Peter would walk into the silent, empty theater and take a middle seat in the center isle. Bruce and I would walk in with our gigantic bags of popcorn and sit right next to him, one on each side, fighting him for elbow space and acting as if every other seat in the house was taken. Peter yelling, "Do you guys have to sit RIGHT NEXT to me??!!" echoed through the empty theater every week without fail.
Did we have the right to sit where we want? Sure. But did it make common sense?
Of course this was hilarious to us back then.....actually it's still pretty funny to us today because we haven't grown up mentally very much. But thanks to our ultra-sensitive, politically correct way of thinking over the last 20+ years, our country's collective mentality is just as stunted.
By no stretch of the imagination am I a political person; but the idea of building a mosque 2 blocks away from the horrific site of 9/11 should truly be mind numbing to any reasonable and logical person. Do they have the right to build a place of worship anywhere they want? Sure. But does it make common sense?
I get the arguments - "It was extremist that carried out the 9/11 attacks, not Muslims". "They believed in a warped version of the religion and Muslims should not be punished for the acts of lunatics from their country". No one is saying they can't practice their religion or build as many mosques as they want, but why aren't the Muslim community exercising common sense?
What Are The Positive Gains?
President Obama said, "As a citizen and a President, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practise their religion as anyone else in this country. That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community centre on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances."
What Obama is saying is that they have the right to build it, I'm asking, "Should they?" Is it the right thing to do? Look at it this way, say a Chinese person came into an office building and in the name of Buddha opens fire with a machine gun killing 20 employees. Then a year later I decided that I want to build a Buddhist Temple right next to that office building. Does that seem right or just to anyone? Would I lose anything if I built the Buddhist Temple 10 miles from that office building?
What I want to ask the Muslim community is simply this: "What do you gain from building the mosque 2 blocks from 9/11 that you would lose if you built it 10 miles from it?"
Nothing. You gain absolutely nothing. But you'll lose a lot.
I keep hearing that Muslims want the world to know they do not condone the 9/11 attacks. I keep hearing that they want to promote healing and unity. Well guess what? This isn't the way to do it. People like me who never thought badly of the Muslim community will do so now given this decision.
True Healing
This mosque they are planning on building is supposed to be state of the art and luxurious - it's going to have a swimming pool, gym, basketball court, 500-seat auditorium, a restaurant and cooking school, exhibition space, a library, an arts studio, and child care center. And I think that's terrific. But if I were in the Muslim community's situation, I would instead propose that the money be used to build a community center for New York having nothing to do with religion or worship of any kind.
If you really wanted to show the world that you are about unity and healing, why wouldn't you take that money and build a place that would benefit all of New York? Show the world that you mean what you say. As always in life, actions speak louder than worlds.
Building a mosque 2 blocks from 9/11 is the complete opposite of healing. It leads to things like this: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39081887/ns/business-careers
Anyone that knows me personally or even those who have read my blog knows that I am the strongest advocate against political correctness and creating an ultra-sensitive society. This is not about "sensitivity" towards the families of those who died in 9/11; it's about common sense and it's about decency.
We have to ask the question, "Do you guys have to build it RIGHT NEXT to the grounds of 9/11?"
What Are The Positive Gains?
President Obama said, "As a citizen and a President, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practise their religion as anyone else in this country. That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community centre on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances."
What Obama is saying is that they have the right to build it, I'm asking, "Should they?" Is it the right thing to do? Look at it this way, say a Chinese person came into an office building and in the name of Buddha opens fire with a machine gun killing 20 employees. Then a year later I decided that I want to build a Buddhist Temple right next to that office building. Does that seem right or just to anyone? Would I lose anything if I built the Buddhist Temple 10 miles from that office building?
What I want to ask the Muslim community is simply this: "What do you gain from building the mosque 2 blocks from 9/11 that you would lose if you built it 10 miles from it?"
Nothing. You gain absolutely nothing. But you'll lose a lot.
I keep hearing that Muslims want the world to know they do not condone the 9/11 attacks. I keep hearing that they want to promote healing and unity. Well guess what? This isn't the way to do it. People like me who never thought badly of the Muslim community will do so now given this decision.
True Healing
This mosque they are planning on building is supposed to be state of the art and luxurious - it's going to have a swimming pool, gym, basketball court, 500-seat auditorium, a restaurant and cooking school, exhibition space, a library, an arts studio, and child care center. And I think that's terrific. But if I were in the Muslim community's situation, I would instead propose that the money be used to build a community center for New York having nothing to do with religion or worship of any kind.
If you really wanted to show the world that you are about unity and healing, why wouldn't you take that money and build a place that would benefit all of New York? Show the world that you mean what you say. As always in life, actions speak louder than worlds.
Building a mosque 2 blocks from 9/11 is the complete opposite of healing. It leads to things like this: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39081887/ns/business-careers
Anyone that knows me personally or even those who have read my blog knows that I am the strongest advocate against political correctness and creating an ultra-sensitive society. This is not about "sensitivity" towards the families of those who died in 9/11; it's about common sense and it's about decency.
We have to ask the question, "Do you guys have to build it RIGHT NEXT to the grounds of 9/11?"
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