Did you hear?!?! OH THE OUTRAGE!!!! Muslims terrorists want to build a shrine of the 9/11 attacks on the White House!!! And since Obama is a Muslim he doesn’t mind!!! WHAT IS HAPPENING TO AMERICA?!?!??!?!?!
Ok ok, so that’s not quite true. But Muslims Extremists, who hate the US are trying to build a mosque on GROUND ZERO!!!! NOT IN MY LIFE TIME ASSHOLES!!! These colors do NOT run! However the do take brisk walks.
Ok, so actually some Muslims, want to build the equivalent of a Muslim YMCA a couple blocks from Ground Zero.
But still… TERRORISM!!!!!!! Look out!
Are we still at this point where pathetic jingoism is a mainstay in the vernacular of the average American? New polls from some college you've never heard of probably say yes.
For those of you who don’t watch Fox News, there is a proposed Muslim Cultural Center being built 5 minutes from the Ground Zero site. However it keeps getting reported that it is a Mosque, and it’s actually ON GROUND ZERO. Now first of all if this was true, I wouldn’t care. But it’s not true. It’s not a Mosque. There is a Mosque in it, among many other things. Not that any of that should matter. I'm just saying, if a Target shows up in your neighborhood, you can't really say that there is a new record store in town. its just happens to ALSO sell records. Just trying to be fair and balanced here. Speaking of fair and balanced, Fox News reported that 64% of all Americans think the Cultural Center shoudn't be built on Ground Zero. And they have won! because as i mentioned before, it was NEVER planned to be built ON GROUND ZERO. ever. it’s a couple blocks from Ground Zero. Not on it. I know some people who live about the same distance from Ground Zero as this proposed building, and they don’t tell people that the live on Ground Zero. Just because I work near Fenway Park, doesn’t mean I’m Youkilis.
People from all over the accepted political spectrum have weighed in. Everyone from Republicans to Democrats to… well really only those two, have been able to voice their opinions on the news. Sarah Palin said some stuff, and so did other guy! And also whats-his-face! Even President Obama has voiced his opinion. Of course many people think it’s not his place to comment on the matter. Yet they think it IS their place to comment on it. interesting.
People from all over the accepted political spectrum have weighed in. Everyone from Republicans to Democrats to… well really only those two, have been able to voice their opinions on the news. Sarah Palin said some stuff, and so did other guy! And also whats-his-face! Even President Obama has voiced his opinion. Of course many people think it’s not his place to comment on the matter. Yet they think it IS their place to comment on it. interesting.
But this whole debate is really making me think. And you know what? The slaughter of large amounts of people in the name of a specific God, and then putting up houses of worship and community in the areas that those slaughters occurred, IS pretty offensive. The idea that so many people died in the name of one religion just seems so terrible and inhumane. This shoudn't be allowed ANYWHERE! So let’s start taking down EVERY CHRISTIAN CHURCH ON U.S. SOIL.
I’m serious. I will be behind the banning of this Center in NYC, if every other House of Worship on or near a site of slaughter and genocide is taken down first. Which honestly is probably everyone of them. We like to pretend that Europeans showed up on this land, and then slowly the Natives just disappeared or assimilated. nope. we killed them. most of them actually. nations of them. Just because a very small minority of Native Americans are making a killing with casinos, doesn't mean the score is even. The forced "Americanization" of Native Americans is well documented and was widely celebrated until last the 60 years or so. Many Native religions' practices weren't even considered legal until 1978's t00-little-too-late American Indian Religious Freedom Act.
The talk about the Muslim Center being insensitive to the victims' families rings hollow when one looks at how Native Americans are STILL treated today. Leonard Peltier's prison sentence isn't very sensitive. Reservations having the highest per capita poverty rates in the country isn't very sensitive. Not to mention Manifest Destiny. Not to mention,when families of 9/11 victims called for no invasion of Afghanistan or Iraq, called for the US military to leave both countries, nobody listens. Isn't it AS insensitive to ignore the 9/11 families who choose "to trust in our principles rather than cave to our basest fears".
