mosque near ground zero ?

[Charles]

Well, we don't have a mosque in Bugtussell, along with a lot of other things.

And I, for one, don't figure we're missing anything.

Chas

[noonereal]

Originally Posted by Charles

Well, we don't have a mosque in Bugtussell, along with a lot of other things.

And I, for one, don't figure we're missing anything.

Chas

If you are not moslem why should you miss it?

[merrylander]

Originally Posted by westgate

"conservative principles" is an oxymoron by itelf.

It might be if you actually believed there are any real conservatives in the GOP.

[Boreas]

Originally Posted by Charles

Well, we don't have a mosque in Bugtussell, along with a lot of other things.

And I, for one, don't figure we're missing anything.

Chas

Well, the Islamic Center being proposed in New York isn't actually a mosque. There will be a "prayer room" but there will be no minarets and no Muezzins calling the faithful to prayer, nothing that would make the center identifiable as a mosque to a Muslim.

Now, that being said, what about Bugtussel? What if you had a bunch of Pakistani 7-11 franchisees move to town, maybe 100 or so of them? Suppose they wanted to build a mosque so that they could practice their religion in the conventional way. Would you be opposed to that?

John

[Boreas]

Originally Posted by merrylander

It might be if you actually believed there are any real conservatives in the GOP.

Bob Ingliss is..... was.

John

[merrylander]

Originally Posted by Boreas

Bob Ingliss is..... was.

John

Look what happened to him.

To the original subject I saw the builder on TV, he described the proposed building as more of a YMCA for muslims - a YMMA?

[BlueStreak]

The whole thing is stupid. The guy could just build the damn thing elsewhere, or people could realize that it's not ON "ground zero" but over a block away. Either way I just wish we could just stop making such a fuss over the s**t, because I personally think organized religion of any type is just a bunch of sanctimonious hullabaloo anyways.

Dave

[Boreas]

Originally Posted by BlueStreak

The whole thing is stupid. The guy could just build the damn thing elsewhere,

If they build it elsewhere it's a victory for intolerance.

or people could realize that it's not ON "ground zero" but over a block away.

That's hard when all the talking heads on FOX, right wing radio and even some in the "liberal media" keep specifically referring to a mosque (wrong) at "Ground Zero" (wrong again).

Anyway, now think about this: do you really think the hue and cry would have been any different if the "mosque" were being proposed for anywhere in Manhattan? I don't. The right wing and the religious bigots would be making the same noises.

Either way I just wish we could just stop making such a fuss over the s**t, because I personally think organized religion of any type is just a bunch of sanctimonious hullabaloo anyways.

No argument there.

John

[noonereal]

Originally Posted by BlueStreak

The whole thing is stupid. The guy could just build the damn thing elsewhere,

where? Not much space downtown.

[d-ray657]

Originally Posted by BlueStreak

The whole thing is stupid. The guy could just build the damn thing elsewhere, or people could realize that it's not ON "ground zero" but over a block away. Either way I just wish we could just stop making such a fuss over the s**t, because I personally think organized religion of any type is just a bunch of sanctimonious hullabaloo anyways.

Dave

Your right to hold and express that opinion is part of the reason they need to allow the people to build this center. In the long run, I think the controversy could serve the builders well, because it creates publicity for their message that the vast majority of Muslims aren't radical haters - they're not intent on the destruction of anyone. If this controversy serves to help people understand each other a bit, I'm fine with it.

I know I'm the eternal optimist, but I believe these white hot messages of hate that have been dominating the news are going to burn themselves out. It just consumes too much or our energy to last. It might take some time, but it is not beyond human capacity to develop greater understanding and tolerance for each other.

A lot of the heat directed toward the President is the result of racial attitudes. Nevertheless, we did elect an African American man to the presidency with a solid majority vote. That's evidence that, although racism is not dead, it is waning. I look at the generation coming up now and their attitudes are very accepting of differences. The polling all shows Obama with a large approval rating among the younger voters.

I'm only 53 now, and very confident that I will see a better country in my lifetime.

Man, that Valium is good stuff. Hey, who put the pink lenses in my glasses.

Regards,

D-Ray