Florida church pastor says calling off Koran-burning on Saturday

[oxymoron]

Source: Breakiing on Reuters

Breaking on Reuters.

http://www.reuters.com/news/us

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/news/us

[oxymoron]

1. Breaking on CNN as well

[rurallib]

2. Will the back-up in Tennessee keep the fires burning?

[nyy1998]

22. That's what I'm wondering too

[SpiralHawk]

3. "Curses." - Lou Sypher (R)

[otohara]

4. He's Saying NYC Location to be Moved?

no confirmation

[Inuca]

9. I hope not

It would be pathetic and a victory of sorts for that asshole.

[tidy_bowl]

24. Of course it is a 'win'

As an agnostic I have looked on these two issue with bemusement. I could give a rat's ass on either. It sort of plays out like two Mafia Dons fighting over turf. "If you don't allow me to build my center, people could get hurt, ya know" and "Then we will burn your books." I mean its like a grade B mafia movie. So the Florida minister is flying to NYC on Saturday. I can it now, the pin-striped suits, the cigars and hear the bad Brooklyn accents.

[PunkinPi]

21. That's what he's saying...

The Rev. Terry Jones said Thursday that Americans oppose the mosque being built at the location and that Muslims do not want the Quran burned. He said instead of his plan to burn the books on Saturday to mark the ninth anniversary of 9/11, he will be flying to New York to speak to Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf about moving the mosque.

from
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100909/ap_on_re_us/quran_burning

[Joe Chi Minh]

29. Isn't Terry Jones a member of the Monty Python team? I'm not sure

having Basil Fawlty have a word in his ear would be a good idea.

[AlbertCat]

35. Isn't Terry Jones a member of the Monty Python team?

Yes he is! But Basil Fawlty was played by John Cleese.

The Imam is gonna have to deal with this!

[Ken Burch]

41. Actually, if THAT Terry Jones showed up at the Koran Burning

as the Nude Organist, I think the other one would pretty much realize he was beaten and pack it in.

[awoke_in_2003]

32. he is lying...

the guy in charge of building says that they are just meeting, not changing location of the center.

[BumRushDaShow]

5. Breaking headline on MSNBC

And also heard it on my local news radio station.

[RKP5637]

6. God must have spoken to him I guess... he hears voices from a supreme being? n/t

[drm604]

7. Yes!

Good news.

[onehandle]

8. Cameras off, walk away. nt

[Rhiannon12866]

10. Got this on MSNBC now...

He's saying that they've agreed to "move" this "mosque..." Where else do these folks own property? Tweety's calling this "blackmail..." Sounds like it to me... x(

[cal04]

11. Pastor Cancels Koran Burning and Plans to Meet Imam

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2010/09/park51_deal.php
Several news outlets are now reporting that the Park51 folks say there is no deal with Florida pastor Terry Jones to move the "Ground Zero Mosque" farther away from the World Trade Center site.



NYTimes
Pastor Cancels Koran Burning and Plans to Meet Imam
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/10/us/10obama.html?hp

[prolesunited]

13. That's nuts

Sounds like terrorism to me, coercing another to act in certain manner because of violence or threats of violence.

[MadMaddie]

15. Bingo!

[RKP5637]

17. EXACTLY TRUE!!! n/t

[Abq_Sarah]

20. Like threatening violence over the burning?

Look, I don't support the nutso cult leader's attempt to garner attention and $$$$ by burning a Koran but I'm also disturbed by threats of violence and retaliation for the same act.

I don't want the owners of the site in NYC to move their mosque because a kook in Florida throws a hissy fit either. It doesn't matter where they build, some people are going to throw a fit over it.

[hughee99]

39. Is burning books "violence" or a "threat of violence"? n/t

[no_hypocrisy]

16. Well, THAT didn't take long. Donald Trump offering to buy the property.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/donald_trump_makes_bid_for_proposed_5ANYMOLLxkPKjOnOfO2NMN

Here's the catch:

The offer also contains one key condition -- that any mosque built by the backers elsewhere "would be located at least five blocks further from the World Trade Center site," the mogul wrote in a letter to a major investor in the mosque site, Egyptian businessman Hisham Elzanaty.

[awoke_in_2003]

34. Fuck Trump...

even if they moved 5 more blocks people would bitch. The city approved the site, there is no need for them to move.

[JerseygirlCT]

19. Nope

Jones says that's so - all the news services say the NY Imam says no.

I don't really trust this clown to tell the truth. I think he's just setting this up as the community center is somehow morally comparable to his hideous plans.

[cal04]

23. thanks for the update JerseygirlCT

Huffington Post just posted this

Imam Rauf, the leader of the proposed center did not make a deal and has never talked to Pastor Terry Jones, Park51 officials tell Huffington Post, adding that they are open to all solutions and that the proposed Islamic cultural center is open dialogue and reconciliation with the community in lower Manhattan.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/09/quran-burning-church-dove_n_711159.html

[JerseygirlCT]

26. I'm just glad to hear it

It would have been very disappointing had the Imam felt he needed to give in to terrorists.

