Mosque: Insult or Non-issue

I have been fighting the urge to weigh in here and bring up the notion of a mosque being built within ear shot of 9/11 Ground Zero but I wanted to see what others felt about it. President Obama said last week, "As a citizen, and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country. That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances." To which a spokeswoman for one of the 9/11 victim's group retorted, "Barrack Obama has abandoned America at the place where America's heart was broken nine years ago, and where her true values were on display for all to see." Plus, the mosque's construction "is a deliberately provocative act that will precipitate more bloodshed in the name of Allah" (http://www.fitsnews.com/2010/08/14/obama-backs-mosque-at-ground-zero/).

Newt Gingrich weighed into the mosque debate by saying, "Building this structure on the edge of the battlefield created by radical Islamists is not a celebration of religious pluralism and mutual tolerance; it is a political statement of shocking arrogance and hypocrisy" (http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=38282). The Right has been beating the drum against the mosque by looking into the Imam that will lead the mosque. Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf central tenet to his teachings has been the use of Sharia Law and has been questioned about who is funding the construction of the 13-story mosque.

Is this an issue of religious freedom or is it about the respect of those that died on 9/11?

Sotomayor's 2001 Speech:Racist, Sexist, or not?

After days of looking I finally found the 2001 Berkely speech that has gotten the Right all up in arms.

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/6444523/Sonia-Sotomayors-2001-speech-at-UC-Berkeley

The paragraph that has lead to so much controversy is:

"Whether born form experience or inherent physiological or cultural differences, a possibility I abhor less or discount less than my colleague Judge Cedarbaum, our gender and national origin may and will make a difference in our judging. Justice O’Connor has often been cited as saying that a wise old man and wise old woman will reach the same conclusion in deciding cases. I am not so sure Justice O’Connor is the author of that line since Professor Resnik attributes that line to Supreme Court Justice Coyle. I am also not so sure that I agree with the statement. First, as Professor Martha Minnow has noted, there can never be a universal definition of wise. Second, I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life."

Now, as has been argued by Newt Gingrich and Rush Limbaugh, had a white male nominee said, "I would hope that a wise white male with the richness of his experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a [insert race] female who hasn't lived that life" the demand for him to step down would be story one in all media outlets. I have read all 8 pages of her speech and there are other aspects that concern me from the notion of establishing Law from the judge seat.

To stay informed, I suggest that all read the speech so you can see the racial statement in its context and review her views of the purpose of the Judge. A take away from her speech that I have is that Justice is not blind in her court as it is to be.