I’m sure this mosque vandalism, like yesterday’s cabbie stabbing, is another isolated incident that has nothing to do with the hateful rhetoric spewed by 2009’s most frequent guest on Meet the Press, Newt Gingrich, and the rest of the assholes hoping to leverage the base fears and prejudices of an ignorant minority.
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Jack Bauer
And the middle class fascist Geert Wilders is visiting Ground Zero on 9/11: http://christopher-conservativeperspective.blogspot.com/2010/08/geert-wilders-to-visit-nyc-on-9-11.html
I think it’s about time those on the ‘left’ start standing up.
kommrade reproductive vigor
Of course these incidents are completely unrelated and you’re a mean nasty anti-Christian bigot for even suggesting such a thing.
Oh look, you made Newt cry. Are you happy now, you monster!
Warren Terra
The Really Very Extremely Reverend Ross Douthat would prefer that we view these sad events as a little bit of unfortunate overexuberence within a larger social project of helping the Muslims assimilate by means of institutionalized repression. Omelettes, eggshells, etcetera.
Warren Terra
@Jack Bauer
Mr. Wilders is, I believe, Dutch, so I can only hope that, as he goes to Manhattan to protest against the imposition of a cultural center in some distant way connected with the perpetrators of an assault on Manhattan, he will be entirely consistent and demand the removal of all English-language signs and other Anglo institutions built upon the sacred site of New Amsterdam.
someguy
I know I’m just some asshole commenting on the web but I think I saw that the guy who stabbed the cabbie works for a pro- Park 51 mosque group, and was shitfaced. Not sure you can draw any conclusions from that, though if it makes you feel better to blame Newt then I’m with you.
Starfish
@someguy: You are only partly right. The problems with alcohol part is right. Everything I am reading about the other part of what you wrote was exactly the opposite of what you are saying.
Jack Bauer
@someguy: Yeah, and Mel Gibson deserves the benefit of the doubt too.
NY Post:
Craig Pennington
@Starfish & @Jack Bauer — According to the group Intersections International, Enright did volunteer with their Veterans-Civilian Dialogue project. From:
http://www.intersectionsinternational.org/programs/consequences-conflict/veteran-civilian-dialogue
Intersections International has come out in support of Park51.
[Update] I think that Enright’s work with II is specific to the subject of his film and independent of the interfaith projects and positions of Intersections International.
Jack Bauer
@Craig Pennington: Yeah…
Seriously, he asks if the guy is a Muslim then knifes him several times.
What the fuck else do I need to know? Did he get too embedded with his Marine Unit, is there some PTSD involved? Maybe… maybe… but the most relevant indicator of his motivation were his words and actions. And a political climate that equates all Muslims with being very dangerous bad guys.
Craig Pennington
@Jack Bauer:
I do not disagree with you, nor was I intending to defend someguy’s implication that Newt’s demagoguery was blameless, I just wanted y’all to know whence comes the claim that Enright worked for a pro Park51 organization.
Frank
Isn’t nice that all Christians are part of such a peaceful religion compared to Islam which is bent on taken over the world? At least if I’m to believe the idiot from Alaska and her Newt.
Pancake
When 71% of Americans think building a mosque two blocks from Ground Zero, then it’s hardly a small minority who have a problem. This is a stat from yesterday’s CBS News.
Frank
@Pancake:
It is funny how you always show the poll for our entire country but always fail to include a poll for Manhattan (where the community center will actually be located). It is 53% for and 31% against among Manhattan people. Who cares what some narrow minded person from Kentucky thinks about a community center in Manhattan???
Speaking of nationwide polls, there were about 70% who were for the expensive and disastrous war in Iraq. I guess we should have listened to the minority, shouldn’t we?
I bet close to 100% of the world’s population at one point erroneously thought our planet was flat. I guess they were wrong, weren’t they?
Svensker
@Pancake:
Which is why we’re (purportedly) a constitutional republic rather than a flat out democracy. Mobs aren’t always in the right, you’ll be surprised to know.
Say, how’d that knifing make you feel? A little tingle up the leg?
Svensker
@Jack Bauer:
I wonder if Newt will have an objection to a known fascist using our “hallowed ground” for political purposes. I wonder.
El Cid
@Pancake:
When the fact that a majority of Americans surveyed are against a war has a prompt causal effect in making that war end, I’ll think about this point as a serious debating point.
But also, by this logic, only 50% of biology classes should be based on evolution, and only 75% of students should be forced to learn that the Earth revolves around the Sun and vice versa.
Hopefully we’ll set up an entire governing system based upon polled majority-based chauvinism.
Chad N Freude
@Warren Terra: @Warren Terra: Somebody’s starting the day on a roll.
Linda Featheringill
@someguy:
Sorry about the language problem, caused by a generation gap and not by living in another country or anything.
Did you just say that you saw Enright before the attack on the cabby took place and Enright was really quite drunk?
Chad N Freude
@El Cid: Don’t forget the poll that showed Murkowski beating Miller 62% to 30%.
