Reanimates “Ground Zero Mosque” horse, then beats it again.
In more evidence that the GOP is Klassy with a capital K, supporters of Bob Turner — Republican candidate in the NY-9 race — sent out a mailer that depicts a mosque superimposed over Ground Zero. You know — because Muslims and mosques are scary.
From Think Progress:
The incendiary flier was sent out on behalf of Republican businessman Bob Turner who is seeking to take former Rep. Anthony Weiner’s (D) seat. As seen below, the front of the flier features a gold-domed mosque rising out of the ruins of the World Trade Center site with a quote from Weprin stating “I support the right of the mosque to build.” The other side places Weprin next to Obama and reads “Weprin stands with Obama — and they stand together in support of the mosque at Ground Zero”:
Apparently we’re doing this ZOMG! MOSQUE!!!1 business again, so I’m just going to copy what I said about this nonsense last year:
The facts are, it is not a mosque. It is a cultural center that has a mosque in it. Christians have the YMCA (it’s really fun to stay there, apparently) and Jewish folk have the JCC (Jewish peeps were smart enough not to let a dude in an Indian headdress have anything to do with a song about their community organization), right? Well, Muslims want their own community center. A community center with a basketball court and maybe a pool and whatever else community centers normally have.
I know that both the YMCA and the JCC have summer camp programs. (I went to a YMCA camp from the age of 6, until they kicked me out for smoking cigarettes on camp grounds when I was 17 years old, only to be asked back as a staff member when I was 18 years old. Drunk Good times.) And even though I’m not and never have been particularly religious, I never once felt like my summer camp was trying to shove Jesus down my throat. It was about having fun with kids my age in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. (And later, drinking wine coolers with kids my age in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey.)
And you know what? I bet if the Park 51 Muslim Center were to have a summer camp program open to all kids of whatever religion, those kids who attend, especially non-Muslim kids, might learn a thing or two about Muslim culture and tolerance. They might learn that not all Muslims are terrorists. (And not all Muslims are our President.)
But, as Gladstone at Cracked.com so eloquently put it:
A mosque by definition is a purely religious structure. This is a large proposed community center, open to the public and set to house, among other things, a basketball court. Yes there will be a prayer space inside it as well, but you don’t call St. Mary’s Hospital a church because it happens to have a chapel inside it, do you? Well, maybe you do. You read about politics on the Internet from a guy who claims not to write about politics, so maybe you’re functionally illiterate. But the point is, you shouldn’t.
But “Islamic Community Center open to the public” doesn’t have the same ability to scare people the way “mosque” does. I mean, you hear “mosque” you think mosquito, you think STING! You hear “mosque” you think “mask,” you think DECEPTION! You hear “community center” you think “OK. One more place I’ll never go.” So, yeah, clearly the decision was made by those who hate you to call this the “Ground Zero Mosque” even though it’s not at Ground Zero and not technically a mosque. Why are we still discussing this? Why haven’t you already asked Sarah Palin if she’s the devil on her Twitter account? Oh, that’s right. Because the devil is supposed to be good at lying.
The Asshats on the Right have made this cultural center their electoral issue. And, with Fox News’ “fair and balanced” assistance, they have whipped the American public up into a right frenzy. And what’s more, they know exactly what they are doing, because they are cunning, and they are dishonest, and they think Americans are too stupid, too lazy, or too busy to ferret out the truth.
They repeat the same talking points over and over and over until they seep into the American consciousness and then at some point the talking points become facts and those “facts” become indisputable truth. And if you disagree, then you hate America and you want more Americans to die at the hands of Muslims who are right now at this moment planning to blow your shit up.
I got myself all worked up into a frenzy over this on Friday because it makes me extremely angry. Not angry at the people who may have had some reservations about a mosque being built at ground zero. But, angry at the people — the media — who do nothing to correct this misperception. It is not a mosque. And it is not at Ground Zero. And that is the truth.
