighbors are Catholics.
But, right-wing nutballs and the proto-fascists who infest the Tea Party wing of the Republican Party go crap out of their mind if Christian godliness and morality ain’t the only way endorsed to fly straight to heaven. Much less catch a tax break from the IRS.
So, combine all the hypocrisy into one big ball of cigar-snot and mealymouthed punditry – and you get this weekend’s tempest in a teabag.
Here’s a copy of the dangerous sedition uttered by Obama.
I’m not getting into cutting and pasting and commenting line-by-line because, frankly, it’s just the usual straight-up rhetoric required of any official who’s trying to explain our Constitution to people who don’t think it’s worth defending. The whole point of having a standard by which to govern a nation is that it is a standard to be upheld – not amended every time someone asks a hard question or a tough challenge comes along.
Our Founding Fathers realized that and fought and died for it. Now, because some terrorist gangsters come along and say our standards are worthless – a certain portion of our population is willing to prove them correct.
126,
So the Muslim faith is the equivalent of the KKK? If that is what your argument is based on you are the one being specious. Actually you are being more disingenuous.
#141
You are being childish. No I do not equate the KKK with the Muslim religion. Yes, I equate the *act* of the KKK setting up shop in Harlem to be nearly as offensive as Muslims putting a mosque anywhere near ground zero. Hey, not every KKK person lynched a black guy just like not every Muslim person was responsible for the 9/11 hijackers right?
#142 They should have objected to Progressive Bill Clinton, heir of FDR:
“Great Moments in Democrat Racist History-FDR
http://youtube.com/watch?v=X12hmwkVIUI
I guess what I don’t understand is that ground zero is a battlefield. So how is it even a Constitutional question? The Gettysburg battlefield has long been the subject of land use planning and land use disputes. It is and has been (rightfully so) very difficult to build on and around battlefields. http://bit.ly/cBOxUB
Just last year a land use battle raged around a proposed museum on private land adjacent to Valley Forge. http://n.pr/a1UG80
At Ground Zero I don’t want a 9/11 flight school, or a 9/11 theme park, or a United Airlines 9/11 museum, or a 9/11 cafe, or a 9/11 casino, nor do I want a 9/11 mosque to help “build bridges”. It’s inappropriate to exploit the battlefield for profit or patronage.
That’s not to say Islamic cultural centers are intrinsically wrong, but simply this one is in the wrong place. That is the debate about this mosque, and it isn’t an attack on Islam or the Constitution to demand that local state and federal efforts need to preserve this battlefield and adjacent areas from exploitive uses. The President really doesn’t get this?? Wow.
#141–smitty==of course the Muslim religion is the equivalent of the KKK except they are WORSE! Thomas is vacilating at increasing frequency between sanity and applying the First Amendment to the issue.
The KKK has many members who are good people as long as you don’t bring up the subject of race. Most of them have never and will never hurt a fly. They just send their tithe into their organization to support their cause.
Same with the Arab Muslims with the subject being their religion which includes everything you do, say, or think during the day.
The KKK is “benign” compared to the Arab Muslims.
Amusing: Muslims fly airplanes into WTC and people think “the problem” is Islam building a Mosque at one particular site? Downright RETARDED!!! The problem is NOT airplanes, not security systems, not overstaying visa’s, not building Mosques: the PROBLEM IS ARAB MUSLIMS.
I guess you maroons will figure this out a few seconds before your grand kiddies throats get cut.
Until then, lets support the First Amendment?
The fact that you are defending the KKK in any way tells me all I need to know about you. The fact is, to say “they have the right” but then say “just don’t exercise it” is just lip service to the constitution.
#146
Again, you are being sophomoric. I’m not defending the KKK in any way, shape or manner and you know it. I’m attempting to get it through your thick skull that just because you have the right to do something does not mean you should do something.
Just because they have the right to put a mosque near ground zero is a FAR cry from saying they SHOULD put one near ground zero. Reasonable people are able to distinguish between the two.
These Muslims certainly have right to be utterly totally devoid of tact and intelligence and put that mosque near ground zero. No question. Legally they have that right and I defend that right. However, don’t come pissing and moaning to us when some nut case sets it on fire. There are even Muslim leaders that are saying it is a bad idea. Legally, someone can put a porn shop and a BBQ Pork place right next the mosque. That too would be a bad decision.
Grow up and learn the difference between what you have a right to do and what is considered tasteless and tacky and is not in the best interest of people living peacefully. No good comes from putting a mosque anywhere near ground zero. None. It is being done to intentionally piss people off. They have that right but that doesn’t make it any less tasteless, tacky and insensitive a decision.
Our fearless President rightly expressed his unfailing support for Mosque Triumphant at Ground Zero, but failed to contextualize his statement.
Missing was the Sanabel AlQuds Dance Troupe that entertained him and his wife so well at the 2003 Arab American Action Network (AAAN) dinner, with his friends, Rashid Khalidi, William Ayers, and Bernadine Dohrn.
“Suddenly the Sanabel AlQuds dancers pulled out fake swords and rifles and adorned three of their troupe respectively with an American, Isreaeli, and British flag. The others pretended to behead and/or shoot the boys wearing the flags. Then they put red scarves over the three boys heads, signifying blood and no head. Then, the flags were taken off, thrown to the ground, and trampled on by this young group of Milwaukee dancers.”
http://debbieschlussel.com/4363/exclusive-dance-troupe-obama-khalidi-dinner-of-secreted-tape-fame-simulated-beheadings-in-recent-past/
If only Americans had seen this with Obama, they would understand.
Fearless and inspirational Nancy Pelosi took a moment from her never ending quest for jobs for all undocumented Americans, and called for investigation of WTC mosque opposition:
http://washingtontimes.com/blog/watercooler/2010/aug/17/audio-rep-pelosi-calls-investigation-wtc-mosque-op/
Happy happy joy joy…since 2006, the Democrats took charge of the economy and really showed what can be done with it!
The Right does everything in its power to block the President’s actions, then points and shouts “look, he can’t get anything done”.
I hve yet to see anything from the Right lately not based on hate, greed, or fear.