I just can’t understand what’s up with the left, and when I say the left, I mean the extreme left.

When 70% of the population (Democratic, Republican, and Independent) are against everything they have brought up and fought for:

Obama Healthcare, majority of the people are against it.
AZ Immigration Law, majority of the people are for it.
Ground Zero Mosque, majority of the people are against it.

But the far left don’t listen to us, and do what they feel best, don’t we count.

People, we have to wake up, and soon, before it’s too late.

Just a Citizen - 15 August 2010 01:52 PM

Ground Zero Mosque, majority of the people are against it.

what about the Halal/Muslim-owned food carts in NYC? ought they be banished? OMG! i bet there’s an Office Depot in the area that sells box cutters. banished! you know what? the terrorists, drink the same water we drink, breathe the same air we breathe, eat the same food. get rid of it all!

or how about shutting down the Catholic churches that are in close proximity to schools or neighborhoods where kids live. there are still priests who like to diddle little kids. banished!

oh, and you know what else? guns should be banished because of the Columbine incident.

i’m upset and pissed about this, but only because people are buying into this phony and manufactured outrage. this is nothing more than throwing gasoline on the fire of religious warfare. started by the media of course, and perpetuated by unsophisticated xenophobic gumps.

how do you think the Japanese feel—-we still have a military base close to Hiroshima.

as a centrist, from where i sit the extreme right is no different, so i do take your point. the extremes of both sides are equally evil.

I find it odd that Obama says he supports the mosque because of the religious freedom that all American’s enjoy, but I will bet you a dollar to a donut that if you ask about the 2nd Ammendment he will not support that. How can we he it both ways? I just don’t get it.

yes, there are all sorts of pathologies in Obama’s administration thus far.

support of the Mosque has nothing to do with religious freedom. it has to do with reasonable and unreasonable responses to emotional and tragic events. as my usual hyperbolic method showed above, we don’t run Catholic churches out of neighborhoods when a priest abuses kids because we generally know that it’s not reasonable to hold the entire church responsible for the act of one priest.

just like we shouldn’t hold an entire religion responsible for the act of a few extremists, and attempt to prevent an Islamic Center from being built near ground zero.

i’m aware a lot of people are “against” this, but since when are private property transactions subject to the democratic process or a popularity contest?

the media have been successful at inserting this distraction from the real news into the American psyche. so sad.

the question i’d like to ask is after nearly 10 years, why is there still pretty much a friggin hole in the ground? i guess the terrorists have won.

but since when are private property transactions subject to the democratic process or a popularity contest?

When the ground is considered hallowed as in WalMart trying to build another store across from the Wilderness Battlefield near Fredericksburg.  Building an Islamic mosque that close to Ground Zero is insensitive.

seahorse - 16 August 2010 08:31 AM

but since when are private property transactions subject to the democratic process or a popularity contest?

When the ground is considered hallowed as in WalMart trying to build another store across from the Wilderness Battlefield near Fredericksburg.  Building an Islamic mosque that close to Ground Zero is insensitive.

perfect. nice to know i have a say against the places i find distasteful in Charles County. and i don’t even have to get a spot on the zoning/planning commission to do so!

and “that close to ground zero” is a relative term. in NYC two blocks is quite a distance. example: “hi honey, can you stop by the drug store on the way home and pick up a few items?”

“nah, the nearest Duane Reade is two blocks out of my way. i’ll go tomorrow, when i pass right by one.”

here’s some examples of some things that can be found the same distance from ground zero as the Islamic Center will be:

http://daryllang.com/blog/4421

perfect. nice to know i have a say against the places i find distasteful in Charles County.

Of course you have a say, but do you have a viable reason?

The last time I checked, none of the extremist McDonalds, Burger King or even the gentleman’s club caused the death to thousands of innocent Americans.

xcitor - 15 August 2010 02:45 PM

Just a Citizen - 15 August 2010 01:52 PM

Ground Zero Mosque, majority of the people are against it.

what about the Halal/Muslim-owned food carts in NYC? ought they be banished? OMG! i bet there’s an Office Depot in the area that sells box cutters. banished! you know what? the terrorists, drink the same water we drink, breathe the same air we breathe, eat the same food. get rid of it all!

or how about shutting down the Catholic churches that are in close proximity to schools or neighborhoods where kids live. there are still priests who like to diddle little kids. banished!

oh, and you know what else? guns should be banished because of the Columbine incident.

i’m upset and pissed about this, but only because people are buying into this phony and manufactured outrage. this is nothing more than throwing gasoline on the fire of religious warfare. started by the media of course, and perpetuated by unsophisticated xenophobic gumps.

how do you think the Japanese feel—-we still have a military base close to Hiroshima.

as a centrist, from where i sit the extreme right is no different, so i do take your point. the extremes of both sides are equally evil.

You’re no centrist. You’ve learned how to demonize what you disagree with and use strawman arguments. No one on the “extreme right” has suggested anything like the strawman arguments you use.

Are unsophisticated xenophobic gumps anything like people who “cling to their guns and their religion”?

Phony manufactured outrage? How did you come to this conclusion? Have you spoken with family members of the people who died there? How exactly do you determine phony outrage?

Ban boxcutters? Silly you; they do security checks at airports.

The terms of surrender in Japan are what predicated allied bases there.

