All this stuerm und drang about this (proposed) muslim community center near ground zero is really irritating to me, on several levels. First of all, given how severe their shortage of funds is, it'll probably never happen.
Second, why is it such a big deal to have a mosque two blocks from ground zero, whereas the one that's been four blocks away for the last forty or so years (yes, it predates the twin towers) is ok.
Third, and most importantly, why are people so anxious to start up a holy war? Did we really learn nothing from the Crusades and the Inquisition?
If you really want to ensure an endless supply of terrorists, demonstrations saying that putting up a mosque in the US is unacceptable is probably the single best way to do it. (It's a tough call between that and invading islamic countries, but given that we've already made that mistake (twice!), I think I'd have to call this the most efficient.) Making a holy war out of it will radicalize significant elements of the muslim population, so that it isn't just a few extremists.
This sort of incredibly short-sighted thinking just really gets my goat, even ignoring how hateful the entire operation is.
The one thing I will say is that I was pleasantly surprised that the various Fox News hosts were not in lock-step in pushing this hatred. At least a few of them stepped back, and said, "This is ridiculous. We can't change the very basis on which this country was founded." I wish all of them had said something along those lines, but it was at least encouraging to see a few of them do so.
Update: Some support for what I said.
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