I am having trouble holding my temper hearing all the fervor about the Islamic Center proposed to be built in Manhattan. I live in fear that someday people will be up in arms about where Presbyterians choose to build a church. President Obama's words last Friday night were "spot on" -- we in this country supposedly believe in freedom of religion, and that means all religions, not just mine or yours.
I'm also having trouble with the idea that the site chosen is "at ground zero" or "within the shadow of the former Twin Towers." It's two blocks away, for heaven's sake! Even the World Trade Center wasn't tall enough to cast that long a shadow!
I always have trouble with people who purport to love and support the Consitution and the values upon which our nation was founded, but who want to curtail the rights of others. It's nothing short of hypocritical -- very much like those who talk of "small government" but who want to dictate who a person may love, and what reproductive rights a woman may exercise. I do wish that the President hadn't seemed to backtrack on his comments on Saturday morning.
There is also this: the claim that "ground zero" is a "sacred site" because it is the burial place for so many. Within those two blocks I understand are strip clubs and porn shops. I think those should be shut down long before an Islamic community center should be made to build elsewhere.
The endless political wrangling over everything has wearied me, and I become ashamed of my own beloved country, and my fellow Americans. Freedom isn't just for you and me. It's for all of us who claim America as our nation.
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