To Mosque or Not to Mosque

“I join those who have called for looking into how is this opposition to the mosque being funded. How is this being ginned up?” (Nancy Pelosi)

After reading what the second-in-line to become president said concerning the planned construction of the famous mosque/not a mosque, Islamic victory/not a victory monument, Islamic community center in a building damaged by one of the suicide airliners, I decided to investigate myself since I unwittingly found myself in opposition to all the pro-Islamic liberals who've now decided that if the right wing comes out one side of an issue then naturally they have to come out on the other side regardless of how strange it is to be in bed with a religion that would quickly kick them out of bed as soon as they find them between the sheets.

I quickly discovered that my source of funding was somewhat limited by the fact that the economic recovery had not yet reached my pocketbook. Was I against the mosque simply because I didn't have a job? No. Was I against the mosque because the imam was on a State Department junket to the Middle East on what used to be my dime? No. Or was I against the mosque/not a mosque because it was a chance to agree (probably for the first time) with the majority of my fellow citizens? Definitely not!

I finally decided that the real reason I was against the mosque/not a mosque was because President Obama refused to comment on the “wisdom” of building the mosque/not a mosque in the location chosen by the imam/representative of the State Department. If the president can't comment on the “wisdom” involved in this situation, then there must be some information that hasn't come to light and it would be precipitous of any citizen not in possession of all the facts to be in favor of building it when the president, who has access to the largest and most powerful intelligence apparatus in the world, can't or won't let us small people know whether or not it's a wise thing to do.

So Ms. Pelosi, I've investigated myself to the best of my ability and I've come to the unhappy conclusion that it's the president himself who has “ginned up” this controversy. This of course is not to deny the fact that in asking how the opposition was “ginned up,” you also should take some credit for the “ginning up." But that was your intention, n'est-ce pas?

MANAMA http://bahraintimes.com/  Bahrain http://bahrainpost.com/ -- The imam spearheading plans for an Islamic http://newislamist.com/  center near Ground Zero said the attention generated by the project is positive and he hopes it will bring greater understanding.

P.S. Hope springs "POSITIVELY" eternal!

HANK D'ARCADIA

(will fast for food)

Comments

[Peter Loeb]

No one's complaining about the Shinto shrine near Pearl Harbor.

Or are they?

[ian butler]

I just hope no one is insensitive enough to build a Christian church anywhere near the Oklahoma City federal building!

[Peter Loeb]

Here is the Daily Show/Jon Stewart comment about the mosque and Fox News.
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-august-23-2010/the-parent-company-trap

[Dan B. Underhill]

I would comment, but Tom Tomorrow said it better than I could.

http://www.salon.com/entertainment/comics/this_modern_world/2010/08/24/this_modern_world

[Bruce Hotchkiss]

I think the Daily Show's reporting on the total absurdity of all the uproar, particularly that from Fox News, has been terrific.

Mr. D'Arcadia, to label people who support freedom of religion as "Pro-Islamic Liberals" is offensive to me and many, many others. Frankly, I am anti-religion. My wish would be that there be no houses of worship anywhere in this country. Far too many people have killed or been killed in the name of their religion. Having said that, I must point out that this is not about a Mosque but about an Islamic Community Center.

Nowhere else in this country do we demand that a house of worship be built some undefined distance from "hallowed" ground. Exactly how far from “Ground Zero” is far enough?

Although Mr. D’Arcadia did not broach this subject, I also take exception to the constant use of the “3,000 Americans” who died at the World Trade Center. According to the numbers, 2,976 people from many different countries died there. This is how the numbers break down for other than U.S. citizens:

Argentina – 4, Australia – 11, Bangladesh – 6, Belarus – 1, Belgium – 1, Bermuda – 1, Brazil – 3, Canada – 24, Chile – 2, China – 4, Cote d’lvoire – 1, Colombia – 17, Democratic Republic of the Congo – 2, Dominican Republic – 1, El Salvador – 1, Ecuador – 3, France – 3, Germany – 11, Ghana – 2, Guyana – 3, Haiti – 2, Honduras – 1, India – 41, Indonesia – 1, Ireland – 6, Israel – 5, Italy – 10, Jamaica – 16, Japan – 24, Jordan – 2, Lebanon – 3, Lithuania – 1, Malaysia – 3, Mexico – 16, Moldova – 1, Netherlands – 1, New Zealand – 2, Nigeria – 1, Peru – 5, Philippines – 16, Portugal – 5, Poland – 1, Romania – 3, Russia – 1, South Africa – 2, South Korea – 28, Spain – 1, Sweden – 1, Switzerland – 2, Republic of China – 1, Ukraine – 1, Uzbekistan – 1, United Kingdom – 67, Venezuela – 1

I am positive that at least some of those who died were not Christians; some may have been Muslims. Let us remember all who have died due to religious intolerance on this earth.