President Obama's speech in reference to construction of New York mosque

Last night (August 14), President Obama continued the White House tradition of hosting a celebration of Ramadan in the State Dining Room. During his remarks at the Iftar dinner the president reflected on the importance of religious freedom as one of the founding principles of our Nation.

President Barack Obama:

Our Founders understood that the best way to honor the place of faith in the lives of our people was to protect their freedom to practice religion. In the Virginia Act of Establishing Religion Freedom, Thomas Jefferson wrote that “all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion.” The First Amendment of our Constitution established the freedom of religion as the law of the land. And that right has been upheld ever since.

Indeed, over the course of our history, religion has flourished within our borders precisely because Americans have had the right to worship as they choose -– including the right to believe in no religion at all. And it is a testament to the wisdom of our Founders that America remains deeply religious -– a nation where the ability of peoples of different faiths to coexist peacefully and with mutual respect for one another stands in stark contrast to the religious conflict that persists elsewhere around the globe.

Now, that's not to say that religion is without controversy. Recently, attention has been focused on the construction of mosques in certain communities -– particularly New York. Now, we must all recognize and respect the sensitivities surrounding the development of Lower Manhattan. The 9/11 attacks were a deeply traumatic event for our country. And the pain and the experience of suffering by those who lost loved ones is just unimaginable. So I understand the emotions that this issue engenders. And Ground Zero is, indeed, hallowed ground.

But let me be clear. As a citizen, and as President, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country. (Applause.) And that includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in Lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances. This is America. And our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakeable. The principle that people of all faiths are welcome in this country and that they will not be treated differently by their government is essential to who we are. The writ of the Founders must endure.

We must never forget those who we lost so tragically on 9/11, and we must always honor those who led the response to that attack -– from the firefighters who charged up smoke-filled staircases, to our troops who are serving in Afghanistan today. And let us also remember who we’re fighting against, and what we’re fighting for. Our enemies respect no religious freedom. Al Qaeda’s cause is not Islam -– it’s a gross distortion of Islam. These are not religious leaders -– they’re terrorists who murder innocent men and women and children. In fact, al Qaeda has killed more Muslims than people of any other religion -– and that list of victims includes innocent Muslims who were killed on 9/11.

So that's who we’re fighting against. And the reason that we will win this fight is not simply the strength of our arms -– it is the strength of our values. The democracy that we uphold. The freedoms that we cherish. The laws that we apply without regard to race, or religion, or wealth, or status. Our capacity to show not merely tolerance, but respect towards those who are different from us –- and that way of life, that quintessentially American creed, stands in stark contrast to the nihilism of those who attacked us on that September morning, and who continue to plot against us today.

The Constitution of the Untied States is taking on a 'new' definition of freedom and religion

Amendment 1: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

I understand perfectly well that the media and critics of President Obama want to incite their cheerleaders against building a recreation/prayer center in New York, two blocks from Ground Zero. My pretend skills are limited, and that means I cannot summon the emotional backed anger to get a headache over this "mosque" mess.

Anti-mosque demonstrators at Ground Zero 

I cannot recall a bigger tragedy in America than September 11. This terrorist facilitated calamity forced us arrogant Americans to drop to our knees and pray to a God we usually ignore, and set aside until a disaster strikes. 

The September 11, 2001 tragedy was catastrophic, fatal, destructive. 

I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when the tragedy happened. It was early morning. I was getting ready for work, rushing so that I could catch the bus. I was watching the news as I usually do.  I thought I saw a plane hit a tall building in New York. I thought: Somebody needs to do something these private planes running into buildings! 

Pro-mosque demonstrators

When I arrived at work I immediately turned on the TV in my office (working for a small company allows for perks that larger companies do not), that's when I got the bigger picture, and an even bigger shock. No one knew how large the calamity really was. No one knew it would be a day we would never forget.

We got off our knees and the ugliness returned

Why are anti-Muslim protesters trampling this sacred place of death and destruction--Ground Zero--with ugly maliciousness and acrimony? Why are they soiling the memory of that heinous September morning in America? I wondered.

What better way to wake the sleeping giant of resentment than misstating President Obama's words, dispensing misinformation to misguided Americans. Republicans spread their vicious propaganda daily, pulling in a large number of gullible cheer leaders. Underlings in other states have caught the no-mosque-in-my-state fever. 

I am assuming that the objectionists want the mosques demolished and Muslims floated back to the Middle East.  Immediately! These flag waving showboats are demonstrating that construction of the Muslim center in New York is just a smoke screen unconnected to 9/11.

First they came for Muslim mosques, illegal immigrants and their children. And then they came for African Americans after rewriting the 13th and 14th Amendments to say that they were born to be imported slaves; therefore, they are not citizens of the United States.
Blacks, considered three-fifths human, were the sole property of slave owners when the Constitution was written. Does that mean retroactive deportation of African Americans from this country?

Are these the same haters who said President Obama is going to destroy the Constitution to empower himself? I believe they are.

Tinkering with the Constitution can be a Pandora Box that should stay shut and locked. With the election of President Obama, the legitimacy of the Constitution is now questioned every day. When the President spoke about the construction of a recreation/prayer center near Ground Zero, he was not interjecting his personal opinion into the controversy. But that did not stop all hell from breaking loose in the media and its kinfolk: mouthy pundits.

President Obama did not retract his original statement

President Obama was citing the First Amendment of the Constitution and freedom of religion.  Citing the Constitution was not condoning building the center on "hallowed" ground. I did not hear President Obama endorse building the center near Ground Zero in his speech. He did not retract his statement the following day as the media falsely claimed, and as politicians turn pundits repeated. And repeated. And repeated. And repeated.

Perhaps America should stop holding itself up as a land of the free, and admit that "the melting pot" is a widespread figment of too many imaginations. To put it another way,  freedom only means freedom when defined by the lunatic fringe hanging out at Ground Zero.

Let me repeat: Tinkering with the Constitution of the United States is dangerous. Just like a senseless war there will be no clear winners at the end of the day. The world is watching our "freedom loving" America, as its camera-ready antagonists and ambitious politicians expose the internal turmoil they have with the Constitution, Muslims, religion and freedom.

As an informed individual capable of separating bullpuckey from facts, I refuse to wear a cheerleader's uniform, yelling, Yea! Yea! Go team, go! Send them Muslims home! The message is all wrong.