More thoughts on Islamophobia and Cordoba House

Last time I wrote about this topic, it centered solely on the ignorance of the those who oppose the Islamic cultural and community center blocks away from Ground Zero. Well more time has passed and further acts of ignorance have arisen, some more ugly than others.
First off, Cordoba House is no longer the only Islamic center being targeted now. One that was planned for Kentucky recently lost their previously granted zoning ordinance for it amid protests over the site "stealing" parking spaces from other businesses in that town. Well, that same site was the target of vandals and arsonists last week when construction equipment was set on fire and the words "NOT WELCOME" spray painted on the sign for the proposed center. Other centers, planned or already existing, are also being targeted by ignorant, bigotry filled people. A couple years ago an Islamic cultural center opened not far from my houses, using a building that once housed a music store. Not a single word of protest was mentioned, at least not that was covered by the local media. It was lauded because another building wouldn't sit vacant in what is one of the more run down neighborhoods in my city. And even now the center operates in peace, with nary a protestor outside it. So again I ask, what is the reason for all the fuss else where.
Secondly, and more troublesome, is a Florida "pastor" planning a Qu'ran burning this Saturday on the anniversay of the 9-11 terror attacks. I use pastor in quotations because no real man of God would do something so henious and stupid. General Petraeus even warned yesterday that by going through with the Qu'ran burning, that American soldier's and civilian's lives will be at risk in the Middle East and Asia because of protests, which have already started. Despite these warnings, the "pastor" still plans on going through with it. In my opinion, take it for what it's worth, this act puts that "church" on the same level as the KKK burning crosses and anti-American protestors overseas burning our flag. This "pastor" will have the blood of American's on his hands and he doesn't seem to give a damn about it. Well sir, all I have to say to you is that there is a special place in Hell waiting for you because there is no place in Heavan for a man who burns a sacred text, even if it isn't Christian.
We might be a nation that embraced Christian values in its founding, but we weren't founded based on Christianity, we were founded on religious freedom. From the Puritans persecuted in Europe to Irish Catholics under the British crown to the Jews during the Holocaust, we have always embraced religious freedom, so why exclude the Muslims?

Signs of our times

Everyone knows that this last recession hit the country where it hurts and hard. A recent drive around my town made this really evident to me. Along a particular road of downtown are the empty shells of factories and plants that once made up the industrial core of my town, a town that once was the steam engine capitol of the world. Some of those buildings are being used once again, but many stand in decay, ghosts of the past. The General Electric Rail division plant on the other side of town is a skeleton of what it used to be, with half the buildings from 20 years ago now gone and layoffs happening every year. Laid off workers from various plants around town stand on the interstate off ramps with signs pleading for work of any kind. A sign for a proposed shopping center still stands 5 years after it was announced, with ground still not broken and no tenants lined up. The unfortunate thing is that there seems to be no end in sight, at least not while current gridlock in Washington exists. The American's Want to Work Act is currently sitting in Congress, held up by Republicans not caring about the unemployed and Democrats not having the backbones to challenge the Republicans into filibustering the bill. Because of this the bill will be be put on the back burner and left to die out. How can anybody be against putting the unemployed back to work? The Republican's attitude is as un-American as it could get. Unfortunately those middle class people that elected them are duped into believeing that helping big business will help them, which has been proven by G. W. Bush as completely false. If we help them, we help the whole country. I urge you, contact your Congressmen and Senator, and tell them, plead them to pass the Americans Want to Work Act because we need to get this country back on the track to prosperity.

A Sanity Break...

Some thoughts to ponder...

1. I have kelptomania, but when it gets bad I take something for it.

2. Sometimes too much to drink isn't enough.

3. Heaven is where the police are British, the chefs are Italian, the mechanics are German, the lovers are French, and it's all organized by the Swiss.

4. Hell is where the police are German, the chefs are British, the mechanics are French, the lovers are Swiss, and it's all organized by the Italians.

