August 15, 2010
Some of Rep Peter King’s (R-NY) comments re: barry’s endorsement of the mosque.
REP KING: President Obama is wrong. It is insensitive and uncaring for the Muslim community to build a mosque in the shadow of ground zero.
While the Muslim community has the right to build the mosque, they are abusing that right by needlessly offending so many people who have suffered so much. The right and moral thing for President Obama to have done was to urge Muslim leaders to respect the families of those who died and move their mosque away from Ground Zero. Unfortunately, the President caved into political correctness.
State of the Union with Candy Crowley (who is doing a great job) and Rep King follows.
Building the mosque is not an issue of freedom of religion – it’s a matter of respect.
REP KING: Muslims have, as everyone else says, the right to practice their religion and they have the right to construct a mosque at Ground Zero if they wish.
What I am saying, though, is that they should listen to public opinion, they should listen to the deep wounds and anguish that this is causing to so many good people. And if the imam and the Muslim leadership in that community is so intent on building bridges, then they should voluntarily move the mosque away from ground zero and move it whether it’s uptown or somewhere else, but move it away from that area, the same as the Pope directed the Carmelite nuns to move a convent away from Auschwitz. This is such a raw wound and they are just pouring salt into it. And that’s my point.
I think the president, by the way, is trying to have it both ways, because I don’t know of anyone who was saying that Muslims do not have the right to practice their religion, but with rights go responsibilities, and that’s the part of it the president did not comment on.
How far is far enough away?
REP KING: Well, if the president is going to get involved, one way I would suggest is to have the leaders, the developers, the builders and the Muslim community meet with people who feel aggrieved, who do feel anguish, and arrive at a common site. Governor Paterson suggested that he would make state land available in New York for the construction of the mosque, and that’s what I would have — one way to build a bridge is to sit down and get a consensus as to where it would be acceptable. Because we do need mosques. I support mosques, obviously. We need churches, temples, mosques. Whatever people use to speak with their god or to receive spiritual inspiration is good for the country. But the symbolism of it at ground zero, within two blocks or three blocks, I believe is wrong. But let the Islamic leaders meet with those who feel aggrieved, and they can arrive at a common site.
barry trying to spin his comments on Saturday.
REP KING: Yes, The president is a gifted speaker. He is a tremendous communicator. Obviously his words were carefully chosen on Friday night, and the inference or the current impression everyone came away with was that he was saying he was supporting the mosque at ground zero, and that he can parse it later on and sort of back away, but the fact is, that is clearly the impression I believe he wanted to leave.
All I can think is perhaps there was political pressure from people in his own party who urged him to walk back away from that on Saturday. Let me just say, if Jerry Nadler had given a speech on this issue, nobody would have doubted where he stood and he would not be taking it back the next day.
If the president was going to get into this, he should have been much more clear, much more precise, and you can’t be changing your position from day to day on an issue which does go to our Constitution, and it also goes to extreme sensitivity. So that’s where I am critical of the president, for not being clear.
9-11 was an act of war declared on American in the name of Islam. The imam behind the mosque said on record in an interview that 9-11 was the US’ own fault and he has never retracted the statement. He also recently refused to denounce Hamas. So who is this man really reaching out to?
Rep Jerry Nadler was present to cheerlead in defense of the mosque: the mosque isn’t physically on Ground Zero, Islam didn’t attack America, the government shouldn’t get involved (the whole point that seemed to pass him by). If barry hadn’t mentioned that particular mosque – his words wouldn’t have been a problem – but he did.
REP KING: You know, I have a great respect for Jerry Nadler, but I really disagree with that opinion. And the reason I say this is, that they were – the attack was carried out in the name of Islam. And I visited many mosques before September 11th, and I was one of the first to defend the Muslim community after September 11th.
But I was extremely disappointed since then by so many leaders in the Muslim community who do not denounce Al Qaida, who — for instance, even this imam himself who wants to construct the mosque at ground zero, he says that the United States was an accessory to 9/11. He refuses to denounce Hamas as a terrorist organization. So the record is not that clear on this.
But there is no doubt that to have a 13-story, $100-million edifice within two blocks of ground zero — in fact, parts of the jets which crashed into the World Trade Center actually crashed into this building as well, that’s how close it is to it — is – it does open the wounds. It does put salt in the wounds.
And, again, it’s — the fact that so many people who were involved with it, I would disagree with Jerry, I think the overwhelming majority of the 9/11 families are opposed to it, and these are good people, they are not bigoted and they are not biased. But I am getting calls from people like Jimmy Boyle and Ernie Strata, Rosemary Caine, Frank Hast, and I can down the list. These people, the wounds of this are being torn apart for them now, and they are heartbroken over this.
And that is what I think the imam and the Muslim leadership should take into account. And I do think, as government officials, we have the right to speak out. I agree with Jerry. I don’t believe there is a role for the government as far as taking any administrative or executive or legislative action, I agree with that completely. But I do believe that is, as the president calls a teachable moment, and this is a teachable moment.
Teachable moments only seem to come about AFTER barry says something. Typical white person – race speech. Special Olympics joke – nothing. Attacks a white cop over race – beer summit. Fires Shirley Sherrod – race again – completely ignores her and her husband’s own bigoted words. Politically expedient mosque endorsement (on a weekend of course) and a simple spin.
