Ok, so I'm a bit late to weigh in on this issue because I haven't had time to write in a while, but there's this HUGE debate going on about the 'Ground Zero Mosque'. When I first read about it I thought it was kind of silly, and I certainly didn't expect it to get this huge. I mean, what exactly are they debating about? Nothing illegal is happening and the government has no power to do anything about it, no matter what popular opinion says. This article does a pretty good job of explaining why the whole thing is ridiculous.
Now, this subject came up while I was visiting home. My Dad has been both a paramedic and a firefighter, and he objected to the 'Mosque' because the families of the first responders killed in the World Trade Center attacks objected. He felt that their wishes ought to be respected, and honestly that's the only argument against the construction project that's made me stop and think for a minute...until I remembered that Muslim citizens and first responders were killed in the attacks as well. No, I respect and sympathize with those families, but their objections are reactionary and their anger is misguided. Popular opinion does not trump the First Amendment. Anyone who understands the facts of this situation (I hope anyway) has to see how pointless the argument against it actually is, and how dangerous it would be if the First Amendment were compromised in any way.
The people perpetuating the argument strike me as either sensationalists who want to sell advertising or just plain hateful. The Daily Show has been doing an awesome job tearing them apart, too...especially Fox News. *shudder* Nothing frustrates me more than seeing facts twisted to support an agenda, and that is pretty clearly what is happening here.
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