Opinion: Building a Mosque at Ground Zero

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It's a sensitive subject: Is it okay for an Islamic mosque to be built anywhere near Ground Zero? This question has been in the news and the subject of many debates this past week. Probably more so in N.Y. than around here. I've watched and read some of the discussions and I can see it from both sides. Even the president has weighed in on the matter and was soundly thumped for an answer that perhaps could have been better explained.  Still, if I had to choose, I'd have to go with the Constitution. In reality, it's two questions: Can it be built? And should it be built? The first one seems to be a purely legal issue. The U.S. Constitution provides for freedom of religion, no matter whether it's Christian, Muslim or Satanism.  I know that's difficult to stomach but get used to it.  So many people can't see past the noses on their faces to see the truth. Sure, the document *says* that but we all know it's really talking about the one TRUE religion, right?  It says so, right on our currency! And if people can't get on board with that we'll just micro-legalize it in individual states and shove it down your children's throats until they all believe as well and don't even realize they've been propagandized.  (Texas Board of Education...grrrrr) This reminds me of the white crosses that sometimes pop up along the interstate or at intersections where people have been killed.  There was some bruhaha in my neighborhood a while back where some people objected to these, saying that they were offended by the overt display of religion in their neighborhood. These people couldn't see it as not so much an in-your-face show of faith, but a demonstration of the family's grief in the way in which they are familiar with being comforted: their religion.  I'm fine with all of this as long as these cross displayers understand that the same laws that make their expression okay also protects others whose beliefs MAY not be in sync with theirs.  Unfortunately, I'm afraid that while these folks may agree in theory, they might get their dander up if a goat head figure shows up at the corner of Melody Lane and Sunshine Ct. Hypocrisy has always been a bugaboo of the fanatically ignorant.  So back to the Ground Zero debate.  I give President Obama props for gently trying to remind everyone that this is still America and we have religious freedom here, at least in theory. Maybe it's still too fresh in our minds because his words were met with an uproar. The president later came back and said he "questioned the wisdom" of those making this decision.  I agree with both.  The answer to the first question is "YES," a mosque CAN be built on or near Ground Zero. Thank goodness for that because it's precisely that YES that is the reason the terrorists hate us. NOT letting them build is like saying you're right; we are bigoted and intolerant and narrow-minded and ignorant to the diversity that make us resilient as a people. As to the second question of SHOULD, my answer (for now) is NO. It's not a legal issue, it's one of good taste and sensitivity. No more should a Shinto temple be built near the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor or a U-Haul rental store open next to where the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building used to stand in Oklahoma City. It has less to do with faith than with reminding people of the senseless reasons so many people died. Sometimes you have to take emotion out of the mix to be able to listen to rationale. Our wounds are still too raw now to be rational but perhaps one day.... Just my opinion.