The War for Your Mind: "Ground Zero Mosque"

The Politics
From the GOPTrust


Congressional Candidate


[edit on 8/17/2010 by ~Lucidity]

The Media
Muslims pray daily at Pentagon's 9/11 crash site

Americans are debating bitterly the proposed building of a mosque near New York's ground zero, but for years Muslims have prayed quietly at the Pentagon only 80 feet from where another hijacked jetliner struck.

Pentagon officials say that no one in the military or the families of the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks has ever protested.

Gingrich, Polls, Daisy Kahn, Origin of Idea, Other Sites Considered


Daisy Kahn explains around 5:10 in this report (all of which is enlightening, by the way) how the idea for the community center came about and when and tells of other property they attempted to buy first. The followings study supports her premise as to how to integrate into the community and halt radicalization.

Study: Build mosques to prevent Islamic radicalism

Keith Olbermann...There is No Ground Zero Mosque


The Players
Feisal Abdul Rauf
'Ground Zero Mosque' Imam Helped FBI With Counterterrorism Efforts





Here are some more facts about him too. It's a blog, but it's enough to kick off someone's additional research. Noteworth items:

In 1997, he founded the American Society for Muslim Advancement to promote a more positive integration of Muslims into mainstream American society. His efforts and profile rose dramatically after the 9/11 attacks when a calm voice was required to explain why greater Islam did not embrace terrorism.

Republican John Bennett, president of the Aspen Institute, was so impressed by the imam's message that he became a co-founder of the Cordoba Initiative which seeks to promote cross-cultural engagement through the Cordoba House in downtown Manhattan.

In November 2004, Feisal Abdul Rauf participated in a round table discussion on religion and government, gaining the respect of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.

Feisal Abdul Rauf was dispatched on speaking tours by the past State Department on multiple occasions to help promote tolerance and religious diversity in the Arab and Muslim world. In 2007, he went to Morocco, the UAE, Qatar and Egypt on such missions for the State Department. In February 2006, meanwhile, he took part in a U.S.-Islamic World Forum in Doha, Qatar with Undersecretary of State Karen Hughes.

Bryan Fisher
American Family Association
Top Social Conservative: 'No More Mosques, Period'

The Politics
Broken link to Rick Scott video earlier in thread fixed...


AUDIO - Rep. Pelosi calls for investigation of WTC mosque opposition

"There is no question there is a concerted effort to make this a political issue by some. And I join those who have called for looking into how is this opposition to the mosque being funded," she said. "How is this being ginned up that here we are talking about Treasure Island, something we've been working on for decades, something of great interest to our community as we go forward to an election about the future of our country and two of the first three questions are about a zoning issue in New York City." (h/t Kristinn) Calls to investigate the funding for those proposing the $100 million "Cordoba House" have fallen on deaf ears, though, as New York's Mayor Mike Bloomberg has described such an investigation as "un-American." Ms. Pelosi called the Ground Zero mosque an "urban development decision" for New Yorkers to work through. Her remarks happened on the heels of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat, parting ways with President Barack Obama on the issue. Mr. Reid suggested the mosque should be built somewhere else.

ABC News...
Republican Pol Warns of Playing 'Political Football' With 'Ground Zero Mosque'

Who is Really Politicing Ground Zero?

N.Y. Gov. David Paterson Plans to Meet With "Ground Zero Mosque" Backers




'No regrets' on mosque issue, Obama says

With Republicans trying to wrest control of Congress from Obama's Democrats, and facing a tough re-election battle of his own, Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid broke with the president over the issue Monday , saying the mosque should be built elsewhere.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also entered the fray, saying Tuesday she supports "looking into how is this opposition to the mosque (is) being funded."

Other Information to Try to Source
The False Equivalence: St Nicholas Orthodox Church

The issue with St Nick's is complicated beyond what is being implied here. They have been in arbitration and negotiations with the Port Authority for years about a land swap deal, for money.

The Port Authority wanted the land St. Nick's stood on for a security center for JP Morgan Chase and other buildings also in negotiation for ground zero. And there's probably more to that story than even that. www.observer.com...

But brilliant PR on someone's side to link this to the Islamic center, which had no such land swap or financial issues to deal with, is not dealing with the Port Authority or other financial issues, and is not even remotely the same situation.

The NY Times has covered this as well. www.nytimes.com...

