Two Blocks North
So, this Summer, I haven't been following news as much as I probably should. Although, I believe in taking "news-fasts" every so often. I think too much of it is bad for the spirit, so I strongly encourage moderation in all things, including news. When I first heard about the "mosque" in New York and everyone's panties were either all twisted up or blowing off, I thought that a muslim group was attempting to build a mosque ON ground zero. And I thought wow, that site's going to be a war zone forever.
But, when I realized that the proposed mosque is going to be TWO BLOCKS AWAY? IS EVERYONE FUCKING CRAZY???
HAS EVERYONE LOST THEIR FUCKING MARBLES???
What. The. Fuck.
Do people KNOW how big a city block is in New York?
And Timothy McVeigh, the spineless piece of shit who blew up the Oklahoma City Federal Building... He was a fundamentalist "Christian". Did he represent all Christians? Would people object to a church being built nearby?
This is ludicrous. The degradation of the American intellect. I'm not even sure if it's a "degradation", or rather an assault.
It's two blocks away.
It's TWO blocks away.
I understand a raised eyebrow maybe... MAYBE. Or a reflective pause until you have more information. A gut reaction, if you will. But I also hope that what we stand for as Americans moves us beyond prejudice and hatred and mass generalizations, which is too easy, too narrow-minded and simple and comes from the age of the knuckle-dragger. That what we stand for as a people evolves and moves us into the realm of tolerance and understanding and compassion, of rising above the dirt and standing strong and secure in our good character.
An excerpt from a commentary in the NY Daily News that I think nails it:
"The killers' ultimate goal was and is hijacking Islam itself. And to do that they need us to make them into more than what they are.
"Without us elevating them into enemy combatants in a war on terror, they would be just a couple of hundred murderous losers."
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