Dreaming Paris

I know I've already talked about this, but I felt the need to post this in summary after 3 things that happened. One, I was in the book store and saw either Time or Newsweek with a cover saying something about a Mosque at Ground Zero. Then my son came home last night and said, "Do you know what Obama's doing? He wants to build a mosque at Ground Zero!" And today I saw a poll posted on FB asking: This week Obama came out in support of the Muslim worship complex at ground zero. Do you agree with his decision?

Well, it burned me up to see the hype the media gives this instead of engaging in responsible journalism (has that become an oxymoron in this day and age?), so much hype that ignorance is passed along so cluelessly as it was to my son and now we have FB polls that people will read without even knowing the facts behind this. I know, I know, this is just business as usual, and most of the time I just stay out of this stuff because I'm not going to change anyone's mind, but I felt compelled to make it clear where I stood on this.

So, in answer to that FB poll:

Yes, I do agree with his decision because:

1. This is the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA where we support FREEDOM OF RELIGION and all this hoopla reminds me of the mindset that caused this country to round up Japanese AMERICAN CITIZENS and put them in internment camps during WWII, something that most people today agree was WRONG. This is the only reason that should matter, but I'm adding some nitpick reasons as well.

2. Muslim AMERICANS were killed in the towers, too.

3. It's not AT Ground Zero, it's in the neighborhood surrounding Ground Zero 2 blocks away, and no one can even see it from Ground Zero. (not that it should matter if you could)

4. It was supported by the citizens of New York long before Obama said anything.

5. Obama isn't behind it the way so many people seem to think, he simply answered honestly when asked if he thought it okay to build it. What else is the President of a FREE NATION supposed to say, one who represents ALL the citizens of the country, when asked if a particular group has the right to build a center where anyone else besides that particular group is allowed to build?

6. It's a cultural center for the entire community, not just Muslims, modeled on a similar cultural center in New York where Jews worship. Imagine that, Muslims went to Jews to consult on how to build a cultural center that meets community needs! How very...Christian.

Bah! Ignorance is our enemy, not the Muslim faith.

Forgot to add, it's not even a Mosque!

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People want to come to the U.S. I think that's cool. I do wonder why they can't do it legally, though. Are our immigration laws really that tough? If so, why? If not, why so many illegals? Anyway, Deck Deckert writes this over on his blog:

I've gotten several anti-immigration e-mails lately from friends, both right and left -- excuse me, anti-'illegal' immigration. Sometimes I sigh and let them go unanswered; sometimes I tell them: We are a nation of immigrants. We first stole the country from the Native Americans who were here before us. Now we want to shut the door and tell no one else they can come in, not even the Mexicans that we stole Texas from. Doesn't seem fair, does it?

It does bother me, though, when they don't learn English, and then businesses limit who they hire based on whether or not you're bilingual. I think that's wrong. Why am I discriminated against for a job because I can't speak Spanish? On the other hand, I don't have a problem with mom and pop businesses that cater specifically to a particular language speaking clientele, a place where you know that if you go there, you might be the odd one out. It adds to the diversity of the city and provides cultural oases, places where you can experience the richness of another culture. But when it comes to the mainstream stores, hello? This is America, we speak American, and if you want to live here, but don't want to learn American, why should we bend over for you? I know that things change. I know that languages move from one area to another as people migrate, but that was back when borders were more likely to be fluid as well, when people were still trying to conquer each other. I know that there are still people in power who would like to do some conquering, but in general, that's a no-no in today's world. Our boundaries are fairly well set, and we've decided what languages go where. But then my mind throws up countries like Switzerland and Belgium, or the province of Quebec in Canada. So maybe places like Florida, California, Texas, etc. will just have to suck it up and give in to the inevitable and become like those places where two or more languages flow interchangeably, which is what's obviously happening anyway. But I don't like it. I'm American. I speak American. I live in America. I don't want to learn Spanish, I want to learn French. Why should I have to learn Spanish to work in my own country? I guess that's what I get for choosing to live in Florida, eh?