The Imam and Hamas
This was the imam's FULL answer in the context about the question of Hamas.

'Look, I'm not a politician. The issue of terrorism is a very complex question. … There was an attempt in the '90s to have the UN define what terrorism is and say who was a terrorist. There was no ability to get agreement on that. … I am a peace builder. I will not allow anybody to put me in a position where I am seen by any party in the world as an adversary or as an enemy.'

newsbusters.org...

www.nypost.com...

Somehow this became that he was being funded by Hamas. Go figure.


[edit on 8/18/2010 by ~Lucidity]

[edit on 8/18/2010 by ~Lucidity]

[edit on 8/18/2010 by ~Lucidity]

A couple more links to drop off here for anyone interested


First, a blog post from the NYTimes about the State Department trip Imam Rauf is on:
U.S. Sends Muslim Center Imam to Arab World to Promote Religious Tolerance




Next, an op-ed also from the NYTimes about the complexity of Islam and the Imam's branch of Islam (Sufism):

But in the eyes of Osama bin Laden and the Taliban, he is an infidel-loving, grave-worshiping apostate; they no doubt regard him as a legitimate target for assassination.

For such moderate, pluralistic Sufi imams are the front line against the most violent forms of Islam. In the most radical parts of the Muslim world, Sufi leaders risk their lives for their tolerant beliefs, every bit as bravely as American troops on the ground in Baghdad and Kabul do. Sufism is the most pluralistic incarnation of Islam — accessible to the learned and the ignorant, the faithful and nonbelievers — and is thus a uniquely valuable bridge between East and West.

The Muslims in the Middle




Finally, a post Imam Rauf wrote for the Washington Post:

We are not the extremists. We are that vast majority of Muslims who stand up against extremism and provide a voice in response to the radical rhetoric. Our mission is to interweave America's Muslim population into mainstream society. We are a Muslim-American force for promoting the universal values of justice and peaceful coexistence in which all good people believe.

What has grieved me most over the past few months is the blatantly false reporting that has led some victims' families to think that this project is somehow designed by Muslims to gloat over the attacks on 9/11.

Center an attempt to prevent the next 9/11




edited for formatting

[edit on 8/19/2010 by americandingbat]

The Media
From AP...
FACT CHECK: Islam already lives near ground zero

From the Canada Free Press...nice summary of most anti-points, many of which are already debunked.
Investigative Report: Exposing the Cordoba Islamic Center of Manhattan

Another rumor from the NY Post? Lets see how this spreads. Two birds, one stone. Clever.
Iran cash might fund mosque at Ground Zero

The Politics


The Results and Consequences
Let the contractors and the unions step up.


And thanks, americandingbat!

[edit on 8/19/2010 by ~Lucidity]

reply to post by ~Lucidity


A couple comments on this batch of links....

First, nice video, although the idea that Pres. Obama is the person who turned this issue into a political football when he talked about it last weekend is a bit nuts. But it was nice for once to actually see the site the way it looks to New Yorkers -- like a too-long-abandoned discount store on a side street away from the WTC site.

Second, I'm starting to wonder where the "contractors/unions won't/don't take the jobs" meme originated.

reply to post by americandingbat

I'm not sure where that meme came from. I noticed it first about three weeks ago in a few random comments on blogs, and even a few comments here last week. It seems to have picked up a lot of steam. I'm posting one video I found of an interview with a union worker.

Agreed that the video was pretty good. If you do a Google street view too, you can see there are quite a few buildings higher than 13 stories on that block and the one next to it. You can take a virtual stroll around the neighborhood.

By the way, the latest touchy subject with the likes of Pamela Geller seems to be that it's FIFTEEN stories...two underground she adds. I think her ad is being torn apart and it's a touchy subject. Here's a vid showing that (in case I didn't post it already (I'm losing track a bit today). The meat of it is at about 1:58. Now it's a mega-mosque too.




Potential Results and Consequences
Nearly 1 in 5 Americans Thinks Obama Is Muslim, Survey Shows

TIME Poll: Majority Oppose Mosque, Many Distrust Muslims

[url-www.washingtontimes.com...]Obama's Islamic agenda[/url]

White House says Obama is Christian, prays daily

Obama mosque stance hurting, Gallup finds, as Americans disapprove of it and him

Mosque fight helps al-Qaeda, says former FBI interrogator





The Politics
G.O.P. Seizes on Mosque Issue Ahead of Elections

Breaking: Reid calls for mosque to be built "someplace else"

US Tea Party Radio...

