Democracy For America Rebuts Dr. Dean's Mosque Remarks, Dean Defends His Stance
I don't see how DFA could avoid breaking with Dr. Dean's position on the construction of an Islamic community center in downtown NYC. But Dr. Dean does have a point:
The grassroots political organization founded by Howard Dean after the 2004 presidential election has made a dramatic break with the former DNC chairman over the construction of an Islamic cultural center near Ground Zero.
Democracy for America, a million-plus member organization that is active on a host of legislative fronts, formally endorsed the controversial Cordoba House on Thursday, one day after its founding figure called for the project to be built elsewhere.
In a letter sent to members, the group's executive director, Arshad Hasan, weaves together his personal history with a detailed explanation of the project's lofty and noble objectives. In a direct but diplomatic touch, he addresses Dean's opposition only by explaining that "well-intentioned" Democrats are "getting caught up" in the anti-mosque hysteria. "It's not helping," writes Hasan.
[L]et's be clear, the subject of the highest profile Muslim structure, 51 Park in New York City, will have a basketball court and a culinary school. Two floors will have a prayer room. The other eleven will host movie nights, performances, group dinners, etc -- it's basically a Muslim YMCA, open to everyone. These moderate Muslims are doing everything we could ask of them. They're trying to build a bridge in the communities they live in, trying to show the world that Muslims are cool and interesting and diverse, and proving that being a Muslim does not equal being a terrorist.
But they're being thrown under the bus by our elected leaders, egged on by some of the ugliest elements of the right-wing. Well-intentioned leaders of the Democratic Party are getting caught up in the fray as well, some of them seeking to find common ground with an implacable opposition. It's not helping.
This isn't just a Manhattan problem. Right now, there is opposition to mosques in Staten Island, Brooklyn, Southern California, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Illinois, and dozens of other locations across our nation. Where would they move? If public pressure can be brought to bear to take down the most high-profile Muslim community center in liberal NYC, then these other places don't even have a chance, Ground Zero connection or not.
Frankly, this isn't about Ground Zero. This is about America. This is about freedom. This is about people and there seems to be no place that Muslim people can go without being harassed.
The harassment has to stop, and that starts with you and me.
Howard Dean...trying sooo hard to be relevant.
He's gone from sad to pathetic.
Vote GOP and move forward to the 18th Century.
I don't think you were really listening to what he was saying. Of course people want to be on the side of the community center, simply based on the first amendment. What Dean was saying was let people communicate about the center, instead of being reactionary and extreme.
After all, what is better for Muslims? Having a community center move or having another G.W. Bush win the next election. In the long run, you have to realize that you have to take the ammo out of the FOX flack guns. Otherwise you give too much power to FOX in their efforts to polarize the right into clubs of Wingnuts.
If only enlightened people were allowed to vote, this would be a non-issue. But you have to remember 48% of America is retarded, and the Republicans have re-zoned districts so that 48% of the vote can elect a G.W.
Dean cares a he.. of a lot for our citizens and country. He has given more of his time for a real change and to have our country run by the citizens instead of the elite and Corporate Empires.
Dean is the one which created the 50 states program to help democrats , while a.. holes as Emanuel tries to take credit for it.
Why Dean was forming the grass root voter , Emanuel was recruiting Pro War , Pro Corporate and wealthy democratic candidates to be put in office using Dean's accomplishments and voters.
Shame we do not have a person like Dean in office now to standup for the middle class instead of the corporate group we now have passing watered down policies and/or corporate policies.
Where are the criminals Bush/CHeney/Rumsfeld/Rove and others from the previous administration??? They are walking the streets while Americans committing lesser crimes are in our jails. By way of Obama lack of upholding our constitution and laws..
Yes some can like Dean's statement or dislike it. But his opinion is his opinion and has merit to it. Now I believe the people who should be attacked are the ones using the racist , lies , BS and propaganda to divide and conquer Americans and take full our country.
I liked Obama campaign speeches and the promises he made. But Obama's words were left on the cutting room floor..
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So what's wrong with the wide-spread stance in airport bathrooms?
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
into the meat of this issue.
“Why would anyone with a functioning brain believe this guy?”
Some guy with an eating disorder
Where was Howard Dean when this issue first arose? It's obvious he's only speaking out because of the criticism coming from conservatives. He's a phony, just like every other progressive *hero* that's come and gone - Al Gore, Wes Clark, John Kerry, Dennis Kucinich, Barack Obama, Alan Grayson, etc. The only one of them you can't label a phony is Ralph Nader, and that's probably only because he's never held any kind of elected office.
Where was Howard Dean when this issue first arose?
He was too busy trying to spin the healthcare bill passage as a great thing, because it was the best we could get.
