“Manhattan blogger Pamela Geller and her posse of anti-Islamic protesters have been branded a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.” [Daily News]

We regret to inform you that, near as we can tell, Asshole of the Year Pam Geller’s fingerprints aren’t on this one:

Mosque foes recently started a boycott of Bieber after he made comments in support of the mosque project in an interview with Tiger Beat, a teen fan magazine, [Park51 opponent Andy] Sullivan told WYNC earlier this month. Now, his 8-year-old daughter and 11-year-old son have been banned from attending Bieber performances.

“I informed them, ‘Hey guys, guess what? Justin Bieber spoke out for the ground zero mosque,” Sullivan explained to Salon in an interview. “My little girl took down his poster and said she didn’t want to have nothing to do with him anymore. These are my kids. They’re living this thing.”

Just one problem: Justin Bieber didn’t talk to Tiger Beat about the Park51 project, for or against. The source for Sullivan’s outrage is a satirical website.

Stinque apologizes for failing to mount an effective hoax during 2010. We’ll try better next year.

Mosque foes launch Bieber boycott [Salon, via TPM]

OMG, Islamoterrorists are invading Phoenix! Prepare for Crusade!

A new dome-like structure near 19th Avenue along Interstate 10 in Phoenix is the Light of the World church, a nondenominational Christian church hoping to modernize traditional worship services, a church spokesman said.

Since the distinctive dome shape went up, church leaders said they have received phone calls from concerned neighbors who’ve mistaken the building for an Islamic mosque.

Perfectly understandable. We often mistake concerned neighbors for fucking idiots.

Christian Congregation Builds Domed Church [KPHO, via ThinkProgress]

“Just 4% of Republican voters support building the Ground Zero mosque. But 21% say they would support a Ground Zero strip club… Democrats narrowly support the mosque but oppose the strip club, independents oppose both the mosque and the strip club.” [Public Policy Polling, via Political Wire]

Freshly minted New York GOP gubernatorial nominee and naughty-email aficionado Carl Paladino puts the frosting on today’s Crazee Cake with the declaration of a new standard for the Ground Zero Mosque-Exclusion Zone:

Read more »

“Donald Trump has sent an offer to purchase the site of the proposed mosque near New York City’s Ground Zero for the price paid plus 25%, according to a statement received by e-mail.” [Crain’s, via PourMeCoffee]

Actually, Eliot Spitzer’s gift to New York already submitted his entry in the Bigotry Appeasement Sweepstakes, but he’d like you to know he’s still in the running:

In the wake of the alleged hate crime against a New York City taxi driver, I must take this opportunity to remind New Yorkers that we cannot and will not allow bias and ignorance to infect our communities and deny our hard working, innocent residents the respect they deserve.

The potential for this kind of violence is one of the reasons why I have called publicly for a respectful and unifying conversation about the Park51 project. I continue to offer my assistance for an open dialogue that I believe will help to bring New Yorkers together.

Look, pal, if you wanna bring New Yorkers together, announce a fatwa on the Red Sox.

Bonus Demagogue Video! Larry McCarthy, who brought you the Willie Horton ad, shows that he hasn’t lost his chops.

Paterson pegs Park51 to stabbing [Politico, via ThinkProgress]

Producer Of New Commercial Smearing Muslims For Political Gain Also Produced The Willie Horton Ad [ThinkProgress]