Note: See Cordoba Connotations.

NewsMax...
Democrats Weigh Fallout From Obama's Ground Zero Mosque Remarks

Ground Zero Mosque Controversy Grows, Democrats Plummet in Polls

AP...
Obama undaunted by fallout from mosque remarks



The Media




[edit on 8/19/2010 by ~Lucidity]

Some thoughts from Muslim New Yorkers on the controversy:


Islamic Center Exposes Mixed Feelings Locally


edit to say that you may need to login to read it

[edit on 8/19/2010 by americandingbat]

reply to post by ~Lucidity


Outstanding work Lucidity, thank you for this.

how are you not on my friends list yet? must be a computer glich, i'll fix that.

Great compiling and well put together.

thanks,
et

Originally posted by Adevoc Satanae

Originally posted by jokei
reply to post by ~Lucidity

 

Feeling a little lazy, could you give us an aerial view of where the mosque will be relative to the Towers site?

Thanks.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/d63b46ef1869.jpg[/atsimg]

How much more Hoopla over this Islamic Center would exist if it were planned to be built on Church Street?

just a thought i had & thought i would share.

thanks again Lucidity for your work here in this thread,
et

Wow - I have no idea how this thread snuck by me!
I've got my mornings reading all right here in one neat thread.

Later I think the best thing I can do is send the url for the thread to some 'hysterics' I know and let them go through the thread themselves.

I'll just keep my fingers crossed they don' tend up joining ATS! EEEK! We don't need any more 'hysterics'.

They're of the opinion - wait. No, they KNOW Muslims are in FACT building a MEGA MOSQUE and it will be their COMMAND CENTER to TAKE OVER AMERICA! (Their CAPS not mine)...

Maybe I'll just send them the aerial shot and leave it at at that.

Thanks Lucidity!



peace

[edit on 20-8-2010 by silo13]

Thanks, again, americandingbat. And thanks, EsotericTeacher and silo

The Funding Concerns
No fund-raising for Ground Zero mosque on U.S. dime, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf told

WASHINGTON - The Ground Zero imam is off on a taxpayer-funded trip to tout America in the Middle East - and he's been warned not to pass the collection plate for the mosque.

"We've told him he will not do any personal business," a senior State Department official said of the two-week tour through wealthy gulf oil states by Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf. The official business is promoting religious freedom and tolerance.

U.S. Taxpayers Paying $16,000 for Ground Zero Mosque Imam's Middle East Junket

Potential Results and Consequences
People love to hate Muslims...


Backlash Fears Realized

From MuslimMatters
Cordoba House “Ground Zero Mosque”: PR & Path Forward Part-1: Public Relations Analysis

Cordoba House “Ground Zero Mosque”: PR & Path Forward Part-2 | Messaging Failures

Cordoba House “Ground Zero Mosque”: PR & Path Forward Part-3 | Move, but for the “Right Price”

Karl Rove Concerned About Republican Rhetoric on Ground Zero Mosque

When does Fox News' ugly Muslim bashing become the story?
Lots of examples here

One month after launching a jaw-dropping campaign of racial discord and warning of a looming, Obama-led "race war," Fox News and the far-right media have turned the page of the hate hymnal and embraced a new enemy: Muslims.

Yes, the bigotry is off the charts. Yes, the purposeful misinformation is almost too plentiful to catalog. And yes, once the again the mainstream press remains mostly mum about the upsetting spectacle being played out for all to see.

CAIR Welcomes President's Support for Muslim Rights

Do you think we can win against Islamophobia?

'Ground Zero mosque': New Yorkers take dim view of rabble-rousing outsiders

They won't build it! Hardhats vow not to work on controversial mosque near Ground Zero

The Politics
Sarah Palin
Palin to AP: It's 'Ground Zero mosque'

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) called out The Associated Press on Twitter Thursday for its decision to avoid the term "Ground Zero mosque" in its coverage.

She also knocked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for suggesting Wednesday that the funding for the project's opponents merits scrutiny.

Nancy Pelosi


GOP Senate candidate yanks video showing smoldering 9/11 site

Rudy Guilani with Matt Lauer...just wow.


