The Pot Calling the Kettle Black

Iman Rauf, the Iman at the center of the so-called Ground Zero Mosque controversy continued his harmful rhetoric this morning. Speaking before the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), he lamented over the use of, in his words, “deliberate misinformation and harmful stereotypes” in the argument over the building of the mosque within a short distance of Ground Zero in Manhattan. There is an old saying that this is simply a case of the pot calling the kettle black. I believe it truly applies here.

If misinformation and harmful stereotypes are being used, and they are, it seems to me that most, if not all, of this usage is by the Imam and his supporters. I have not heard any critic of the building of the mosque near Ground Zero say that the Imam and his supporters do not have the right to build there. Quite the contrary, critics go out of their way to state that they do have that right. Their argument is that it is the wrong thing to do, given the seriousness and semi-sanctity of the site of the former World Trade Center.

The Imam and his supporters continually state that the critics are trying to deny them their constitutional right to build a worship center. No one has made any attempt to do so. Misinformation is the word used, but lie is actually more accurate. The Imam and his supporters are lying when they use this smoke screen to disguise their true intent.

The use of harmful stereotypes again is coming from the Imam and his supporters. The 60-70% of the American people who oppose the placement of the mosque at the Ground Zero location are not radicals. They are very much mainstream Americans. They appreciate the constitutional right to build in the disputed location and support it. Their objection is the wisdom of building there. The Imam seems to be utilizing one of the primary tools of today’s Democrat party. The Democrat party has mastered the use of name-calling to deflect criticism of President Obama and his supporters, and now the Imam and supporters are doing the very same thing. It seems that as soon as one offers criticism of these people the critics are labeled as radicals.

The Imam’s veiled threat of violence, if the mosque location changes, is certainly no way to build bridges. So far, the Imam’s actions and rhetoric are destroying any bridges that have already been built between Muslims and other Americans. Based on Imam Rauf’s mention of violence if the mosque location is changed, it seems to me that the radicals are on his side, not the side of the critics. I have not heard of any threats of violence from any of the critics if the mosque is built near Ground Zero. The pot is indeed calling the kettle black.

What’s Wrong With Restoring Honor to America?

This past Saturday, August 28, Glenn Beck held the Restore Honor to America rally on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. Much of the liberal news media chose to ignore the facts. An example is one outlet that reported that Glenn Beck stood at “the very place” where Dr. Martin Luther King made his famous I Have a Dream speech. Actually, Glenn Beck stood a number of steps below where Dr. King spoke. In fact, Beck deliberately chose to stand below the place where Dr. King spoke, displaying the respect for Dr. King that he had already voiced. Misreporting by the liberal media is nothing new, and most people should expect it to happen by now.

Unfortunately, the Reverend Al Sharpton is following right along with the liberal news media, again not really a surprise. Still, when Mr. Sharpton chooses to misrepresent the rally, my concern moves from “Does Mr. Sharpton know the word of God?” to “Does Mr. Sharpton know the God of the word?” I’ll explain my statement below.

One of Mr. Beck’s remarks was quite simple. He said, “We must get the poison of hatred out of us.” Yet, Mr. Sharpton remarked, “They want to disgrace this day. This is our day, and we and we ain’t givin’ it away.” When Bill O’Reilly questioned Mr. Sharpton on his statement, O’Reilly said, “It sounds like Beck is talking about racial harmony,” Sharpton replied, “He (Glenn Beck) wants to make this a theocracy.” He apparently bases this statement on Beck’s call to restore America to Judeo-Christian principles. At no time did Mr. Beck call for a theocracy.

Simply abiding by those principles is a far cry from a theocracy. If, as a nation, we were abiding by those principles, this nation would be in much better shape than it is now. (By the way, Mr. Sharpton, if you truly believe and understand the word of God and know the God of the word, then you know that, soon and very soon, believers of Jesus Christ will be living in a theocracy, one in which the head is a King—Jesus Himself!)

My question for Reverend Sharpton is simple. Just how does a rally to restore honor to America disgrace the anniversary of Dr. King’s speech? I remember Dr. King, and I remember what he said in many of his speeches. I believe he would have been delighted to hear the things Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin, and his niece said during the rally. The Restore Honor to America rally stood for many of the same things that Dr. King stood for and preached. Shame on Reverend Sharpton for deliberately mischaracterizing the rally and its principles! If anyone disgraced the anniversary of Dr. King's speech, it seems to me that it was Reverend Sharpton.

The reason I made the statement about Reverend Sharpton in my second paragraph is because the God of the word said (in Matthew 5), “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” Mr. Sharpton is hardly a peacemaker. He is much more a rabble-rouser than a peacemaker.

The God of the word also said (in the same chapter), “But let your statement be, ’Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; and anything beyond these is of evil (or from the evil one).” In other words, speak your words in such a way that you don’t need to swear an oath, because whatever you speak shall be taken as truth, because your word is always true. In my opinion, Mr. Sharpton has demonstrated that you cannot always take his yes as a yes nor take his no as a no.

Vote for Sale!

Bart Stupak, who claims to represent Michigan’s 1st Congressional District, is either stupid or a liar. If he truly believes that an executive order by the President overrides a law that has been passed by Congress and signed by the President, then he is stupid and has no business serving in the Congress. If he does indeed know that the President’s executive order will not override law, then he is a liar by saying that the President’s order will prevent federal funds being used for abortion.

The total truth, I believe, is that Mr. Stupak sold his vote to President Obama. I believe that it is more than just a coincidence that some $700,000 in federal funds has suddenly found its way into Stupak’s district for an airport.

Mr. Stupak has demonstrated vividly the lack of integrity among the Democrat party throughout the political spectrum of the United States. Although elected to represent the voters, the Democrat party has chosen to use its majority in both houses of Congress to force its left-wing liberal agenda down the throats of the American people. May they face the wrath of the American people this coming November!

Where Does the Buck Stop?

At what point in his term as President of the United States, does Mr. Obama live up to the phrase, “The buck stops here,” and quit blaming everything on George W. Bush? Mr. President, if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. Just be sure and take Rahm Emmanuel, Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid with you. Don't forget Robert Gibbs and David Axelrod, please!

Mr. Obama ran as if he were the savior of the world. Now, anyone with even a modicum of intelligence knew he wasn’t, but he wanted us to believe that he was. Well, if you want the position, Mr. Obama, then save the world.

George W. Bush, like any President, had his shortcomings. He inherited problems from President Clinton, the same as any new President does. Yet, I never heard President Bush blame those problems (or any others) on his predecessor. He didn't even blame the 9/11 attacks on Mr. Clinton, though he could have made a case for it. It’s a shame Mr. Bush’s successor doesn’t have the same integrity.

When Mr. Obama was inaugurated, I told my wife, “I hope he is such a good president, that I want to rush to the polls in November 2012 to vote for him. At the rate he is going, though, I’ll rush to the polls in 2012, but it won’t be to vote for him. I would have a lot more respect for him as a man, regardless of his policies, if he had the courage and integrity not to blame his predecessor and simply accept the responsibility he said he wanted, when he decided to run for President.