I still cannot make up my mind how I feel about that bloody mosque in NYC.
My constitutional, liberal (small L - and very happy to be called liberal in that sense - socially liberal), side says - hey! Freedom of religion is their (our) right and it's just fear and perhaps a bit of biggotry on my part that makes me want to oppose it. The fact that it offends me is not an argument of any validity. In fact it is a damned good reason to be very careful about opposing this building. The last thing I want to to sound like those bigoted Tea-party hate-mongers you hear on AM radio. But the proud America-loving side of me remembers those terrible images of 9-11, and it makes me afraid, and also make me think of what I would do if a British or US person, let's say a catholic or a Jew, hijacked a plane full of innocent people, cut the throats of the pilots and flew it into the business center of Rhyad, And then the catholic/jewish community wanted to build a church/synagogue two blocks from teh site. What would I think? I would think that they are murderous psychopathic lunatics to have done it in the first place, and that the people who wanted to build the church/synagogue need their heads (and hearts) examined because it it preposterously offensive and provocative. Would I oppose it. Certainly. Yes. It is an intentionally offensive and provocative gesture, and calling it to Cordova center - with all the meaning of that word - is utterly outrageous.
I do not expect a clear answer from anyone, but it's driving me crazy, not knowing whether I am loosing my sense of compassion or just being a reasonable sensible person seeing a threat where there is one.
Anyway, here is a very interesting article with some fascinating statistics such as 40% of Muslims want Sharia law in the UK.
http://thecountuk.blogspot.com/2010/06/islam-in-britain-polls-apart.html
Hope you all have a good week.
Adam (still confused!)
Adam,understand your ambiguity about the Mosque scene. Because of the radical nature of, at least by one estimate, 5 million Muslims, we find ourselves in a box. For those of us who want to be open about things, this is very hard. The best example I know is this: if a Christian, to include right wing fundamentalists, try to convert the non believer and the person says, "get lost". The evangelical/fundamentalist (and, they are not always the same) will say, "I'm praying for you" or leave you some literature. The radical Muslim will try to kill you. This is not extreme, based on evidence obviously.
I would not worry about it although I think as a country, the UK should. America is a big country and we can absorb a lot of people but the UK cannot. My belief. To be perfectly honest, philosophically, I think I like the French approach.
Adam:
They changed the name of the mosque from "Cordoba" to something else out of respect for the sensitivity of those opposed to the mosque's building at the proposed site. So that is a non-issue now. As for your other examples, an entire religion cannot be shunned, vilified or made illegitimate by the acts of a small number of extremists.....as for your fear of a muslim takeover and the instilling of Sharia as the law of the land, I have to think that it is paranoia.....I believe that Britain should enforce quotas on emigres from Muslim countries, as well as the U.S. should, to protect against allowing the population to reach a point where that would become an existential threat......Britain should now somehow find a way to enforce assimilation on the mulims currently within their borders......and the laws as they exist now should and would deal with those horrific acts which are sanctioned under Sharia but are totally illegal and prosecutable under British law. Those convicted of breaking the law in the name of Sharia should be sent back to their country of origin after they have served their time for their unlawful acts......This should have a chilling effect on those who woud advocate the practice of Sharia over the law of the land. That would be a perfectly permissable way of weeding out the extremists that you now fear......Take a deep breath Adam.....What you fear can be controlled .....and there will be a general will to do so ..... Sam D.
I want to stay around the center - socially liberal, fiscally conservative, and realistic, but continually positive and hopeful. I do not have great faith in the masses, but I like the individuals. It does not mean I do not believe in a society, but I think that en-mass many people tend to take the path of least resistance and need to be encourages to be pretty lazy and feckless. There are plenty of individual exceptions of course. Immo seems to think that the path to fairness is a cradle to grave welfare state, and that's just not the American way. Safety net, yes. National health, absolutely, yes. But allowing people (and corporations!) to be life-long recipients of welfare is not sustainable given our shrinking tax payer population.
You are right about the US. it still has room for people to build and grow and be free. The UK is a lovely country but we are like rats in a cage - all squashed together. England has a population density of about 400 people per square km. (Scotland and Wales are much lower). USA: 33 average. NH: 56. CA: 90 per sq Km. Mongolia has about 3 ! It makes a big difference when a person can go to Ohio, buy or rent a perfectly nice house in the suburbs, and support his family. That is almost impossible in the UK.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1306213/England-populated-country-EU.html
France has 99 people per square km and thay have a strong sense of beinf French. They are pretty liberal, but first and foremost, you are French. That's the rule. And it seems to work. They have the North African issue, which is tricky, but most of those guys just want to be french!
AB
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