When I was in high school back in 1969 the year 2010 seemed light years away. It was the time when Stanly Kubrick's 2001:A Space Odyssey would be reality and at least I thought religous, racial, gender and homophobic fears would be a distant memory. Instead things are on a much different trajectory. Thanks to the tolerant religous right 2010 sees the Crusades still alive and well in the United States. Yes the CONservatives have figured out how to travel back in time. Not only that they have even been able to let discrimination masqurade as 'sensitivity' and fear be the guiding force instead of the Constitution.
The most ridiculous example is the Mosque proposed for lower Manhattan. How many times will we hear "They have the right to build the Mosque but should they". President Obama was right on target with his first statement concerning the right to build it then he stumbled on the should they part. Senator Reid just plain bypassed the Constitution and sided with the CONservative nutjobs. Fifty years ago there was a similiar question concerning Japanese Citizens. We know they have the right to stay in their homes but should they? In that instance fear won the day and the Constitution lost. I guess Senator Reid would have gone along with internment of Japanese citizens.
This year we will see on 9/11 the religously tolerant rightwing conservatives entertain us with a Koran burning at a church in Gainesville, Florida. and maybe a demonstration featuring Presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich at the site of the proposed Mosque in lower Manhattan. The latest on the church event is that the city of Gainesville has refused a burn permit for the Koran burning but that won't stop Pastor Terry Jones who vows to go ahead in spite of the lack of a permit. Nothing wrong with a good old fashioned book burning just ask any Nazi!
The saddest part of all this is the fact that many American Muslims died on 9/11. Do we ever see any of their stories on the news media? What about sensitivity to them concerning the building of the Muslim Center? Where are the interviews of the American Muslim famalies that lost loved ones on 9/11? Here's one story:
Imagine being the family of Salman Hamdani. The 23-year-old New York City police cadet was a part-time ambulance driver, incoming medical student, and devout Muslim. When he disappeared on September 11, law enforcement officials came to his family, seeking him for questioning in relation to the terrorist attacks. They allegedly believed he was somehow involved. His whereabouts were undetermined for over six months, until his remains were finally identified. He was found near the North Tower, with his EMT medical bag beside him, presumably doing everything he could to help those in need. His family could finally rest, knowing that he died the hero they always knew him to be.
Want to know more about this story and others here's one link: http://islam.about.com/... There are many others just google: american muslims that died on 9/11. The very fact we don't know this story is proof of how deep the hatred of Muslims is in this nation. The CNN interview with the Imam on Larry King was pathetic and Anderson Cooper totally ignored this part of the story.
Today we are all Muslims "assalamu alaikum"!