(NY Gov) Paterson seeking to relocate mosque

[sabra]

Source: CNN

(CNN) - New York Gov. David Paterson called Rep. Peter King Tuesday to inform the New York Republican of his plans to meet with leaders of a controversial Islamic center and mosque "to discuss plans to move to an alternate site" later this week, a spokesman for King tells CNN.

King's spokesman did not have any more details on the meeting, and did not know whether these leaders would be interested in relocating.

Paterson called King after the governor heard him on the John Gambling radio show Tuesday morning discussing a proposal that Paterson suggested last week for possibly finding another site. According to King's spokesman, the congressman said on the radio show that he thought Paterson's plans "made the most sense."

Read more: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/08/17/paterson-seeking-to-relocate-mosque/

[joeybee12]

1. My opinion of Paterson is nosediving...

and sadly, my opinion of Bloomberg is rising.

[KamaAina]

2. Please, Andrew Cuomo, bury this guy in the primary

or we can kiss another important state house goodbye. :scared:

[marmar]

3. I thought he (Paterson) wasn't running?

[KamaAina]

8. Right you are.

Not that he stood a snowball's chance at Jones Beach anyway at this point.

[Rhiannon12866]

46. He finally gave in to pressure, including from the very top, not to run... n/t

[Nite Owl]

17. There is no dem gov primary

Patterson is not running. Thank the gods for that.

[LiberalFighter]

4. No wonder he didn't stand a chance of winning the election.

[Loki]

5. Will he meet with the porno shop owners

who operate their store across the street from the proposed mosque, the strip club owners (excuse me "Gentleman's Club") 3 blocks away, or the off track betting shop to relocate their businesses because they just are degrading the memory of those who died? Republican bullshit and the Democratic voices are a bunch of cowards.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/28/nyregion/28nyc.html?_r=1

*edited to provide link for information

[atreides1]

7. Probably not.

Porn shops, strip clubs, and OTB are just fine with the bigots, and they bring in revenue!

[cartach]

44. How about men's washrooms? EOM

[MBS]

10. " " " " " n/t

[davidinalameda]

18. were there any strippers who piloted the planes into the WTC?

[frylock]

19. no, just radical islamists who happened to like strippers and booze and blow and gambling..

just like all radical islamists.

[Stuckinthebush]

33. There was a Christian who blew up the Federal bldg in Ok City

Should no churches be built near there?

[davidinalameda]

38. gee what a creative argument

how long did it take for you to cut and paste that one

[Loki]

41. So let me understand this

every Muslim is a radical islamist? Every Christian then should be compared to Fred Phelps, Tim McVeigh, David Koresh, Jim Jones, and while were at it, all Catholics are pedophiles. Paint everything with a broad brush and that excuses any critical thinking. The truth is there has been a mosque close to the site since 9/11 and no one has had a problem with it, except now the Republican's use any wedge issue for the non-thinkers to sink their teeth into. Intelligence, common sense, critical analysis and rational thought have been replaced by rank stupidity. Like Ron White says: "You can't fix stupid."

[cartach]

45. As Curious George let slip one day -

"Ya gotta catapult the propaganda." And of course repeat the same crap over and over again until people become mesmerized and start to believe. Nazi party style.

[Stuckinthebush]

42. Gee, how weak

Creative or no, it is still valid.

And creative or no, you never answered the question. The arguments against having an Islamic center near ground zero are weak as well. They are all based in fear and foolishness. But I guess when the arguments are so weak it is best to debate like a 13 year old.

[No Elephants]

48. Then a substantive rebuttal should have been just as easy as going ad hominem.

Not to mention a lot more impressive.

[Posteritatis]

59. ...says the genius suggesting all Muslims are responsible for 9/11. (nt)

[Hansel]

37. Are the people building the center Al Qaeda members?

Has anyone of your religion ever committed a crime? If so, do you feel personally responsible? Do you self-restrict your constitutional rights and stay away from certain places so people's feelings won't be hurt?

[Chan790]

43. No, in fact they're Sufi.

Al Qaeda wants to exterminate practitioners of sufism as heretics. Blaming sufis for things done by Muslim extremists is like blaming Unitarians for the insane rantings of the WBC.

[No Elephants]

47. Were any New Yorkers among the 911 attackers?

The center will be used mostly by New York Muslims and other New Yorkers.

Too bad only the minority (in the U.S.) religion of the attackers seems meaningful to you and you seem unwilling or unable to make any finer distinctions, like, oh, I don't know, murderous Al Qaeda, regardless of whether they are Muslim or atheist or whatever. Associating 1.4 billion people with the actions of 19 is a leap of bigotry, and not a teeny leap, either.


KKK terrorists were Christian and they burned Christian crosses. Probably still are/do. So were Nazi terrorists, not to mention neo Nazi terrorists.