What I find most offensive is that these purported constitutionalists — these lovers of freedom — have proven that they only love the freedom that they want. They only want the government to stay out of social issues that affect them. But when it comes to people and Constitution-ey stuff that they don’t like? All of a sudden, they are more than willing to take a giant dump on the Constitution.
~snip~
So listen up, 68%. You can’t have it both ways. You can’t want to be free to exercise your religion yet at the same time want to hinder another American’s right to the free exercise of his or her religion. It’s logically inconsistent, i.e., really fucking dumb.
You know what’s more fucking dumb? Trying to scare voters with a non-mosque that will be built at non-Ground Zero.
If you live in NY-9, I hope you plan to vote — and not for Islamophobic asshat Bob Turner. Tell Bob Turner to cram it up his cramhole, won’t you?
[via Think Progress]
[cross-posted at ABLC]
Spaghetti Lee
This sort of debate is especially maddening. It’s not like health care or the stimulus where there’s so many ambiguities and hypotheticals and what-ifs. This is basic, objective fact. Like you said. Not a mosque. Not at Ground Zero. This is not difficult to understand. But because the Republicans see another opportunity to make Americans afraid of each other for their own political gain, they just lie about it, again and again and again, and no one is able to stop them or make them pay for it. Gah. It’s just so fucking stupid.
Comrade Kevin
Shorter Bob Turner: “Fuck Muslims! Vote for me, I hate those bastards!”
Jenny
but, but, but… it’s all Obama’s fault!
If Obama only used the bully pulpit the old reactionaries in this district wouldn’t be quaking in fear of mooslims and lesbians.
Comrade Kevin
@Jenny: Are you asking for those clowns to show up?
James E. Powell
It’s what they always do and it almost always works. Is anyone really surprised?
Jenny
This congressional district is so nutz that even Anthony Weiner (who is married to a muslim) wouldn’t support the mosque for fear the district would vote him out.
Helen
@Jenny:
Clearly you do not believe in admitting your sophmoric mistakes, even when they are pointed out to you. In fact you insist on repeating them. So I will help you out here.
From my 141 to you from the Bye-bye Weiner thread:
But hey, just like wingnuts, why let facts get in your way?
Carolinus
Here’s the Turner campaign’s TV spot pushing the same BS:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7tkl0gsMng
(it includes digitally distorted footage of the burning WTC towers and explicit references to the 10 year anniversary)
RandyH
So much fuss about a NY district that should be able to handle its own affairs. Here in NV-2, we also have a special election TOMORROW that ABSOLUTELY NO ONE has paid any attention to at all and it really pisses me off because we have (or had) a great opportunity to fill an always-Republican seat with a GREAT Democratic woman, but no one cared.
No one gave money. The DCCC didn’t even pay attention and we’ll probably be stuck with one of the worst Teabagging assholes EVER instead of a legitimately liberal progressive Democrat by a few hundred votes (maybe alot more the way this has been handled) but I am CONVINCED we could have won this one and kept the seat for decades if we just ran this campaign right and if anyone else in the country actually gave a rat’s ass.
I don’t know what to say. If Kate Marshall (D) wins, I’ll be jumping for joy because we did it with ABSOLUTELY NO help from ANYONE AT ALL! But if that asshole Mark Ammodei (R) wins, you get what you pay for, America. Enjoy having another fascist Tea Party Corporatist Republican in the House (probably until he dies, the way people here vote.) You had a chance to wipe him out easily but you didn’t care because it’s just the northern half of Nevada and “those people” don’t matter. Fucking fools, all of you.
This would have been one of the cheapest and easiest elections to win. An extra $200,000 in contributions would have decided this in her favor but the DCCC and regular folks around the country just didn’t know or care.
Maybe I’m just a little bitter. Northern Nevadans could prove me wrong tomorrow. Let’s hope…
Padraig
What really kills me about this bullshit is that the Right are not only willing to take a dump on religious freedom, but also on private property rights. As in, the government should step in and prevent private individuals from building stuff on land they own. But now we know – freedom of religion and even capitalism itself are less important to the American Right than hating Muslims.