5. HEADLINE: Suicidal twin kills sister by mistake.

6. My short-term memory is not as sharp as it used to be. Also, my short-term memory is not as sharp as it used to be.

7. Just two days from now, tomorrow will be yesterday.

8. A bartender is just a pharmicist with limited inventory.

9. The following statement is true.

10. The previous statement was false.

11. I may be schinzophrenic, but at least I have each other.

12. I am a nobody. Nobody is perfect. Therefore I am perfect.

13. Kentucky: Five million people, fifteen last names.

14. I love cooking with wine. Sometimes I even put it the food.

15. When you work here, you can name your own salary. I named mine Fred.

16. Money isn't everything, but it sure keeps the kids in touch.

17. Reality is only an illusion that occurs due to a lack of alcohol.

18. Red meat is not bad for you. Fuzzy green meat is bad for you.

19. I am having an out-of-money experience.

20. Don't sweat the petty things. Don't pet the sweaty things.

21. Corduroy pillows are making headlines.

22. I found Jesus. He was hiding in the trunk when I got back from Tijuana.

23. If you remain calm and collected while all others around you are in utter panic, you obviously don't understand the situation.

24. Birthdays are great for your health; the more you have, the longer you live.

For your viewing pleasure...

Glenn Beck's Greates Hits



Please enjoy...

RE: Cordoba House on Park 51, the so-called Ground Zero Mosque

In all honesty Rob I agree with you. They do have the right to buy the property, turn it into a community center and even pray in it. But is it "wise"? Of course one could ponder, "is it wise to build a gay bar next to a Muslim community center/mosque"? Probably not. It might offend somebody.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baMmL_Ez3iE

If you note from 0:18 - 0:32 even President Obama states that they have the right but the wisdom of their decision still up in the air...at least for him.

Cordoba House on Park 51, the so-called Ground Zero Mosque

For the past month or so, along with the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico (link) the planned community center at 51 Park Place in New York City has dominated the news. Now, normally a community center would sound like a great idea; a place for kids to go to stay off the street and others to take classes. So what's the problem with it you may ask? It just happens that this planned community center is located six blocks from Ground Zero and it's being run by Muslims. Because of those two factors, the fanatical right has gone on a rampage trying to prevent it from happening.





Now this is just Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin's views, but as you can see, Fox News has been all over this issue. There are however some fallacies with this story. First of all, this is not a mosque. A mosque is a place of worship only. The Cordoba House at Park 51 is a community center with a recreational area, classes for people of New York to take, and a prayer space on the top two stories of the proposed building. So in other words, it's basically a Muslim version of the YMCA. Critics are saying that it's going to be a breeding ground for terrorists, if basketball players and creative writers are now considered terrorists. Secondly, it's not even located at Ground Zero, but six blocks away in the former Burlington Coat Factory store that closed after it was hit by debris on September 11, 2001. They chose this location because they were able to purchase the property for a great deal. You won't be able to see Gound Zero from the center and vice versa. This is not going to be a monument to the terrorists who orchestrated attacks but an attempt by the Muslim community to reach out to the rest of New York and say "we feel your pain." Muslims are peace loving people and the terrorists are just a fraction of a fraction of that, just as the protestors of the Westboro Baptist Church don't represent all of Christianity. I have friends from high school who were Muslims and they were very nice people. So far the fanatical right hasn't come up with a real reason for not building it other than that it wouldn't be right. What do you mean it wouldn't be right? Wasn't our great country founded on the notion of religious freedom? The first amendement to the Constitution guarantees that freedom and now Republicans want to take it away. What if it were a radical Christian group that attacked the Twin Towers? Would we be against the building of a YMCA six blocks from Ground Zero? I don't think so, because then the Bible-belt south would be up in arms.

I could go on about my views about this proposed community center, but I think Keith Olbermann's special comment on it from the August 16 episode of Countdown on MSNBC sums it up pretty well.

Democrats, where are your backbones?

