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I had an inspiration just now. Every week, I'm going to post a question. It will be a single post, probably with a good deal of context, and then will let conservatives on the board answer the question if they want. I won't be replying or verbally sparring with people. I may ask a follow up question if I'm curious about a response or desire clarification. But, in general, I will post the question and generally stay the hell out of your way. So, here's the first one.
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In the last couple of weeks, the media has been ablaze with stories about the so-called "Ground Zero Mosque". There's been a lot of misinformation, a lot of jingoism and a lot of screamers on the television talking about it. The main objection to the mosque from Conservative leaders isn't just that it's located in the vicinity of the "pit", as New Yorkers call the site of the 9-11 attacks.
Newt Gingrich had this to say about the planned Mosque -
"And I think we ought to be honest about the fact that we have a right -- and this happens all the time in America. You know, Nazis don't have the right to put up a sign next to the Holocaust Museum in Washington."
Newt Gingrich isn't some far-right extremist. He's supposedly a mainstream serious contender for the GOP nomination in 2012. And here he is, basically comparing all of Islam and it's practitioners to the Nazis. He goes on to compare them to the Japanese that attacked us on Pearl Harbor, as well. It's pretty clear that in Newt Gingrich's mind, Islam is an evil religion and they should not be afforded the same rights as other religions in this country. In other words, he seems to believe that because we were attacked by Islam, all of Islam lost their rights under the first Amendment.
Ok, that's his position. But is he alone? Let's find out -
Jay Sekulow, Chief counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice called the building, which is in an old Burlington Coat Factory, a "a 15-story monument to what happened on 9-11."
Limbaugh, a major player in conservative circles and Republican politics, compared this community center to a KKK building, clearly indicating what he thought of all of Islam.
So, it's safe to conclude, given the rhetoric coming from conservative movers and shakers, that conservatism sees Islam the enemy, and setting up an Islamic community center a few blocks from the 9-11 attack site constitutes a celebration of the enemy's attack. It's clear from countless other talking points that conservatives in general don't have a lot of nice things to say about Islam.
This question is not actually about the proposed community center, however. It centers on something else.
10 years ago, we were told, and Conservative generally supported, the invasion of Iraq. While several justifications were presented to the American people (many of which turned out to be false), one key justification was present throughout the process - we were invading Iraq and fighting in Afghanistan to bring freedom, democracy, and fundamental rights to the people of those countries. People who are, overall, mostly Muslim.
We were so committed to this liberation that we have spent thousands of lives and countless billions of dollars on the efforts in both countries. We have sent tens of thousands of casualties back home. So dedicated were we to the idea of freedom for the Islamic people of Iraq and Afghanistan that we were willing to send our young men and women into those countries to kill and die for their freedom.
And now we come to my question. How do conservatives on one hand justify the invasion and occupation of Iraq in the name of liberating the Muslim people in those countries while simultaneously arguing to deny first amendment rights to Islamic people that live here in the United States and are US Citizens?
_________________  It feels like all the people who want limited government really just want government limited to Republicans. ---The Daily Show
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