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This entry was posted on Friday, September 3rd, 2010 at 10:18 AM and filed under Arts, Civil Rights, Elections/Voting, Energy, Environment, Food-related, Health, Human Interest, Immigration, Legal, Politics, Religion, Reviews. Follow comments here with the RSS 2.0 feed. Skip to the end and leave a response. Trackbacks are closed.

2 Responses to “NYT (9): National News”

1. Ian Alterman said:

   Re the proposed NYC Islamic center, I sent the following letter to the NYT:

   To The Editor:

   “Two-thirds of New York City residents want a planned Muslim community center and mosque to be located to a less controversial site farther away from ground zero…” (“New York Poll Finds Wariness About Muslim Center,” Sept. 3).

   So what? Since when is the First Amendment a matter of polls or referendums? In fact, since when is the First Amendment a matter of “sensitivity” to people’s feelings? The First Amendment allows for “hate speech,” as long as it does not incite to violence. The Ku Klux Klan can hold a rally in a black neighborhood as freely as in a white one, and Nazi skinheads can march through a Jewish community as freely as a Christian one. Perhaps most ironically, the First Amendment allows the opponents of the Islamic center to protest and, in many cases, spew their anti-Muslim venom. And although I vehemently disagree with them, I fully spuport their right to do so.

   In this regard, it is breathtakingly hypocritical for opponents of the center to enjoy the protections that the First Amendment provides them in their freedoms of speech and assembly, and then to turn around and attempt to deny others their freedom of religion.

   Ian Alterman
   New York, NY

   Posted on 03-Sep-10 at 10:19 am | Permalink
2. Ian Alterman said:

   Re the CA senate race, it finally hit me who Fiorina reminds me of: Cruella DeVille! LOL.

   Posted on 03-Sep-10 at 10:20 am | Permalink