[RamboLiberal]

12. Pastor: Quran-burning off if mosque moves

The pastor planning to burn Qurans on the Sept. 11 anniversary said Thursday that he plans to call off the event if the Muslim group seeking to build a mosque near the World Trade Center site agrees to move the project.

"We would consider that a sign from God," the Rev. Terry Jones told reporters.

It was unclear whether such a commitment from the Muslim group was forthcoming, though some reports said Jones and the leader of the mosque project had spoken earlier Thursday.

"I have his word that he will move the mosque to a different location," Jones said.

Jones also said he would travel to New York on Saturday to meet with officials of the mosque project.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39074573/ns/politics-white_house/

[awoke_in_2003]

36. The pastor is saying this...

to save face with his congregation. He will claim there is an agreement, and when they don't move he will claim they lied. Of course, this will happen after 9/11, so he will claim there is no use burning the Koran, as it is to late to burn it on a symbolic date.

[MadMaddie]

14. He got the publicity he was looking for

and he got more than he bargained for.

[Igel]

27. Yes, but he made his point.

He got exactly what he bargained for. Some are just too blind to notice the obvious. The sheer terror exhibited, the submission shown, the asymmetry in defense of Constitutional rights speaks much more loudly than burning a book in silence among his small congregation ever would have, or ever could have.

His message was echoed around the world, assented to in fact and deed even as it was denied by meaningless words.

Very nice. In an embarrassing, distressing sort of way.

[awoke_in_2003]

37. "than burning a book in silence"

that's the nub- he wasn't doing it in silence. And nobody stopped him from doing it- he backed down.

[MadMaddie]

49. Agreed!

[JerseygirlCT]

18. Good. Can he crawl back under his rock now?

Can we all offer him exactly what he really needs, which is to be completely ignored?

[Redstone]

30. I sure hope so. I'm sick of the whole thing, too.

Redstone

[AngryOldDem]

25. But will that stop his flock? n/t

[slackmaster]

28. Now Muslims all over the world will stage victory rallies, complete with burning US flags

As is their right.

[Odin2005]

31. Bastard was looking for publuicity.

[Arrowhead2k1]

33. The community centre is not moving, it would be ridiculous if it did.

So either he's chickening out (I doubt he's coming to his sense, since he doesn't have any), or he'll announce tomorrow that the burning is back on...

[Whoa_Nelly]

38. Hope Pastor PeeWee leaves his sidearm at home n/t

[RoccoR5955]

42. If he doesn't leave his sidearm home, he'll do time...

In NYC you get a year for unlicensed handgun possession. It's one tough handgun law that has been on the books for quite some time.

[TheDebbieDee]

40. Someone should still go down there and KICK his A$$!

In fact, they should kick all of the asses of his stupid flock, too!

[RoccoR5955]

43. Maybe we could change the day to...

"Burn a Moran Day" :sarcasm:

[dipsydoodle]

44. US pastor Terry Jones cancels Koran burning

Source: BBC News

The pastor of a small US church who planned to burn copies of the Koran on the anniversary of 9/11 has cancelled his protest.

Terry Jones said he was calling off the event after the group behind a planned Islamic centre near Ground Zero in New York agreed to relocate it.

But the cultural centre's organisers said they had no plans to move it.


Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11255366

[BrklynLiberal]

45. Jones and Palin should be shut in a room together...for 10 years.

[SOS]

46. No surprise

The Pentagon informed Jones that a ton of bricks would be dropped on his head if he proceeded.
Carnival barker folds tent.

[baldguy]

47. Question: Why are we seemingly negotiating with a terrorist?

[madmax]

48. Not so fast

It's not cancelled. It is now delayed according to the Associate Pastor, whoever the fuck he is.

These folks definately need to have a full mental health work up. If not for the Rev. or Pastor or whatever suffix in front of their names they would be marched off for a psych eval and held for 72 hours. I'd bet on it. They are a danger to themselves and others.

:offrant:

[Skip_In_Boulder]

50. Looks like the good paster may be changing his mind

"The Rev. Terry Jones told CBS' "The Early Show" that "we have called the event off." Soon afterward, however, he told reporters in Florida the burning is still being contemplated"

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/09/10/florida.quran.burning.imam/index.html?hpt=T2

[Turborama]

51. CBS The Early Show: Rev. Terry Jones - Quran Burning Off, "Right Now"

Source: CBS

The Florida pastor behind a controversial plan to burn Muslim holy books on the 9th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks told CBS News on Friday that the event was on hold, "right now".

