Another reason Gov. Dean should have kept his mouth shut.

[Stoic]

Don't get me wrong. I love me some Howard Dean, but in opening his mouth and trying to go all "reasonably" about the Park51 issue he's aligned himself with the likes of Pamela Geller who should be rounded up and administered treatment for an end-stage rabies psychosis. Once you're on that side of an argument there is no way to wash off the stink.

Whiskeyfire

"Talking Points Memo interviews hate monger Pamela Geller, and what comes through more than anything else is Geller’s obsessive paranoid xenophobia. She sees all Muslims, even American citizens who live and work in the same city she does, and who were shocked and devastated on 9/11 just like she was, as cultural invaders with nasty traditions and violent tendencies and secret sympathy for mass murder. All of them. No exceptions. For Pamela Geller, there’s no difference between the developers of the Cordoba House project and Osama bin Laden."

And, btw, I disagree with Dean's reasoning anyway. We should be a nation of fundamental principals and not one that easily looks the other way because a portion, even a majority portion doesn't like something. Dean screwed up on this one.

[RandomThoughts]

1. I disagree with him on that also.

Think there is politicking going on about that issue.

[RandomThoughts]

26. Whoops my mistake there.

Just heard him on KO, and he said it the same as my view, guess I should not have assumed some post about his opinion was his opinion.

Once I actually heard what he said it made sense.

[damntexdem]

2. He really screwed the pooch.

He'll have a lot of climbing to do to emerge from that hole he dug himself.

[EFerrari]

3. It begins to look like the Democrats decided to take both sides

to shrink the target. Or, maybe I'm just :tinfoilhat:

[DevonRex]

15. No, most Democrats are right on this. A very few, like Dean, are dead wrong.

Don't try to make this a "Democrats" thing when it's a few who are wrong. Dean is wrong because he's wrong. Reid is wrong because he's wrong. Period.

[EFerrari]

19. You really do see an attack where there is none.

And it's tiresome.

My point was, there have been Democrats on both sides so it can't be made into a "Democrats" thing.

[DevonRex]

20. I'm sorry then for taking it the wrong way. I assumed you meant it was a group decision.

My bad. :hi:

[aquart]

4. Freedom of worship but not freedom of speech.

Oh well. Guess those rights aren't absolute, huh? On account of some think the remarks were inappropriate or insensitive or just wrong in context?

LOL. Hypocrisy much?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

5. Oh look, it's this misinterpretation again.

Did anybody say Dean did not have the right to be a dumbass bigot?

[NoNothing]

6. And who is saying they don't have the right to build their stupid community center?

Certainly not Dean.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

8. Well, there's the bigots suing to stop the community center.

And then there are the bigots lending them moral support.

[NoNothing]

11. I see what you mean

IF ONLY someone could clearly state the distinction between supporting the legal right and supporting the specific judgment call. But alas, I suppose nobody will, and we will be forced to make it an all-or-nothing issue.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

12. Because that distinction really needs to be made.

Because it's not perfectly clear that these people are being targeted over their religion, and not some legitimate reason to stop construction.

:crazy:

[NoNothing]

13. So now it is "bigotry" to oppose religions?

It's not "legitimate" to oppose construction of a building designed to spread and further religion?

When did this happen?

[riderinthestorm]

16. Yes. This is the new DU meme of the moment. Even a mosque in the Pentagon is now okay on DU

When did religious institutions having religious centers in our nation's premier war building become okay also? I dunno but there it is.

Oh, and for what it's worth, any hesitation or questions over the financing, that it may be Saudi money since the builders of the community center/mosque are not being transparent and well, building mosques is what the Saudis do, well that's reason for being called a bigot too.

Questioning the financing of this place, questioning religious influences on the military, questioning the proliferation of MORE religious centers - all of that is now verboten and will earn you the title of "bigot" as well.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

17. Is it racism to be against skin color?

[NoNothing]

18. Yes.

Next question.

[sabrina 1]

22. I see people saying he was wrong. And the President

laid out the Constitutional reasons for why so many, even some Repubs, agree as to what the correct position on this should be.

But no one said Dean did not have the right to offer his opinion, just that his opinion is wrong. Unless we do not believe in the Constitution, then of course his opinion could be either right or wrong.

[pscot]

7. I agree with Dean

Just because you have the right to do something, doesn't mean you should do it.

[Kahuna]

9. How far away from ground zero is far enough?

[RaleighNCDUer]

10. I agree with the sentiment, but not this particular.

You have a right to open carry at a political event - that doesn't mean you should.

OTOH, they have a right to build their community center, and I think they should. The WTC site itself is not sacred ground - hallowed, perhaps, but not sacred - and three blocks from the site is even less so.

This is not about 'disrespect' or 'insensitivity'. It is about religious bigotry and the bigots don't want to accept the wrong religion establishing a true sacred space (as the prayer room in the community center would be) anywhere in the area - despite the fact that there are several sacred spaces with a few blocks of the WTC site already, at least one of which is Muslim.

This is, and always has been, about RW religious bigotry.

[pscot]

21. The irony is

According to Politico, they don't own the site, they don't have an architect or a plan, and they don't have any money. So what the hell is going on?

[kiranon]

24. Easy. Right wing propaganda to divert attention from other issues

such as Republicans not voting to extend benefits to the 9/11 responders and to bash Democrats/Obama and soften up the electorate for the fall elections.

[riderinthestorm]

25. Do you have a link to that Politico article?

I was curious about the plan and couldn't find anything online about it. A 2000 person mosque is going to take up about 25,000 sq feet (from what I know about mega churches in battles I've witnessed in Wheaton, IL) of the 100,000 sq ft center. But that's just a guess from what I know about building codes in my neck of the woods.

That's an enormous space for worship! I know there has been a lot of discussion about whether it's a mosque, or not a mosque, or just a community center so I was curious if any other part of the plan included as much square footage devoted to any other part of the center.

I'd be curious to read any article about what's actually nailed down about the project other than the city council approval of the landmark status (or lack thereof) of the present building.

[carolinayellowdog]

14. I feel less guilty now for not voting for him in the 2004 primary

but it still bothers me that I voted for Edwards

[Fleshdancer]

23. Dean will be on Olbermann tonight to discuss this issue

I am really interested to hear what he has to say since I'm sure he's well aware of how people are reacting to his initial comments.