Have we moved on? Has my country found a new thing to label terrorist or a new thing to be very very afraid of? I just don’t spend enough time with talk radio or FOX news to know whether the tempest has finally blown over. In any case, it does need to wind down and move on because – in our one-story-at-a-time media culture – there’s a new game comin’ to town.
Some batshit crazy pastor here in my home state is organizing The First Annual Great American Quran Burning. On 9/11 apparently. In Indonesia counter protests are being organized. I hope there is a legal way to stop these clowns from building their bonfire. Incitement to riot? Isn’t that a crime? Does a resultant feared riot have to be local? How about incitement to cause a riot in Indonesia and other countries? (If you’d like to participate in this great American event, go here to get your own Quran to burn. Oh fun!)
Thinking of these things, it seemed to me a fine time to post Mayor Bloomberg‘s wonderful speech of a month ago. (The transcript is here.) A very fine lesson in American history, in who we are, in what we stand for and in what actually is the right thing. I haven’t posted it before because it was ubiquitous. But now it seems appropriate.
You can have wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, or democracy. But you cannot have both.
Whatever Works 
Thank you for the breath of fresh air. Finally, another American who isn’t completely brainwashed. I thought my wife and I were the last to not accept the reality we are sold on TV. I’m going to subscribe to your site.
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Welcome! Nothing like a little old fashioned American Quran-bashing to get the good folks together!
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“Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, Illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream
Media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to
Pick up a piece of Crap by the clean end.”
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That’s quite funny! But I am compelled to ask – it’s relevant to this post how?
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Hey Moe! Personally, I don’t give a rat’s a$$ if every Koran on earth is burned, but I’m not going to participate. It’s odd though that you or none of your commentors are saying anything about this:
http://article.wn.com/view/2010/09/03/Islamic_cleric_urges_Wilders_beheading_report/
I’m wondering what the commentors here would say if the Pope, or some popular Christian leader called for the murder of say, the Iranian president, or anyone else for that matter? The left gets their indignant panties in a wad over Koran burning but not a word about death threats. typical.
It’s too bad that nice, but naive people will let anyone take over the U.S.
Liberal or conservative, when it’s over, it’s over for all. Liberal heads come off just as easy as conservatives; and atheists just as easily as Christians.
Oh, I’ve been missing you! 🙂
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Hey Steve! Nice to see you back and hope all’s okay again. I’ll stop over to your place to see if there are updates. Anyway, glad to hear your voice.
For me, this whole ‘but some cleric somewhere’ urged something horrendous is just not the point. The point is always who WE are. Not who they are. Because we are better and we don’t stoop to their level.
I am not blind to the reality of the threat from radical Islam. Not at all. I just object to painting a billion people with the same brush as those who are a real danger.
Meanwhile, I’ll hold onto my head thank you very much 🙂
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hmmmmmmmmmmmm……….
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Ms. Holland,
” Incitement to riot? Isn’t that a crime? Does a resultant feared riot have to be local? How about incitement to cause a riot in Indonesia and other countries? ”
I am not in favor of the Quran burnings, but your incitement to riot argument is flawed. If someone plans a riot, then it is incitement. Because other people hold opposition riots to protest an event, the event holder is not inciting the riots.
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I am wishing out loud that there were some legal basis for stopping this. But I really don’t think there is. I guess the best we can hope for is that enough of those tempted to participate will, at the end, pull back from the idea of ‘book burning’ which has a rather sordid history.
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Hey, Moe. Although I despise many elements of Islam, I have to agree with you on this. The Apostle Paul commanded Christians to “live in peace with ALL men”, and Jesus said, “Turn the other cheek”, and “Pray for your enemies”. What are these “Christians” trying to achieve by this? They piss and moan that the NY Mosque is being built to spite Americans, and here they are doing this to spite Muslims. Amusing. Brings to mind the old Pentecostal Hymn… “Fire up, fire up, make it burn, fan it into a flame…”
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Amen.
