Muslims speaking out

A lot of people demand that Muslims speak out and that we participate in dialogue to further peace and understanding between the Islamic and Non-Islamic world.  To me this is confusing I do not differentiate between the Islamic and Non-Islamic world because I live in the only world I am aware and this world is not bisected or balkanized by religion.  Having said all of that a Saudi Royal Prince has spoken in favor of moving the misnamed "Ground Zero" mosque to another less offensive location.  There you go America as I said the location of the Mosque is irrelevant it is the fact that some people  in this country want to ban our freedom to practice our religion.  Move the Mosque and end this senseless debate!!

GPS Tracking: The demise of a free Nation

In times of confusion and strife tryants will arise among the people and attempt to steer the conversation into the arena of the absurd and the ridiculous.  I will be the first person to stand up and point out that Islamic extremists pose a grave threat to America's national security and that we must be vigilant about the threat that this terrorists pose to our safety and well-being.  However, I do not believe that in times of war the government is justified in sacrificing our basic civil liberties on the altar of expediency and knee-jerk reactions.  In case you did not know various law enforcement officers in America have begun conducting unwarranted gps placement and subsequent tracking of the movement of free citizens in America.  In particular it is my understand that SUPRISE! the American-Islamic community is being targeted with little to no evidence or provocation for the simple offense of belief in Islam.  What is scary about this process is that it invests law enforcement with the power to decide at will when and where to monitor the movements of American citizens who have never done anything wrong.  Imagine the wide open areas of abuse for such a carte blanche endorsement to run rampant over political enemies, underprivileged people and unpopular groups of people.  If law enforcement or the federal government feels that they have reasonable suspicion or probable cause to monitor the movements of someone within the continental U.S. there is a process for obtaining a legal search warrant.  People will no doubt scoff at this and say well this is merely a tool in fighting the global war on terrorism and crime.  Is it really?  Let's suppose that is does assist the federal government and local law enforcement in apprehending and preventing various types of crime including but not limited to terrorism that is not in and of itself a justification.  The problem with warrantless survilleance by GPS is that it invades the privacy of the person being watched without a legal justification or reason.

The case about unwarranted GPS monitoring recently re-ignited because while having an oil change performed it was discovered that a strange wire was coming from the gas tank of a Muslim-American of Arab descent.  The device was removed by the oil change service station and the FBI contacted the Service Station and demanded back their equipment.  No explanation was given for why this man never convicted of any crime and only working and living in America paying taxes and obeying the law was being monitored without a warrant.  No wait a reason was given this man was guilty of the heinous crime of having extensive contacts in the Middle East!  Definitely suspicious considering the man is from gasp! Egypt an American ally located in you guessed it the Middle East.  The real problem is that when the precedent is set that the government can do whatever it wants under the pathetic and overused guise of NATIONAL security the only thing that becomes more secure is the draconian grip of the government around the throat of free citizens.

GOP and the O'Donnell Problem

As a Conservative Libertarian I tend to vote the GOP ticket but I am troubled by Christine O'Donnell and it has little to do with soft allegations about masterbation or witchcraft.  Honestly I do not care about such red herring issues and I focus like a laser on the issues that matter to me small efficient government, free markets and low taxes while still ensuring freedom and justice for all Americans.  The real problem with Christine O'Donnell she is not a very good candidate and she showed this lack of political chops in the first debate.  It would be much too easy to dismiss O'Donnell as stupid or as a right wing extremist I do not think this hyperbole properly captures O'Donnell the candidate.  What Chrisitine O'Donnell is an unremarkable and uninteresting bland average American of average intelligence neither good nor bad.  While the basic tenants of her CONSERVATIVE message sound really progressive and great for America in this time of economic despair and recession when held to the light of scrutiny the are exposed as airy false platitudes.  Candidates like O'Donnell have no idea how to win a fierce political election and they have no understanding or real game plan for getting America back on track.  Standing against Obama and the Liberal Democrats sounds great on paper but what does it really mean?  Also acting like statements about witchcraft, failing to maintain your personal finances and taking hardline stances on sexual issues will not matter in an election are simply naive.  O'Donnell almost seems oblivious that she could be attacked because she is after all the TEA party child of light and justice.  What is most telling about O'Donnell was her inability to name one single Supreme Court case in recent years that she objects to based on her political beliefs this from a chest beating fist pumping Social Conservative.  Republicans still have not gotten the message it is the economy stupid not masterbation or prayer in school that wins popular elections social conservatism wins GOP primaries but the wider public does not care about your values as much as they care about their families economic security.  America is made up of many different kinds of family a wide panorama of faiths, values and belief systems and this is lost on many social conservatives.  There are two family value that extends across all faith/ethnic groups and that is love and respect.  Christine O'Donnell may or may not be a nice person she maybe a conservative but she is not a great candidate and she looks clueless when held to the fire so how will she govern?

Dig Up their Graves

No Muslim shall be allowed to rest in peace in New York apparently the dead are just a threatening as the living!

