Mayor Bloomberg Shows Spine

Amid all of the political jockeying by Rethuglicans and some Dems alike on the "not at Ground Zero" Islamic center, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has shown courage in defending the construction of the facility. Up until this point, public opinion has been swayed by misinformation about the location and purpose of the center, and by attempts to bind the al Qaeda killers with Islam as a whole. Bloomberg is going against public opinion in his city because it's the right thing to do; as a leader, he's trying to set an example for how we respect the Constitution and the protection of minority rights. Key quote from his remarks at the annual Ramadan Iftar dinner at his official residence:

Islam did not attack the World Trade Center -- Al-Qaeda did. To implicate all of Islam for the actions of a few who twisted a great religion is unfair and un-American. Today we are not at war with Islam -- we are at war with Al-Qaeda and other extremists who hate freedom. . . .The members of our military are men and women at arms -- battling for hearts and minds. And their greatest weapon in that fight is the strength of our American values, which have always inspired people around the world. But if we do not practice here at home what we preach abroad -- if we do not lead by example - we undermine our soldiers. We undermine our foreign policy objectives. And we undermine our national security.

Why is that so hard for the majority of Rethugs and fearful Dems to say?

Ron Paul's Gutsy Stand

We're not big fans of libertarian Rep. Ron Paul. His social Darwinist economic philosophy calls for phasing out most beneficial government activities such as Medicare and Social Security. But Paul does stand for principles that the far right has long since abandoned. He issued a strong statement blasting the "sunshine patriots" that are trying to block the "not at Ground Zero" Islamic community center in Manhattan, and fingers the neocon/Likudnik cohort of the far right as the hatemongers:

"In my opinion it has come from the neo-conservatives who demand continual war in the Middle East and Central Asia and are compelled to constantly justify it.

They never miss a chance to use hatred toward Muslims to rally support for the ill conceived preventative wars. A select quote from soldiers from in Afghanistan and Iraq expressing concern over the mosque is pure propaganda and an affront to their bravery and sacrifice.

The claim is that we are in the Middle East to protect our liberties is misleading. To continue this charade, millions of Muslims are indicted and we are obligated to rescue them from their religious and political leaders. And, we’re supposed to believe that abusing our liberties here at home and pursuing unconstitutional wars overseas will solve our problems."

What's sad is not that this rebuke to the hatemongers came from a libertarian like Paul; what's sad is that so many progressive Dems are hiding in the corner while the bigots control the false message. (See also Richard Cohen's surprisingly good column on the same subject in the Kaplan Daily. As they say, occasionally even a blind squirrel finds a nut).

"A Colossal Seven-Letter Word"

Some of the most offensive guilt-by-association demagoguery over the "not at Ground Zero" Islamic center "mosque" has come from the usual suspects: teatard favorites like former snowbilly half-Governor Winky and right-wing charlatan Poot Gingrich. It's time to add former New York mayor Rudy 9-11! to this rogue's gallery of demagogues using this issue for political gain.

Tim Heffernan has a hard-hitting piece in Esquire magazine's politics blog, in which he takes on Rudy 9-11!'s not-so-subtle message that the people wanting the Islamic center to be built are "warriors" who are stoking "those divisive issues." It sets up a win-win for the wingnuts, too: don't move the center's location and you're deliberately provoking "real Americans;" move the center, and you're admitting collective responsibility for 9-11. Neat bit of demagoguery.

It's striking to note the difference between the shameful Rudy 9-11! and the current mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, who took a strong, principled public stand for the building of the center. Bloomberg walked away from an increasingly radical Rethuglican Party, while Rudy 9-11! walks deeper into its fevered swamps of lunacy.

(photo: The colossal one himself)

Fox and Friends

Today's reading assignment consists of two columns on the "Ground Zero mosque" and one on a prime organization that's fanning the flames.

On the "Ground Zero mosque" (of course, not at Ground Zero, and more of a community center than a mosque): Eugene Robinson on the Rethugs' despicable pandering; and Richard Cohen on pretty much the same thing, plus an obligatory jab at Obama for muddying the waters of the debate.

On the flame-fanners, it should come as no surprise to which party the parent company of Fux "News" is donating $1 million, but click on the link anyway just for giggles.