Bigotry Ueber Alles, I suppose.
MariedeGournay
“Why are we still discussing this? Why haven’t you already asked Sarah Palin if she’s the devil on her Twitter account? Oh, that’s right. Because the devil is supposed to be good at lying.”
Made me LOL that did.
Ben Cisco
Why would anyone ever vote GOP when it is so obvious that they are nothing more than a bunch of abject cowards, quaking in their shoes and pissing their pants about EVERYTHING?
__
Oh wait…
Steve M.
FYI, Turner has been running on this “issue” for a month. The equally shameless TV ad he put out about the “mosque” in August is here.
Samara Morgan
just wait until we get kicked out of Iraq in December and the teabaggers realize that OIF and OEF just made the Islamic Republic of Iran stronger and more influential and we spent all that money for nothing…
plus, i think the US is going to HAVE TO vote for Pali statehood this month…the 20th i think?
gnomedad
Wow, the mosque is spontaneously rising out of the ashes. Superman should keep a closer eye on those crystals of his.
The Other Bob
So the teabaggers, who so love to say the feds cannot do x, because the constituion does not specifically provide the power to do x, think a Congressman should have a say in what gets built in an American city?
lacp
@Samara Morgan: That would certainly be entertaining if the US did vote for statehood, but I think it’s more likely that Avigdor Lieberman will convert to Islam.
Kevin
Wouldn’t that be Klassy with a capital KKK?
Svensker
It’s the super hard core Israel First crowd — think Joe and Avigdor Lieberman. So the candidates have to show which one hates Muslims more. Got nothing to do with anything else.
andrewsomething
@The Other Bob:
Well it’s just like when the state’s rights South leading up to the Civil War pushed the Federal Fugitive Slave law, probably the most intrusive and expansive Federal law yet at its time.
Campionrules
@RandyH:
No one spent money on NV-2 because Marshall’s going to be plastered by about 15 points. Even the DCCC knows when it can’t win.
Chris
@Padraig:
Textbook lesson in GOP ideology: yes, there may be such a thing as “rights,” but these rights only apply to us. They really and sincerely believe that: if you’re not one of the “us” (they get to determine that), then every right you’ve ever had is up in the air, or should be.
Joey Maloney
@Samara Morgan:
There’s your mistake right there.
grandpajohn
@Carolinus: So as expected, the articles about the shame of republicans exploiting 911 got political purposes were totally ignored. People who are evil and are totally amoral sociopaths are expected to act in this manner. we shouldn’t be surprised
grandpajohn
@Chris: surely you are aware the religious freedom only applies to Christians, It must be in the Bible somewhere
Hob
ABL: I don’t disagree with anything in this post, but it makes a pretty weird contrast with your previous one about NY-9. Using the logic from that one, you’d have to conclude that if Weprin loses after Turner has used this tactic, it means Democrats should be careful about standing up for Muslims in America because “America isn’t ready” for cultural centers. I realize ironclad consistency is not a mandatory feature of blogging, and it’s better to be right once than wrong twice, but I’m just saying.
Gretchen
When I hear “community center” , I think “does it have a swimming pool? Is it free of those men in Speedos who are impatient with slow swimmers like me? I hope they build it quickly so I can go there!”
Jenny
@Hob:
So ask yourself why did super-liberal icon Anthony Weiner (who is married to a muslim) decline to support the mosque?
I’m just saying.
jimbo123
Oooh, oooh, oooh! Do we get to tell American citizens where, when and how they can worship now? For reals? ‘Cuz then we can finally put the kibosh on the inbred Phelps family freakshow. Probably get to yank the tax exempt status from churches that issue “imprecatory prayers” against a sitting President,too. And congregations that incite and protect the folks who firebomb family planning clinics..can you spell RICO?
KayInMaine
Turner won using the right wing porno card: the “scary Muslim community center in NYC”! Wow. How stupid are Americans? Pretty darn stupid apparently!