Fun facts to know and tell . . .

[stellanoir]

Just heard a caller on Stephanie Miller say that he heard on Keith's show last night that there is a Mosque located within the Pentagon. There apparently are places of worship for most faiths within their walls.

That reminded me of hearing several years ago (I think I heard it on Public Radio International's "This American Life" - a sometimes hilarious show) that one of the only sculptures in the world depicting Mohammed is located in the Supreme Court building. There are apparently sculptures of other religious figures there as well. It is against Islamic law to depict the image of Mohammed in artwork. I guess it relates to that whole graven image and idolatry taboo.

(on edit-see response # 5 for a more specific correction with links to the latter fun fact)

So next time you have the misfortune to come across a disgruntled wingnut or tea bagger mouthing off about the proposed Islamic Cultural Center intended to be located within blocks of "Ground Zero," kindly consider enlightening them to these other preexisting representations of times of greater tolerance.

Otherwise, consider sicking the wombat on 'em.

http://www.globalcommunity.org/flash/wombat.shtml

That's an animated short that's been around for a while but it's truly a classic.

All the kids *love* it.

[BrklynLiberal]

1. The rwingnuts are stirring the s**t around NYC now. They have used the "free speech" meme to get

the NYC MTA to cave and allow hate-inciting ads on the sides of NYC buses...taxpayer supported, public transportation!!!!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8912928

EDIT: That is a fantastic animation!!!

[NoNothing]

4. "Free speech" is a "meme?"

I think it rates a little higher than that, don't you?

[BrklynLiberal]

6. For the rwingnuts who use it to justify hate and discord, it is.

"Freedom of Speech" "The first amendment" is always their hue and cry when they are trying to spread their hateful messages, and are blocked by those who know their goals are actually the Four Horsemen: Pestilence, War, Famine, and Death.

[NoNothing]

10. If your commitment to "free speech"

Doesn't include speech you find to be hateful, stupid, and wrong, then you don't believe in free speech at all.

[stellanoir]

7. Yeah it's too bad that free speech is bandied about as a

free license to espouse hateful untruths. OTOH it's sort of a challenge for more of us to keep our BS detectors set to maximum stun.

More people are growing tired of this crap and far less gullible every day I swear.

Glad you enjoyed the wombat. From all I can tell Global Mind Shift is a great organization with which I've been intending to involve myself for some time now, as I firmly believe that we'll not arise from this seemingly dire intractable divisiveness through traditional linear means alone.

Silly me.

[BrklynLiberal]

9. I just hope that we WILL "arise from this seemingly dire intractable divisiveness" someday, somehow

[stellanoir]

11. Welp

a wombat told me that it's up to all of us in our own curiously mysterious ways.

I'm gullible like that but I don't really believe in everything I read on the sides of buses so go figure.

[BrklynLiberal]

12. I hope that the majority is like us....I have seen so much insanity in the past 10 years...

it scares me.

[stellanoir]

14. If you look at most of recorded history it'll scare ya too.

One of my favorite quotations is "insanity is a sane response to an insane world."

However I *do* differentiate between gently playful magical thinking versus the short sighted, selfish, greedy, hateful, intolerant, hypocritical, inhumane, unconscious, cruel, unenlightened, disingenuous, and utterly deceitful behaviors that are given platforms and are on parade in our allegedly representative leadership and mostly paltry punditry.

The dumber manifestation of insanity has had me energetically paralyzed intermittently and thoroughly flummoxed throughout the last decade as well. I've known most of my life that government was corrupt though I never thought it would be so blatantly so.

I also sensed that things would get worse before they got better but never thought we'd fall so far so fast. Then again I blogged in '03 shortly after our not so excellent adventure in Iraq was launched that we were witnessing the fall of Rome redux.

Now that the mercenaries have been suitably enriched they're having "fire sales" as they gut the equipment from the bases in Iraq while our educational standards erode, our infrastructure crumbles, and the middle class goes "poof." Oh joy.

Every Imperial power throughout history has largely been undermined by the same influences. Ahhh. . .Those would be the hubris of some coupled with a populous lulled into a false sense of complacency and wrongly presumed powerlessness.

So it has gone.

I'm deluded enough to believe that it simply doesn't have to be that way any longer.

Maybe just maybe superpowers are no longer appropriate for this still new millennium.

Maybe I foolishly talk to too many furry and feathered friends.

Look maybe try to not buy into the fear. The pseudo powers that be spread that like a blinding veneer to obfuscate their nefarious deeds and to avoid their more than obvious direct and indirect culpability.

Not only have they demonized muslims but all migrant workers and people of alternate sexual persuasions whilst perpetuating the need for the former (slave labor) and often repressed and/or masked the latter's proclivities within themselves.

Humor is the best deflector of fear of which I am aware. Sometimes it's tough to sustain levity in the face of all this crap but it'll get ya through I promise.

Don't let the suckers get ya down.

Whenever I have a client who says that they're scared I say "BOO" really loudly and then smile and they laugh and then I say "there I'm glad we got that over with. Now what do you want to talk about. . .?

Chin up. This could get really interesting.

[Blue Owl]

2. Fantastic -- thanks!

That's something I would enjoy telling a teabagger.

Followed by a "you mean you didn't hear this on FOX news?"

[MineralMan]

3. Refer them to this link:

http://www.jewsonfirst.org/07c/pentagon_chaplain_spinks.pdf

It has the regular schedule of services in the 9/11 Memorial Chapel.

Muslim service each Friday at 1400 hours, and Muslim prayers M-F at 1400 hours.

You can't get on the Pentagon Chaplain's web site without a security card, but this PDF is a copy of the schedule that is there.

[Whoa_Nelly]

5. There is no statue of Mohammed within the National Statue Sanctuary

Pics of all statues here: National Statuary Hall Collection http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Statuary_Hall_Collection

However, in the courtroom in a frieze are depictions of lawmakers throughout time, including Moses and Muhammed.

http://branemrys.blogspot.com/2006/02/supreme-court-friezes.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Supreme_Court_Building

[stellanoir]

8. Thanks for the correction and the links.

I heard that report years ago and didn't archive it and didn't take the time to do a search since I'm multitasking.

I referenced your links in the OP as soon as I saw them.

Thanks again.

[TreasonousBastard]

13. Wombat speaks the truth.

[I Have A Dream]

15. These are some really interesting facts.

I've pretty much stopped trying to reason with people who aren't part of the "reality-based" community, but I've tucked these facts away just in case I might come across someone who isn't of my political persuasion who is still able to be objective.

Thanks for posting, stella; love, love, love the wombat! :D