Property rights and freedom of religion are hallowed ground in the United States. The same is true for "Ground Zero" in Manhattan, the site of the attack on the World Trade Centers on September 11, 2001. So it shouldn't be a surprise that these plans are not sitting so well with New Yorkers.
An identified group with unknown sponsors has purchased building
steps away from where the WorldTrade Center once stood -- to turn it
into potentially one of the largest New York City mosques.
At the moment the building, the old Burlington Coat Factory, already
serves as a mini-mosque: an iron grill lifts every Friday afternoon for
a little known Imam leading prayers a few yards away from where Osama
Bin Laden’s airborne Islamist bombers killed nearly 3000 people back in
2001.
The Imam, Feisal Abdul Rauf, told the New York Times -- which put
the story on its front page Wednesday -- that he has assembled several
million dollars to turn it into ‘’an Islamic center near the city’s
most hallowed piece of land that would stand as one of ground zero’s
more unexpected and striking neighbors.’’
The 61-year-old Imam said he paid $4.85 million for it -- in cash,
records show. With 50,000 square feet of air rights and enough
financing, he plans an ambitious project of $150 million, he said, akin
to the Chautauqua Institution, the 92 Street Y or the Jewish Community
Center.
The origins of such monies are unexplained; neither are the
countries or entity advancing such huge donations. Most US mosques,
including many in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx are funded directly or
indirectly by Saudi Arabia the country to which 15 of the 19 hijackers
who bombed the World TradeCenter belonged. The UAE, Qatar and Iran are
other major sponsors across the USA. [Hudson New York]
A battle over religion is brewing in central Indiana after a public school
wanted second graders to sing a song declaring, “Allah is God.” The phrase was
removed just before the performance after a national conservative group launched
a protest.
The principal of Lantern Road Elementary School in Fishers, IN, said they were
trying to teach inclusiveness through their holiday production. It included
references to Christmas, Hanukkah, Ramadan, Las Posadas and Kwanzaa. However, no
other deity, other than Allah, was referenced in the show.
Here’s what the children were assigned to sing:
“Allah is God, we recall at dawn,
Praying ‘til night during Ramadan
At this joyful time we pray happiness for you,
Allah be with you all your life through.”
But when it came time to perform the “Christian” part of Christmas, children
were assigned to say:
“I didn’t know there was a little boy at the manger. What child is this?
I’m not sure if there was a little boy or not.
Then why did you paint one on your nativity window?
I just thought if there was a little boy, I’d like to know exactly what he (sic)
say."
Micah Clark, executive director of the Indiana AFA, launched an Internet protest
once he heard about the allegations. “What surprised me here is that we’ve had a
secular scrubbing of Christmas for so long and the school apparently didn’t see
the problem with kids singing to Allah,” he told FOX News Radio. “You won’t even
mention Jesus and you’re going to force my child to sing about Allah?
According to a recent survey at the American Revolution Center 90% of Americans believe that knowing the history of our earliest days as a nation is very important. And not surprisingly, 89% feel that they have such an understanding. But when tested only 17% passed.
Well, here is a link to the test. Take it yourself and see how you do. [h/t littlegreenfootballs.com]
Tom Eblen writing for the Lexington Herald Leader complains that Kentucky should stop promoting God to save money.
Someday, when state officials have added up all of the taxpayer money that will be spent on the lawsuit filed this week by an atheist group, I hope they will send the bill to state Rep. Tom Riner.
American Atheists Inc. sued the state because Riner, a Louisville Democrat and Baptist minister, inserted the amendment two years ago into legislation organizing the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security. The amendment designated the office's first duty as "stressing the dependence on Almighty God as being vital to the security of the Commonwealth."
As a person of faith — and a fellow Christian — I agree with Riner's views about God's role in the security of our state, nation and world.
As an American citizen, though, I don't think it is government's place to promote God.
And, as a Kentucky taxpayer, I'm furious that tens of thousands of dollars of public money is likely to be spent litigating this obviously unconstitutional attempt to require government to do the work of churches, synagogues and mosques.
I wouldn't be so angry if this was an isolated case, but it's not. Certain stripes of Christians have, time and again, cost Kentucky taxpayers big bucks because they insist on mixing church and state.
It's hard to say how much public money has been spent defending these lawsuits... But the cost has been significant, both in public employee time and taxpayer cash paid to plaintiffs' lawyers.
Tom justifies his arguments by suggesting that the Courts and the Constitution are on his side. He is right on the first count, but like the courts, wrong on the second.
Eblen says:
Federal judges, whether appointed by Democrats or Republicans, have generally agreed for the past half-century that when the framers of the U.S. Constitution wrote that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," they meant it.
History supports him when he says that this approach within the court system is a recent development. In fact the notions now sanctified by one court decision after another were unthinkable until the middle of the last century.