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You know, like a president doing what he says he'll do? I know that in my last post about Obama I was giving him rope to compensate for the difficult waters he navigates. I'm an ignorant American, less ignorant than some, more ignorant than others, but I certainly don't have all the facts, and I want to be able to believe that the leader of our country knows what he's doing. What I believe is that he thinks he knows what he's doing, but he's also young for the office he holds and faced with situations and information he didn't have before, so he's going to falter, too. That's a given. But people voted for him because of what he said and represented for them, and one of those things was a change from Bush's policies. He said his government would be open and transparent. He said he would release photos of the torture that was done in our name. We're Americans. Our name. But then he backed out because, or so he says, there may be a backlash from them. Well, yeah. I don't doubt that. But since when does the possibility of suffering consequences for our actions mean we shouldn't own up to them if we want to take the country in a different direction and set a new standard for our actions? It's the right thing to do. He has an opportunity to say look, this is what was done in our name and we're appalled. We don't want this for ourselves. This isn't what we want America to stand for. We will not continue to do this as long as I remain in office. Today is a new day. Then proceed to move into the change he promised. Make America stand for something good in the world as people once believed it did. Instead he's caving to pressure. It's really too bad. There is, of course, a part of me that wishes the pictures didn't have to be made public. It's only common sense that releasing photos of it all would stir up a very bad mess, which isn't something to look forward to. I think, too, of the ongoing humiliation of the prisoners as the whole world gapes at what they went through. Unfortunately, I'm afraid that seeing the images may be the only thing that could stir up Americans themselves to realize just what we were turning a blind eye to, especially since this administration isn't going to do any pushing for prosecution. Unless, perhaps, we as citizens make a big stink about it. Then again, maybe we'll continue to stay asleep. It's all so ugly. We're not really like that, anyway. Here's Jon Stewart's take in his usual comedic yet pull no punches style.

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I was going to just email this, but then I thought, heck, I haven't posted much of substance lately (not that this can be called much of substance, either), so why don't I just make a blog post out of it? Anway, Dr Zen twittered

http://is.gd/A5kk Plus ca change... Another Bush policy cemented in place.

So here are my thoughts: The article cited states this: the restrictions on evidence will almost certainly mean only a fraction of those held will go to trial. The rest of the detainees would either be released, transferred to other countries or tried in civilian courts, officials said. If there are prisoners in Guantanamo for whom they have proof of crimes of war, and if the inhumane treatment and torture is stopped and they are allowed their own lawyers, why is this a bad thing? If only this administration saw to it that Bush and co. were tried, too, for their own war crimes. It seems to me as if Obama is trying to find a road through all this that doesn't set politicians on their ears, but does allow for some justice. By making the documents about the torture public, he gives "the people" a weapon to use to bring Bush and others to justice without having to involve his administration in a fight that could be lost and that could tie his hands in other areas that are important to him for the good of the country as a whole. It's basically up to us to push for consequences now. In all the decisions that Obama has made so far as he navigates the waters of Washington, I see a man trying to bring the boat on course without completely flipping it over. I, of course, want to see us get out of the Middle East completely, which he won't do. He has never said that he'd do that. His argument has always been against the how and the where of our conflict over there, but never that we shouldn't try to do something about the attack on our country and the threat of people like Bin Laden. I wish he could acknowledge that we've done enough, bring our troops home, regroup, and work on defending this country from this end and giving it a good name around the world. We'd have much more bargaining power and credibility in human rights situations in other places that way. I'm wondering if he thinks he needs to show himself as aggressive in some things in order to gain the support of Republicans for other things that he wants. I know Zen believes that now the Dems are in power, they should simply bulldoze over the Reps as quickly as possible, bringing social reform, especially as the Reps were quite good at bulldozing over our rights and protestations while they were in power, acting as though the Prez and his minions were emperor and nobles above the rule of law instead of elected servants of the people. But I don't see how our country can grow in a healthy way if our two parties don't try to find common ground wherever they can. A house divided and all that. I don't agree with all of Obama's policies, but I do believe he's sincere in wanting to find that common ground. I do not envy him this task, especially at this time in our history.

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Good afternoon, You are receiving this email because you signed up at WhiteHouse.gov. My staff and I plan to use these messages as a way to directly communicate about important issues and opportunities, and today I have some encouraging updates about health care reform. The Vice President and I just met with leaders from the House of Representatives and received their commitment to pass a comprehensive health care reform bill by July 31. We also have an unprecedented commitment from health care industry leaders, many of whom opposed health reform in the past. Monday, I met with some of these health care stakeholders, and they pledged to do their part to reduce the health care spending growth rate, saving more than two trillion dollars over the next ten years -- around $2,500 for each American family. Then on Tuesday, leaders from some of America's top companies came to the White House to showcase innovative ways to reduce health care costs by improving the health of their workers. Now the House and Senate are beginning a critical debate that will determine the health of our nation's economy and its families. This process should be transparent and inclusive and its product must drive down costs, assure quality and affordable health care for everyone, and guarantee all of us a choice of doctors and plans. Reforming health care should also involve you. Think of other people who may want to stay up to date on health care reform and other national issues and tell them to join us here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/EmailUpdates Health care reform can't come soon enough. We spend more on health care than any country, but families continue to struggle with skyrocketing premiums and nearly 46 million are without insurance entirely. It is a priority for the American people and a pillar of the new foundation we are seeking to build for our economy. We'll continue to keep you posted about this and other important issues. Thank you, Barack Obama P.S. If you'd like to get more in-depth information about health reform and how you can participate, be sure to visit http://www.HealthReform.gov.

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