Has anyone suggested Christian-owned community centers should be banned anywhere beccause of that? The KKK was largely a white Southerners organization, too. Let's discriminate against Southerners! Especially white Christian Southerners. Especially male white Christian Southerners.

Btw, the 911 attackers were all men under 40. Banning men under 40 makes about as much sense. And God forbid any Saudi or Egyptian should own land in lower Manhattan.

Btw, Jon Stewart claims an actual mosque is 4 blocks away and has been there since before 911. I assume that has something to do with the desire to build a community center there, but that's only a guess.

Hey, it doesn't really matter. Muslim in the non-existent shadow of Ground Zero is still Muslim in the non-existent shadow of Ground Zero. I say let's start a movement to drive out the existing mosque and ignore the community center. Mosques had a lot more to do with 911 than did swimming pools and basketball courts.

Gee, I really seem to be getting the hang of smearing innocent people because of the groups to which they belong and innocent buildings because of the group to which their owns belong. I feel so ashamed.

[atreides1]

6. Looks like the bigots win again!!!

And what great cover they have, an African-American governor is helping them do it.

[No Elephants]

49. A blind, DEMOCRATIC African American Governor. If he were a woman, he would be

every element of the beyond tired Con meme.

[DBoon]

9. like the response to the Klan is to relocate African-Americans?

Appeasing an ugly mob only makes it stronger and uglier

[Freddie Stubbs]

11. N.Y. governor to discuss relocating Muslim center

Source: Reuters

Paterson working with developers, plans to meet with Muslim officials this week

NEW YORK — New York Gov. David Paterson plans to discuss relocating a proposed Muslim cultural center and mosque to a less emotional location farther from New York City's "Ground Zero" site of the September 11 attacks.

"We are working with the developers," Paterson's spokeswoman Maggie McKeon said. "There have not been any formal discussions between the governor, the Imam or the developer. However, we expect to have a meeting scheduled in the near future."

An aide to a U.S. congressman said that Paterson spoke by telephone with Rep. Peter King of New York and told him he would meet this week with Muslim officials to discuss the possibility of providing state funds to help the center find another location, the congressman's aide said.

King backs the idea but leaders of the Muslim center have previously insisted they were not interested in moving away from the site near "Ground Zero."

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38740806/ns/us_news/?ocid=twitter

[no_hypocrisy]

12. Where? How many blocks, how many miles from the Holy Site?

[Lightning Count]

20. Apparently, it's a holy site where no religious building can be built.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/03/nyregion/03trade.html?_r=2&n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/People/B/Bagli,%20Charles%20V

Just let them both be built and be done with it.

[No Elephants]

51. Wait. Port Authority is swapping land AND donating $$ so the Greek Orthodox Church can be built at

Ground Zero? More expensive and six times bigger than the GO Church that was there before?

I love the Orthodox, but THAT does offend me.

And, since the original church was a victim of 911, I am assumiing the church already got our tax dollars (as it should have).

"The church wants the authority to provide roughly $55 million toward the estimated $75 million cost of rebuilding St. Nicholas. The Port Authority in turn wants the church to scale back its plans, move the location slightly and raise more money privately.

“The church’s role in the rebuilding effort is complementary, not adversarial,” Mr. Koutsomitis said. “We need a resolution on the land so we can move on with the design. We’re talking about a modest facility, larger than what was there before, but modest by any standard.”


Apparently, previously, all of 70 families worshipped there. Wow, just wow! But, they want to expand. Hell, who doesn't? That's why God and Congress already give churches and their donors so many tax breaks.

I've attended Sunday services at Old North Church. Millions of tourists visit there from all over the U.S. and the world every year. On a Sunday in summer, high tourist season, maybe 30 people show up. They'll be lucky if the 70 families who used to drive in from the suburbs come back.


P.S. The proposed (secular) transportation hub is not faring any better. Have we all lost our minds because of 19 loonies?

[Lightning Count]

60. Yes.

But they are being forced to move against their will and they have been there since the early 1900's.

[sinkingfeeling]

13. Does any body know how to contact the backers of this project to urge them to ignore these offers

to 'buy' them away?

[daggahead]

14. If they move this, the conserva-bots win. n/t

[No Elephants]

52. So does bigotry. Among the losers: Separation of church and state & the taxpayers of NY.

Also Paterson, Democrats and those who want America to stay true to the values of the Framers. Lose. Lose. Lose. Lose.


Lose.

[sabrina 1]

15. Patterson, a supposed Democrat, talks to Peter (we count the votes)

King, the most reactionary Republican member of Congress in NY. well one of them.

I used to feel a bit sorry for Paterson, but this does it. He can't be gone fast enough. He goes out of his way, calling that moron, Peter King so they could collaborate in their vile anti-Constitutional discrimination. What a mistake he was ...

