Now on ScienceBlogs: A study that oversells massage therapy
Thoughts From the Interface of Science, Religion, Law and Culture
Ed Brayton is a journalist, commentator and speaker. He is the co-founder and president of Michigan Citizens for Science and co-founder of The Panda's Thumb. He has written for such publications as The Bard, Skeptic and Reports of the National Center for Science Education, spoken in front of many organizations and conferences, and appeared on nationally syndicated radio shows and on C-SPAN. Ed is also a Fellow with the Center for Independent Media and the host of Declaring Independence, a one hour weekly political talk show on WPRR in Grand Rapids, Michigan.(static)
Ed Brayton also blogs at Positive Liberty and The Panda's Thumb
« Strippers Protest Church | Main | Appeals Court Gets One Right »
Posted on: August 15, 2010 10:43 AM, by Ed Brayton
The Daily Show has an amusing riff on the controversy over an Islamic center a few blocks from Ground Zero. I live the series of clips about how far away would be acceptable -- 5 blocks, 10 blocks, 15 blocks, 20 blocks. Do I hear California?
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Municipal Land-Use Hearing Update | ||||
| ||||
Politics
Comments
I was in downtown Manhattan yesterday to see an independent film that one of my friends had a part in and decided to first visit the WTC site and the site of the proposed community center to see how close it was and what the neighborhood is like.
Streets being rather close to each other in downtown Manhattan, the building at 51 Park Place which is to house the proposed community center, is quite close to the WTC site. But the WTC site would not be visible from the community center. Two taller buildings, including a Federal Government building, stand in between.
The site of the community center will be sandwiched between an Amish Market and the Dakota Roundhouse, the latter of which might cause some consternation for religiously observant Muslims.
http://dakotaroadhouse.food.officelive.com/default.aspx
And the next block after Park Place, Murray Street, one can find a New York City Dolls "gentlemen's" club.
Posted by: Tommykey | August 15, 2010 11:17 AM
I would just love to see them send John Oliver into one of Mosque protest groups and ask them what they think the final solution to Muslim problem is in America.
Or maybe I don't want to know.
Posted by: EricJ | August 15, 2010 11:30 AM
Holy. Shit. The Governor of Tennessee did NOT just say that.
Posted by: Andrea | August 15, 2010 11:42 AM
Ed, I notice the difference in the number of blog posts regarding the ground zero mosque in contrast to blog posts on burka ban legislation in parts of Europe. I can't help but ask why the relative silence on the latter issue.
Posted by: TheDude | August 15, 2010 11:56 AM
TheDude, I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess it's because Ed doesn't live in Europe, and this stupid "Ground Zero Mosque" issue is stirring up so much hot air in the US press.
Posted by: Squiddhartha | August 15, 2010 12:17 PM
Near-perfect argument by Stewart, and LOL funny as well. Stewart continues to reveal how idiotic conservatives are, how little concern most Americans have for defending or even appreciating our civil rights, and how lame the media is in presenting obvious arguments in defense of our the principles we supposedly hold; he can do it, why can't they?
What Stewart continues to unfortunately validate is that we get the government we collectively deserve.
Posted by: Michael Heath | August 15, 2010 12:31 PM
I just now found out that there will be another anti-"mosque" protest here in NYC on Saturday, September 11. Does anyone here know if anyone is organizing a counter-protest? If so, I would very much appreciate it if information about it could be posted here.
Posted by: Diane Vera | August 15, 2010 12:41 PM
Yay! Bookburning endorsed by Christianists! How motivating! How charming! How so much like the gospel of peace!
(And truly unoriginal as a part of Christianist history.)
Posted by: mercurianferret | August 15, 2010 12:49 PM
You know who else burned books? Hitler.
Posted by: The Christian Cynic | August 15, 2010 1:12 PM
I am appalled that this issue can become so twisted. Typical though in today's climate. "It's on Ground Zero!!!!" Blocks away (2? 5? 10? Woody Allen's house?) What does it matter? It's not THERE! Besides, New York can't even decide WHAT to build on the actual site, and it's been almost 9 years, for pity's sake! Freedom of speech and/or religion? Who cares about the Bill of Rights anyway? It was made up by a bunch of radical/liberals and added onto the real Constitution. He he.
Posted by: Brother Calhoun | August 15, 2010 2:07 PM
I found the Daily Show coverage very disturbing for two reasons. First, it was not only funny as hell, but dead-on insightful about the inability of mosque opponents to muster a shred of critical thinking. Second, the contrast between Jon Stewart and "real" journalist keeps demonstrating the incoherence and incompetence of the latter in confronting controversy.
