So last week President Obama backed the Ground Zero mosque – a reflection, he says, of our commitment to religious tolerance. But later he barfed…
“I was not commenting and I will not comment on the wisdom of making the decision to put a mosque there. I was commenting very specifically on the right people have that dates back to our founding. That’s what our country is about. And I think it’s very important as difficult as some of these issues are that we stay focused on who we are as a people and what our values are all about.”
So when the chips are down, Barack Obama is less a President than a lawyer, carefully parsing out manicured statements, designed to straddle fences. It sucks – because he could have done something awesome. We already get that Muslims have the same rights as we do – and that makes us great, etc.
But Obama should have added what really makes us great: we’re not jerks. We have good manners. We think the mosque isn’t illegal, but it is stupid. If he had said to the mosque-teers, “knock it off guys,” he would have been a hero.
But he can’t do that – largely because of fear – not of Islamic rage, but accusations of Islamophobia.
The fear of appearing insensitive is driving our government’s behavior, which scares the crap out of me. Funny how we are asked to tolerate an ideology that would end our ability to tolerate, period. Sharia Law is not a new cop show on USA Network.
Instead, by saying his support reflects our nation’s religious tolerance, Obama suggests the rest of us are religious bigots. Worse, he avoids appealing to common sense, and reveals America’s true vulnerability.
The Mosque developers know this. It’s why they’ve embraced the progressive word of the decade: tolerance. They are demanding that we tolerate a doctrine that enforces intolerance. And if you don’t tolerate intolerance, then you, in fact, are intolerant. You are a bigot, for rejecting bigotry.
If Obama had balls, he would have paired his mosque endorsement with a condemnation of Sharia Law, of terror groups like Hamas, and then asked the mosque developers to consider Americans who lost family and friends on 9/11.
But they don’t teach that crap at Harvard Law.
And if you disagree with me you’re a racist homophobe.
P.S. I’ve changed my mind – thinking of going with Bill Schulz’s suggestion for the gay bar name:
“DIALOG!!!”
That way, when asked, I can say – yes, I am building dialogue.
Lauren Sivan!
Jim Norton!
and King Buzzo from the Melvins! (if you haven’t bought “The Bride Screamed Murder,” then you should)