Or is it that sensitivity isn’t really the issue? Is it more that many Americans are fear-based, un-educated bullies, who want to have their cake and eat it too. It couldn’t possibly be that the idea of any other religion than Christianity getting a leg up in this world is too much for our fragile egos to take. “But Islam is so violent.” sure. It’s a religion. But looking at the history of this nation, can we really feel so high and mighty? After all, I believe there was Bible verse that said (and of course i could be paraphrasing here) "let he who is without sin, cast the first stone. otherwise, shut the fuck up."
Something like that.
7 comments:
G-d I thought I was the only one getting upset over all the spun talk of building on the 9-11 site. It is interesting to watch people flock to a good news story though. But hey, when is the truth interesting enough news for Fox?
First, I don't really care about the "cultural center" with a prayer room in it. "Gold jacket, green jacket, who gives a sh*t." But, please, accurately report the news surrounding it. I looked up the Fox News poll you reference because I was wondering how a news outlet would be so irresponsible as to ask a poll question in the manner that you suggested it did, and then report it in the manner you suggested it did. First, Reuben, you read/watch Fox News? Second, Fox did not suggest in the poll, or in the news release reporting the results, that the "Islamic cultural center" was to be built ON Ground Zero. Actually, it explicitly stated that it was to be built "near," or a "few blocks from" Ground Zero. It also reported that 61% of voters believed that the Muslim group had the right to build it there. I'm guessing you did not read the actual poll. http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/08/13/fox-news-poll-percent-think-wrong-build-mosque-near-ground-zero/ (the article contains a link to the poll).
I agree with you that a religion should not be judged by those who purport to take action in its name. You seem very ready, though, to "throw the first stone" at Christianity because Americans, according to you, founded this country (or at least ravaged Native Americans) on Christian principles. You also suggest by this post that those who oppose the cultural center are all Christians and, therefore, must atone for their actions (destroy all churches? really?) before they can object to the actions of others. Those objecting are clearly not all Christians. I suppose you could merely be making the point that Muslims view America as a Christian nation, but that doesn't seem like an informed decision on which you should be "throwing the first stone" at Christianity in general.
Your Target analogy is unredeemably flawed. The objection is to the mosque (prayer roomo) inside the cultural center. If Target decided to include in their new store something that some people view as objectionable (perhaps their new audio/video department included a porn section), people could certainly object to the new porn store on the block. Not saying people are justified in objecting to the prayer room, just pointing out the flawed analogy. It's just semantics, but I'm wondering why you tried to make the distinction when there really isn't one. When Target moves in, there's a new place to buy records. Whether they're hiding in the back, on the second floor, or in the basement, they're there. What is a record store anyway? A place where you buy records. Can you buy records at Target? Yes. Target is a record store. It may be other things as well, but it is, in addition to those other things, a record store.
Finally, you could never be Youk.
Sorry, I accidentally posted the same comment like 8 times (not sure how), so I deleted all but one.
sadly i DO watch Fox News. They place where i get lunch has a giant plasma screen and plays it non-stop. and that is where i saw the poll saying 64% of American don't support it. I didn't go online to find the statistics after i saw them report it. i assumed they were factually accurate. at least in the Fox News way.
I'm not saying its only Christians who don't want the building. i'm also not saying that Christianity should be judged by the genocidal maniacs of the past. however people aren't pissed about the building because they had a mean Muslim neighbor when they were a kid. they are pissed because of the attack and slaughter committed on 9/11. so all i am hinting at is before we get all Rambo on people, maybe we need to take a look in the mirror and see what OTHER peoples have been murdered in the name of religion in the US. and by the way, its a lot. this doesn't make Christianity wrong, just like 9/11 didn't make Islam wrong. but before "we" get all pissed about whats happening to "our" country, maybe we should ask the native people what they think first.
Target is not a record store. anyone who likes good music can tell you that.
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