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A mosque at Ground Zero

By Dave Winer on Tuesday, July 20, 2010 at 9:23 AM.

The big Tea Party controversy in NYC these days is whether or not to build a mosque at Ground Zero. 

Not sure who's advocating it, but I know who's against it -- the know-nothing, down-home T.P. country folk who don't live in or particularly like NYC. I wondered why they were so upset about the WTC bombing on 9/11. I thought they hated NY and the pinko liberals who live here. I would have thought they'd be happy to see a big piece of it go up in smoke. I guess they don't worry too much about consistency. 

Gotta love how they tell us to MYOB when it comes to country life, but don't mind meddling in the way the Big City works.  

Ride the subway some day and tell me there aren't a lot of people who go to mosques living right here in the Big Apple.  

"Islam is an American religion," said Daisy Khan, executive director of the American Society for Muslim Advancement. Amen to that.  

And check out the history of our great country, and how we were a haven against oppression, and how there were always ignorant people who said America is just for the people who are here and the rest of us should go back from where y'all came. But the greatness of our country, and esp this city, is that it welcomes people from all over the world. It's what fed the idea of American exceptionalism.  

So yes, we should build a mosque where the World Trade Center used to stand. Because it's consistent with our values, and because it's the most arrogant and territorial thing we could do vis a vis the assholes who blew up the WTC. 

It's like going over their head to their god and saying hey you get to hang out here too. Along with Jesus and Moses. 

Can you imagine the meeting at Terrorist HQ when they're thinking about blowing up whatever we build at Ground Zero. And you know they're going to be thinking about that. Some bright young terrorist guy will point out that they'll be blowing up a mosque if they do it. They probably won't think twice, but they sure won't make any new friends in the Muslim world. 

If anything I'd think it would be Muslims who would protest building a mosque at Ground Zero. 

Anyway, I think we should build nothing but shrines there. One of every kind of church. Spare no expense. I thought they should move Shea Stadium there. That's another kind of shrine. No serious business at Ground Zero from now on. Just contemplation, prayer, reflection and baseball. When they try to blow it up they'll seem like the spoiled sports and sore losers that they are.