What Does America Mean To You?
If someone was to ask me what America means in one word, I would say, “Freedom”. Freedom to say what you want to say. Freedom to believe what you want to believe. This is why America is the envy of other nations, and why extremist religious groups-of all ilks-hate us with a burning passion. This freedom that we have was hard fought, and we must
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I can, however, express the wish that people would learn the facts behind their opinion, and would do some rational thinking. But that may be too much to ask. Perhaps Tommy Smothers captured the far too typical reaction best: "I'm an American. I don't have to see something to know that it's stupid."
My LJ friend chessdev put it this way:
Translation: Most of the folks protesting this cultural center know only the media hype. They don't understand New York City (where everything is close together, and there are strip clubs even closer to "ground zero"); they don't understand the proposal (that it is not a mosque but a larger cultural center that would include performance art spaces and other cultural aspects, but with a small prayer room); and they don't understand the positions of American muslims.
So, I can wish that people would learn the facts. I can express my opinion. You can express yours.
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Rauf said he'd seek funds from overseas to finance the $100 million project. But a mosque spokesman refused last week to say whether they'd reject money from the Holocaust-denying and nuclear-weapons-seeking Iranian government.
Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/international/ground_zero_imam_plays_hide_sheik_yRnITYOF2B0ZwVQeL3BOPP#ixzz0xLtOo4Fz
Do you seriously believe Iran would fund a Muslim cultural center designed to promote inter-faith dialog? If so, there's a bridge in the neighborhood that I'm dying to sell you.
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Are you saying that story is inaccurate?
Here's the NY Daily News:
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/08/20/2010-08-20_we_wont_build_it_hardhats_say_no_way_they_will_work_on_wtc_mosque.html
You're not getting it. Muslims killed lots of union brothers on that day.
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Meanwhile, that link talks about *one guy* who's started a movement that's gained publicity, and is claiming numbers. Nothing substantial. I note the poll linked at that page shows substantial support (78% when I looked at it said "yes, no reason to oppose", 22% saying "no, don't build it") - for an article that's supposed to support your viewpoint on this, that's a poor showing, isn't it? Now, I do know that open Internet polls like that are subject to swamping by groups with a vested interest one way or another, but that's a pretty crazy skew.
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"It's a very difficult dilemma for the contractors and the organized labor force because we are experiencing such high levels of unemployment," he said. "Yet at the same time, this is a very sacred sight to the union guys."
"There were construction workers killed on 9/11 and many more who got horribly sick cleaning up Ground Zero," Coletti said. "It's very emotional."
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[I'm also not that enamored with your habit of taking a discussion and moving it in the direction you want, not the direction that the post originally intended, but I've gotten used to that. The focus of this point was more the general islamophobia that has arisen (it's even made the cover of Time, which I plan to read on my flight tomorrow). I don't know if you are against all muslims, or just those in New York. I certainly haven't seen you out protesting the Islamic Cultural Center on Tampa here in the valley.]
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I get called a bigot in this discussion, but I guess that doesn't count.
I don't take any discussion anywhere. I don't even have any idea how to do that. I just follow it where it takes me.
"I don't know if you are against all muslims"
Seriously, seriously beneath you. You should be ashamed of yourself. Very, very disappointing. "It is not acceptable to move to the level of personal invictive. In other words, don't go personally insulting the participants in the discussion."
"I certainly haven't seen you out protesting the Islamic Cultural Center on Tampa here in the valley."
Buy a clue. It's 100% appropriate there. That's why no one cares. If the opponents were "bigots" as you guys love to claim, then there would be protests at every mosque. There's not. The problem is this one is outrageously inappropriate, and 70% of Americans get something that flies right over your head.
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I have a strong dislike of the nativist masses who want to subvert what's good about this country into a sick parody of itself, into a nation of Christian supremacists.
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