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BTW Moe, I haven’t gotten my new laptop yet. When I do, you will know, ’cause I will have a blavatar/gravatar and my site will be operating. I’m looking for a Dell or Compaq with at least 4 GB of RAM, Dual-Core 2.4 GHz processor, 1GB video card, 7200 RPM-200GB+ Hard Drive, a web cam, and 2 USB ports. And here is the kicker… All I have is 700$ to spend on it. I am looking at Pawn Shops, but I don’t want to get screwed. You know way more about this stuff. All I’ve ever had is a Netbook. Any suggestions?
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I’m the wrong person to ask. I’m still plugging away on a five year old laptop and Windows xp. My laptop is a Dell VOSTRO 1500 and it’s really everything I need. If you find one of those, it’s a real workhorse, sturdy and proably worth a look.
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So tell me, would you both be as passionate if there was a Bible burning? I doubt it. The Bible and Jesus are disrespected every day by the Western Left. Christians do not generally riot over these things so it is safe to attack Christianity. Islam responds to disrespect quite strongly. Which again ties into my universal theme, that weakness gets attacked and strength pretty much gets left alone. Be it religion, or be it nations. Which is why the Obama apology tour of the Middle East in 09 was a great waste of hot air.
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I think the West (our civilization) is outgrowing traditional religion – the kind so many of us grew up with. Think of it this way Alan. Christianity is 2000 years old. Islam is 1300 years old. When we were 1300 years old we were knee deep in blood trying to spread our gospel by force. Guess it’s just a matter of growing up. Which is why we need to be encouraging and supporting every instance of Islam modernizing and why we should resist militant reactions. The NY Mosque is a perfect example of what we should be embracing. The radical million or so radical Muslims are anti-modern. Modernity is the primary enemy – we fall into that category. Let’s keep being bigger and better than them.
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Checkout my 2 latest posts….
Scare Tactics: Breaking Through the “HYPE”
and
American History X
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Moe the link of getting free Quran is not working!
& the law enforcement can’t stop it, because they are not inciting riots, they are inciting hate.
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And with their little game they are just fanning flames. Islamic radicals who might have been ‘sitting on the fence’ become convinced to join jihad by these kinds of actions. I swear, we are our own worst enemies.
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I agree. This is a vicious cycle. Radicals and hate mongers on both sides feed on these events, ceremonies, speeches, and incidents to get more people into their flock.
In the Muslim world the Radicals will be saying “See we told you Christians hate Muslims, they are waging crusade on Muslim lands and now they are burning the Quran. Where are the Muslims who would defend the word of God”
And then both sides keep asking the “Other” to show where the moderates are.
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Couldn’t have said it better. That is exactly what happens. And while the moderates are right there for all to see, they’re ignored; they’re invisible to a certian segment of the population – too many people of all stripes want to believe in an enemy I guess.
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I hope there is a legal way to stop these clowns from building their bonfire.
Do you also hope that there is a legal way to stop the building of the mosque at ground zero? Why, why, would you hope for the legal suspension of rights from one group but not another?
Perhaps we would enjoy the government stepping in a legislating such action as the creation of, and then publication of, the Piss Christ? Can you imagine?
I know, perhaps what we should do is legislate and censure Comedy Central. Afterall, it is that network, in the name of ratings and profits, that allows depections of Jesus to snort cocain?
I happen to agree with you that the folks in Florida are crazy and insensitive. However, you and those like you, would have much more credibility if you reacted the same, by screaming from the rooftops, when you saw insensitivity of others against the Christians in this nation.
I’m not sayin’, I’m just sayin’.
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[Do you also hope that there is a legal way to stop the building of the mosque at ground zero? Why, why, would you hope for the legal suspension of rights from one group but not another?]
I know there’s no legal way to stop the book burning, and in fact I would not support any interference by gov’t. That would be a clear violation of free speech rights. I guess my use of the word ‘hope’ suggested otherwise; maybe ‘wish’ would more accurately convey what I mean. (But even that is a tad too close to the awful “Alien and Sedition” acts of hte 19th century – not one of our prouder moments.)
But pino, attentoin to the ‘sensitivity’ of others is hardly the same as adherence to the first amendment (which is also what protects the right to the building of the mosque – that and the right of private property). Do you deny that the Muslim congregation has a constitutional right to build the mosque?
