Palin (almost) talks sense

[Deckard]

Palin:

I would hope that Pastor Terry Jones and his supporters will consider the ramifications of their planned book-burning event. It will feed the fire of caustic rhetoric and appear as nothing more than mean-spirited religious intolerance. Don't feed that fire. If your ultimate point is to prove that the Christian teachings of mercy, justice, freedom, and equality provide the foundation on which our country stands, then your tactic to prove this point is totally counter-productive ... Book burning is antithetical to American ideals. People have a constitutional right to burn a Koran if they want to, but doing so is insensitive and an unnecessary provocation...

Yes, you tell 'em, Sarah! Gosh darn it, I actually agree with her on something.

Oh, hold on, she's not quite finished her sentence...

...much like building a mosque at Ground Zero.

*facepalm*

So the (so-called) Ground Zero mosque, proposed in a clear spirit of reconciliation, of building stronger interfaith dialogue and understanding, and something that could genuinely form the start of a movement to take the ground from under the feet of Islamic extremists'..... so alike in spirit with Pastor Jones' Great Book-Burning Adventure, eh?



Oh well. At least she managed to impress us by using the word 'antithetical'. She'll go far, that one.

[Sean]

Boehner drew the same parallel. Sadly, such blatant shallowness of thought seems to be going undetected by a huge swath of American society.

I'm sad to say it, but I was at lunch the other day with a co-worker who brought this up by saying, "How about that mosque they're trying to build at Ground Zero? What are they thinking?" When I asked him why he felt like it was a problem, he literally couldn't say. When I asked why the moderate Muslims planning the community center should be held accountable for the actions of extremists when we don't hold all Christians accountable for alter boy molestation or the murder of abortion doctors, or all Mormons accountable for the few who marry underage girls in their polygamist relationships (my coworker is Mormon), again, he couldn't say. After just a few minutes, he admitted that he didn't really know anything about it, but knew that people were upset for some reason. Luckily, he's an open-minded enough person that once we talked about it, he was interested in finding out more. So that's good, but I'm sure there are tons of people who are the same as him. They know it's a controversy, and don't think about it beyond the blurbs they see on TV, so they just go along with it. And now 7 in 10 Americans think it's a bad idea based on no objective reasoning whatsoever.

It's a shock to me that something as extreme as this is happening in 2010. I'm getting awfully sick of being shocked this way.

[Caprice]

Yesterday on the 9 year anniversary, all I could think of, is how bad things have gotten for my generation. It's like, things aren't improving. When I learned about the Tea Party, I was speechless.
There is a great depression here in the states that I can't put my finger on, I don't think anyone can put their finger on. It is so broad, and encompasses so many reasons piled onto the other it would take a book to pin-point a general idea.

Frankly, I'm tired of living here. Very tired of living here.

I believe Patriotism is a good thing, but how to express it I am confused. I lived in Mexico for a stint and enjoyed it thoroughly and how banded everyone felt. And my roommate in university was from Montreal, Quebec. He told me much about Montreal and Canada in general, how people interact, and even though most of Canada wants to disown Quebec (he says), and vice versa, they are still a unified country in cause and purpose.

9/11 was the most altering day I can think of in my lifetime. Not for me, because I didn't lose anyone or anything on that day. But the repercussions that have done so much damage, it makes me feel sick.

But back on topic:

I'm still surprised people take Palin seriously.

[Deckard]

Originally Posted by Caprice

9/11 was the most altering day I can think of in my lifetime. Not for me, because I didn't lose anyone or anything on that day. But the repercussions that have done so much damage, it makes me feel sick.

This is so true Caprice. Watching the proliferation of hate and prejudice since 9/11 has been nothing short of wretched. It's not just in the States - it's been steadily growing here in Britain too. Attitudes and events that would have seemed unthinkably callous or stupid a decade ago are now so commonplace. ("20 million affected in Pakistan floods? Well why should WE help the Moslems [sic] when THEY tried to blow us up?") This kind of dumb tribal crap is everywhere.

It's like.... shit, the terrorists have won.