Democrats have historically been the party of the people. It was a Democratic president that brought us the New Deal and pulled us out of the Great Depression. It was a Democratic president and Congress that signed into law the Civil Rights act. It was a Democractic president that gave us a record budget surplus and economic growth. It was a Democratic president that pushed for conprehensive health insurance reform and sweeping Wall Street reform. But it was also a Democratic Congress that watered down the health insurance and Wall Street reform bills. Why is that? Because the Democrats in Congress right now lack backbones and tried to appease the Republicans on these key issues. Now, I understand the necessity of reaching across the aisle to gain support for a large bill. But when the other side makes it apparent that they will not support the bill, why try to appease them by stripping it of the essentials. If it weren't for this cowardness, we would have a public option in the health insurance reform bill. They should have realized that it was the Republican's goal to strip the bill of the meat of the reform leaving only a skeleton. But there is some hope in the House of Representatives for the Democrats, and they are Congressmen Anthony Weiner of New York and Alan Grayson of Florida. These two courageous men have taken up the banner of the Democratic Party and are speaking for the people, as evident in the videos above. They are not afraid to speak their mind and telling the Republicans where to go and how to get there. They are in this humble blogger's opinion, the finest and best people representing their districts in the House of Representatives. If the rest of the Congress were as passioinate as these two are, then more effective bills would be passed and there wouldn't the constant threat of filibuster and endless debates. Because right now, this is all I see:

The American Middle Class

Being a student of American history has really helped me understand the political atmosphere of America better, where we came from and where we are heading. We are currently facing a crisis bigger than anyone expecting; worse the Great Recession of 2009-2010 and Hurrican Katrina. The crisis is the squeazing and disappearnce of the once great American middle class, the social class that makes up the majority of Americans who drive the economy and are the predominant force when it comes to electing those who shape national policy. But in the last ten years we have seen the middle class starting to shrink; those at the upper end try to push into the upper class while the rest create a new subclass of the lower class, the struggling.
The middle class has been a driving force of America since the early years of this great nation. The middle class started out as the merchant class, hard working people who kept shops in town or were the in the trading industry. These people were the movers and shakers of the young nation and helped keep her going, even in troubled times. The merchant class made up the House of Representatives as there were the voice of their fellow citizens in their towns. They were educated but kept their town's and state's interests at heart. Industrialization brought the mighty working class, a group of hearty individuals who worked hard and were able to provide a decent life for their family. It was through them that the work ethic of the middle class was instilled and continues to thrive today. In the post war years of the 1950's the business sector boomed with lower white collar jobs being added to companies, further growing the middle, giving them the buying power that helped create the economic boom of the 1950's.
The middle class stayed strong, even through the years of Reaganomics, in which trickle down economics failed to help the middle class, instead lining the pockets of the rich. The boom of the 1990's once again helped bolster up the middle class. The G. W. Bush came to office and once again brought with him the theory of trickle down economics, even though everyone knows it did not work under Reagan. And once again they did not. Couple that with the worst ecnomic downturn since the Great Depression and record high unemployment, and we are the seeing the middle class struggle, all over the country. People are out of work, declaring bankruptcy, and losing their homes. And they are angry about it. So angry that a certain political movement is capitolizing on this anger and using it to their advantage, even though they do not care about the people and their conditions.
We need to clamp down on corporations and the rich. We need to, dare I say it, spread the wealth. The rich are not doing anything substantial with their money, why should they not give it to the government so that it can be given back to people, who will turn put it back into the economy? Why should they not carry the burden of our national debt? Afterall, it was those tax cuts under President Bush that created the debt. The middle class is struggling as it is, they should not have to pay for the rich to get richer. This might sound like socialist rhetoric, which it is, but so what? While my views might be centrist, I am still a social Democrat. You can throw the proverbial rocks at me all you want, but that is my view.

Where is the Outrage over Little "Hope" and No "Change"?