At it’s heart, my oppostiion to the opposition is because allowing the mosque to go forward is how we get to shine our stars and show everyone how powerful our constitution is.
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Do you deny that the Muslim congregation has a constitutional right to build the mosque?
They clearly have a constitutional right to build their mosque. Further, I think they should build it. The world needs more tolerance, love and acceptance; not less.
With the said, I acknowledge the feeling within myself that is a bit defensive that Muslims WOULD build it. It is my hope, through faith and prayer, that our Divine Creator extend to me the grace of love.
allowing the mosque to go forward is how we get to shine our stars and show everyone how powerful our constitution is.
Were you as vocal about religious tolerance when the “Piss Christ” was unveiled? Or when Comedy Central mocks the Christ?
I suspect not; sadly.
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Thats very mature of you. And those were some GREAT questions to ask. Certain Christians want to speak out about IRRELEVANT things like these but when the media disrespects Christianity and makes a mockery of it nobody has nothing to say. We should be just as emotional and upset (or more) when the mass media bashes our Religion. Just like that movie “Year One,” that movie was so disrespectful on so many levels to Christianity. Yet not ONE Christian protested the movie or tried to get it banned.
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ap – what was Year One? I never heard of it.
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It came out not too long ago. Go check it out on IMD.com or checkout the trailer on youtube.
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But they’re the same thing, aren’t they? I want to allow the “piss christ” (as offensive as that was) and I want to allow the mosque. What’s the diff?
I feel no connection to either Islam or Christianity. But I will note that opposing the piss christ was not likely to have had any geopolitical implications.
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But they’re the same thing, aren’t they? I want to allow the “piss christ” (as offensive as that was) and I want to allow the mosque.
So, lemme get this straight. You wanna allow:
1. The Piss Christ
2. The Mosque
But you somehow think that the folks burning Korans is just TOO much?
Let’s just take the Piss Christ. Would you be in favor of a Piss Mohamed? Or a Piss Koran? Or are you really just kinda, a tad little bit, all about bashing Christianity while favoring Islam [to be fair, I suspect you would be as tolerant of ANY religion as you are Islam–just not Christianity].
What is it about Christians that you hate so much that would allow you to be A-OK with the Piss Christ but so SO against the burning of a Koran?
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What is it about Christians that you hate so much that would allow you to be A-OK with the Piss Christ but so SO against the burning of a Koran?
Perhaps if they were to burn the Koran set to Enya and danced a form of modern jazz that would be okay?
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Who’s Enya?
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I don’t understand it either. Its a real head scratcher
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pino – you leaped some tall buildings with that one.
I would allow all three of the things you mention. I think burning Korans is a bad thing. I think the piss christ was a bad thing. I think the mosque is a good thing.
What’s about that remotely suggests that I hate chrsitians? Which, by the way, I don’t. I do however loathe the kind of christian this Keller (?) fellow is. I hate ignorance and bigotry whereever I see it. Did you know the ugly Fred Phelps and his “GOd hates fags’ little church (the ones who demonstrate at military funerals) burned korans a while back and are all pissed (no pun) off htat htey didn’t get the same media atteniton.
And I wish I could spell check my comments!
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It still doesn’t make sense. YOU choose WHAT and WHOM to persecute. You pick out ONE thing and ignore everything else. Somebody is showing favoritism. And thats not fare and neither is it politically or spiritually correct.
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Besides you talking about Jesus I COMPLETELY agree with you. I think the whole ordeal is immature and an expression of prejudice.
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I would indeed equate trying to stop the mosque with trying to stop the book burning. I was unclear. However, neither of them should be stopped because of opposition.
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Could someone tell me how many innocent people were killed when the artist created the Virgin Mary from elephant dung? How about when Middle East Muslims burned the American flag on Tv every night a few years ago ? Draw a picture of Mohamed or burn a Koran or accuse American soldiers of trying to spread Christianity to Afghans and see how many innocents die.
Lest you think this cannot happen in a western Country. In Manchester, Great Britain, actress Afshan Azad, who appeared in four Harry Potter movies was assaulted and had death threats from her brother and father because she dared to date a Hindu.
Tell me please if Christians do these kind of things.
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