One of the biggest news stories from the American political scene this week has been the continuing public debate about the possibility of a mosque being built a few blocks away from Ground Zero in Manhattan.And there are really only four camps of thought: You can think the construction of a mosque near Ground Zero is all well and good; that it’s tasteless but legal; that it’s illegal and therefore not allowed; or that legal or illegal, America was attacked by Islam on 9/11 so fuck the Constitution.
However, despite the fact that only the first two possibilities are acceptable answers, it’s the people in the last two camps that have whipped up this frenzy. What country do they think they are living in? This is the land of the free—the place people left bogus countries to escape religious persecution for. This is what makes America special.
If you can’t build a mosque anywhere you want to in this country, well, we might as well get rid of baseball too. In America, you can pray to whichever deity you prefer. That’s kind of the point. That's what makes this not Saudi Arabia, dicknose.
Just like anyone who wants to build a church or a synagogue in this country, once a prospective mosque builder has cleared all the zoning laws and has all his permits, he’s all set. God Bless America.
The building of a mosque near Ground Zero is perfectly legal. I have no problem with people debating whether a mosque there is tasteful or not, although I don’t think that should enter into it either.
There’s already another mosque just four blocks away from Ground Zero, which makes this whole skirmish really retarded. If both represent Islam, which supposedly represents terrorists, why not go protest outside that other mosque too? So the only asinine option left—unless you're fine with it—is that you don’t want a mosque near Ground Zero because you believe it’s a trophy for the whole Islamic world that attacked us on 9/11 and now wants to rub our noses in it. And if you believe that, odds are you’ll be present at Glenn Beck’s egomania hijacking-history party at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., today.
The mosque issue really comes down to a question of tastefulness (or lack thereof), which is precisely how it is with Beck's shindig—not only will the doughy, fear-mongering, born-again Mormon be speaking at a sacred American site, but the exact site (not a few blocks away) and on the exact date of what made it sacred in the first place—Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech in 1963.The Civil Rights struggle and that speech in particular are way more important to America’s history than 9/11. The former was a brave, noble, righteous, necessary, positive action that will benefit future generations for as long as America exists—a struggle for Freedom.
On the other hand, 9/11 didn’t create much enduring positive change in America. Ground Zero and September 11 (the date) are sadly sacred. As evidenced by the Ground Zero mosque reaction, 9/11—although it united us all for about a year—has made us more bitter, more afraid, more divided, and less American.
Obviously, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf—the man who wants to build the mosque—wouldn’t be granted the land, but hypothetically, if he wanted to build a mosque right on top of Ground Zero, fund it blatantly with money from Hezbollah and throw a big ribbon-cutting party with a special videotaped message from Osama bin Laden on September 11th, 2011, that would be tastelessness of Glenn Beck proportions. Then and only then would the anti-mosque protesters have a point. And yet that is basically what Beck plans to do today. I understand this is America and he’s allowed to say what he wants, when he wants, where he wants, and that is truly terrific, but today’s Lincoln Memorial gimmick is the most disrespectful thing I’ll likely ever encounter as far as the total desecration of a sacred American site on the anniversary of the day that made it sacred, no less.
And, for what it’s worth, in 2006, before he worked for Fox News, Beck was on Good Morning America with none other than Imam Faisal Abdul Rauf, who, at the time, Beck praised as a moderate Muslim. Drawing a distinction between terrorists and ordinary Muslims, back then Beck said, “I believe it's a small portion of Islam that is acting in these ways.” But recently Beck has denounced the same man as an extremist and referred to the Manhattan mosque as an “Allah-tells-me-to-blow-up-America mosque.”This mosque controversy has nothing on the way Beck’s getting ready to shit on King’s legacy. Obviously you wouldn’t get that sense based on this past week’s media coverage.
Jesus freaks out in the street
Today’s Beckapalooza will feature thousands of Beck’s racist fans from across the country. But the event is being called “Restoring America’s Honor.” Hmm, a stinking piece of shit given a rosy smelling name. Sound familiar? It reminds me of a short-sighted, unnecessary war called “Operation: Iraqi Freedom,” a pointless and reckless campaign that desperately needed public support. Beck just desperately needs attention.Speaking of which, that was when America’s honor was actually in question—when our previous retarded elephant regime reacted to 9/11 with a wrong war that killed thousands for no good reason.
The word honor is defined as “honesty, fairness, or integrity in one's beliefs and actions.” Beck’s lynch mob would no doubt disagree, but to me, that sounds more like a description of President Barack Obama than it does Beck, a self-described “rodeo clown” hack who said publicly just last summer, “This president I think has exposed himself, I think, as a guy, over and over again, who has a deep seated hatred for white people or white culture—I don’t know what it is … I’m not saying that he doesn’t like white people; I’m saying he has a problem. This guy is, I believe, a racist.”
Sound honorable?
In fact, Brother Beck—knowing this would be the largest (unofficial) Tea Party rally yet by far—had to urge his followers to leave their racist signs decked out with fabulous swastikas at home this time. If those fuckers showed up the way they usually do for these things, today, at that symbolic place and time, with all their anti-American, Nazi signage, I think the black folks with brains would march down there and kick some bigoted Beck groupie butt. Interestingly, Beck has some black fans. Most, I assume are not very smart and/or very religious and therefore get fooled by Beck’s daily dramedy of fears, tears, and endless talk about the importance of faith and how America is going down the toilet due to its lack of it.
Beck has found a way to get rich exploiting people’s fears—people who are just slightly more ignorant and misguided than he is. He has no moral fiber; he doesn’t care about Americans or even humanity. He terrorizes the unintelligent among us every day, all day long between his radio and TV shows. Technically, Glenn Beck is a terrorist.Beck has called it “divine providence” that his 8/28 event was supposedly coincidentally set for this historic date, but that he intends to “reclaim the civil rights movement” as long as he’s there.
But why do these scared, hateful honkies need a civil rights movement? The notion is so bizarre and nonsensical that it’s hilarious. Beck has also promised us a “miracle” will occur at today’s rally. And although I’m sure it was just a ploy to fill the seats with Jesus freaks, if his mindless minions can behave today and appear more-or-less to be without Nazi accessories, I would consider that miraculous.The unfortunate souls whose minds are controlled by Beck are the same numbskulls protesting a mosque daily in New York City because they think that Islam attacked America on 9/11. Not surprising since figures like Beck earn a living getting them all worked up and freaked out about dark-skinned people like our evil president.
Today’s ill-conceived, ridiculously timed publicity stunt is a total travesty, and a slap in the face to everyone involved in the Civil Rights movement.
Beck has no taste; he has no soul; the content of his character is that of a swindler. Like Fox News, he’s an enemy of America and everything she stands for.
And don’t get me wrong, I think Islam is old-fashioned and gay as Hell—like all religions.
