Here's something I saw someone link to on Twitter this morning. It's probably not news to most of you, but just in case...
And (on a related topic) as for the "Ground Zero mosque":
No, of course the government shouldn't generally get involved in the legal sale and use of private property (regardless of whether religion is involved)... That's what makes it a tricky subject for a lot of us... But when you come right down to it, this feels like a slap in the face-- certainly not a kind, well-meaning thing to do. It's not as though there are no existing mosques in NYC-- and no reasonable person is trying to prevent mosques from being built elsewhere in the city-- but come on. Let's not play dumb. Why is it so important that the new mosque be built that close to Ground Zero? If the people behind this project are so respectful and understanding of the situation-- so interested in promoting peaceful relations among religions-- why can't they see that this is being perceived as an insult-- even a flaunting of "victory"? Obviously they know how the community (and the country) feels about it now, even if you believe they were somehow unable to predict the response beforehand. It seems like a truly peaceful, respectful group of people would at least consider finding a different location to develop, given the very recent history. (It hasn't even been ten years, people!) Why is that specific place so important to them...?
I assume you've all heard the (at least potential) significance of the name "Cordoba"? No wonder they've since changed the proposed name from "Cordoba House" to the innocuous "Park51".
