David Harsanyi Doesn’t Get What The Conversation Is About

David Harsanyi, a syndicated columnist who writes for the Denver Post, starts his column today by asking the question “Is it bigoted to criticize religion?” and then proceeds to miss the point entirely.

There are those who continue to make the facile claim that any protest over Park51 is a display in un-American intolerance and contempt for the Constitution. This position treats criticism of faith — religious institutions and symbols included — as tantamount to “bigotry.”

Given that there remains overwhelming opposition to the ground zero mosque, this viewpoint would mean that 70 percent of Americans are impulsively hostile to freedom of religion and irrationally narrow-minded.

Do you see what you did there, David?  First you set up the straw men by labeling criticism of the proposed Islamic community center “bigotry”, then you blithely referred to it as the “ground zero mosque” thus accepting the false premise that the argument is over a mosque being built on top of ground zero!  Which it, um, isn’t and isn’t.  But we’re now all ready to condemn the mean spiritedness that proclaims 70 percent of Americans are impulsively hostile to freedom of religion, irrationally narrow-minded and bigots to boot!

You then go on to compare the apple of the ginned up outrage over something that’s not what it’s being reported to be as *equivalent* to the oranges of community protests against Wal-Mart stores and a protest march by gays against the passing of Prop 8 that originated at a Mormon Temple in Westwood, CA.

And applying public pressure in an effort to shut down a project is as American as protesting the arrival of a new Wal-Mart. Religious institutions, as far as I can tell, are not exempted from these disputes.

In 2008, thousands of gay-rights activists protested the Mormon temple in Westwood, Calif., for its role in passing Proposition 8 — the ban on same-sex marriage. This grew into a national protest to undermine the influence of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — even though not every Mormon was involved.

Let’s start with the simple one.  Wal-Mart, regardless of what its management may or may not believe, is not a church or a religion.  Freedom to worship Wal-Mart is optional but not constitutionally protected.  As a business enterprise it is subject to boycott by consumers who disagree with its labor policies and tendency to bulldoze existing small businesses into extinction.  So far the company’s still around and still making profits.  More power to it.

Your second example may need more elaboration for you.  In 2008 there was a bitter, hate filled campaign in California to pass Proposition 8 which denied same sex couples the right to marry.  The Mormon Church was heavily involved in both funding this campaign and urging its members to join in the fight both with time and dollars.  When Prop 8 passed, revoking the right of same sex couples to marry which had recently been established by the CA Supreme Court, gays and lesbians were a little, ah, ticked off at the Mormon Church for their role in this.  To this end they gathered at the Westwood Mormon Temple to begin a protest march.  This, to me, seems a leeetle bit different than what’s going on with the (not at) ground zero (not a) mosque.  And although you hypothesized that gays might protest a Mormon Temple being built in West Hollywood, that hasn’t actually happened.  K?  Straw man thing again.

You know, though only a fraction of Catholic priests are pedophiles, the entire church is routinely broad-brushed as corrupt and depraved. I’ve not heard those who make generalizations about Catholicism referred to as bigots in Time magazine.

I’m not even going to get into this one beyond, oh, please, just Google “widespread Catholic coverup pedophiles”.  But, nope, I’ve not heard the critics referred to as “bigots” either.  Nope, not bigots.

So, getting back to the point you seem to be *trying to make* here, is it that we need to cut the rabid critics of the proposed Islamic community center to be built somewhere more or less in the somewhat near vicinity of the ground zero area, nestled in with discount suit stores, taverns and strip clubs (in other words “hallowed ground”) some slack?  Well, I am willing to cut the 70% some slack (although I’m not ready to completely give them a break for lack of “narrow mindedness”) because I don’t think they have the actual facts and the reason that they don’t, and here’s my point, is because the Republicans, tee-pees and wingnut haters are all hell bent on using this whole issue as a distracting shiny object to keep the public from focusing on the fact that they don’t have any ideas on governance to bring to the table and they know it. 

Last week it was “anchor babies”, this week it’s the “ground zero mosque”.  Dog only knows what next week will bring.

Posted by marindenver on 08/18/10 at 06:06 PM • Permalink

I’d be laughing this off so much harder if I hadn’t made the mistake of reading this fucking bullshit today.

Eh, don’t bother clicking over. Long story short, the leading lights of atheism are pulling that “where are the moderate Muslims?” crap.

They’re at the zoning office trying to get a permit to build a community center, you assholes.

Oh, and apparently someone named Sharia will be appointed to the Court of Appeals if Cordoba gets built, but I’d already checked out mentally by that point.

Disclosure: A Pakistani Muslim once brought my dog back from the dead, whereas Sam Harris ain’t so much as scratched his belly. Perhaps my objectivity is compromised.

Sarah Palin is pumping out the stoopid at such a clip she’s leaving us with no energy left to deal with less prominent harpies like Coulter. But Tbogg’s got you covered.

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