SUMMER OF RECOVERY Meet the British Winter of discontent

GOD SAVE THE QUEEN from having to pay her heating bill!  Apparently while everyone is poolside sipping fruity drinks and enjoying the robust American economy during the Obama summer of recovery the British Royal Monarchy is recovering from a gaffe which occured during the winter of British discontent.  Apparently the Queen of England tried to get money from a fund which subsidizes heating bills to aid low-income britons in order to pay the enormous heating bill in the Royal Palace.  Apparently one of the world's richest people cannot afford to heat her oversized home!  At least in America we can take comfort in knowing that the economy sucks everywhere and it sounds like if Obama can get over his anti-British feelings he can send some of his summer of recovery expertise across the pond to save the English.

Arson at Mosque not a HATE CRIME according to ATF

In Tennesse hateful people are trying to intimidate Muslims into not building a religious center and the Lt. Governor makes anti-Islamic statements.  People are entitled to be anti-Islamic but when some lunatic crosses the line and commits arson against a religious center that is an act of terrorism and a clear hate crime.  According to an ATF spokesperson a probable arson at the construction site of a new Islamic center is not a hate crime. 

ATF spokesman Eric Kehn told CNN on Monday night the investigation is continuing. "We have no reason to think it's a hate crime," he said. (emphasis added)

Excuse me this is a hate crime and the people who committed this heinous act are TERRORISTS!  Terrorism is defined by Merriam Webster "as the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion."  Whether the person is using Islamic ideology to justify heinous attacks on innocent civilians or using misguided senses of Patriotism and warped Christianity to attack intimidate and burn down mosques both of these people would be terrorists. 
America is a country of freedom and Islam is a religion of peace all religions have lunatics who misrepresent the true meaning of the Holy Books.  Please refrain from this hateful speech and attacks on religious people.

NYC MOSQUE

I tried my hardest to stay out of this slanted and highly controversial debate over the Mosque two (2) blocks from Ground Zero in NYC.  First of all, I have to object to the repeated media term Mosque at Ground Zero just to clarify this Masjid will not be built at Ground Zero and nothing can be built on this hallowed ground.  Having said that I have mixed emotions about this so called "debate" I sincerely believe that the far right in America is trying to use this Masjid to attack Islam in general.  I believe that many Islamic groups are exploiting this masjid to push the idea of Islamic acceptance as a pre-requisite to life in America.  Let me be clear you do not have to accept Islam but you cannot prevent Muslims from living in America and from building places of worship.  I believe that many of the anti-Masjid groups actually want to ban Islam in general and that to those extreme groups this is the first shot in a war to banish the "evil" "ignorant" muslims from America. 
I should point out that I am a Muslim so my view of this is somewhat tainted but I still feel objective and I am very sensitive to the pain and anguish a masjid so close to the site of the 9/11 attacks could be to the families of the victims who died that day.  Islam is not to blame for 9/11 terrorists posing as Muslims were the cause of the 9/11 tragedy and that should not be lost in the haze of this clouded and venomous debate.  My fear is that if Muslims can be told when and where to build their Masjids then this is the first step in the greater push by some groups in the U.S. to control and attack Islam and Muslims and prevent us from practicing our religion.  My solution to this impasse is simple the Muslims should simply take the moral high ground and say we believe our Masjid is not offensive but to show our solidarity with the victims of 9/11 and to not alienate America we will move our Masjid a few blocks away.
The problem with this debate is that both sides have a vested interest in sticking to their point and not backing down until victory.  Some islamic groups are more interested in being confrontational and forcing "acceptance" and "tolerance" that they end up fostering more hard feelings than good will.  To these hyper partisan groups the ends justify the means and the real people who suffer are the moderate Muslims who simply want to live in peace with non-Muslim neighbors.  The majority of American Muslims want no part of controversial projects that draw negative attention to Islam but time and time again certain Islamic groups draw the ire of the American public and we moderate Muslims suffer.  Moderate Muslims fear that the attack on the Masjid in NYC represents an attack on their religion and the religion of their ancestors; however, this does not mean that cooler heads cannot prevail.
The other side of this argument is the groups that seem to oppose all things Islam and these groups are pushing the public debate on the NYC mosque and are purposely distributing misleading information both about the Masjid and about Islam in general.  Make no mistake these people despise Islam and anything they say about Islam is poisoned by their hatred for the teachings of the Qu'ran.  I believe that the majority of Americans are misinformed about Islam or under-educated and their opinions are shaped by this vocal minority of Islamophobes.  However, Islamophobia is protected by the 1st Amendment and the right to build the Masjid near the site of the 9/11 attacks is also protected by the 1st Amendment.
Bottom line:  Muslims should take the moral high ground move the Masjid and show America that Islam is a religion of tolerance and peace and is consistent with life in America.  If we take the moral high ground we can then dispel many of the lies told by the Islamophobic hordes who live to tarnish the glory of the Holy Qu'ran.
Last comment POTUS Obama should have stayed out the Masjid debate because his opinion is not a manner of public importance and is merely a private opinion.  The Government cannot interefere with the Constitutional Rights of American Citizens and this is a First Amendment issue so Mr. President I appreciate your candid and forthright answer but it was not necessary or appropriate given your position as POTUS.  Finally I find it utterly pathetic that the GOP wants to exploit Obama's remarks on the Masjid to gain political clout in 2010 and 2012.  I realize that politics is about winning but this further reinforces the concerns of many Muslims that the GOP is not a party that respects or cares about Muslims.  This is a mistake because Muslims are a fast growing voting minority in this Country and deserve to be treated with respect and not used  as political props to gain votes in mid-term elections.