UPDATE FROM YESTERDAY’S UPDATE: Triple Oy! President Obama is (kind of) back peddling from his statement in support of the mosque at Ground Zero. I have a feeling that the mosque will not end up at that location after all. This has turned into a national obsession, has opened Padora’s Box of Racism, and has shed the light on how gross we really are as a nation when our pockets are not full. And of course, Gross Baboon extraordinaire, Sarah Palin is all over this like white on rice. She took to Twittering and Facebooking that statement, “We all know that they have the right to do it, but should they? This is not above your pay grade.” The latter part of that statement is a slap in the face from when he was on the campaign trail and was asked about the abortion issue at the Saddleback Forum.
MODERATOR: At what point does a baby get human rights, in your view?
OBAMA: Well, I think that whether you’re looking at it from a theological perspective or a scientific perspective, answering that question with specificity, you know, is above my pay grade.
Naturally, Palin’s camp dug that up…well…it wasn’t her for sure. Wanna bet?
UPDATE: Double Oy! President Obama supports the building of the mosque near Ground Zero. I wholeheartedly agree with him, but that doesn’t make me feel any better because the horrendous Tea Baggers have officially been built the soap box which with tear down the rights of individuals in this country. The other day I had this to say about Mosque-gate and feel the same today. No matter who comes out against it.
FROM AUGUST 8: Oy…vey…indeed. The proposed building of a mosque at the site of Ground Zero is a sizzling hot, hot-button issue like nobody’s business…though now it seems like it has become everybody’s business. The mosque has stirred up as much of a furor as the Furor himself. Everyone is chiming in and none of it sounding pretty. Yes, were are all entitled to making a point, but, to that point, this may just be a no win situation. At the root of all of this controversy is outright bigotry. It’s sad, I know, even with Barack Obama in the White House, race is still an ongoing issue. Seems like being anti-something is a fact of life…innate in the human condition, never to go away entirely. We must accept that there are those who will always reject Jews, blacks and now for sure, Muslims.
At the risk of sounding high-brow, I would like to quote poet, Rodney King by saying, “Why can’t we all just get along”. My suggestion is to build a non-denominational cultural center featuring a mixed use temple so everyone can pray at the alter of the tragedy together. Frankly, I don’t mind the idea of a mosque at Ground Zero because on a deeper level it is an act of seeking forgiveness. Though I may be stoned for saying so, I am willing to go out on a limb to say that building a monument of some kind can be seen as a grand, positive gesture. But, in light of all the hatred that this mosque has stirred up, the best way to bring the people together would be for the major faiths to create a place of harmony designed to put away our differences and focus on our similarities. We need programming that features an ongoing dialogue about the similarities of faith, healing and spirituality. What we do NOT need is inciting hatred and bigotry around places of worship. Do the words Civil War ring a bell? No, not the one in 1860 here in the U.S., rather, the ongoing battle between the Sunnis and Shiites that exists in the Middle East. Is this what America aspires to be as a result of 9-11? Will it be our long-term legacy? Oy…vey…indeed.
