In a column entitled Going Mad in Herds, New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd writes:
The dispute over the Islamic center has tripped some deep national lunacy. The unbottled anger and suspicion concerning ground zero show that many Americans haven’t flushed the trauma of 9/11 out of their systems — making them easy prey for fearmongers.
Little did I realize that my opposition to the Ground Zero Mosque (a term I will continue to use despite the Associated Press’ desire to change it to Park51 or something) was because I had failed to flush the trauma of the 9/11 attacks from my system. Perhaps a new stimulus package would be for all opponents of the Ground Zero Mosque to get therapy for their trauma, then the world would be OK. Stuart Smalley (aka US Senator Al Franken) could introduce the spending bill to pay for all of our therapy.
Maureen, get serious. This isn’t about trauma. I’m over the trauma. But, I’m not over the fact we were attacked on that date in 2001. I remember it well. And, I don’t claim that Islamists don’t have a Constitutional right to build their mosque at 51 Park if they can get the appropriate permits for construction. Mosques, synagogues, churches, temples, are all denied building permits every day in this country, and no one complains. My complaint is not that they don’t have a “right” to build there, they do. My objection is that it is not appropriate to build there out of sheer consideration for the victims.
In case you’ve forgotten about those victims of that horrendous day, take a look at the following:
I say don’t build the mosque for this reason, the falling man.
Put yourself in the position of the family of this man, who has made the decision to take control of his death. He refuses to die in the heat and suffering of the building from the attacks of that day. Instead, he chooses to control that death by leaping from Tower One. Do you call him part of the “herd” you refer to?
No, Maureen, we’re not herds, we’re not reacting to fear, or ignorance, or some trampling of the First Amendment to the Constitution. We’re reacting to basic human decency. Have you none?
