If you have been paying any attention to the national news the last two weeks of August, you might have found yourself up to your eyeballs about plans for the Muslims building the mosque close to ground zero in New York City.
Unfortunately for the Democrats the ranting and raving (if you want to label it this way) has not been a partisan statement coming only from the Republicans. The Honorable Harry Reid, the leader of the Senate, has expressed his belief the mosque should be built at another location.
Many Democrats, along with most of the Republicans have voiced their disgust that the Muslims in New York would have the unmitigated gall to build their religious edifice on hallowed ground. This controversy would probably have drifted into obscurity except our confused president said he believes the Muslims have every right to build this mosque only two blocks from the site of the 9-11 holocaust. When his aides pointed out that 70 percent of his fellow Americans were strongly against this insult to patriotism, he attempted a turn around the next morning by issuing this comment, “I was not commenting and I never will comment on the wisdom of building the mosque at this location.” Just another example of a rudderless leader shifting with the wind.
Nancy Pelosi (whose approval rate is 8 percent) weighed in with her brilliancy. She expressed belief that we must investigate the funding for those opposing the Muslim mosque. When someone suggested that much of the opposition was coming from relatives killed in the
9-11 action, she had no comment.
We must not forget the pride of The New York Times - Maureen Dowd. On Sunday August 22nd she opined that the herd in America is going mad. Her contribution to this discussion can be highlighted by this quote: “The dispute over the Islamic center has tripped some deep national lunacy. The unbottled anger and suspicion concerning ground zero show that many Americans haven’t flushed the trauma of 9-11 out of their systems – making them easy prey for fear mongers.”
Now here is the fun part. The weekend of August 21st and 22nd featured the partisan liberal media aghast over national polls that proclaimed 20 percent of all Republicans believe President Obama might actually be a Muslim.
Specifically such notables as David Gregory on Meet the Press, Andrea Mitchell from NBC and Chris Matthews representing MSNBC, along with others were completely flabbergasted that so many Americans and especially these knuckle dragging conservatives could be so ill-informed.
They could not understand how such stupidity could exist in these United States.
Well, let me give you a few reasons why these beliefs could come about. First the president’s father and a number of his relatives are Muslims and part of his education was received in a Muslim country. These facts might have been overlooked except for these actions since he has become president. His first official speech after being installed as president was to the Muslim world. He noted that NASA should be used to help the world better understand Muslims. He publicly declared the United States is not a Christian nation. For the first time in decades he became the first president to shun and not participate in the National Day of Prayer. During the presidential campaign he made fun of rural Americans who cling to their Bibles and their rifles.
So when in mid-August he obviously approved of the Muslims’ plans for a mosque close to ground zero, why wouldn’t some believe he is either a Muslim or has strong sympathies to this religious sect?
Contrast this little scenario with several national polls a few years ago that revealed almost a third of registered Democrats believed that George Bush actually participated in the
9-11 mass murders or that he was aware in advance of this grotesque event. So what were the facts or the events that gave any credence to this belief? There were none. The strongest evidence that could be assembled was the opinion of certain “experts’ that jet airplanes could not bring down the twin towers. There have had to have been pre-planted explosives to cause the buildings to collapse.
Funny but I don’t recall Andrea Mitchell, David Gregory, Chris Matthews and others expressing their complete indignation that 30 percent of the Democrats could be so completely buffaloed. Strangely suspicious, wouldn’t you say?
This little episode on the plans for a Muslim mosque is not the only example of our president going against the wishes of the large majority of American voters. In any election a victory margin of 45 to 55 percent is considered a landslide. Yet the Muslim mosque affront, the socialist and bankruptive health care bill and the Federal lawsuit against the State of Arizona trying to protect its borders have been loudly disapproved by about 70 percent of Americans. What can you conclude by this brash abuse of presidential power?
The conclusion that comes to me is that the most popular activity over Labor Day will be removing the few remaining Obama bumper stickers. Follow that with the most dangerous place to be on election 2010 will be standing between Republicans and the voting booth.
(Jerry Jackson of Heber Springs writes his “conservative viewpoint” column each Wednesday)
