Pamela Geller, drummin' up the hatred on the GOP's Fair & Balanced campaign donor station

The principle at stake in the Cordoba House controversy goes to the heart of American democracy and the value we place on freedom of religion. Should one religious group in this country be treated differently than another? We believe the answer is no.



As Mayor Bloomberg has said, proposing a church or a synagogue for that site would raise no questions. The Muslim community has an equal right to build a community center wherever it is legal to do so. We would hope the American Jewish community would be at the forefront of standing up for the freedom and equality of a religious minority looking to exercise its legal rights in the United States, rather than casting aspersions on its funders and giving in to the fear-mongerers and pandering politicians urging it to relocate.



What better ammunition to feed the Osama bin Ladens of the world and their claim of anti-Muslim bias in the United States as they seek to whip up global jihad than to hold this proposal for a Muslim religious center to a different and tougher standard than other religious institutions would be.

Richard Hanna, the Republican congressional candidate in NY-24, was the rare Republican who supported the proposed Cordoba House plans. That is, until his Democratic opponent, incumbent Rep. Michael Arcuri, announced his own opposition to the "Ground Zero mosque."



Now, Hanna says that "building a mosque near Ground Zero is insensitive."



Originally, the Utica Observer-Dispatch reports, Hanna said on August 9 that "it's extremely easy to understand why people are upset by this, but this country was founded by people who were running away from religious persecution. So how can we become what we have beheld and found contemptible other places?"



Yesterday, Arcuri released the following statement:



As district attorney, I spent my career protecting victims' rights, and to me, this is no different. The pain felt by many Americans from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks is still very real, and I can understand how the thought of building a mosque near Ground Zero could reopen those wounds. For the sake of the victims and their families, I think another location should be chosen.

J Street has been a leader in trying to get cowardly political leaders to take decent stands on one great big third-rail issue, an equitable two-state solution between Israel and Palestine. They do outstanding work. And I was proud to see them working with Joe Sestak, for example, and helping to make sure he was aware of all the basic arguments in the Republican/Fox manufactured controversy over the Muslim community center a few blocks away from the World Trade Center. Like Alexi Giannoulias, the Democrat running for the Illinois open Senate seat, Sestak came out for freedom of religion and ignored the deranged and hysterical Newt Gingrich Nazi analogies J Street's statement on the ginned up controversy came out almost three weeks ago and still makes a lot more sense than the banshee cries of Republicans hoping they can squeeze one more victory out of the dead bodies of Bush's 9/11 catastrophe:It's sweet; it's simple; it's inherently American. And it's what every Democrat should be saying. But they're not. And needless to say, Blue Dogs are leading the way into fear and loathing. Just the way Arizona Blue Dog Gabrielle Giffords has decided to campaign against Latinos in her desperate, undeserved bid for reelection, upstate New York Blue Dog, Mike Arcuri, is trying out the Islamophobia If ever a district needed a third party candidate with a spine, it's got to be NY-24!Yesterday Glenn Greenwald waved a red cape in front of me. It had Chris Carney's name on it, an old nemisis of both of ours. What Glenn was pointing out is that Carney is looking like a loser this year with a new poll showing Tom Marino beating the deceitful Blue Dog 52-37%. But going down Greenwald's list of endangered Democrats,the ones trailing Republicans are Democrats who have turned off the base by voting with the GOP on crucial issues: Suzanne Kosmas (FL), Kathy Dahlkemper (Blue Dog-PA), Mark Critz (PA) and Tom Perriello (VA)-- or by being too corrupt even for Congress: Paul Kanjorski (PA) and Kosmas (again) . There are so many bad candidates running-- and they'll notRepublicans... even if all Republicansbad candidates (and they are).I was happy to see a coalition of Ohio labor groups campaigning against Blue Dog Zack Space (OH) after his anti-Choice and anti-healthcare votes. In a few hours we'll explain some more about why we're opposing Blue Dog Gabrielle Giffords' reelection. And even the wonderful guys at J Street don't always get it right. Their endorsement list includes some wonderful and courageous candidates like John Conyers (D-MI), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Jared Polis (D-CO), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Donna Edwards (D-MD), Carol Shea Porter (D-NH), Mike Honda (D-CA), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Bob Filner (D-CA), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Dave Loebsack (D-IA), Keith Ellison (D-MN), Mary Jo Kilroy (D-OH), and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) but they not only include a bunch of Blue Dogs like Scott Murphy (NY), Betsy Markey (CO), Jim Cooper (TN) and Kathy Dahlkemper (PA), but they even decided to endorse... Lord Boustany (R-LA)! Yes, Lord Boustany , a notorious corporate whore who is also one of the creators of the birther movement! And... even Blue America once endorsed Chris Carney and Mike Arcuri (but never Gabby Giffords); we're more careful and discerning because of that. And we're watching how politicians answer the so-called mosque question. Remember, youbuild a Catholic Church next to a playground. Should you? Or is it a little too soon for that?

Labels: Blue Dogs, Islamophobia, J Street, Jon Stewart, Pamela Geller