It is obvious to many Americans who believe strongly in our Constitutional values that the Republican attempt to use the "New York Mosque" as an electoral issue is a direct assault on the constitutional protection for freedom of religion -- one of the most fundamental principles that lie at the foundation of our country.
It is also obvious that this is yet one more in a string of attempts by mainstream Republican leaders to win elections by dividing Americans against each other. The attack on Democrats who support the right of Muslim Americans to build a place of worship two blocks from Ground Zero in New York lies squarely in the tradition of the Republican "southern strategy" that fanned the fires of racial resentment and scapegoated black "welfare queens." And of course it's hot on the heels of Republican attempts to whip up fear of gay Americans and their right to marry, or depicting Latino Americans as encouraging pregnant Hispanic mothers to sneak across the border in order to "drop anchor babies" to guarantee American citizenship.
Present-era Republicans have completely abandoned the principles of Abraham Lincoln and the founders of their party. They live instead in the shadow of Strom Thurmond and Jim DeMint.
But what is not so obvious is that every time a Republican "leader" attacks the notion that a Muslim mosque should be built two blocks from Ground Zero, they are endangering Americans' national security.
Perhaps they haven't noticed that America is still involved -- at one level or the other -- in two ground wars in Muslim countries that General Petraeus has correctly defined as battles for the hearts and minds of their Muslim citizens. Perhaps they forget the long struggle to prevent young Muslim men and women from becoming suicide bombers and fundamentalist extremists that endanger our country.
Every time one of them attacks mainstream Islam in the United States by saying that it would defile "sacred ground" for Muslims to build a house of worship near Ground Zero, they legitimize the claims of Osama Bin Laden to young, impressionable Muslims across the world.
What do they think Muslims around the world hear when they say it would "defile sacred ground" for them to worship within two blocks of a sacred American site? They hear contempt and disrespect.
Former Republican Speaker Newt Gingrich said, "You know, Nazis don't have the right to put up a sign next to the Holocaust Museum in Washington.... There's no reason for us to accept a mosque next to the World Trade Center."
One big difference: All Muslims did not attack the United States that September day. A small group of radical Muslim terrorists attacked the United States. And they attacked all Americans -- including Muslim Americans -- many of whom died at Ground Zero. Chicago's Irish-American Mayor Daley was infuriated when a bunch of young "patriots" marched on a Chicago-area mosque after 9/11. He put it clearly when he said, does it make everyone who is Irish a terrorists because of the IRA?
It's Al Qaeda that wants Muslims around the world to believe that the United States is at war with all of Islam -- not just a few radical extremists. But when people like Gingrich say things like he did, Muslims hear just the opposite -- that American leaders believe we are at war with all of Islam -- that Muslims are just like Nazis.
These people might as well sign up to work for the Bin Laden propaganda ministry. Their outrageous pandering to fear does direct damage to the national security of the United States.
And it doesn't matter that this is a fabricated issue. There is already a mosque four blocks from Ground Zero. Does it defile sacred ground more to have a new one two blocks from Ground Zero? How absurd.
It doesn't even matter that, over the long haul, the Republican strategy of insulting and writing off an ever-growing list of minorities will eventually consign the party to electoral irrelevancy. After a while, once you've written off enough minorities, you've written off the majority.
The bottom line is this: the Republicans who want to use this issue -- and fear of Muslims in general -- in order to get votes are betraying America's national interest for their personal short-term political gain. Let me put it as delicately as I can: They are pond scum.
If there were not already enough reasons for everyone to go vote in November, we cannot allow the Republican attempts to sow fear and divide America to be successful.
Robert Creamer is a long-time political organizer and strategist, and author of the recent book: Stand Up Straight: How Progressives Can Win, available on Amazon.com.
They should be tried for treason for these comments about the mosque.
It is also very disturbing to hear some Republicans, like Newt Gingrich, compare building a mosque at Ground Zero to Nazis putting a sign up at a Jewish temple. To compare the entire religion of Islam to Nazis is racist and should not be tolerated!
And although the mosque will not be built at Ground Zero, but a little away from it, IT DOESNT MATTER. The mear fact that there is debate about this is un-American and racist
The fact that Democrats and moderate Republicans will not make a strong stand against the villification of minorities based on religion and ethnicity, actually increases the confusion about the issue.
Moderates need to stand up strongly against these manufactured controversies, and at least give the people a strong message about what the division is, and where people of principle stand on the issues.
KEN touches on a salient point. Most liberals are hypocrites. ''Tolerance'' for me but not for thee. ''We have to stop being so polite'' in confronting GOP/TP ''racism'' and ''xenophobia'', when they spent eight years dragging Bush through the mud.''But they had Nazi signs at their rallies''. Yeah? Well so did the liberal-left wing back in Bushs' time. ''But they are racists and mean-spirited''. Yeah? Well Estrada, wasen't ''Hispanic enough'', the ''Jews'' are too ''powerful''.and most of us, according to the late Robert Byrd only a few years ago are ''white ni..ers''. To be ''skinny'' is to be racist[ according to SLATE] To be ''presumptuous'', is to be racist[according to Gene Robinson of the WAPO]. To hang out armed with billyclubs in front of a federal polling station is no big deal.''Piss Jesus'' displays are ''art''. Mohammed cartoons are ''racist''.Repubs cutting SS benefits are ''horrible'' . Democrats cutting food stamps get the cricket treatment. Unfortunately, we could do this all day.
BTW. I'm not really sure I follow the rest of your post.
Since there has already been places of worship for different religions around that area - what's the fuss ??
After these and all too many examples, we hardly need lectures from liberals on how the Document operates, and who uses it for a football or a doormat.
And this guy wants to be known as a "thinker." Newt, Islam was not the perpetrator of 9-11. It was al Quaida, a wacko fringe of Islam. Now don't tell me there are no wacko Christians ... Oh wait, you're pandering to that bunch of crazies.
Why don't YOU do it?
Come on! We can't wait to laugh at your ignorance.
I have one more suggestion for you. Why don't you spend a month in Iran, you might even enjoy there stoning treatment.
Moderate Muslims are condemning the radicals among them.
http://islam.about.com/cs/currentevents/a/9_11statements.htm
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Stoning is 'Mosaic' Law...see the fifth book of Torah; Dheuteronomy....calls for stoning, a Jewish tradition.
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Here in America however, we aspire to Domestic Violence for battery and murder of women and children...it's a Christian thing. We don't stone women in America, we use knives and guns....
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As for who does the most...you will find that statistically, Peace Officers (including prison guards) and Military personnel have significantly higher levels of DV.
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It would be more productive if the truth were conveyed here rather than racist oriented misinformation.
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Again, Stoning is 'Mosaic' Law...see the fifth book of Torah; Dheuteronomy....calls for stoning, a Jewish tradition.
How about a REAL cultural center, funded and operated by a Muslim group, that was not at all religious? You know, to show that moderate Muslims have no problem providing and endorsing secular institutions in the community.
http://islam.about.com/cs/currentevents/a/9_11statements.htm