Anti-Islamic preacher Rev. Terry Jones backed off his plans on Thursday and then threatened to reconsider burning the Qurans, angrily accusing a local Muslim leader of lying to him with a promise to move an Islamic center and away from New York's ground zero. The imam planning the center denied there was ever such a firm deal.

"Right now, we have called the event off, based upon the offer that the Imam gave us," Jones told "The Early Show" co-anchor Harry Smith Friday morning.

The Imam who met Jones Thursday also appeared on "The Early Show" Friday. He told Smith the misunderstanding was due to ongoing efforts to secure a meeting with the figure behind the planned New York city Islamic center.

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/09/10/earlyshow/main6852696.shtml

---

Too late...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9106194#9108306">Bonfire of one man's vanity: Pastor abandons Koran-burning stunt, but too late to stop bloodshed

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4534839">Taliban Calls on Afghans to Avenge Quran Burning

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4535356">Qur'an burning: Nato troops shoot at Afghan protesters

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4535371">Koran-burning protests sweep Afghanistan

[BumRushDaShow]

52. This guy's 15 minutes of fame should have expired 2 weeks ago. n/t

[Major Hogwash]

53. He should have bought a bigger trailer for a church, those small ones fill up so fast.

This nutjob could have come from any of the 50 states, so it is just sad that this guy got all of the publicity he wanted.

I feel bad for my friends and relatives in Florida that had to put up with this jackass while he waltzed in front of the cameras threatening to put a match to an already volatile situation.

[mr1956]

54. The national media built this man up

The media is now claiming they had to cover this story because so many people were talking about this. People wouldn't have even known about this kook and his tiny church without the national media bringing this to the forefront for weeks now.

If anyone dies because of this, they need to admit their part in blowing things way out of proportion. The media will blame this idiot for the violence but they are complicit.

The news doesn't tell us what to think but they do tell us what to think about.

[ProfessionalLeftist]

59. The media covered it because..

...they wanted the ratings ($$$)

That's all they ever give a damn about. Ever.

[Bragi]

60. Coverage was light until patraeus spoke up

[prolesunited]

62. No it wasn't

There was tons of talk about it before he mentioned it. However, the high-level leaders weighing in magnified it even more.

[Bragi]

64. Disagree

Until Patraeus spoke, Jones was mostly a sentence in bigger stories about Park51 and "Islamophobia".

The obvious reason was that he is an obviously unsympathetic, pathetic and disturbed person, so media were not jumping all over him until Petraeus jumped in.

The only reason I think this is important is that people are overestimating the importance of American media on what is about to happen.

It's the jihadists that have been organizing around this for weeks now, and Jones is just a helpful idiot for them. The jihadists have their own propaganda outlets to get the story and visuals out. They don't depend on what CNN decides to cover.

[Turborama]

65. "It's the jihadists that have been organizing around this for weeks now"

Where have you seen this?

[RZM]

69. Don't forget the foreign media

They've done their part in calling attention to this as well and IMO, many foreign outlets are just as interested in loudly trumpeting examples of bigotry and intolerance in the US as they are in ratings (after all, that GETS them the ratings).

[mfcorey1]

55. The country called his bluff and he had to back his butt out of the situation.

This story only went viral because the media attached to current talking point of the right and milked it for all they could. Now they are moving on to an argument about whether or not the President should have used executive powers to stop the entire fiasco. They will always find a way to make it Obama's fault.

[Bragi]

56. He doesn't matter, the burnings will happen anyway

Jones is no longer of importance, what matters is that Korans will be burned by someone somewhere in America, and news and visuals from these events will get to the Muslim world via jihadist propaganda outlets.

I fear the Koran burning crisis of 2010 isn't over, it's just beginning.

(And I'd be delighted to be proven wrong!)

[Skink]

57. This sounds like it's right out of one Carl Hiasson's books.

[ProfessionalLeftist]

58. This narcissistic pig is just a mediawhore and the media

are his pimps.

They really ought to bury him now - on page 120 - back. Small print.

[Bragi]

61. Won't matter, the jihadists have what they need already

Tomorrow, or the next day, Korans will be burned in the United States.

That's all they need. They have been pushing this story for weeks, and their own propaganda outfits to send the story and the visuals to the Muslim world.

American media is largely irrelevant to them at this point.

[Turborama]

63. I'm genuinely curious

Where have you been seeing jihadists "pushing this story for weeks"?

[Bragi]

66. Later...

(Life intervenes. Basic point: the demos last week and before were organized before the story went stratospheric in the US media. The jihadists don't need CNN to get their message out.)

[Turborama]

67. OK, I'll keep an eye out for your later reply with sources

Also, some details of the "demos last week" and how you have found out they were "organized before the story went stratospheric" would be interesting, too.

Thanks in advance.

[pasto76]

68. so this is how he gets back in the media

eh, clever....still lame. Everyone said no media coverage of the burning, so he canceled and is now back on TV?