I want Obama to strongly condemn the Quran buring & then state "I don't give a flying FUCK . . ."

[wndycty]

. . ."if you think I am a Muslim. Burning the Quran is fucking wrong, is fucking stupid and is fucking anti-American."

Now that would be a speech!

I know he won't/can't but it would be a hell of a statement.

[doc03]

1. With the political climate in this country today

he would probably gain 20 points in the polls if he backed the idea.

[brendan120678]

2. Is burning the Koran any different than...

burning a U.S. Flag, or a bible, or any other form of religious/political speech?
Yes, it's insensitive - but it isn't necessarily "un-American."

[crim son]

3. Insensitive and appallingly stupid.

A lot of peole might consider it exactly what one might expect from America these days.

[wndycty]

4. Being an asshole is unAmerican

Being intolerant is unAmerican.

[Deep13]

9. I disagree on both counts.

First of all, I don't share the idea that tolerance is any kind of goal. It almost implies that one has a reason to resent others, but will put up with them anyway. The goal should be to remove irrational and baseless causes of fear/hate and resentment from our thinking and actions. For example, it's not so much that I tolerate people of other races as I know that there is almost no biological basis for the concept of race and that it simply is not a valid reason for drawing distinctions. Likewise, I would not hold religious designation against someone. I will say that as a general observation, the more openly religious someone is, the less I tend to like or respect the person. But simply coming from a Muslim, Hindu etc. background is nothing to hold against a person. If the president really were a secular Muslim instead of a secular Christian, I really wouldn't care.

"Asshole" means different things to different people. One thing it can mean is someone willing to point out contrarian ways of looking at things in a way that others find offensive. Often, the mere subject matter is enough for the "asshole" label. Nevertheless, I think it is important for the smug status quo point of view to be challenged, even if it makes us uncomfortable to hear it. Muslims have no better reason for revering the Quran than this group of Christians has for burning them. If this is a matter of religious freedom, then Muslims have every right to print and read the Quran just as those Christians have every right to protest it by burning their own copies.

[SoxFan]

19. +1

[earthside]

5. Not 'un-American'

In fact, distinctly and uniquely 'American!'

Freedom of speech ... First Amendment.

But, indeed, incredibly stupid and destructive.

And, ironic that Freedom of Speech even protects one of the most symbolically anti-freedom activities: book burning.

[EC]

14. OP didn't say un-American

it says anti-American..rather not in our interest...

[Deep13]

6. Why would he do that?

The same First Amendment that protects the right to read and print the Quran and the right to practice its religion also protects the rights of others to be against it. We are not talking about governmental censorship here. We are talking about the right of a religious group to practice their religion by burning their own copies of the Quran to protest what they regard as a false revelation. It's moronic. It's intolerant. But that's what religion is. Neither side has any better reason for its beliefs than the other. If you support the right of religious minorities to practice their religion, than you have to respect the rights of rival religious groups to oppose them on theological grounds.

[wndycty]

7. I think Bush or Clinton would be able to come out and say they shouldn't do it. . .

. . .if Gen. Petraeus felt the need to comment on it then I don't see why the president should be quiet. Additionally, I wonder if Petraeus's statement might not have been done in concert with the administration.

Obama is a moral leader, every president is and as a moral leader he is allowed to condemn this.

[Deep13]

10. "...as a moral leader he is allowed to condemn this."

On what basis? What are the burners doing that is immoral? They want to burn their own Qurans as an expression of their religious beliefs. It has nothing to do with anyone else, Muslim or otherwise.

[wndycty]

12. Ok, go ahead defend it then

:kick:

[Deep13]

13. I'm not defending it. ...

I'm simply pointing out that governmental intervention has no place in purely theological disputes. The Christian group has no basis for thinking Christianity is right and Islam wrong. The reverse of that is true too. Muslims have no basis for thinking there is anything special about their own holy book or for offense if copies are destroyed. The whole thing is idiotic no matter how one looks at it.

[VMI Dem]

8. He won't comment on the wisdom of it.

[Radical Activist]

11. I wanted him to grow a fro and raise a black power fist at the inauguration

just to make racist whiteys shit their pants. But these things don't happen.

[SoxFan]

20. I was thinking...

[Radical Activist]

21. Flavor Flav!

Hey, at least we got that old commie Pete Seeger.

[babylonsister]

24. LOL! Darn the bad luck! nt

[FrenchieCat]

15. Get in line!

There is a long one of what folks want Obama to do.
Sorry....but it's just true. :shrug:

[Imajika]

16. Why is it any more wrong than burning a flag?

I don't have any problem with some idiot burning a Bible, Quran, flag, etc.

Wouldn't that be sending the wrong message to say it is "fucking wrong"?

If I stood up and declared I was burning a bible, no one much would care. So why is the media giving this so much coverage? Just to incite a bunch of religious fanatics overseas?

[nemo137]

17. If you burned a bible, no one would care

because the country is majority Christian, and Christians have the power, politically and in terms of numbers, influence on the culture, etc. Burning a Quran tells a relatively-powerless minority - one which is already constantly under accusations of disloyalty, and is being actively prevented from enjoying the same rights and protections as other groups of citizens - that they are not welcome, and in danger. It's more like burning a cross than burning a bible.

[SoxFan]

18. That sounds more like Biden!

[scheming daemons]

22. No... he was smart to let Petraeus do it... we don't need another 2 weeks of

"Is Obama a secret muslim?"

[prolesunited]

23. Not very good PR advice

lol