of courage; clearly, whatever the reason, lack of courage is not it.
"As a citizen, and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country," Obama said last night. "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 unshakable."
That, folks, is both courage and leadership because according to polls some 70% of the people in this nation are opposed to the mosque being built. They are wrong, and they needed a President of courage to tell them so. That is not a man looking for a parade to get in front of. That is a leader getting in front of what is right; not caring what will earn votes, what will make him popular, or what will sound good.
Political knaves and poltroons are criticizing that statement today, people who do not believe that this nation stands for anything other than raw power and self-aggrandizement. Those who hold to the real values upon which this nation were founded are cheered and uplifted by our President’s words.
"knaves and poltroons" ? you forgot charlatans, stuffed shirts,bombasts, fools, demagogues, and Hugo Chavez. Ok, never mind...
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree(d) with the President. And if you go further, you will see that it is not just a mosque, but a bunch of things, only one of which is a mosque. That's like saying the Catholics will build a community center, soup kitchen, school, and oh by the weay a chapel as well.
And it is (reportedly) by a pretty modest sect of Islam as well. I'd rather have that than a venom spewing right wing Christian fundamentalist whatever there. How in the heck are we supposed to understand other cultures, religions, whatever if we don;t allow them to be? And that works two ways.. if the rest ofthe world sees that we are intolerant, it only makes things worse. We need to show what we as a nation can be and should be, not the crassness of some of us.
Thank you Mr. President.