Because if this is the best they can do…
That sounds snarkier than I mean it. I find it appalling that the 9/11 tragedy would be used to stifle religious freedom, and this jingo-laden song is a sad example of how far we’ve moved from the original ideal. (That link raises an interesting parallel. Remember when the proposed The Wall, the Vietnam War Memorial, was considered an affront to our war dead? And now, it’s among Washington’s most beloved monuments.)
Here’s more on www.projectshiningcity.org, the creator of the music video. Their web pages features one essay called “The Islamic Ballerina,” in which Project Shining City’s lead guy, Jeff Bruzzo…well, I’m not sure what it is he’s doing, but it’s not the most informed of essays. I leave it for you to judge.
I see Howard Dean’s choice for Republikan Presidential candidate is back on the Tea Party Network referring to the planners of the Cordoba House as “radical Islamists” and comparing them to “Nazis.” But it looks like Project Shining City is mounting a challenge to Newts anointment by Dean as the intellectual leadership of the Republikan Tea Party. I think Newt better kick it up a notch. These folks are gaining on him. Wouldn’t want to lose Howie’s endorsement.
Ahhhh…there’s nothing like the smell of hate in the afternoon. Not quite as good as diesel exhaust…but close.
I’m not sure I’ll ever get over Howard Dean annointing ol’ Newt that, the intellectual arm of the Republican party. I know the Republicans can go deeper than that. I’m sorry that Howard Dean was not able to.
You were right to snark on the music; it’s like a horrible combination of corporate rock, muzak, and lobotomized country music. The lyrics sound like they were written by brain-washed third-grader. Are there actually people who find this compelling? Will this be blared from speakers at Tea party rallies? I’m surprised the lyrics aren’t captioned over the video; it would be perfect for a singalong. Ugh.
Ground zero? Let’s draw a line and encapsulate ground zero to a defined area.
Then, if you object to development at GZ, you at least have a leg to stand on.
Two blocks away is not GZ.
I get it. Some people are offended by Muslims and their presences after 9/11, some question the motives of Rauf and the origins of the money raised to build the Mosque so close to GZ. Others believe that the center will be a flag stuck in the ground to proclaim Muslim victory over the western world. It may also just be a poorly conceived idea, without regard to the sensibilities of the 9/11 families and citizens of lower Manhattan, the place where the idea of “public relations” were born.
If you believe these points, it seems to me that the best course of action is inaction. Let it be built. See what it has become. Protest what it is, not what you may feel it will be. You may be wrong. You may be right. In the meantime, you may be harming an effort to spread peace and understanding, in an effort to promote hate and control.
Religion has been spreading both hate and love since it existed. This Mosque is nothing new. I would be more offended if they built a McDonald’s at GZ. Or a Starbucks.
Hallowed ground, indeed.
What Mario said. (I wonder how many times I’ve typed that in my life?)