We’re All Worked Up Over… Nothing?

By James Frye

Ah, that proposed NYC community center that includes a mosque that’s “going to stand at Ground Zero” even though it’s going to be two blocks away and out of the line of sight of any visitors to the 9/11 site.  We’ve been arguing fiercely over it – some say building it is being insensitive to the families of the victims of 9/11.  Some plain don’t want any mosques built anywhere, ever.  Others defend it as a religious freedom issue, including the president.   Political types are sounding off as some are deafeningly quiet about it. 

It’s turning out that all of this passion may be over nothing at all. Politico reports:

The Cordoba Initiative hasn’t yet begun fundraising for its $100 million goal. The group’s latest fundraising report with the state attorney general’s office, from 2008, shows exactly $18,255 — not enough even for a down payment on the half of the site the group has yet to purchase. 

In other words, even if everything else went their way, that “Ground Zero Mosque” may never get built at all.

You’ve got to give the cons credit here – after decades of failing when they tried to create “issues” to run on, built on foundations that would make a house of cards look like the most stable thing ever built, they’ve finally managed to push this molehill into at least a foothill if not a mountain.    And boy did we ever bite on this too.

I’ve got such a deal for everybody:  How about we all hold off on arguing over this until we know for sure that it’s actually going to happen?  It’ll be tough but I know we can do it.

By: James Frye

Long time progressive activist in the Pacific Northwest and self-studying student of politics