Wading through the Miasma of Mosque Mishmash

Posted: August 25th, 2010 | Filed under: Politics, Ruminations | 1 Comment »

For some unfathomable reason, several folks have asked that I weigh in on this whole issue of whether a mosque should be built at Ground Zero in New York. I’m not sure why anybody would really care what some pundit in Kentucky thinks about what is essentially a zoning issue in Manhattan.

But . . . here’s what I think.

I think it’s a damn shame that with all the issues of a really serious nature facing our country, our world, we have chosen this to argue about.

Last week I was able to chat with some friends who, do to business misfortune, have been forced to move, seeking work and income in other places.

“People don’t seem to really understand,” said Simone. (Not her real name.) “There just aren’t many jobs out there.”

Part of what she said is true.

There aren’t a lot of jobs in the marketplace for people who were making healthy incomes of $50,000 or more before the recession hit. And my sense is there aren’t a lot of positions going begging in lower income ranges. There are only so many needed to sell burgers under the Golden Arches.

Part of what she said is false.

A lot of people understand all too well that there aren’t a lot of jobs out there. It was most unusual to see a Help Wanted sign the other day when entering an Office Depot.

This stasis is manifesting itself in various ways, some oddly interesting.

This past year, the University of Louisville Law School had 500 more applications than the year before. Which number was 400 more than the previous highest year, which was sometime in the early 90s.

So, all of a sudden, a lot of twentysomethings want to become barristers at the bar?

Nah.

It’s simply that the positions as waiters, baristas, nannies, maids aren’t cutting it for college grads. Mowing lawns is not what a Big Ten grad expected to be doing with a B.A.

So, what the hell. Let’s try law school. Maybe that will open a few doors.

What does this have to do with that Muslim community center and mosque that is causing such a ruckus among the talking heads?

Nothing. And that’s my point.

The economy is going to take a dip again very soon. People need work.

The BP oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico is far from the only environmental concern we should be considering. Global warming, and eventual global environmental disaster, are very very real.

How to deal humanely with the immigration problem that exists in America is something that must be faced. I mean, really, who is going to do the roofing across the land if we imprison then deport all the aliens?

That’s just to touch the surface of legitimate concerns that should have our attention.

Instead we fall hook, line and sinker — Mr. President included — for Fox News’ bait. We are now mired in a debate with minimal relevance to real world problems.

What do I think should happen with the mosque at Ground Zero?

It matters not a whit.


One Comment on “Wading through the Miasma of Mosque Mishmash”

  1. 1 Tim said at 6:49 pm on August 25th, 2010:

    Thanks for supplying a reasonable voice on the matter. For one thing, the proposed facility s a cultural center and not primarily a mosque (place of worship) to begin with. Christian fundamentalists and ignorant flag-waving Americans of all faiths are blowing this totally out of proportion.


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