"The Ground Zero Mosque - Second Wave of the 911 Attacks" premiers in New York

"The Ground Zero Mosque - Second Wave of the 911 Attacks" produced by Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer

First an Introduction

Before I attended the screening and discussion last night in New York City I went back to read some of the articles and comments that had been posted about the movie and about Geller/Spencer.

"The Ground Zero Mosque - Second Wave of the 911 Attacks" had premiered February 11 at CPAC (not CPAC per se but in the same hotel).

First a warning about this introduction. With an issue the magnitude of Islamic extremism, terrorism and Sharia Law there are so many topics, sub-topics, players and agendas that it can at times be difficult to get ideas down in a flowing, cogent way. You begin with one thought that quickly leads you somewhere else when you haven't finished the first yet. My goal in this introduction is to lay out my view of the issues. If I digress in any way, let me apologize now.

Predictably, like most every topic of critical importance that contains controversial content and what may be considered by some to be politically incorrect views, an attempt was made to dilute the message brought to CPAC by Geller/Spencer. The media tried to turn this movie that concerns a societal, national and global security threat into a political wedge issue all the while ignoring the real issues.

In a ThinkProgress interview with Geller, under a TP website heading Radical Right-Wing Agenda and article title "Pam Geller Rebuffs Norquist’s Call For The Right To ‘Knock Down’ Islamophobia: ‘Grover’s Got To Go’." the interviewer had one goal. Attempt to create a controversy over whether or not CPAC was pandering to Muslims and that a rift existed between Geller and the organizations leaders. Given the subject matter she was at CPAC to discuss, the premise and angle of the interview was absurd. Typical, but absurd.

Also typical were the comments attached to the article. They were the kind made by ridiculously like-minded people, ignorant and uninformed but happy to pat each other on the back for points they considered well made.

From Pete: "I know it's a fool's errand to try and deduct (sic) much of anything from the words of insane people but...

WTF is Pam Geller doing at an event put on by a group that's "been infiltrated by the Muslim Brotherhood" in the first place? One would think, if she actually believed this crap, she would run away blindly until she ran into a large wall or major body of water.

It's also kind of funny to hear someone who's life work revolves around denying others their religious freedom screech about the 1st Amendment. If Pammy has ever even read it she didn't understand it."

From RantingTommy: "keep ratcheting up the fear, you right wing morons, because that's the only thing your cowardly base understands fear fear fear"

And labman57: "When right wing loons refer to the "documented" evidence that serves as the basis for their hyperbolic rants, they are simply referring to their personal delusional scribblings left on sheets of used toilet paper."

My understanding of the message in the film is that the threat of a terrorist attack potentially worse than 9/11 still very much exists, and becomes more likely as time passes.

That our leaders including New York City Mayor Bloomberg need to understand the previous point and do what they were elected to do, which is to protect America. That a victory mosque at Ground Zero is not the community center the developers would have you believe that it is, and that the developers themselves are definitely not who they say they are. Politically correct politicians may get the votes, but they may also get us killed.

Finally, that there is a movement to spread Sharia Law, not only throughout Europe but in the United States as well. And that this movement is underway. Pete, in his comment, provided the politically correct, potentially suicidal point of view.

The TP readers along with many other American who have become complacent don't quite get it. And why should they?

For some in America it is as simple as out of sight, out of mind. It's been almost ten years since 9/11, there haven't been successful attacks on our soil so the memories fade and life goes on.

For the left, they are simply our intellectual superiors and know exactly what the problem is and how to fix it. It isn't Islamic extremism. It isn't the threat of massive terror attacks in the U.S. and abroad. It's not the potential that Islamic theocracies will be established throughout the Middle East as country after country comes closer to collapsing. It certainly can't be the goal of instituting Sharia Law around the globe.

No, as you might have guessed it can all be traced back to the neocons and George Bush. If they were never in power none of this would have happened. We were provocative and paid the price.

Now to fix things, we need to make nice, do everything we can to foster good will, get out of Afghanistan and Iraq, stop all of the you need to assimilate talk and everything will be okay. Isn't that one of the reasons some voters were so attracted to Obama? Make friends not war. Show weakness, be exceedingly willing to apologize and capitulate and everything will be alright.

Just like the Saudi government had figured out that if you go along to get along the problems will just pass you by.

But the reality is that it's not working for the Saudi's and it won't work for us.

Look at Egypt and the similarities to the time when the Shah fell in Iran (Jimmy Carter) and the Ayatollah Khomeini came back after years in exile. He promised his intentions were not to implement an Islamic theocracy government but it's not what he said, it's what he did.

The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt brought back Yusuf al-Qaradawi to lead prayers in Tahrir Square after 30 years in exile after Mubarak stepped down (Barak Obama). They too promise that they are not interested in creating an Islamic government. Should we take them at their word?

Now that Mubarak, the one friend that Israel had in the region, is gone, Iran is sending war ships through the Suez Canal for the first time in decades. But Israel has nothing to worry about, right?

Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice and the world will face even greater danger than we already do. Remember the phrase "Never Again?"? It came about after a world sat idly by as Hitler was appeased, pandered to and taken at his word. He then killed millions of innocent men woman and children. And not just Jews. Because the world knew that no one could have such evil intentions.

"Never Again"

Tomorrow I will talk about the film, the discussion and the need to get the word out.