[nyc 4 Biden]

16. +100

[steve2470]

21. N.Y. governor may propose relocating Muslim center

Source: Reuters

NEW YORK | Tue Aug 17, 2010 3:23pm EDT

NEW YORK — New York Governor David Paterson plans to discuss relocating a proposed Muslim cultural center and mosque to a less emotionally charged location farther from New York City's "Ground Zero" site of the Sept. 11 attacks.

"We are working with the developers," Paterson's spokeswoman Maggie McKeon said. "There have not been any formal discussions between the governor, the imam or the developer. However, we expect to have a meeting scheduled in the near future."

U.S. Representative Peter King of New York said he discussed the issue with Paterson Tuesday and the governor told him he would meet this week with Muslim officials to discuss providing state funds to help the center find another location.

A spokesman for the project, Oz Sultan, said: "To the best of our knowledge, a meeting has not been scheduled.

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38740806/ns/politics-more_politics/

[meegbear]

22. If they move it, the (domestic) terrorists will have won

[steve2470]

23. agreed ! nt

[Name removed]

26. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

27. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[npk]

31. I'd like to

Families of 9/11 victims, who may have objections whether you find them valid or not, are not terrorists. But I am sure you praise the freedom fighters no doubt.

[CJCRANE]

32. Do you support the 9/11 families

who are calling for a new investigation into 9/11?

[npk]

34. I support the families of victims and first responders

who died on 9/11. I support their right to have an opinion, which is of course like a disease on this message board. If they have an opinion that is to call for an investigation of the 9/11, whether or not I agreed with that opinion, I would not call them domestic terrorist. And people who refer to those people as such are complete garbage in my opinion.

[CJCRANE]

35. Fair enough.

However I think the poster was referring to the RW pols, pundits and rabble-rousers not the 9/11 families.

[damntexdem]

29. Evil thrives when the good cave.

And what role is a governor supposed to play in locating places of worship, anyway?

What, do you mean that this ONE could somehow be different from other decisions re locating places of worship? ;-)

[No Elephants]

53. Will have won? Have you read about the American economy lately?

The combined size and total, actual financial costs of the Departments of *snort* Defense, Homeland Security, FBI, CIA, etc.?

Read the deceptively named Patriot Act? Watched Congress roll over for the unitary executive and any bill justified as "anti-terra?"

Seen the Fourth Amendment lately?


Will have won?

[onehandle]

24. Paterson can't be gone soon enough. nt

[Karenina]

28. True.

:eyes: WHAT A DIPSHIT.

[Deep13]

25. Um, don't the building's promoters already own the property?

How the hell are they going to do that?

And what legal basis does the highest ranking Constitutional officer of NY state have for insisting on a relocation?

[No Elephants]

54. No legal basis. Which is why he is offering state land.

[Deep13]

61. State land?! That's a violation of a different part of the 1st Amendment!

:wtf:

[Posteritatis]

30. Yay for ghettoes! (nt)

[HuckleB]

36. Once again, connie talking heads will cost taxpayers money that will serve no good purpose.

Ugh.

[No Elephants]

56. Please see Reply 55. No one put a gun to Paterson's head and he's not even running

for re-election. People talking doesn't mean everyone has to cave into them. You fight propaganda successfully with better propaganda and principled actions, not by abandoning your principles and surrendering to every demand, no matter how hateful or costly.

[Hansel]

39. If he's offering to relocate it to state property like was indicated a few days ago..

he is opening up another constitutional can of worms.

Despite the right's anger when their nativity scenes and 10 commandments are not allowed exclusive representation on government property, they will be outraged at this perceived violation of church and state. Count on it.

[activa8tr]

57. Yeah, I wish there were a way to make Republicans happy, but no,

there NEVER will be when a Democrat is in office.

This Republican Fixed Noise manufactured controversy will always have Democrats on the defensive, no matter what they do or do NOT do.

Such is the aim of Fixed Noise, and all the fans of Sarah Palin and her gang of bigoted thugs.

[harvey007]

40. Religion is a very divisive issue being exploited by the GOP

The comments on this topic show how divisive religion is, especially when dragged into a political debate.

You can support the first amendment and still oppose a church/business in a certain location.

It happens all the time.

What if a Warren Jeffs type cult-leader or a Westboro Baptist "God Hates Fags" outfit had proposed a facility at that location?

Of course it would be and should be opposed.

It's OK to want "freedom from religion" as well as "freedom of religion."

[No Elephants]

55. Paterson is not a Republican. Neither is Reid.

God forbid we hold anyone but Republicans responsible for their own acts and omissions.

[Odin2005]

50. Shameful.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

58. i know people are blaming paterson for this, but it sounds like the developers came to him

and he is just brokering a deal. i could be wrong, but from what i read about the developers, they didnt expect or anticipate this shitstorm

[No Elephants]

62. What developers? Do you mean the Imam who wants to build the Center?

If so, I very much doubt he went to Paterson.