George Bush Stays Out Of 'Ground Zero Mosque' Fray

The Media

On O'Reilly with Dick Morris. No Mulsim population nearby? Really? Only 10,000 in the neighborhood. Strip the Muslims of their property rights?!


AP memo to staff
Ground Zero Mosque? Words Matter

We should continue to avoid the phrase "ground zero mosque" or "mosque at ground zero" on all platforms. (We’ve very rarely used this wording, except in slugs, though we sometimes see other news sources using the term.) The site of the proposed Islamic center and mosque is not at ground zero, but two blocks away in a busy commercial area. We should continue to say it’s "near" ground zero, or two blocks away....

In short headlines, some ways to refer to the project include:

_ mosque 2 blocks from WTC site
_ Muslim (or Islamic) center near WTC site
_ mosque near ground zero
_ mosque near WTC site

We can refer to the project as a mosque, or as a proposed Islamic center that includes a mosque.

Archbishop Timothy Dolan Prays For Compromise On 'Ground Zero Mosque' (VIDEO)

Mike Stopa, Juan Williams, S.E. Cupp plus heated initial meeting over project on Hannity (Debate)


Just two guys...


The Daily Show...
Glenn Beck hypocracy...
Mosque-Erade

Municipal Land-Use Update - Ground Zero Mosque

Alex Jones on Nancy Pelosi wanting an investigation...clash of civilization...staged.


Ron Paul on Alex Jones...long clip...go to the 10:40 mark. Dr. Paul considers it an issue of property rights and civil rights.


Imus with Chris Wallace on Pelosi's Call for Investigation


Ron Paul
The truth: There is no "Ground Zero" Mosque being planned.

Ground zero mosque: A test of our principles

Scarborough: ‘Screw’ GOP if I’m booted for defending mosque

Scarborough: Gingrich's inflammatory rhetoric regarding NYC mosque "sends a horrific statement across the world"



Manhattanites Support Mosque Near Ground Zero, Poll

Barnicle: Gingrich's inflammatory comments opposing Islamic community center are "political pyromania"

Sharia law and shredding the Constitution. Hannity smears debunked here.
Hannity falsely claims Imam Rauf wants to "shred our Constitution"


Retired General Slams NY 'Mosque' Critics

Military.com|by Bryant Jordan
A career Soldier and general officer who helped build up Iraqi forces after the U.S. invaded that country says critics of the proposed Islamic community center in New York City are only hurting American military and national interests.

"It's counterproductive to paint all Muslims as part of the problem out there and to contribute to [terrorist] recruiting efforts," retired Army Maj. Gen. Paul D. Eaton told Military.com in an Aug. 18 interview. "You don't want to turn [Muslims] into the enemy because we generalize on everything that happe

The Victims Families




[edit on 8/20/2010 by ~Lucidity]

reply to post by ~Lucidity


Will they build a mosque in the Pentagon? Already one there, maybe. google's 4.7 million hits.

jon stewart & the Daily Show on comedy central did a huge segment on this today, or yesterday.

phenomenal presentation that ties Murdoch from Fox News to Bin Laden Family within 4 degrees of connections.

worth a watch. one thing they mention (jokingly) in a dialogue is that muslims get angry, even when they see mohammad. (j/k made, in context it was funnier imo)


[edit on 20-8-2010 by Esoteric Teacher]

reply to post by Esoteric Teacher


Both Daily show pieces on the issue so far are linked just above your post I agree they're pretty good. He tackled it again tonight, yes, but the clips aren't up yet and I have it recorded to watch. Good to know.

The Olbermann piece is pretty powerful as well. Have you seen that one?

And MediaMatters (two links above) does a decent job of debunking Hannity's smearing of the imam. They are also calling FoxNews out on Muslim bashing.

Also, a few posts up, I think there's both an article and a video about Muslims praying in the Pentagon, since 2002, I believe it was that Bush authorized this for all faiths.

There are very common threads here in the hearsay and speculation that this entire campaign is built on. The organization here in thread format is not ideal, but once we collect all the information, the plan is to categorize it.

Thanks for your support.

