CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS

 

Another brilliant mind lost. Such a shame.

Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin

I sometimes suspect that people forget that our nation has freedom of religion, or of no religion, as one of its core principles. As I watch the confrontational picketing of the Park Place Islamic Community Centre on the news channels, the feeling of disappointment in my fellow Americans deepens.

At a quick glance online, you can find historic accounts of the Great Mosque at Cordoba. Cordoba is what the developers intend to call the centre. The original Spanish structure, dating back to the 600s, had been the site of a Visigoth church.

The Great Mosque was built on that site over the course of two centuries which centered what became the most cultural city in the world, including the world's largest library. After the expulsion of Jews and Moors from Spain in the 16th century, Queen Isabella renamed the structure the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin. Thus provides my shocking title.

But forgive me for I digress.

I began by expressing sadness by the rhetoric coming from those who would deny a religious group from opening a community centre where it is legally protected. Considering the few blocks from the Ground Zero site, I would think more patriots would be jumping at the chance to show the world that we are truly a diverse and tolerant nation. Coming from me, you'd have to believe I support that which is found not only in our Constitution, but in the Bill Of Rights as well.

Park Place is as close to Ground Zero as Kingston's Central Post Offrice is to our Broadway. I'd say they are worlds apart and given the size of the buildings between them, they'd have nothing to do with each other. Ask anyone in midtown.

This is more of a contrived issue for the coming election. Conservative pundit Laura Ingram herself supported the construction of this community centre and thought the better of it only six months ago. Plenty has changed as we head into the midterms. We get the same old "Don't look at issues. Don't look at ideas...look over there!" method of campaigning by the GOP.

Lets just say, if a group wanted to destroy America, they would do it by getting us to turn on each other. Create divisiveness, mob thinking and foster hatred. Are we to allow this to continue?

Case in point: The largest shareholder of FOX News is an Australian. The second largest shareholder is Prince Alwaleed bin Talal al-Saud of Saudi Arabia, through his Kingdom Holding Company. You've seen this here and at other sources before. Does this not concern you? Should it?

Prince Alwaleed is a Muslim. Does it matter? He is from Saudi Arabia. 19 of the 21 hijackers of 9/11 were Saudis. Even those who I know pine for the good old Bush years, express confusion when reminded of this and the close ties the Bush family had with the Bin Ladins. Then they ask why did we go to war with...they stop the question and quickly get back on script.

Alwaleed and the Saudis made their fortunes in oil. They have a vested interest in keeping us dependent on that oil. Those invested in the oil industry here in America, have the ability to ignore the glaring duplicity in whats considered terrorist supporters and good business partners.

Maybe they have a vested interest also in tearing us apart from the inside out.

It seems to be working.

MEET THE FLINTSTONES: TEXAS TRIBUNE

The University of Texas just published a poll conducted with the help of the Texas Tribune. The following was taken right from the report:

Nearly a third of Texans believe humans and dinosaurs roamed the earth at the same time, and more than half disagree with the theory that humans developed from earlier species of animals.

I don't think the same of New York Republicans, but is anyone surprised that Republicans in Texas are more likely than Democrats to believe this stuff? When you combine the two categories; Conservatives and supporters of Kay Bailey Hutchison, the numbers go up dramatically.

Here are some other fun "facts" taken from the report:

• 38 percent agreed with the statement "God created human beings pretty much in their present form about 10,000 years ago."
• 22 percent said life has existed in its present form since the beginning of time
• 51 percent disagreed with the statement, "human beings, as we know them today, developed from earlier species of animals."
• only 41 percent know that humans did not live at the same time as the dinosaurs

This is why I've always said that you couldn't run a New York Republican in Texas any more than you could run a Texas Democrat in New York. I will close with the funny comment at the bottom of the article from the comedian Lewis Black: Texas should focus on teaching kids that "The Flintstones" is not a documentary.

Check out the Tribune article here...

Meet the Flintstones | The Texas Tribune

OBAMA: THE ALL INCLUSIVE SPEECH

After a full day of televised Inaugural Ceremonies and local viewing parties, I discovered this Press Release regarding the all inclusive speech Obama made at the DC Mall today.

I will happily forward this in its original form...

CFI - PRESS RELEASE

January 20, 2009

Center for Inquiry Leaders Applaud Obama's Progressive and Inclusive Vision for America!

President Barack Obama in his history-making Inaugural Address today sounded the clarion call for a more inclusive and progressive America.

The President’s speech outlined a largely humanistic agenda, promising to “restore science to its rightful place,” as we collectively face the massive challenges facing us as a country in the twenty-first century. Significantly, in affirming the pluralistic character of American society, President Obama expressly included “non-believers” among Christians, Muslims, Jews and Hindus, as part of the body politic.

“It truly is a historic and remarkable achievement of significance that the President of the United States referred to non-believers in recognition of the growing number of Americans—now numbering tens of millions—who hold no religious affiliation. As far as we are aware, this is the first time this has happened,” said Paul Kurtz, chairman and founder of the Center for Inquiry. “It is also noteworthy that he called for the restoration of science to its rightful place and the application of technology to the improvement of human life. We applaud his courageous optimism in outlining an audacious program for the future,” said Kurtz.

Ronald A. Lindsay, president and CEO of the Center for Inquiry, emphasized the importance of President Obama’s acknowledgement. “For much of American history, agnostics and atheists were denied important civil rights, and in some states, until the early 1960’s, were explicitly forbidden from holding public office. Even after these legal constraints had been removed, non-believers were stigmatized or ignored by most politicians.

We are encouraged that President Obama has unambiguously indicated he will be the president of all Americans.”
The Center for Inquiry/Transnational is a non-profit, educational, advocacy, and scientific-research think tank based in Amherst, New York It is home to the Council for Secular Humanism, founded in 1980, the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (formerly CSICOP), founded in 1976, and the Commission for Scientific Medicine and Mental Health. Their research and educational projects focus on three broad areas: religion, ethics, and society; paranormal and fringe-science claims; and medicine and health.

The Center’s Web site is www.centerforinquiry.net .