It has been close to 18 months since the sweeping dream of "Hope and Change" and President Obama took the nation by storm in Nov 2008, bringing the Democratic Party the tri-fecta of Government control. With majorities in the House and Senate since 2006, a democratic president that could wow the masses with a few well timed, teleprompted words, there seemed to be no slowing down the New America Express. Promises of transparency, politicians who were not Washington "insiders" and dreams of GITMO shutdown, and the U.S. free to pull itself from two wars that those on the left called a "quagmire". This coupled by the creation of jobs and a beat down of the Wall Street fats cats and institutions "too-big to fail", led most to believe when they voted for Barack Hussein Obama, there was a sheriff in Washington would would take out the trash, and leave our streets sparkling in the sun. Freed from the scourge of the that oil peddler "W" and his puppeteer Dick Cheney, nothing could bring down the euphoric feeling of this major Democrat victory. Interesting what a difference 18 months makes. Where's the hope? What change?
In fact over the last 18 months of our fearless leader's victory, what has really changed. Unemployment, still ranging between 9.5 - 10 %. Troop increase in Afghanistan, and the return of a General that most on the left insulted and demonized for his command in Iraq. Troop casualties are on the rise, and GITMO is still the place to house those captured in the war on terror. There are those that say the stimulus is working, but speak to the people that are still feeling the crunch of unemployment, of mortgages in default. Banks that were bailed out, now have tightened their belts when lending, holding onto their reserves like misers. The stock-market is a roller coaster. America is up to her eyeballs in debt. Change would be trying to find a solution, not just throwing money at the problem. Class-warfare is back, creating a have/have-not mentality. Immigration goes unchecked. There are probably as many illegals flowing across the border as there is oil leaking into the Gulf. OK, maybe not that many, but 85 days after the Deepwater Horizon disaster, a crisis of epic ecological, financial and personal damage, our President states, he "needs an ass to kick". The way the country is running, it is business as usual. Back door deals for political positions and plenty of finger pointing around the table. You would almost think that the Republicans were still in power!
But what really is interesting: Where are all those who would hold those on the right accountable, namely the liberal media and the left, to criticize there own man for not following through? That's right: silence. Nothing....maybe a passing "He inherited a mess" or "Give him time" plus the classic "It's all Bush's fault". Put this into perspective folks...if you used any one of those excuses a year and a half after starting a new job, your boss would fire you on the spot! Most likely for bringing up Bush's name! The fact is, you got what you paid for. A lot of talk, some smoke and mirrors, but when the dust is settling...you are left with an in-experienced man who is having is strings pulled by those more powerful "Washington insiders". In truth, nothing has changed, except the name on the desk in the White House. There will always be hope, but that will not be something that a president can legislate, it comes from the citizens of this great nation. As for change, that sounds pretty good. You can preach it all you what, but need the guts to make the tough decisions, and live with the outcome.
I have seen neither in the past 18 months. People are waking up. They will give the Dems and Obama more time, but they won't give him their vote....that's real hope and positive change.

Decision 2010

Don't let the title fool you, this has nothing to do with the upcoming mid-term elections. Rather it was the inane spectacle last night made by LeBron James choosing which NBA team he would be playing for. While this isn't politically related, I thought it would be nice to, as Keith Olbermann would say, take a sanity break.
In case you haven't heard, LeBron James has opted to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers behind and play for the Miami Heat next season. While I don't like or follow basketball, I still feel the pain of Cleveland and Ohio. As a Cleveland Indians and Browns fan, I know what pain is like in that city. First and foremost was the idiotic move of former Browns owner Art Modell of moving the team from Cleveland to Baltimore, all because he saw a revenue drop when the Indians pulled out of Municipal Stadium. Rioting broke out in the city and there were cries for Modell's head on a stick. To make matters worse, the expansion team that brought back the Browns hasn't produced like the Browns of old. Second example was when another player that grew up in the Cleveland farm system who claimed loyalty left because he said he wanted to win a championship. Can't remember who that was? Jim Thome. He got his start in Cleveland, working his way through the ranks of the farm system, making it to the Indians in 1991. He put up a fuss when they were planning to trade him, only to leave later because "he wanted a title" or in other words, more money. This only opened the flood gates for all the other talent to leave the team.
But back to LeBron. Did he sersiously need to spend a whole hour of prime time TV to announce what team he was going to? He is not that great of an athlete. And based on that spectacle, Cleveland deserves someone better than him. While Cleveland might be rioting now, in the long run they are better off not having a prima dona like him playing in the city. The Cavaliers might suffer as will the city's economy, but they'll bounce back, especially after the Browns prove everybody wrong this year.