Vote GOP and move forward to the 18th Century.
the center will never be built
not because of the protests, but because the org doesnt have the money
the project estimated costs are between 100-200 mil
they have raised 20k
they dont have an architect, they dont have plans, they dont even have an enviromental impact study
give me a call when they raise the funds
What point does Dean have?
They don't have the money to built the thing.
WHO CARES? I don't care if it is in Florida or built into the ground zero freedom tower? It is a issue of freedom and Dean came down on the side of the ADL? Are you fucking kidding me?
Vidblogs for everyone.
“Why would anyone with a functioning brain believe this guy?”
Some guy with an eating disorder
Why are we playing into the hands of the wingnuts by dwelling on this subject? The wingnuts are wrong, period. Let's move along and solve the problems of unemployment and a weak economy. Why aren't we talking about the repugnacan plans to stimulate the economy and create jobs? Instead of talking about the lack of solutions the right has to offer we waste our time playing these idiotic games of Obama the secret Muslim and the shame of a religious center being built near a hole in the ground. Ground zero is nothing more than a reminder that the Bush administration failed to keep America safe. Let's talk about that.
For all the so called liberal, who are really just stillborn liberals, it may be very instructive to read today's post as well as most posts of the Daily Howler.
The jihad for the Cordoba House, Park51 and whatever will be the next name of the project makes liberal totally insensitive to the environment and the details.
We did the Muslim community a disservice by constantly screaming bloody murder.
Where are the post by THE Daily Howler attacking Rove and the Bush group.
Sample of their bias.
The Daily Howler has been doing the Lord's work regarding the War on Gore for the last decade, teasing out what the lasting significance has been in terms of our politics and our press. Maybe he could weigh in on just how astounding that single Rove paragraph is and what it represents about our public discourse.
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Is there a single democrat who won't bring shame to our party like this? We are not republicans and Dems like Dean should not act like republicans.
vote for Dean in a heartbeat.
Why don't you attack real destroyers of the democratic party.
Dean certainly looks and acts a h.ll of a lot more like a real democrats than the other corporate and republicans in which Emanuel and the DNC have supported to help be elected in the past 12 years.
The DNC supplied hundreds of thousands of dollars to the NE Dem Party just after the Senate passed health care reform, money that was used to pay for ads on behalf of Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE), one of the final Dem holdouts but ultimately a supporter of the bill.
On Jan. 11, just after the Senate voted on Christmas Eve to pass the bill, the DNC transferred $809K to the NE Dem Party, according to reports filed with the FEC. A month later, on Feb. 11, the DNC transferred another $169K to the party.
NE Dems used the money to run ads defending Nelson's reputation. The state party bought $779K in airtime in Jan., enough to blanket the state with pro-Nelson ads for weeks at a time. The party spent about $95K to produce those ads with Dixon/Davis Media Group.
Nelson used the ads to bolster his image, even though he doesn't face voters again until '12. The ads began airing during the Nebraska-Arizona matchup at the Holiday Bowl, on Dec. 30, touting the bill's benefits. Nelson appears on screen in both spots, but the ads were paid for by the NE Dem Party.
Read more: http://hotlineoncall.nationaljournal.com/arch......
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Emanuel don't worry about the left...
Turn off MSNBC. Tune out Howard Dean and Keith Olbermann. The White House has its liberal wing in hand on health care, says White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.
“There are no liberals left to get” in the Senate, Emanuel said in an interview, shrugging off some noise from the likes of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) that a few liberals might bolt over the compromises made with conservative Democrats.
***
http://www.counterpunch.org/walsh10142006.html
How Rahm Emanuel Has Rigged a Pro-War Congress
Election 2006: The Fix is Already In
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I'm an athiest, and a proud liberal- and see Islam for what it is- a violent death cult predicated on murder and oppression.
Having any Muslim cult center near ground zero is offensive.
Christianity is as morally bankrupt as Islam, butwith a much bloodier history, although the Christbots most part moved past their age of mass killings, and these days just voice hatred gays, science and liberals.
Why is it many of my fellow athiest liberals are quick to denounce Christianity, but are often apologists for Islam?
I detest ALL religion.
Islam is a cult, as is Christianity, and other other blood cult that preaches hatred of ones self, and the oppresion of human rights.
The fact people on the far left are once again being apologists for Islam is pretty repulsive.
Comes in all shape , sizes and looks.
But once they start writing their BS they stand out from the rest.
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http://web.inter.nl.net/users/Paul.Treanor/mu...
As good of a summary as you might find of what's happening in the debate.
I'm glad Dean is more than a Centrist than a radical left winger- the extreme fringes of both parties are equally insane in my book.
The radical left has the 9/11 conspiracy crackpots, thye far right has the Christian theocrats.
The far right and the far left are both useless in mho
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Go...
I agree with your conclusion, but not how you arrived at it.
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