[edit on 8/20/2010 by ~Lucidity]

reply to post by ~Lucidity


thanks for the response, sorry i missed seeing those links. i was watching some of the other clips while watching my daily show recording and thought i would plug that in.

see what happens when i am multitasking too much?

thanks,
et

my personal opinion on this matter is thus:

it is a testament to the American population if we permit this to be built, and it is a credit to our level of forgiveness, tolerances, and understanding as a population.

no offense towards the iranian population, they have problems with their leaders just as we do ours. and, i suspect our leaders have problems with their followers.

but, does anyone think a church or a synogogue or a temple would last long near any major iranian landmark or hollowed ground?

how many churches and synogogues are in iran? i don't know. do they exist?

anyone know?

edit to add: i guess there is, or at least was:
www.kosherdelight.com...

[edit on 20-8-2010 by Esoteric Teacher]

reply to post by Esoteric Teacher

No worries. There's a lot of stuff here. Some I just added. If you find anything else of relevance, please add it!

Here's the Daily Show from last night...

Extremist Makeover-Homeland Edition

What the hell is this?


The Players
Pamela Geller...Hitler Inspired by Islam


Pat Robertson has also spoken out (lied) about the Islamic center in lower Manhattan, so this is tangentially related. In response to Pat Robertson's lies about the Islamic center in Murfreesboro, TN, the mayor speaks out. I think we might have a prime agitator in Robertson, don't you?

Burgess calls Robertson Muslim bribe comments ridiculous

Pat Robertson in a televised appearance on his Christian television show, "The 700 Club" made comments today regarding the new Islamic Center in Murfreesboro, TN. He expressed his belief that Muslims were taking over, would force girls in school to wear head dresses and that county officials had been bribed or paid off in order to approve the proposed new site of the mosque. Rutherford County Mayor, Ernest Burgess, made these comments when I visited his office later that same day.

Video Here

[edit on 8/20/2010 by ~Lucidity]

The Media
From Antiwar.com
Cordoba House: The Acid Test
Liberty or the lynch mob...which side are you on?

From the CSM...
Could opposition to Ground Zero mosque bolster the thing opponents fear?

HuffPost...
Ground Zero Mosque: American Intolerance on Full Display for Muslim World

And those opposed are suggesting a caliber of suppression one might find in places like say, ironically, Saudi Arabia.

The Trumpet...
Ground Zero Mosque: A Shameful Double Standard

WaPo...
Martin Luther King Jr. tells us why the mosque must be built

Charles Krauthammer's transparent dodge

Time...
Islamophobia and the 'Ground Zero Mosque' Debate

NY Magazine...
Opposition to Ground Zero Mosque Happens to Coincide With Other Anti-Mosque Movements

More on St, Nicholas...Update from FoxNews.


The Politics


Ron Paul...also covered yesterday...
Ron Paul: Left and the Right Demagogue Mosque, Islam

Two new Lazlo ads...re: NY gubernatorial race



Illinois governor?


The Absurd
Muslim Miss USA Takes Decidely Pageant-y Position on Ground Zero Mosque

A walk from the proposed site of the community center to ground zero.


'Ground Zero Mosque' Debate Officially Ridiculous: New Protest Song Hits The Web (VIDEO)


A walk from the proposed site of the community center to ground zero.


The Consequences
Fox guest shrugs off death threats against Daisy Kahn?


The Methods
Okay, if this doesn't smell like Zionist neocons, I don't know what does.
Oh, did you know Pamela Geller thinks Malcom X is Obama's father?
9/11/2010 Ground Zero Mosque Rally: Bolton, Gingrich, Wilders, Berntsen, Breitbart

Gingrich, rather than accept his has-been status and fade away gracefully, has decided to reinvent himself as the American Geert Wilders, the Dutch politician who has made a career out of stigmatizing Muslims and campaigning to impose legal restrictions on the immigrant Islamic community. Wilders, who was refused entry to Britain on the grounds that they don’t let hate-mongers in, will have no trouble gaining entry to the US on September 11, when he’s a scheduled speaker at the hate rally. He’ll stand alongside Rep. Peter King, the New York Republican congressman whose history of palling around with the Irish Republican Army would seem to make him an unlikely speaker at an “anti-terrorist” event.

Glenn Beck at FoxNews has just gotten embroiled in the Wilders water too BUT Geller is worried.. Fox is removing the first video below from YouTube. Here's one that remains. Beck's interview with Wilders in 2009.