And so many people seem too f-cking dim or brainwashed to get it.

Just to be clear, I don't want to dismiss everyone the above way. Obviously there are an awful lot of people who aren't kneejerk knuckleheads and are fairly receptive to reasoning (perhaps like your lunch colleague Sean). But what scares me is this (and I'll put it in scary caps):

WHY AREN'T PEOPLE THINKING?

[Deckard]

Originally Posted by Caprice

I'm still surprised people take Palin seriously.

Are you? Not me. Not any longer.

I just hope this isn't an indicator of things to come...

Sarah Palin's Iowa trip points to 2012 presidential run
("Attendance at Republican dinner in key state is seen as biggest sign yet that Sarah Palin aims to take on Obama in 2012...")

A couple of years back I'd have said bring it on - a great loser candidate.

Now I'm really not so sure.

[myrrh]

I think that one of the main reasons all this is happening with the mosque and all the hate is because deep in the sub-conscience of American's there has still not been any closure to 9/11.

There is still a big gaping hole in lower Manhattan, and Obama still has not been caught. If one of these two things where resolved, I feel that people would have closer to that event and move onto other things.

If the new World Trade Center was built with a memorial and all, I doubt that that building this mosque would even be an issue.

Umm, to be on topic... Palin is an idiot.

[the mongoose]

Originally Posted by myrrh

and Obama still has not been caught.

lol

[Caprice]

Originally Posted by myrrh

I think that one of the main reasons all this is happening with the mosque and all the hate is because deep in the sub-conscience of American's there has still not been any closure to 9/11.

Part of the reason why I think there has been no closure is that right after the towers were hit, I remember, the rest of the day the whole country was in a state of shock until both towers fell, then after they fell everyone wanted to go to New York to help with the relief. But then, not even a week after, before any serious person could ask why this happened? We started our offensive planning. Our way of revenge.
- if anyone has seen The Boondocks episode called Return of The King, then that is basically how I see the situation. The right thing for USA to have done is to turn the other cheek while investigating into the matter. Tons of investigation, by multiple authorities should have taken place into the attacks and the cause of.

Instead, we went to war: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_on_Terror

Not taking Palin seriously? I never did until recently, when Glenn Beck decided to make this happen:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restoring_Honor_rally

Now what? What are we Americans who obviously don't stand for this shit to do? I've really thought hard about rallying, about going to rallies and staging rallies but the hard pill to swallow, at least in my state, is that no one really cares. If you start arguing with someone about the political state of the country and the Tea Party gaining support, and we need to do something to counteract them, you'll most likely get the "I have a job," or "I don't have that kind of time to blow," or "I got bills to pay, man."
What has happened here, in my radical opinion, is that Americans (me) have been trapped by debt to do anything else. To pursue anything else. With the economy scare, the thought of losing thy job is almost too terrible to consider. Because if one loses their job today, they could go bankrupt because they can't find another job to pay their debts.
Because of this low moral to do anything else with one's life besides work a job they don't like to the grave, the Tea Party gains momentum, Palin gains support, Beck is actually considered to be...a good speaker.

Now granted Tea Party supporters are Americans also, most likely working jobs they don't like also, but they have a goal oriented mind. Because chances are they were for "The War" in the first place. They can see an End in sight where America will be triumphant again. Whereas the realists, people like me, see no end, see more desturction, see more heartache, see a country that will likely not know true joy for a long time to come.


/rant

[the mongoose]

Yeah like they'd let us cruise on over and build a Christian Religious Center right next to Mecca.



Fuck, they jump up and down on camera burning our fucking flags and screaming death to all American infidels.

[myrrh]

Originally Posted by the mongoose

Yeah like they'd let us cruise on over and build a Christian Religious Center right next to Mecca.

You can not compare building a Christian Religious Center next to Mecca with the mosque because the two countries governments are based on different principles. Saudi Arabia is a theocracy, we are a democracy. Saudia Arabia doesn't have to allow anything other than Islam in their country because they state that Islam is the countries religion; whereas we say that you can do anything you want here, thus it is your right to build a religious center where ever you want.