Last night President Barack Obama, addressing a crowd of Muslims in the White House observing the holy month of Ramadan, said that under the First Amendment’s separation of church and state, a Muslim community center and mosque  has the right to build where they want to. Obama’s comments echoed the stirring speech given last week by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg defending the concept of religious tolerance.

The shrieks of Republican blowhards and politicians are increasing and no doubt will reach a crescendo tomorrow morning on the Sunday talkshows.

Talibunny incoherently twittered:

Will Obama express US lingering pain & ask Muslims for tolerance by discouraging 9/11 mosque while he celebrates Islamic holy month tonight?

Former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum:

The community center would “desecrate the ground of those who were murdered by people who practice the faith, or at least an element of the faith, that is being represented by that mosque. Islam is not just a religion, it is also a political doctrine.”

I was going for more to share, and then I petered out. Really, guys, I tried. I just can’t stomach going into the likes of WND like Nojo and Blogenfreude and Chicago Bureau can.  I found this photo last week and I’ve been dying to use it in a post. I tried going into the belly of the beast but Talibunny and Santorum were as far as I got.  I even went on Newt Gingrich’s horrifying website but was so distracted by the insane hairdo of Wife #3 in the bottom part of the website that I was unable to read his missive on the mosque.  (Wife #2 spills on Newt to Esquire this month).

So yeah. The outrage continues on the right, and with the exception of Peter King and 9ud11 Giuliani, it appears that the level of outrage has a direct relationship to the blowhard’s distance from NYC. And every story on Barry’s speech seems to note that a recent CNN poll showed that 70% of Americans surveyed felt the mosque should not be built three blocks from the World Trade Center site, and many of the comments criticizing Obama and Bloomberg have included the idea that the First Amendment free exercise rights should be subject to popular opinion.  Gee, where have we heard the idea before that civil rights of a disliked minority should be put up to a popular vote?

/carry on and get off my lawn

UPDATE:

Per Nojo, Barry today: “I was not commenting and I will not comment on the wisdom of making the decision to put a mosque there. I was commenting very specifically on the right people have that dates back to our founding.”

Ahh, nevermind. Go back to your regular programming.

34 Comments

That is my fave picture of Lindsey Graham!

Your inverse-proportion theory in re distance-from-Gotham has a friend in MY theory that everyone who has uttered “San Francisco Liberal” — in earnest — in the past fifteen years has never actually set foot in the City.

@Dodgerblue: Did they play in a klezmer band together?
@chicago bureau: And my corollary of your theory deals with people who refer to Ess Eff as “Frisco” and the likelihood of said individual ever having visited or lived here.

BTW — you don’t need to watch Sunday chatshows. Winger blowhards will (a) recoil from total ban on mosques but (b) say “why there??” Questioning will probe lightly but make no dent in wall of stupid.

There. I saved you two hours, which you can use to sleep in. You’re welcome.

@chicago bureau: Like you think I would wake up early to watch that drivel? I figure Jon Stewart will give me the necessary recap on Monday night.

I swear, SFL — the first thing I got from Stanford was a how-to for freshmen. How to sign up for classes, navigate campus, etc. Within same was a glossary of terms. “The City” was an entry, with a warning to never, ever call it “Frisco.” True story.

Speaking of “you’re welcome” — Hodgman’s idea about renaming it the PRO-stitution was a runaway winner. As was Arcade Fire on Thursday’s show. LOVE THAT BAND.

@SanFranLefty: They could have, although neither was Jewish. My Dad played honky-tonk style piano and could play the accordion. And Liberace’s candelabra — not far from a menorah, no?

@chicago bureau: I missed all of this week’s episodes – will be catching up this weekend on the computer.

Did the guide also explain all the dumb abbreviations and nicknames you find on The Farm (i.e. MemChu, etc.)? I never got half of those.

@SanFranLefty: I’ll say it: Frisco. Twelve months residence in The City. So there.

Barry today: “I was not commenting and I will not comment on the wisdom of making the decision to put a mosque there. I was commenting very specifically on the right people have that dates back to our founding.”

Politico calls that consistent with Friday’s remarks, but narrowing the point, and not disagreeing with opponents who grant the right, but deny the wisdom.

I’ll say it reminds me of his Prop 8 waffling.

@nojo: Disgraceful. Chickenshit. Pandering.

@Dodgerblue: What an asshole. He thinks this will save him from the psychocons shrieking that he is a terror baby defending his people from intrusions by the jesufied Americans whom the triumphalist mosque sponsors and Obama allies want to murder. The range of opinion on Fox will run from Obama should be impeached for treason and shot to this is proof that he was a 9/11 co-conspirator.

@nojo: “I’ll say it reminds me of his Prop 8 waffling.”
You mean like the waffling that is quoted over and over again in the H8ers’ motion for an emergency stay?

@Dodgerblue: Yep.Yep.Yep.

@FlyingChainSaw: Well, yes, according to them, Barry was flying one of the planes that hit the Twin Towers, he just parachuted out seconds before impact so that he could get back to the Illinois Senate and plan his run for the presidency.

@homofascist: I think the quantity of Sudafed and NyQuil I’ve consumed in the past five days plus the lack of food I’ve consumed in the last five days, multiplied by a stressful 8 hour arbitration = meltdown when trying to compose a post. I started off so well with the photo and everything…

@SanFranLefty: Oh no babe, post is great. I was referring to Frisco melts.