[edit on 8/21/2010 by ~Lucidity]

this ATS thread. Thanks, Lee, for finding this one. From

From Roger Ebert's Journal:

Ten things I know about the mosque
By Roger Ebert

1. America missed a golden opportunity to showcase its Constitutional freedoms. The instinctive response of Americans should have been the same as President Obama's: Muslims have every right to build there. Where one religion can build a church, so can all religions.

2. The First Amendment comes down to this: "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." It does not come down to: "The First Amendment gives me the right to repeat the N-word 11 times on the radio to an inoffensive black woman, and when you attack me for saying it, you are in violation of my First Amendment rights."

3. The choice of location shows flawed judgment on the part of its imam, Feisal Abdul Rauf. He undoubtedly knows that now, and I expect his project to be relocated. The imam would be prudent to chose another location, because the far right wing has seized on the issue as an occasion for fanning hatred against Muslims. It has also narrowly reframed the project as a mosque, rather than a community center with a prayer room, which is what it would be. To oppose it on the grounds that it is Muslim is religious prejudice and nothing else. The Muslims who attacked the World Trade Center are not the Muslims who are building the center.

4. One buried motive for the attacks on Park51 is exploitation of the insane belief of 20% of Americans that President Obama is a Muslim. Zealots like Glenn Beck, with his almost daily insinuations about the Muslim grandfather Obama never knew and the father he met only once, are encouraging this mistaken belief.

5. The Bill of Rights has a parallel with pregnancy. You can't be a little pregnant, and you can't be a little free. Nor can you serve yourself from it cafeteria style.

6. Somewhere on the Right is an anonymous genius at creating memes. Sarah Palin floats a suspicious number of them: Death Panels, Ground Zero Mosque, 9/11 Mosque, Terror Babies. Her tweets are mine fields of coded words; for her, "patriot" is defined as, "those who agree with me." When she says "Americans," it is not inclusive. These two must have been carefully composed in advance to be tweeted within 60 seconds of each other:

By using the evocative word "shackles" she associates Dr. Laura's use of the N-word with the suffering of slaves. By implying Dr. Laura was silenced by "Constitutional obstructionists," she employs the methodology of the Big Lie, defined in Mein Kampf as an untruth so colossal that "no one would believe that others could have the impudence to distort the truth so infamously." She uses the trigger word "reload" to evoke her support of Second Amendment activists while attacking "activists" for evoking the First.

7. Many Americans and a great many politicians have either never taken a civics class or disagree with what they should have learned there. The major opinion sources in America that seem to devote the most attention to the Bill of Rights are Fox News, Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck, all distorting it as an everyday practice. Bill O'Reilly, to his credit, doesn't indulge in this.

8. A meme is infecting our society that Muslims are terrorists and hate America; they are the enemy. It is a cliche to say, "the vast majority of Muslims are peaceful," but is true. When Muslim nations are bombed by America, can those nations be expected to applaud? In Iran after 9/11 there were candlelight marches in sympathy with the United States.

9. I find hope in the words of two American strippers interviewed by the Wall Street Journal. Cassandra, who works at New York Dolls, just around the corner from the proposed community center, said she worried that calls to prayer might wake up the neighbors. The WSJ writes: "But when she was told that the organizers aren't planning loudspeakers, she said she didn't have a problem with the project: 'I don't know what the big deal is. It's freedom of religion, you know?'"

Chris works in the Pussycat Lounge, even closer to the site. When the airplanes struck the World Trade Center, Chris became a Red Cross volunteer working with survivors. The WSJ writes she "sat on a barstool in a tiny, shiny red dress and defended Park51. 'They're not building a mosque in the World Trade Center. It's all good. You have your synagogues and your churches. And you have a mosque.'" Chris lost eight of her friends on Sept. 11, 2001, firefighters from the Brooklyn firehouse she lived next to at the time, but "the people who did it are not going to the mosque."

Cassandra and Chris reflect American values more instinctively and correctly on this issue, let it be said, than Sarah Palin, Howard Dean, Newt Gingrich, Harry Reid and Rudy Giuliani, who should know better.

10. I wonder how many Americans realize the community center is not intended for Ground Zero. What will be constructed there includes a 55,000 square foot retail mall. This mall will be deep enough to connect with subway lines -- deep enough, that is, to theoretically be embedded in the ashes of some of the 9/11 victims.

Ebertsunblog

We (the United States) shouldn't discriminate based on religion.

Case closed