Buried Lead du Jour

The Times reports on an interfaith group of religious leaders who deplore the rise in anti-Muslim sentiment.  In the final paragraphs we learn that this same group could not agree to endorse the Ground Zero mosque.  Oops!

Concern Is Voiced Over Religious Intolerance
By LAURIE GOODSTEIN

WASHINGTON — Prominent Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders held an extraordinary “emergency summit” meeting in the capital on Tuesday to denounce what they called “the derision, misinformation and outright bigotry” aimed at American Muslims during the controversy over the proposed Islamic community center near ground zero.

“This is not America,” said Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, the emeritus Roman Catholic archbishop of Washington, flanked by three dozen clergy members and religious leaders at a packed news conference at the National Press Club. “America was not built on hate.”

No, we built this city on rock and roll.  Sorry, back to the conclusion:

They did not take a stand on whether to support the proposed mosque and community center near ground zero in Manhattan, saying, “Persons of conscience have taken different positions on the wisdom of the location of this project, even if the legal right to build on the site appears to be unassailable.”

But some groups at the meeting, like the National Council of Churches, an umbrella group representing 100,000 churches, have come out in support of a mosque near the World Trade Center site, said the Rev. Michael Kinnamon, general secretary of the council.

Wait, "persons of conscience" oppose the mosque, not just intolerant haters?  No kidding.

Comments

[LTC John]

Ah, one can always count on the National Council of Churches. I swear they would cheerfully slit their own throats if told to by just the right people...

[narciso]

No, Colonel, I don't think they would need to be asked, in order to do so

[anduril]

These people have demonstrated their irrelevance over the years. Their constituencies are not the faithful in the pews but the reporters who quote them.

Steve Pearlstein has some interesting comments today, although hedged by some of his usual liberal blather:

At this point, there is only one clear path out of the unemployment box we have created for ourselves.

Right now, the United States is running a trade deficit that is likely to reach $450 billion this year. That's down considerably from the $750 billion at the height of the economic bubble, but still more than a wealthy advanced economy should have. Bringing it down - either by producing more of what we consume (fewer imports) or more of what other countries consume (more exports) - represents the path toward sustainable, long-term job creation.

The problem with that strategy is that for the past two decades we have allowed our industrial and technological base to deteriorate as talent and capital were grossly misallocated toward other sectors of the economy, even as other countries were able to attract the investment, the technology and the know-how to serve the U.S. and global markets.

For a time, none of this seemed to matter because we were consuming so much that we were able to support job creation at home as well as overseas. But now that the debt-fueled consumption binge is over, we find that we don't have the companies, the workers or the competitive products to replace the stuff we now import or expand our share of export markets. Even when we do, our companies are disadvantaged by an overvalued currency or unfair trading practices.

As Daniel Gros, director of the Centre for European Policy Studies, wrote this month for Project Syndicate, a wonderful new economics Web site: "It is relatively easy to manage a structural shift out of manufacturing during a real-estate boom, but it is much more difficult to re-establish a competitive manufacturing sector once it has been lost."

And remember, as the WSJ recognized yesterday, a big part of the reason we're where we are is because Bushie was here first. First step in recovery is to admit how you wound up on this lousy situation.

[BB Key]

Any chance BHO resigns and runs for Mayor of Chicago to put his community organizer skills to a better use...

[Captain Hate]

The National Council of Churches makes Rowan Williams seem conservative.

[Appalled]

The statement of the National Council of Churches is LUN. Here is the reasons why they think we ashould support it:

“Christ calls us to ‘love your neighbor as yourself’ (Matthew 22:39),” the statement said. “It is this commandment, more than the simple bonds of our common humanity, which is the basis for our relationship with Muslims around the world.”

The statement supported building Cordoba House “as a living monument to mark the tragedy of 9/11 through a community center dedicated to learning, compassion, and respect for all people.”

Now the National Council of Churches reaffirms that support and calls upon Christians and people of faith to join us in that affirmation.

The alternative to that support is to engage in a bigotry that will scar our generation in the same way as bigotry scarred our forebears.

[narciso]

The same reasons they support Fidel, and thought Brezhnev was a misunderstood fellow,
with plenty of potential

[Jack is Back!]

Who is smarter than a #2 yellow pencil? Not Paul Krugman - sore loser!

[~FR]

Great- The NY F*ckin Times runs a concern troll as a news item, complete with passive tense...

Someone tell the NYT's newsroom that there is a lot more concern being voiced about why such a pathetic operation such as theirs is still publishing.

('Concern Trolling'- LUN)

[Hawkins]

“America was not built on hate.”

I've been told for years we built it by white folks stealing from Native Americans and Mexicans and enslaving Blacks and Asians

so now we're cool if we let Muslims build this thing right?

[Captain Hate]

The alternative to that support is to engage in a bigotry that will scar our generation in the same way as bigotry scarred our forebears.

Can they express their hate for the country any more effectively?

[Extraneus]

The statement supported building Cordoba House “as a living monument to mark the tragedy of 9/11 through a community center dedicated to learning, compassion, and respect for all people.”

Hey, wow, I didn't realize that Jews are going to be welcome at the center. That's pretty cool.

They're considered people, right?

[narciso]

Has the NCC been right about anything in recent history

[JM Hanes]

So let's build a monument to LBJ on the site of the My Lai massacre to celebrate the inclusive vision of a Great Society.

[Rob Crawford]

The William Jefferson Clinton Law Enforcement Memorial in Waco, TX?

[Rob Crawford]

The Robert C. Byrd Eternal Burning Cross Memorial?

[JorgXMcKie]

Hawkins, I learned a long time ago [or thought I did] in school that the 'Mexicans' didn't exist until the Spanish came and enslaved the locals. [Who evidently weren't anywhere near as tough as the Seminoles who seem to have fought the Spanish and the Americans to a standstill, at the least.]

