Even my rinky-dink newspaper gets it: "Ground Zero Mosque" is political hype!

[LynneSin]

http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20100819/NEWS02/8190335/Mosque-rhetoric-veers-far-from-facts

Mosque rhetoric veers far from the facts
Imam not a radical; site not at ground zero; it's not a secret plot

WASHINGTON -- A New York imam and his proposed mosque near ground zero are being demonized by political candidates -- mostly Republicans -- despite the fact that Islam is already very much a part of the Lower Manhattan neighborhood. And that Muslims pray inside the Pentagon, too, less than 80 feet from where terrorists attacked.

administrations as a moderate face of the faith.

Even so, the project stirs complicated emotions, and Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf is a complex figure who defies easy categorization in the American Muslim world.

He's devoted much of his career to working closely with Christians, Jews and secular leaders to advance interfaith understanding. He's scolded his own religion for being in some ways in the "Dark Ages." Yet he's also accused the U.S. of spilling more innocent blood than al-Qaida, the terrorist network that turned the World Trade Center, part of the Pentagon and four hijacked airplanes to apocalyptic rubble.

Many Republicans and some Democrats say the proposed $100 million Islamic cultural center and mosque should be built elsewhere, where there is no possible association with New York's ground zero. Far more than a local zoning issue, the matter has seized congressional campaigns, put President Barack Obama and his party on the spot -- he says Muslims have the right to build the mosque -- divided families of the 9/11 victims, caught the attention of Muslims abroad and threatened to blur distinctions between mainstream Islam in the U.S. and its radical elements.

[RoccoR5955]

1. Two facts that most of the MSM doesn't get

1) It's not a mosque, it's a community center, with a space for prayer,
2) It's not at ground zero, it's a few blocks away, and you couldn't see the towers if they were still standing from the site.

NYC is like this, especially downtown. If you walk around the block, you are in a different world, let alone a different neighborhood.

[Jennicut]

3. 3) Not all Muslims are extremists 4) We do have freedom to practice religion in the US

or did that change? It is not freedom when you are told you can only practice in certain areas (besides political of course).

[mike r]

2. "Ground Zero Mosque" was probably a Frank Luntz creation

like his "death tax"

[LynneSin]

4. and "death panels" and "Partial Birth Abortions"

these things aren't real but they sure sound scary!