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View Full Version : Ron Paul: Left and the Right Demagogue Mosque, Islam


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funky_fresh
08-21-2010, 01:18 AM
LAKE JACKSON, Texas--[[BUSINESS WIRE)--Congressman Ron Paul today released the following statement on the controversy concerning the construction of an Islamic Center and Mosque in New York City:

“Is the controversy over building a mosque near ground zero a grand distraction or a grand opportunity? Or is it, once again, grandiose demagoguery?

“It has been said, “Nero fiddled while Rome burned.” Are we not overly preoccupied with this controversy, now being used in various ways by grandstanding politicians? It looks to me like the politicians are “fiddling while the economy burns.”

“The debate should have provided the conservative defenders of property rights with a perfect example of how the right to own property also protects the 1st Amendment rights of assembly and religion by supporting the building of the mosque.

“Instead, we hear lip service given to the property rights position while demanding that the need to be “sensitive” requires an all-out assault on the building of a mosque, several blocks from “ground zero.”

“Just think of what might [[not) have happened if the whole issue had been ignored and the national debate stuck with war, peace, and prosperity. There certainly would have been a lot less emotionalism on both sides. The fact that so much attention has been given the mosque debate, raises the question of just why and driven by whom?

“In my opinion it has come from the neo-conservatives who demand continual war in the Middle East and Central Asia and are compelled to constantly justify it.

“They never miss a chance to use hatred toward Muslims to rally support for the ill conceived preventative wars. A select quote from soldiers from in Afghanistan and Iraq expressing concern over the mosque is pure propaganda and an affront to their bravery and sacrifice.

“The claim is that we are in the Middle East to protect our liberties is misleading. To continue this charade, millions of Muslims are indicted and we are obligated to rescue them from their religious and political leaders. And, we’re supposed to believe that abusing our liberties here at home and pursuing unconstitutional wars overseas will solve our problems.

“The nineteen suicide bombers didn’t come from Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan or Iran. Fifteen came from our ally Saudi Arabia, a country that harbors strong American resentment, yet we invade and occupy Iraq where no al Qaeda existed prior to 9/11.

“Many fellow conservatives say they understand the property rights and 1st Amendment issues and don’t want a legal ban on building the mosque. They just want everybody to be “sensitive” and force, through public pressure, cancellation of the mosque construction.

“This sentiment seems to confirm that Islam itself is to be made the issue, and radical religious Islamic views were the only reasons for 9/11. If it became known that 9/11 resulted in part from a desire to retaliate against what many Muslims saw as American aggression and occupation, the need to demonize Islam would be difficult if not impossible.

“There is no doubt that a small portion of radical, angry Islamists do want to kill us but the question remains, what exactly motivates this hatred?

“If Islam is further discredited by making the building of the mosque the issue, then the false justification for our wars in the Middle East will continue to be acceptable.

“The justification to ban the mosque is no more rational than banning a soccer field in the same place because all the suicide bombers loved to play soccer.

“Conservatives are once again, unfortunately, failing to defend private property rights, a policy we claim to cherish. In addition conservatives missed a chance to challenge the hypocrisy of the left which now claims they defend property rights of Muslims, yet rarely if ever, the property rights of American private businesses.

“Defending the controversial use of property should be no more difficult than defending the 1st Amendment principle of defending controversial speech. But many conservatives and liberals do not want to diminish the hatred for Islam--the driving emotion that keeps us in the wars in the Middle East and Central Asia.

“It is repeatedly said that 64% of the people, after listening to the political demagogues, don’t want the mosque to be built. What would we do if 75% of the people insist that no more Catholic churches be built in New York City? The point being is that majorities can become oppressors of minority rights as well as individual dictators. Statistics of support is irrelevant when it comes to the purpose of government in a free society—protecting liberty.

“The outcry over the building of the mosque, near ground zero, implies that Islam alone was responsible for the 9/11 attacks. According to those who are condemning the building of the mosque, the nineteen suicide terrorists on 9/11 spoke for all Muslims. This is like blaming all Christians for the wars of aggression and occupation because some Christians supported the neo-conservative’s aggressive wars.

“The House Speaker is now treading on a slippery slope by demanding a Congressional investigation to find out just who is funding the mosque—a bold rejection of property rights, 1st Amendment rights, and the Rule of Law—in order to look tough against Islam.

“This is all about hate and Islamaphobia.

“We now have an epidemic of “sunshine patriots” on both the right and the left who are all for freedom, as long as there’s no controversy and nobody is offended.

“Political demagoguery rules when truth and liberty are ignored.”

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Pg5B42oQLmM/STKz9XEPbSI/AAAAAAAAGgI/5ZJZdGNrac8/s400/Neocons+Heart.jpg

http://tn4th.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/republicrats-7428101.jpg

144man
08-21-2010, 01:49 PM
I haven't seen any arguments on this subject one way or another, so I haven't got enough information at the moment to have an informed opinion. Why all the secrecy?

My view at the moment is that as many of the victims were not Americans, the decision is not solely America's to take. Surely the views of the victims' families should be ascertained and taken into consideration.