Posted by: JerseyCurmudgeon | August 15, 2010 2:21 PM
The St Petersburg Times has an article in today's paper on Democratic candidates for Florida offices coming out against Obama's statement supporting the right of the buildings owners to build a cultural center there. Candidate for governor Alex Sink is one. She will not be getting my vote. Both GOP candidates predictably are on the wrong side. All use the lame "I support the First Amendment, but..." line.
Interesting the Independent (former Repub) candidate Charlie Crist is being the good guy, backing up Obama's statements.
Posted by: EricJ | August 15, 2010 2:43 PM
Not surprising if you realize that as a rule politicians don't have principles, only marketing strategies. Maybe Crist is going for the "rational conservative" market. Yeah, I know -- local wisdom is that it's an oxymoron. Fact remains that not all of the people who vote Republican get their marching orders from their pastors while the snakes are being handed around, and somewhere along the line I expect someone to figure that they've been turned off by the Becks to the point that it's worth courting them.
Posted by: D. C. Sessions | August 15, 2010 2:57 PM
Why is it being characterized as a "mosque," anyway? I think that most people would consider the characterizations of a Jewish community center as a "synagogue" to be bizarre and inaccurate.
Posted by: daniel rotter | August 15, 2010 3:06 PM
"Why is it being characterized as a "mosque," anyway?"
Because they're evil, scary Muslims and that's all that matters when you're manipulating peoples racial prejudices.
Muslim! Ooga booga!
Posted by: Narc | August 15, 2010 3:32 PM
Michael Heath said, we get the government we collectively deserve
Mencken said democracy is the theory that the people know what they want and deserve to get it, good and hard.
Posted by: cdrealist | August 15, 2010 7:45 PM
That's exactly how I feel, almost more every day I watch Stewart.
Posted by: Camus Dude | August 15, 2010 8:15 PM
While the segment was, of course, awesome, I wish they had accurately placed Wilson on their map. The Wilson with the mosque protest is in Sheboygan county, on Lake Michigan, rather than up north dere in Rusk County where they seemed to place it.
Posted by: General Factotum | August 16, 2010 11:01 AM
You have the right of free speech to drive through Harlem shouting the n-word, but that does not make such behavior appropriate nor above criticism. Although Muslims have the right to build near the site,one would hope the Muslim community would take into account people's sensitivities. (Even though I suspect there is a fair amount of pure bigotry behind the protests.)
Posted by: Donn | August 16, 2010 11:50 AM
Sensitivities is the dumbest reason to preclude a fundamental foundation of our Bill of Rights.
To be blunt the 'n-word' is used in Harlem, likely even shouted, by people everyday. The difference is by whom and in what context.
Muslim Americans building a center/mosque proximal to Ground Zero is as acceptable as blacks, whites and others using the n-word in an acceptable manner in Harlem. It isn't as if Al-Qaeda in America applied for a permit to build a Mosque and or memorial top their victory over the American infidels.
Next we'll be banning Japanese tourists from Hawaii because we should be sensitive to Pearl Harbor survivors and family.
Posted by: Gish | August 16, 2010 12:22 PM
Donn @ 20:
Using that logic fundamentalist and other conservative Christians shouldn't build churches anywhere within the borders of the U.S.A., especially Catholics anywhere near children.
Posted by: Michael Heath | August 16, 2010 2:14 PM
"...especially Catholics anywhere near children."
FTW!
Posted by: tybee | August 16, 2010 5:40 PM
Donn, #19: Although Muslims have the right to build near the site,one would hope the Muslim community would take into account people's sensitivities. (Even though I suspect there is a fair amount of pure bigotry behind the protests.)
That last parenthetical remark is the important one. As far as I can see, all the "sensitivities" exhibited by the anti-community center is based on Islamophobic bigotry. I certainly can't see any reason that a community center built so close to the former WTC site would arouse such antipathy except for a blind, unreasoning identification of "Muslim" with "terrorist." Certainly, none of the agitation against the community center does anything except drip with bigotry.
And I personally feel that you can't give unreasonable, bigoted, nationalists an inch of ground, otherwise they just become emboldened to demand a further mile.
Posted by: Chiroptera | August 16, 2010 5:46 PM
TommyKey wrote: "But the WTC site would not be visible from the community center. Two taller buildings, including a Federal Government building, stand in between."
So... the Federal Government stands between the Muslims and Ground Zero.
Absurd, I know — but sometimes an absurd counterargument can be effective with an absurd argument.
Posted by: Chris Winter | August 17, 2010 12:29 PM