On "The Ground Zero Mosque"

The older I get the heavier and less forgiving gravity becomes, the more effort I have to put into keeping my chin up. People discus me. The person is beautiful. I love the person. But when you group them together, they are scarier than a cloud of locus.

This country was built on certain ideas, many of which are spelled out very clearly in the Bill of Rights. For those of you who didn’t go to a fantastic public school like I did, here is your Bill of Rights:

Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Amendment II
A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.

Amendment III
No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

Amendment IV
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Amendment V
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Amendment VI
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.

Amendment VII
In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

Amendment VIII
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

Amendment IX
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

Amendment X
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.


These are just ten of twenty seven amendments to the constitution. Originally, they thought there would be no need to ever amend the constitution because it was so perfect. It is almost foolish when you think about it. Reminds me of when Charles H. Duell supposedly quit the patent office.

I’m no lawyer, but one of our best amendments is the first one. It says that the government should not create a state religion (because at the time, the United States was not yet a Christian nation) and that everyone is free to practice their own religion, or lack thereof. Then, of course, the freedom of speech, assembly, press, and to petition the government. So many good ideas wrapped up in only forty-five words.

Without the proud strong people of this country who don’t like to run around making a mess of things, who like to remember this country from whence it came, the liberal yahoos would make such a mess of this Constitution and Bill of Rights so as to make it unrecognizable. Thank god we have good strong proud Americans with conservative ideas towards these sacred documents.

And it makes me scratch my head, and rub my neck in confusion with the most recent back lash against the religion of Islam. I try to understand why some people in this country hate Muslims, burn the Koran, and want to stop Muslims from building Mosques, not just in lower Manhattan, but in other parts of this country. I guess I get that Osama bin Laden was a Muslim to some degree, and so they hate him and everything he stands for, including his religion, but don’t you remember Hitler? He was a Christian. Am I saying that Christians are like Hitler? Well, no more so then Muslims are like bin Laden.

Everyone understands that building a mosque near ground zero is a sensitive subject, but it shouldn’t be. Every soldier overseas is fighting for that mosque, and the other mosques that have been met with resistance. Every Muslim has every right to practice their religion anywhere they damn well please. They have a right to do it outside the steps of any church or synagogue. And even if you hate Muslims as much as those people who protest at the funerals of fallen soldiers, or the Neo-Nazis marching through Skokie, well that’s your problem. This country, as you know, hold certain truths to be self evident, and if those truths aren’t evident to you, go read the constitution again. Then, after that, go read the Koran. You know we know more about Mary, Jesus’ mother, from the stories of the Koran than the stories of the Bible? As the New Testament was a continuation to the Jewish Old Testament, the Koran is a continuation to the bible.

I just hope that more level headed educated people will begin to step forward and voice their support for the ideas this country was built on and to let our Muslim brothers and sisters know that in this country, they have not just the right, ideologically, but legally, to practice their religion.

The November elections are quickly approaching, and I call on all officials running for office, Republicans and Democrats, to publically voice their support for our first amendment, which includes Muslims’ right to practice their religion.

On the other hand, nobody reads this damned blog anyway.


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President Obama: “Let me be clear: as a citizen, and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as anyone else in this country. That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in Lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances. This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakeable.”