@homofascist: Ahh, got it. Speaking of brain melts, how’s the hangover?

@SanFranLefty: A fascinating reference I’ll be necessarily ignoring in my Opus Monday on the matter.

For the rest: Yes, the Prop 8 supporters quote Barry’s book in their appeal. And whatever its relevance to the case, they’re right to claim him for their side.

@nojo: How’s the opus going? Want me to pick out a book to highlight tomorrow morning?

@SanFranLefty: Right, and he ate the hearts of two victims on the way down.

@SanFranLefty: Going well — the trick is keeping it focused, and not trying to make it comprehensive. I’m not covering all 95 pages, just an item or two I find very curious. As we used to say in philosophy, I’m unpacking a passage.

For the book, we’re covered. Somebody Notable slipped into the Top 100.

@SanFranLefty: Hangover is fine. Post-event depression is not so great. Staying in tonight to veg.

@homofascist: I’m sure KiKi Kat is thrilled that you’re finally spending a Saturday night with her.

@Benedick: You are too awesome for words, so I’ll stop here.

@Dodgerblue and SanFranLefty: Haha! And WTF is a klezmer band? Sounds like it should include lederhosen, Oktoberfest and beer. If none of the aforementioned are involved, then meh. ;-)

@SanFranLefty: Ah. But how many transplants call The Sierra Nevada mountains “The Sierras”? Major transplant faux pas. It’s “The Sierra.”

@chicago bureau: If you live near a city, your nearby city is The City. Live in North Jersey? NYC is The City. Live in South Jersey? Philly is The City, and so on. Live in IL? Chicago is The City. But I’d say NYC is the only place that really qualifies as “The City.”

Prop 8 gives me a headache.

So far I’ve killed one (well, maybe two feet of one) tree in my efforts to have paperless English classes. Things can only go up, and don’t write your syllabi tipsy.

Going back underground. Miss y’all, and I’ll resurface one I get my syls to the printer and have my online class shells done (they’re regular classes, but I’m having papers submitted, I’m grading them, I’m sending out announcements, assignments, keeping a grade book, etc, online).

MWAH!

@JNOV: When do you start teaching? Are you going to post your syllabi here or on the Book of Faces so we can all follow along?

My class starts on Monday, if anyone is interested, I’ll post the assignments on FB.

@SanFranLefty:

What are you teaching? I’d love to see your syllabi. I might put mine in the clubhouse if anyone is interested. Just know I’m teaching intro Eng at a CC, so I’ve got a very structured class. Most of my students will be working and may have families, so I have to be kinda rigid upfront and relax as time goes by, if I’m able.

I didn’t get to choose the texts, but I chose the readings. If no one finds Sedaris funny, there’s no hope for our youth. Comp I is reading some Jefferson, The Dec, Bill of Rights, Civil War Amendments, and I’ll give them extra credit if they read the entire Const. We also have some readings about torture, W’s State of the Union after 9/11 and some other political stuff. It’ll be fun.

Comp II gets to read some stuff by Yoo. Heh. Their research papers topics are gonna be AWESOME!

My classes start the 30th. I’ve been training like a champ for all this online business. I do want to try to lead a paperless life as much as possible. We’ll see how that goes.

Jr goes to college on the 1st. :’-( and :-D, so I’m dealing with a lot of last minute shit with that kid, too and just trying to get ready for The Big Goodbye. Ugh. I have a milliondy lists of things to do from dealing with his military dependent benefits to buying his books, etc. I’m calling someone new every fucking day, but fin aid found another $3,500 for him, so things are looking up.

TSURIS! But if there’s a good kind of tsuris, this is it!

@nojo: Haha! Right! And they’re just waiting to wash the PNW off into the ocean. Cascading, such as.

@JNOV: I’ll stick it in the clubhouse. Ahh, Junior is off to college!!! He’s so grown up! Now I really feel old… ;-)

@SanFranLefty: Good! I wanna see!

Well, Jr took a little longer to cook than some kids. He’ll be 21 next month…

He’s as ready as he’s going to be, but I’m getting a ration of shit from both of my parental units. They can suck my ass.

Oh, and did you know you can rent text books? We’re going to rent them in the beginning and buy them as we’re able, if they’re books he’d like to keep. If they’re in shitty condition, we’re mos def replacing them when we can.

@JNOV:
i’m so damn proud of you. to my mind, there is no finer thing to do with your life than teach. why my daughter was led by the nose to teach.
your timing sucks for me though, you could have been babysitting me!
i was just offered a position teaching the kids that gave me chicken pox.
can’t do it this year though, what with panic over being here alone with the monster i’m growing. next year…mos def. maybe i’ll sub.

@SanFranLefty:
taking pics of Miss Bella today SWIMMING! check your inbox later!
wait..you’re teaching too? how did i miss this?

@nojo:

Meh. I’m more of the opinion that that’s all the POTUS *should* say about the issue; it’d be like going to court with a neighbor over the color he wants to paint his living room. The court isn’t likely to opine either way on the fashion sense, but should likely reply “STFU n00b; GTFO!” (well, in legal-speak anyways).

I am slightly disappointed, though, that he didn’t manage to sneak some snark in regarding the teabaggers “I lurve the Constitution” platform…

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