Smoke and Mirrors

Let's start with a little recap.  The "ground zero mosque" is neither at ground zero nor a mosque.  The local planning commission approved it 23 to 1 (or something like that).  The local populace does not have a problem with it.  So why did this little bit of self-determination in a single city become the latest national issue?

Two words: election year.

And the Republicans need a good old-fashioned wedge issue to leverage votes to their side.  Abortion's a classic, but not strong enough for the times.  Economy?  Nah, too much evidence that it really is W's fault.  Gay marriage?  So last year.  I know!  How 'bout some religious fear and bigotry?  Yeah, that's the ticket!

Nothing, and I mean nothing, gets people whipped into a fury faster than fanning the flames of fear.  So the poor lackey interns at Fox News got the task of searching through all the national happenings until one of them found a gem.  Kind of like finding Willy Wonka's golden tickets.  And some Charlie Bucket found this one. 

But this is so much more than reviving people's feelings about 9/11.  Oh no, Karl Rove and friends have taken this one all the way to full-on religious hatred and casting, once again, the shadow of suspect on the President.  ("You know, his middle name is Hussein! He grew up in a Muslim country!  He's black..oh wait, wrong talking point.....He's a secret Muslim!").

And so the birthers have a new straw to grasp: whether or not Obama is really a Muslim.  After all, he's lying about his birth certificate, so why not this?  And this is way more evil.  He might really pray to Allah!  Personally, I believe the "poll" showing that nearly a third of the country thinks he's a Muslim is just a big lie created by Fox, with the intent of making this a national story and making people afraid.

Afraid of what, exactly?  Seriously  people, do you really believe that Obama is a secret Muslim who faked a birth certificate just so he could mastermind a secret terrorist takeover of the US?  If you do, could you kindly tell me what you are smoking?

The President's religion should not matter.  But look at our history: remember what a huge deal it was that Kennedy was Catholic?  And that's still playing for the same team!  And yes, it was a group of Muslims who perpetrated 9/11, but so what?  Does that mean we are going to fear and hate all Muslims for now and ever?  Isn't that letting the terrorists win? 

My favorite is when whichever right wing douchebag it was said that he'd "take Obama at his word" that he was a Christian.  Did anyone state they had to take W at his word that God talked directly to him?  Or any other President, for that matter?  We did, in fact, see this with Joe Leiberman in his VP bid: everyone wanted to know if he'd work on Saturday.  Did anyone ask any other candidate if he'd work on Sunday? 

The GOP trots out these issues every two years. Sadly, there are enough people who don't think for themselves, and they follow right along.  They are too happy to hate, to have some sort of "cause" to vent their anger at.  Never mind that their anger is over the fact that they are losing their jobs and homes;  the real problem is that Obama might worship the same god in a different way!

I get so tired of pointing out this same phenomenon.  I wonder, why don't these people wake up and see the pattern?  Are they really so duped?  Do they really not realize that once the election is won, the issue blows away like the sand around Ozymandias' broken statue? 

And that is why I write.  I know I mostly preach to the converted, but I hope that my words reach at least a few ears that maybe need to hear them.  And maybe others share them with people they know.  Maybe I'm just a voice screaming into the void, but at least it feels good to give voice to the truth.