A multi-faith center where Muslims , Christians, and Jews could worship in the same building would have been better. Let's concentrate on our similarities, not our differences.

funky_fresh
08-22-2010, 12:09 PM
There is a protest going on today in NYC against the building of the mosque. A protest against the constitutional rights of Americans. Unbelievable.

Notice the silence of the radical left on this board regarding this topic.

Obama did the right thing by defending the rights to build the mosque, then he shucked and jived right afterwards to appease the left and right that are owned by AIPAC.

Take a look at harry "ebonics" reid. And people still think there are two parties. :confused:

soulster
08-23-2010, 07:49 PM
Oh, the populist politicians' paradox!

144man
08-24-2010, 06:47 AM
Maybe the radical left on this board are silent because they don't think the issue should be politicized.

timmyfunk
08-24-2010, 08:23 AM
Agreed 144man. That and the fact that we're not going to cartwheels just because Rand Paul has one rare moment of clarity. Too many times, this guy can't fit enough feet in his mouth with regards to political views.

soulster
08-24-2010, 10:31 AM
Maybe the radical left on this board are silent because they don't think the issue should be politicized.

The left here is not radical. At the same time, i'm really not seeing a radical right, either. And, the left isn't silent here. The left knows this whole issue is nothing more than an attempt by the republicans to stir up their base. And, it got confusing for them when even their tea-party came out in support of the mosque being there based on their Constitutional rights.

I lean left, and as much as it pains me to say it, Ron Paul is 100% dead-on about all of this.

144man
08-24-2010, 12:09 PM
I was directly answering Funky Fresh who used the term "radical left".

soulster
08-24-2010, 07:55 PM
I was directly answering Funky Fresh who used the term "radical left".


I did not see that.

What would be helpful is if members use the quote feature like I do. It helps reduce confusion. I also understand that some members still aren't used to this new forum software.

smark21
08-24-2010, 09:30 PM
Agreed 144man. That and the fact that we're not going to cartwheels just because Rand Paul has one rare moment of clarity. Too many times, this guy can't fit enough feet in his mouth with regards to political views.


Ron Paul, not Rand Paul. Ron is the father. As far as I know, Rand has said nothing.

timmyfunk
08-25-2010, 12:43 AM
My bad. Sometimes I get the two mixed up, for various reasons.

marxthespot
08-25-2010, 01:31 AM
This mosque controversy is nothing more than a Neocon Conservative bullshit political tactic designed to help the Republicans with the midterm elections in November. How convenient that this all got started in July just two months before the next 911 remeberance...

There are two other Mosques that have been in that same neighborhood for years.....

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/14/nyregion/14mosque.html

The Neocon/Republican movement seems to know no other tactic other than striing up fear and prejudice.....

144man
08-26-2010, 08:33 AM
Soulster, I did try to use the quote feature, but couldn't get it to work.

gary_james
08-26-2010, 01:00 PM
has Rupaul said anything?

soulster
08-26-2010, 01:48 PM
Soulster, I did try to use the quote feature, but couldn't get it to work.

What browser are you using? It works fine for me in Chrome.

soulster
08-26-2010, 01:53 PM
has Rupaul said anything?

He won't, not after his crap about the 14th Amendment and Civil Rights. He doesn't want to do anything that would hurt his chances of winning in November. This issue speaks to his principles, but his base is very selective. Seems the tea-bagers want religious freedom for christians and jews, but for no one else. They may have heals a rally in support of the mosque, but they, otherwise, remain suspiciously silent on the matter, probably because they think Obama's a muslim anyway.

smark21
08-26-2010, 06:25 PM
He won't, not after his crap about the 14th Amendment and Civil Rights. He doesn't want to do anything that would hurt his chances of winning in November. This issue speaks to his principles, but his base is very selective. Seems the tea-bagers want religious freedom for christians and jews, but for no one else. They may have heals a rally in support of the mosque, but they, otherwise, remain suspiciously silent on the matter, probably because they think Obama's a muslim anyway.

LOL! Um, soulster, he's asking about RuPaul, the draq queen, who had a hit dance song in the 90's called Supermodel, not Rand Paul. No relation between the two.

soulster
08-26-2010, 08:04 PM
LOL! Um, soulster, he's asking about RuPaul, the draq queen, who had a hit dance song in the 90's called Supermodel, not Rand Paul. No relation between the two.

I thought "RuPaul" was a slur on Rand Paul, Ron Paul's son.

And, what does RuPaul have to do with any of this? I don't know anything about RuPaul.

smark21
08-27-2010, 07:33 PM
I thought "RuPaul" was a slur on Rand Paul, Ron Paul's son.

And, what does RuPaul have to do with any of this? I don't know anything about RuPaul.

I would think Gary James who brought up RuPaul was trying to have fun and do a play on words.

soulster
08-27-2010, 09:59 PM
I would think Gary James who brought up RuPaul was trying to have fun and do a play on words.

That's what I thought too! But, you yourself told me who he was talking about.

144man
08-31-2010, 03:33 PM
What browser are you using? It works fine for me in Chrome.

I must have done something wrong, Soulster. It's working fine now.