Besides that, for the better part of two centuries there wasn't a hell of a lot between the 'Mexicans' and the Yankees but a bunch of Native Americans [what the hell do they call the 'inhabitants at the time of the Spanish invasion' in Mexico?] and a whole lot of wilderness.

So how the heck do we get the rap for treating 'Mexicans' so badly. Hell, we liberated those poor souls from both the Spanish conquerors and the Catholic Church [as expressed by the Spanish]. They should be grateful.

[squaredance]

Hey, do not look now but Obama is on the news at the moment promising to go after those nasty "outsourcers". He claims that they have been give "tax breaks", which apparently means that they have not got around to taxing them yet, or taxing them enough.

This, along with the absurd claims by the "Church Leaders", which make up the gist of this post, shows just how relentless he and his minions are about politicizing absolutely everything.

It also shows how they refuse to compromise even an nanometer. You would have thought that they would have just caved on the whole GZM business, but they just cannot do it. You would have thought that everyone would see through this nonsense the National Council of Churches is spewing. You woulds have thought that maybe he would see that he might have to actually lower taxes not find new ones. You would think that he would stop constantly scapegoating Americas and actually work on some problems in that "inclusive style" we were all promised. But No he just cannot bring himself to do anything remotely like this

It is instructive to see how their minds work. Never address issues, artfully find a way to "frame" issues to avoid honest exchange, find a scapegoat and then demagogue away.

Will Americans fall for it?

It is doubtful in the case of the GZM that they will, though no doubt enough can be peeled away in order to get that Mosque built. It is enough, after all, to get it built for it is a broad symbol of defeat and surrender by America if it is built. This is the prize, and it is obvious that Obama will sacrifice a great deal for it. The question here is why they feel the need for cover now? They will not get it. Perhaps they are just setting up another talking point. Perhaps there are more operations underway intent on disrupting the religious communities. It is really unclear that the opposition to the GMZ comes particularly from Christians. It would seem a commonsensical assertion out of all save those thoroughly entrapped in elite left-wing ideology or its demimonde. It is very odd that they take this tack. Again, they will just not give an inch, and they have complete contempt for this country and its population. Live and learn: they will fight to the bitter end.

In the case of the outsourcing electioneering, however, it is not clear that the electorate will not swallow it hook line and sinker. If so, how preposterous.

We will get some sort of slide of hand: and aggregate raising of taxes masked by a lowering of some "middle class taxes" covered by some weird "outsourcing tax". This will further cripple the technology sector, of course. They will just move all operations entirely off shore. (oh, and note, they did not say anything about work visas. Bet Bill Gates and the Google crowd would not stand for that.)

The comic thing is that the outsourcers are major dem donors and tend to be democrats. A great many of them are small medium sized business or utilize outsourcers in the context of start ups. Not to mention that almost all the outsourcers are in the BIRCs and as such are countries that Obama and the left would like to see replace America as a world leaders. So to try to do something about the "economy" more class assaults on business, more villianization of businessmen and more structural attacks on capitalism. And that does not address the whole matter of how this would be enforced. (No doubt just a blacket tax on everyone.)

You should have heard him: insufferably smug. His whole manner said "now THIS is GREAT 'framing'. The rubes will eat this RIGHT UP. Try arguing against THIS ONE you GOP scum!"

Pure electioneering BS, and you will hear more of it in the coming days.

Will enough Americans buy this garbage to stop the Nov tidal wave, or at least to lessen it?

Time will tell, but it goes to show just how childish our national political life has become.

[daddy]

Since the Pastor is apparently intent on burning the Koran, this then becomes a valuable opportunity for domestic adherents of the Religion Of Peace to demonstrate that they can live in a tolerant secular society as peaceful members of that tolerant secular society.

Let the nonviolent protests begin.

[Rob Crawford]

[Who evidently weren't anywhere near as tough as the Seminoles who seem to have fought the Spanish and the Americans to a standstill, at the least.]

Or the tribes that chased the Vikings out of Newfoundland.

Yeah, there's a tendency to treat EVERYTHING done to the natives during colonization of the Americas as being the fault of the USA. We've somehow become the guilt-bearers for acts of Spain, France, Portugal, and the Netherlands -- even when their acts were intended to weaken the British (and, in the end, us).

[Porchlight]

Rob,

Europe was absolved of its sins by its 20th century embrace of socialism. Of course that doesn't stop less sensible Europeans from continuing to don the hair shirt.

squaredance,

I agree with everything you say in your 3:10.

[Guild Wars 2 gold]

The problem with that strategy is that for the past two decades we have allowed our industrial and technological base to deteriorate as talent and capital were grossly misallocated toward other sectors of the economy, even as other countries were able to attract the investment, the technology and the know-how to serve the U.S. and global markets.

For a time, none of this seemed to matter because we were consuming so much that we were able to support job creation at home as well as overseas. But now that the debt-fueled consumption binge is over, we find that we don't have the companies, the workers or the competitive products to replace the stuff we now import or expand our share of export markets. Even when we do, our companies are disadvantaged by an overvalued currency or unfair trading practices.

[Pure Hoodia]

I believe there are a number of parallel lead water supply pipes ( not the Water Companies property).

[JM Hanes]

Guild Wars:

".....as talent and capital were grossly misallocated toward other sectors of the economy....."

Misallocated? At whose disposal, precisely, do you see such resources? Your assertion sounds a lot like the predicate for central planning, no?

[cathyf]

JMH -- if GW means misallocated towards government employment, global warming scams, going to college and majoring in something-studies rather than vo-tech and learning welding, etc., then that's spot-on.