Prior to the organized assault on our American heritage as a Christian nation which began in the 1950's it was a foregone conclusion, and beyond question that America's strength, our liberties and our charity to the rest of the world was the proud result of our open and continuing recognition that it was in God we trusted, from whom all of our blessings flowed and in whose corner we firmly stood as Americans. But in the 1950's things began to change, and not by accident.
Karl Marx, the father of socialism, once observed that "The goal of communism is to dethrone God, and replace capitalism."
The book "Brainwashing-A Synthesis of the Russian Textbook on Psychopolitics" was compiled by the former card-carrying Communist Kenneth Goff. For revealing the communist strategy Goff was assassinated. But Goff made it very clear that the plan being implemented by the enemies of America employed very specific strategies. He outlines how he, as a dues paying member of the Communist Party attended their school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
He details the course of study for waging psycopolitical warfare against the American people with the ultimate goal being the takeover of the nation. He exposes the manual used in their training called "The Communist Manual of Instructions of Psychopolitical Warfare". Just listen to what that manual said:
Degradation and conquest are companions...However, degradation can be accomplished much more insidiously and much more effectively by consistent and continual defamation...Continual and constant degradation of national leaders, national institutions, national practices , and national heroes must be systematically carried out, but this is the chief function of Communist Party Members, in general, not the psycopolitician... By attacking the character and morals of Man himself, and by bringing about, through contamination of youth, a general degraded feeling, command of the populace is facilitated to a very marked degree.
We have battled in America since the century's turn to bring to nothing any and all Christian influences and we are succeeding. While we today seem to be kind to the Christian, remember we have yet to influence the "Christian World" to our ends. When that is done we shall have an end of them everywhere.
Tom Eblen does not assume a place of honor by hiding behind the robes of brainwashed judges. And historical accuracy is completely abandoned in favor of revisionism by suggesting that the First Amendment was ever intended to give courts the power to erase all references to God from our law, our government and our history books.
Each colony had its own church, and at the time the Constitution was written the biggest concern of the sovereign states was giving up too much control to a centralized government. Many of the states had their own "official" state church. They feared the establishment of an official "national church" and laws preventing them from practicing their own state religion by the acts of a Congress. That is what the words in the Constitution meant, and the ongoing effort to expand the meaning of those words beyond original intent is nothing less than an assault on the single most important recognition of fact which gave rise to the unique vision of liberty which was born here and articulated by our founding fathers: the self evident truth that God is the source of all our rights.
At the very moment when this concept was being fully revealed and considered by those brave men who were so bold as to speak this truth, one of the chief advocates for liberty, Patrick Henry had this to say:
“It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often, that this great nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians, not on religion, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ. For that reason alone, people of other faiths have been afforded freedom of worship here.”
And at the very moment the Constitution was being written, the elder statesman whose influence in American life cannot be too strongly emphasized, Benjamin Franklin, at the age of 81 said this:
“I have lived a long life, gentlemen, and the longer I live, the more convinced I become that God rules in the affairs of men.”
The Plaintiff's in the lawsuit filed against Kentucky this week advocate that America must become a Godless nation. Regardless the cost in dollars, which Tom Eblen values so highly, of defending against their claims, the real cost to America of succumbing to this fraudulent notion is much higher.
We must resist the efforts of those who would divide us from each other and separate us from God. For it is only when we join together as one nation, under God, that we are indivisible and undefeatable, and can guarantee liberty and justice for all.
True art is born when one is able to show the world to us from a new perspective precisely as they see it. The artists who paint bowls of fruit and the ones who use our poetic language to describe their vision all create art that you recognize immediately when you see it, and read it or hear it.
With respectful acknowledgment of differing opinions regarding casinos in the Commonwealth, it was good to see the debate of this fair pubic issue handled with such eloquence and inspiration as was exhibited by John-Mark Hack, chair of Say No to Casinos in a statement reported by PolWatchers. Here is what he had to say about Jody Richard's continued attempt to raise the very, very dead casino bill again this session:
"This Sunday is Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week for most Kentuckians," he said. "I would assume that most House members are going to turn their attention toward the Resurrection that offers them hope, rather than one that offers us only despair, corruption and loss."
His choice of language reminds us that the first step toward reaching higher goals in all of our pursuits should be no different in America today than it was 232 years ago. And having heard him say these words, our tradition in this nation is to applaud people, who like John-Mark-Hack, bravely remind us that as a matter of undisputable historical fact, America has always given credit to but one source of power for all of our blessings.
In his example we should also find reason to applaud those who refuse to treat the American electoral process like some dirty little pit bull fight down in the sticks. Respectful persuasive debate which lifts us up should be our constant goal.
Well said, sir, and thank you for setting the bar higher in this debate by bravely adding your perspective.
Now I know Mr. Hack expects to be attacked for expressing himself as he did, but the rest of us should be watching very carefully to see whether his attackers grant him a similar truce during holy week as they frequently urge faithful Americans to grant the real enemies of liberty, during Ramadan.
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