Sense and Sensitivity

By William L. Garvin

“The judiciary of the United States is the subtle corps of sappers and miners constantly working underground to undermine our Constitution from a coordinate of a general and special government to a general supreme one alone. This will lay all things at their feet. … I will say, that ‘against this every man should raise his voice,” and, more, should uplift his arm …’”: Thomas Jefferson

Mayor Bloomberg says it’s “un-American” to question the funding and financing for the Ground Zero Mosque even though Hamas and Iran would both like to contribute. Meanwhile, Speaker Nancy Pelosi is demanding an investigation into the funding of those who are opposing the building of a mosque so close to the impact site of 9/11.!

Now she could have been concerned about Russia providing the nuclear fuel rods to help Iran bring its first nuclear power plant online. She could have been concerned that military strategists now opine that it is tactically impossible to bomb the plant since it is now activated for fear of contaminating all the open water in the area. Or she could have expressed concern that the very next day, Iran announced its newest unmanned bomber called the “Ambassador of Death.” But no, not our Nancy. Instead, in an unabashed attempt to quell free speech by concerned citizens, she demands an investigation into the financing of those who are “ginning up the controversy.” Let’s hope she starts with Senators Harry Reid and Charles Schumer, who are finally on record as opposing the mosque at its present location.

Our President then weighed in on Muslims in general, having the right to practice their religion and the Imam Rauf in specific, having the right to build a mosque in Lower Manhattan. Now it is questionable as to which informed Americans didn’t know this was a constitutional right but his Ramadan dinner speech was also broadcast to the Arab countries. The next day when he was questioned about the wisdom of building the mosque, he said he would not comment. So, when the going got tough, the President…went on vacation, his sixth of the year.

Many legitimate questions about this mosque remain unanswered not the least of which is how will this particular project bring about “healing”? It is obvious from the controversy that many of the friends and families of the 3,000 victims still bear raw emotional scars. How will this imposing structure bind up and heal those wounds? Will the call to prayer ricocheting off the buildings in the area five times a day and echoing over Ground Zero bring about understanding? Will non-Muslims be allowed to enter the mosque and pray in an ecumenical outreach? The history of the religion says no.

Speaking of history, why was the project originally named the “Cordoba House”, then renamed the “Cordoba Initiative” and now the “Park 51 Project”? Any casual student of history knows that the Cordoba Mosque in Spain was built on the site of a Christian cathedral. It came about after the Muslim armies decimated the countryside and the surviving population fled to the hills. If “Cordoba” does not suggest conquest, it certainly accompanied it.

What are the Imam’s responsibilities to be sensitive to the seventy percent of New Yorkers and the sixty plus percent of Americans who ask that he not build the mosque on that site? You may have also noted the increasing number of union workers who are adamantly opposed to and will refuse to construct this building. In an economy where unemployment continues to run rampant, this is no insignificant statement.

In contemporary and analogous news, the court has ruled that it is permissible for the Westboro Baptist Church (sic) to continue to disrupt private military funerals with their reprehensible hate speech. Apparently, the non-specified but judicially acclaimed “right to privacy” does not extend to the families of our military personnel to bury their loved ones, who have made the ultimate sacrifice, in a dignified and reverential manner. The court has also ruled that the Stolen Valor Act is unconstitutional. According to the Ninth Circuit, it is legally permissible to lie about having been awarded military medals and citations, including the Medal of Honor. Even though you have the right to do it, it will never be the sensible or sensitive thing to do!
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