Chad N Freude
@Linda Featheringill: Misreading: “I think I saw that … “I tawt I taw a puddy tat” is different from “I tawt I taw dat a puddy tat was ovah deah”.
/English lesson
Chad N Freude
Metaphysical question of the day: Why does anyone here pay any attention to the commenter whose nom d’ecran indicates the depth of his thought?
Pancake
@Svensker:
That accused individual wielding the knife happens to be a member of your Klan, not a rightie.
Linda Featheringill
@Jack Bauer:
PVV of the Netherlands, billing itself as the Anti-Islamic Freedom Party:
Oy vey. [And I’m not even Jewish.]
As I looked into the party online, I felt I had entered a time machine and was switched back to Germany in the early 1930s.
Fascism, bigotry, xenophobia, and eagerness to persecute minorities who are too few to effectively defend themselves. Damn. Will that beast never die?
Linda Featheringill
@Chad N Freude:
Misreading the comment:
You’re right. I apparently skipped over a word.
Thanks, Shoddie. :-)
cyd
I predict, at some point, that people will go around to Muslim-owned businesses and break their windows.
Chad N Freude
@Linda Featheringill: The thing that surprises me about Wilders and his neo-Nazi party is that the Dutch have always been a liberal, tolerant nation.
YellowJournalism
From the article, one of the radio hosts whipping things up speaks in his own defense about the vandalism:
The use of the word “knuckleheads” seems dismissive of the entire situation, as if the vandalism were more akin to a bunch of fratboys mooning people from the window of their car.
In the comments, there’s a discussion on whether Imam Rauf is a “‘good’ Muslim” or not. Anyone else think “good Muslim” is the new “articulate black”?
wilfred
@Pancake:
I was wondering why this has not received that much attention, until I read this comment.
Since the attempted murderer apparently can’t be located politically, the knee jerk Manichean discourse hasn’t kicked in. As usual, it’s not the act, it’s the actor.
The NYT buried the story already and chose to give front page space to this man of G-d instead:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/26/us/26gainesville.html?hp
Talk about solipsism.
cleek
about attempting to pinpoint the attempted murderer’s political views…
people should be careful not to use his actions to smear everyone else who shares his political views (whatever they are). because, ya know, that’s what the anti-Cordoba people are doing.
wobbly
A lot of drunks in Manhattan are going to be walking home for the foreseeable future!
Jack Bauer
@Chad N Freude: Fascist politics are present in just about every EU nation, think football hooligan nationalism plus economic downturn plus immigrant Muslims, and you pretty much have the fascists brew.
The difference in the US is that the far right has plenty of representation in mainstream politics, thanks to people like Gingrich, Palin and others.
Svensker
@Pancake:
He seems to be a crazy person who, whether because of the recent mob hysteria whipped up by righties or because of the US’s War on a Lot of Muslims whipped up by cowardly bastards on both sides of the aisle, decided his inner state would be helped by killing a Muslim.
We are going to reap the whirlwind, I’m afraid. This was just a little portentous zephyr.
Kryptik
You know, as much as I have problems with Obama, I realize he’s still been generally a net good. But what amazes me really that…for all the criticisms about Obama made (at least the ones based on policy, rather than certain other things…), everything Obama is criticized for being, David Patterson truly is, in all his disastrousness. I mean…take this:
While it’s…er…from a Politico hack, I still think Ben Smith has the best ‘shorter’ on this: “The mosque must be moved because its opponents are crazed, violent bigots who need to be appeased. “
groover
I’m afraid we’re going to talking about another kristallnacht pretty soon. I hope it doesn’t take that for us to wake up and smell the Teabaggers/Brownshirts.
Econwatcher
It’s really amazing to have something brew this long, based entirely on falsifications: 1. Not really at ground zero.
2. Not really a mosque.
Truthfully, if it really were a mosque being built on ground zero, I’d have an issue too–not because of any beef with Islam, but because I would not want any religious denomination to try to appropriate the site of this national tragedy for itself, for symbolic or other purposes. Wouldn’t want a Catholic Church on ground zero either.
That’s why I don’t think the opinion polling on this can necessairly be interpreted as a symptom of bigotry. You’d first have to get a clear handle on how many of the respondents base their opinions on misinformation.
kommrade reproductive vigor
From wilfred’s link:
No, no, no. It CAN’T be terrorism if a Chrisitan does it to a heathen!
They hate you for your freedoms, sweetie.
Allison W.
may I ask a question of those claiming that this is more of Obama’s bipartisanship juicey goodness? so what if it is? How would you feel if W put a deficit commission together and only appointed conservatives and right wingers? would you find the report of that commission credible? And since when does anyone take a commission seriously anyway?
And seriously, replace Simpson with? Obama’s just going to put up another republican who’s views on SS you don’t like. Except the new guy won’t be sending stupid e-mails with the words tits in it.
J sub D
Pro-Cordoba House Group Ties Harry Reid And Howard Dean To Muslim Cab Driver Stabbing
Bill Murray
@Warren Terra: New Amsterdam, it’s become much too much. But I would like to hear Wilders speak double Dutch to a real double duchess