Maybe some ice in that koolaid might cool you down and dilute it a bit. 70 percent of the country doesn’t want the mosque there - how does that make you a centrist?

slow your roll, Flotsam. it’s called sarcasm and hyperbole to make a point. i do not believe this to be a right vs left issue (as so many so so an argument of ideals can ensue). as i have stated i believe this to be a rational vs. irrational response to a tragic event. nothing more. i believe calls to forbid a mosque from being built are irrational. we’ve seen this with Columbine (whose name is still invoked in irrational ways to effect a certain train of thought), we’ve seen calls for heavy metal music or video games to be banned after various “suicides”. etc., etc.

i respect and get there will be people who think otherwise.

i don’t care what 70 per cent of the country wants. i don’t join popularity contests. but i don’t have an elected position, so i get to do that, without regard to what people think. get used to it.

and i would say that all of us—every single American, every single human—lost brothers and sisters that day. so i’d say i have just as much right to an opinion about it as you or anyone else.

welcome to the marketplace of ideas. paper or plastic?

i don’t care what 70 per cent of the country wants. i don’t join popularity contests. but i don’t have an elected position, so i get to do that, without regard to what people think. get used to it.

I feel the same as you, but I can understand why planting a mosque so close to Ground Zero is viewed as insensitive (and I can’t think of any other word that fits so well as that one).

seahorse - 17 August 2010 06:18 AM

i don’t care what 70 per cent of the country wants. i don’t join popularity contests. but i don’t have an elected position, so i get to do that, without regard to what people think. get used to it.

I feel the same as you, but I can understand why planting a mosque so close to Ground Zero is viewed as insensitive (and I can’t think of any other word that fits so well as that one).

but what’s the alternative? do we really want the executive branch getting involved in private property transactions in NYC? seriously? because that’s what’s really seems to be suggested in the national dialog surrounding this. people seem to want Obama to don a superhero outfit and fly up there personally and stop it from happening. personally, i’d be upset about that, and i suspect a lot of folks would given different circumstances, but the fact that we’re dealing with a Mosque seems to trump all common sense and all rational thinking.

Obama is screwed in any case. if he says nothing, then he’s seen as weak. having said what he said, he’s seen as an apologetic Muslim sympathizer. even if he came out against it, he’s not able to stop it from happening, so people would blame him for not doing enough.

people are entitled to opinions to be sure, but i’ve yet to hear one single viable and rational alternative. as long as the transaction passes muster with zoning officials and other local regulations, etc., WTF do people really expect to have happen here?

and as far as New Yorkers, i have friends and family in Manhattan—some of whom are even below 14th St.—and not a one of them are opposed to this. so not only do i not care what 70% of people think (i have little faith in the collective wisdom of the masses), i find those claims of “surveys” highly suspect, even manufactured. thus my comments about manufactured outrage.

don’t get me wrong, i am no fan of Obama. i didn’t vote for him. but i’m sorry folks, this is not a rational reason for continued ire and discontent, at least IMHO.

you want something real to get pissed off about?

Obama continues to allow American citizens to be spied on and wiretapped illegally.

do i hear any outrage? because this is the stuff that really matters. this is the assault to our liberties, not a Mosque in NYC.

Xcitor, I hear you and understand your logic. My only problem is the entire constitution is not expressed as freely as it is when it comes to religion. There are many parts which seem to be only used out of convenience for someone’s personal agenda. Take the ACLU for instance. They will back the nut-jobs who want to protest at a dead soldiers funeral, but will not take up the cause for the second ammendment. (Please, I have heard all the arguments). I am just wondering if you, or any of the other supporters would be as understanding if say the Arayan Nation decided to build their office next to a Southern Baptist Church or a synagogue? I certainly would find it offensive as I hope you would as well. There are alot of Americans (whether right or wrong) who are still to this day having a tough time with the aftermath of 911, and it’s going to take a long time to forgive those who brought this tragedy upon us.  That’s just my opinion.

and it’s going to take a long time to forgive those who brought this tragedy upon us.  That’s just my opinion.

Maria said it well.  Like it or not Ground Zero belongs to the whole country not just Manhattan.  New Yorkers for the most part are sophisticated enough to adapt and accept; the rest of the country not so much.  Repubs and Dems have both latched on to this for political hay—it’s an easy target.  But no matter how much is baled, building a mosque so close to Ground Zero offends many.  Just my take.

Wow, I agree with X? That doesn’t happen too often.

I see absolutely no reason not to build the mosque. If you are an American who truly believes in what this country is supposed to stand for there is simply no rational arguement that can be made against this project.

I also agree with X in that this story is a diversion. It gives a weak minded, suplicant media something to drone on about while the real issues facing this country go ignored or shoved to page A22.

We are coming out of the worst recession in decades, yet the administration still can’t find a voice on job creation. We are still mired in two wars that seem to have no end. Our educational system is suspect. Our debt is mounting. Our entitlement programs are a mess…but what fills the media? A mosque being built in Manhattan.

shadowdiver - 17 August 2010 03:24 PM

Wow, I agree with X? That doesn’t happen too often.

I see absolutely no reason not to build the mosque. If you are an American who truly believes in what this country is supposed to stand for there is simply no rational arguement that can be made against this project.

I also agree with X in that this story is a diversion. It gives a weak minded, suplicant media something to drone on about while the real issues facing this country go ignored or shoved to page A22.

We are coming out of the worst recession in decades, yet the administration still can’t find a voice on job creation. We are still mired in two wars that seem to have no end. Our educational system is suspect. Our debt is mounting. Our entitlement programs are a mess…but what fills the media? A mosque being built in Manhattan.

I hate to burst your bubble shadowdriver, but we are not coming out of a recession, I believe we are getting ready to fall back into something that I’m afraid is going to be much worse.