Well, at least no one’s talking about amending the Constitution again. In this particular instance, that annoying First Amendment which mentions freedom of religion.
The guy who we watched take an oath to defend it a couple years ago commented on the move to build a mosque in lower Manhattan within distance of Ground Zero. To be specific, President Obama said: “As a citizen, and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as anyone else in this country. That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances.”
That doesn’t even begin to take into account that the guy spearheading the drive is the exact sort of moderate Muslim who is as disgusted by the actions of terrorists as, well, any moderate Christian would be by the activities of the KKK.
Yet Republican Peter King declared that Obama “is wrong.” I’m fascinated by the notion. What part, exactly, was he wrong about? That he’s a citizen? (Not that again.) That he’s the president? (Well, if he’s not a citizen, then…) Or is King suggesting that Muslims don’t have the right to build a place of worship in accordance with local laws and ordinances?
I mean, if you’re going to object, then be willing to take it all the way. Muslims should be able to block the building of churches in their neighborhoods because they’re still steamed about the Crusades. And Christians should make sure to prevent synagogues going up because, despite Vatican II, they’re still blaming the Jews for the Crucifixion.
This country was founded on a foundation of religious tolerance…or, more correctly, escaping religious intolerance. Do I see the symbolism that some people find upsetting with the idea of a mosque within a few blocks of Ground Zero? Of course. I’m not stupid; I get it. But it’s always easy to support the First Amendment when people aren’t saying or doing something you find upsetting.
If we truly want the U.S. to be a beacon of hope, we can’t snuff out the torch when we find it too hard to keep it lit.
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