This Islamic community center nonsense has gotten out of hand. We’re working ourselves into a tizzy and reaching to bigotry.
I am one of those godless heathens. But I accept that the vast majority of Americans are well within their right to worship – or not worship – as they see fit.
If I called Christianity an evil religion because a small minority of those Christians bombed abortion clinics or raped children, I’d be way out of line. The same goes for terrorists in the name of Islam.
Anyway…
In possibly the best segment to come out of The Daily Show, Jon puts this into perspective.
Using our sense of national pain to justify prejudice is wrong. Jon was man enough to admit he was wrong and that ability is a profoundly important part of having intellectual integrity.
It’s easy to defend liberty when it aligns with our preferences. It’s much harder to defend liberty when it doesn’t. We are a nation that once prided itself on doing the difficult things because they were right. I hope we find that strength again.
It seems like the whole country has gone crazy, doesn’t it? But I have to be optimistic that voices that scream louder don’t necessarily represent the voices of most of us.
Agreed. I think that moderates outnumber hardcore partisans. Nixon used the ‘silent majority’ term, but I think it’s adaptable to the current climate. I am certainly fatigued by all of this.
“It’s easy to defend liberty when it aligns with our preferences. It’s much harder to defend liberty when it doesn’t.”
Aren’t you guilty of this yourself? No one (or at least almost no one) is actually trying to take away any liberties. They are simply criticizing the mosque planners for using their freedom in a way that is offensive to the majority of Americans; those critical of the location chosen for the mosque are exercising their first amendment right. While it is certainly also your right to criticize whoever you want, accusing them of being opposed to liberty when you are doing the same thing they are is hypocritical.
No I am not. I am not in favor of prohibiting anyone from exercising their first amendment rights. But those arguing against the community center are quite selective about what constitutional rights they care about (and when).
As an aside: Since when does a ‘majority of Americans’ have any bearing on this? I seem to recall being warned about the tyranny of the masses. Just because a large group of Americans reaches to fear does not validate that fear.
Responding to fjer:
I submit that there are plenty of people who are trying to “take away liberties”. The Manhattan mosque is but a more visible symptom of that which is happening across the country. As reported in various media (I just picked this one from the top of the google pile), “christian” conservatives are doing their level best to stop Islamic folks from being able to worship.
There is a vocal segment of our population that believes “freedom of religion” means that you can pick any version of Christianity. (Well, except Catholics…whom they still refer to as kneeling papist idolaters…but let’s leave that aside for the moment.) Where I live, “Christians” burned down the play sets of Islamic children at a local mosque and threatened to firebomb the school while the kids were in it to “stop the spread of evil” by killing the children.
Note that I’ve put Christian in quotes; because I don’t see how anyone who actually believes the message of Jesus could possibly then turn around and threaten children, destroy property, spit on and abuse women for wearing scarves, and claim that Jesus would have wanted them to do it.
I’m not denigrating Christianity, nor the majority of the followers therein; but if real Christians allow this behavior in their name, and do not stand up and proclaim that these behaviors are not the behaviors promoted by their peaceful prophet…then they can’t be real surprised when everyone not a Christian paints them all with the same brush of hatred and intolerance.
Additionally, the Constitution exists to protect the minority from the tyranny of the majority. Thomas Jefferson wrote eloquently and often about this very subject.
And really; the building under question in Manhattan is an abandoned Burlington Coat Factory; which, I’m sorry…not even under the best of conditions could be considered sacred ground.
I mean, it’s not like it’s a Saks.