Quote of the Day
If a man wishes to be sure of the road he treads on, he must close his eyes and walk in the dark.
St. John of the Cross
The Mosque near Ground Zero Kerfuffle Continues
My readership seems to have dropped over the past week; I wonder if my opinions are too much for many readers to bear. One of my best friends is a former MIS doctoral student/officemate at UH, Bruce Breeding. (A disclaimer: Bruce does not bear any responsibility for my idiosyncratic views.) Bruce seemed to have won every certification possible in accounting and EDP auditing. [Come to think of it, I was the only one in my office without a CPA; Minnie Yen, a professor at the University of Alaska-Anchorage, also had a CPA. I guess I was the underachiever of the group (but accounting was my PhD minor).] Bruce moved to the Dallas area to start his own business after teaching for several years at Murray State in Kentucky and met one of my little sisters, Sharon, through Boy Scouts. (The first four nephews are Eagle Scouts, and I'm sure a fifth will soon follow) Sharon is petite, nice, sweet, positive, patient, and gorgeous--the only one in a blue-eyed family with green eyes--I guess God's way of compensating the folks for having me... Bruce couldn't believe we came from the same family. At one point, I asked Bruce how he managed to put up with me while so many others haven't. [Yes, I'm sure many readers would be willing to venture an opinion...] Bruce paused and remarked, "Ron, you're an acquired taste."
I know on the issue of the mosque I'm definitely swimming upstream. Even Harry Reid, sensing the mood of the American public and not wanting to give his Senate challenger Sharron Angle an opening, broke with Obama over his meddling in a New York City zoning issue. Mr. "Cornhusker Kickback", Mr. "Gator-Aid", and Mr. "Louisiana Purchase" won't draw a line in the sign over smoke-and-mirrors accounting for the Democratic Party Health Care Law; the Democrats are going to find hundreds of billions in savings in Medicare to pay for their expansion in health care. Tell me, do voters still believe in Santa Claus and the Easter bunny? But when it comes to the mosque--since when is this a national issue? Did the federal government buy out the property around the Twin Towers location?
Let me address a few of the more annoying sound bites I'm hearing: "Oh, we're not against really against the rights of Muslims to worship--just near Ground Zero; there are several other mosques to worship in the city." "The American people are overwhelmingly against the building of the mosque." "It's not about whether they have a legal right; it's whether it is sensitive."
I want to make myself absolutely clear: if you are going to have a decision rule against businesses and organizations near Ground Zero, you apply it consistently. I do not think it's either lawful or ethical to unilaterally decree area around Ground Zero a Muslim-free zone. I don't care what they're doing around former Holocaust sites in Europe (it's amazing how conservatives don't want Supreme Court justices quoting European jurists, but now they want to quote European zoning restrictions?) If the federal government wants to buy out the surrounding neighborhood (which includes such family-friendly fare as strip joints and X-rated DVD's) and make it a memorial park, that's one thing. But you have to have equal protection before the law. Millions of American Muslims were not responsible for the 9/11 tragedies; it was a small group of foreign religious fanatics. There is no constitutional quota that I am aware of on the number of churches, synagogues or mosques in any locality. Who are these people whom think it's ethical to say yes, if you're talking about a church, but no, if it's a mosque?
"The American people are against it." Oh, come now! This is basically guilt by association, a smear of a religious minority. We are not talking about an al Qaeda-funded mosque. There's a reason why we have a Bill of Rights, a bastion against majoritarian abuse.
"We should be more sensitive." Let's see: are we insensitive to Mothers Against Drunk Drivers when we allow the construction of a bar or a liquor store? To animal rights' activists when we open a butcher's shop? What about mom and pop grocers with the opening of a supermarket? I can understand the frustration of the surviving family members speaking from grief and generalizing beyond the immediate facts, but populists should not hide behind the skirts of widows and orphans to make their talking points...
I am knowingly taking an unpopular stand. But I think these are the times that test the mettle of our American spirit. I have heard people I respect, e.g., John McCain and Tom Pawlenty, talk about how it's common sense not to build a mosque within a couple of blocks of the Twin Towers' site. Gentlemen, you are begging the question; you cannot explain away constitutional issues simply by paying lip service to the Bill of Rights and trying to soft-sell intolerance in the guise of "sensitivity" and "common sense"...
Now Barack Obama created a nuance worthy of John Kerry when he followed up Friday's remarks by saying even if Muslims have the legal right to build a mosque doesn't necessarily mean it's a good idea. I don't think it was prudent for the President to weigh in on this issue for reasons I specified in an earlier post (including last year's pandering address to Muslims worldwide), but if you are going to make a public statement, it should be principled and firm, not nuanced and wishy-washy.
Stay on Federal District Judge Walker's Gay "Marriage" Decision: Thumbs UP!
Whereas the Court of Appeals has not ruled that the proponents of California Proposition 8, reinstating traditional marriage, have standing, which Judge Walker implied they have not, it has agreed for the time being to block Walker's attempt to lift marriage law restrictions.
A Couple of Noteworthy News Items on China
China has cut its ownership of US debt year-over-year for the first time since 2001. Second, China in the second quarter had a GDP of $1.33T versus Japan's $1.29T to rate as the world's second largest economy, second only to the US, which it may overtake within 10 years.
Political Humor
More Jay Leno jokes I should have covered earlier:
"A new poll shows that Congress' approval rating is at a record low of 11 percent. The other 89 percent are going to withhold judgment until Congress actually does something." –Jay Leno
"Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich did not testify at his trial. He wanted to testify, but he sold his seat at the court for $100,000." –Jay Leno
"According to a study by the Brookings institution, Washington D.C. has the highest concentration of smart people in the United States. Lets see; we have a mess in the Gulf, we have a dysfunctional Homeland Security, and we are $13 trillion in debt. Imagine how bad it would be if these people weren't geniuses." –Jay Leno
"BBC is reporting that Venezuela may have massive oil reserves, more than even Saudi Arabia. You know what that means? We could have invaded closer to home and saved gas." –Jay Leno
"The White House announced today that the stimulus package saved three million jobs. But they said there's still more jobs that need to be saved: President Obama's, Joe Biden's, Harry Reid's, Nancy Pelosi's…" –Jay Leno
Musical Interlude: The American Songbook Series
Bing Crosby, "Pennies From Heaven"
