Scott Wm Eastman

kalamazu:

freddog:

scotteastman:

Maybe I’m old. Maybe I’m from the Upper-Midwest. Maybe I think too much of my service to my country (and my Father’s and my Son’s). But to think that this isn’t a big F* You to the US, you’re naive.
There are 10 gazillion OTHER places they could build this community center. Putting it smack dab in the middle of the site of the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil - An attack led and executed by men of the same faith… It’s not just insensitive of them to request it, it’s negligent of NYC officials to be allowing it.
This isn’t about tolerance (if you’d like an idea of what intolerance looks like, please check out the cover story to this weeks Time magazine), this is about being sensitive to the memory of those who lost their lives and the families they left behind.
danipantsless: jackinjill: fuckyeahemergence: mohandasgandhi: wafflesforlunch: aimee-b-loved: scottfriday: cjmeetsworld:

Let the unfollowing begin because I agree with Scott 100% and it’s not a personal overreaction to it, it’s out of respect for the people who died that day and the years that followed. Remember, sometimes people under react as well and are too open minded or care free.

i’m not going to unfollow anyone over this. at least, not you guys. to each his own, i guess.
but the thing is, by saying this religion doesn’t belong on this spot, and that it’s disrespectful to those who died is saying that all americans who will use this community center should not feel welcome at ground zero, and should pay for the crimes of a few very bad people. because there are americans who were born here and who were raised muslim. they are as american as you are, and sharing a faith with a sect of foreign fundamentalists doesn’t make them any less american.
there are fundamentalists of every religion, and this comparison is tantamount to blaming all christians everywhere for the actions of the westboro baptist church. by saying that islam does not belong here is putting a value on a particular religion in comparison to all others. just because you’re more comfortable with christianity, because it’s what you know, doesn’t make it okay to lump all of islam into an “evil” category. there are good people and bad people in every faith. don’t make me start listing all of the incredibly heinous things that have been, and are still being done in the name of christianity, because no one flinches at the thought of churches being built at those sites.
furthermore, do you honestly think that there were no american muslims that died that day?
sincerely, this atheist

I’m with you. America was built on religious tolerance (although, it seems we’re least tolerant of the Christian faith our founding fathers practiced - but that’s a different entry).
I think folks of ALL faiths should be able to build places of worship and fellowship there. It’s the American way.
But is this one plot, on somewhat-sacred and certainly freshly-bled ground the only place in all of Manhattan or NYC where our Muslim friends can build a community center? A people of faith, I’d think, would be sensitive to such a thing. “Let’s, maybe, look at a different neighborhood.”
Someone brought up Hiroshima (65 yrs ago tomorrow) and Nagasaki. What kind of assholes would we have been to build a church or community center or VFW on that site? I wouldn’t have been for it. I wouldn’t have cried “TOLERANCE.” In fact, I’d have had words with whatever schmuck thought it was a good idea.

freddog:

scotteastman:

Maybe I’m old. Maybe I’m from the Upper-Midwest. Maybe I think too much of my service to my country (and my Father’s and my Son’s). But to think that this isn’t a big F* You to the US, you’re naive.

There are 10 gazillion OTHER places they could build this community center. Putting it smack dab in the middle of the site of the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil - An attack led and executed by men of the same faith… It’s not just insensitive of them to request it, it’s negligent of NYC officials to be allowing it.

This isn’t about tolerance (if you’d like an idea of what intolerance looks like, please check out the cover story to this weeks Time magazine), this is about being sensitive to the memory of those who lost their lives and the families they left behind.

danipantsless: jackinjill: fuckyeahemergence: mohandasgandhi: wafflesforlunch: aimee-b-loved: scottfriday: cjmeetsworld:

Let the unfollowing begin because I agree with Scott 100% and it’s not a personal overreaction to it, it’s out of respect for the people who died that day and the years that followed. Remember, sometimes people under react as well and are too open minded or care free.

i’m not going to unfollow anyone over this. at least, not you guys. to each his own, i guess.

but the thing is, by saying this religion doesn’t belong on this spot, and that it’s disrespectful to those who died is saying that all americans who will use this community center should not feel welcome at ground zero, and should pay for the crimes of a few very bad people. because there are americans who were born here and who were raised muslim. they are as american as you are, and sharing a faith with a sect of foreign fundamentalists doesn’t make them any less american.

there are fundamentalists of every religion, and this comparison is tantamount to blaming all christians everywhere for the actions of the westboro baptist church. by saying that islam does not belong here is putting a value on a particular religion in comparison to all others. just because you’re more comfortable with christianity, because it’s what you know, doesn’t make it okay to lump all of islam into an “evil” category. there are good people and bad people in every faith. don’t make me start listing all of the incredibly heinous things that have been, and are still being done in the name of christianity, because no one flinches at the thought of churches being built at those sites.

furthermore, do you honestly think that there were no american muslims that died that day?

sincerely, this atheist

I’m with you. America was built on religious tolerance (although, it seems we’re least tolerant of the Christian faith our founding fathers practiced - but that’s a different entry).

I think folks of ALL faiths should be able to build places of worship and fellowship there. It’s the American way.

But is this one plot, on somewhat-sacred and certainly freshly-bled ground the only place in all of Manhattan or NYC where our Muslim friends can build a community center? A people of faith, I’d think, would be sensitive to such a thing. “Let’s, maybe, look at a different neighborhood.”

Someone brought up Hiroshima (65 yrs ago tomorrow) and Nagasaki. What kind of assholes would we have been to build a church or community center or VFW on that site? I wouldn’t have been for it. I wouldn’t have cried “TOLERANCE.” In fact, I’d have had words with whatever schmuck thought it was a good idea.

5 August 2010 ·