Buzz Paths

First, to get it out of the way up front, Pastor Terry Jones and his 50 member Dumb World Outreach Center are a lunatic fringe cult whose plan to hold a Koran burning party on the anniversary of 9/11 is clearly intended to invite and incite hatred from the Muslim world. As if the Muslim world could hate the American culture any more than they already do. But now for the having said that…

There is no dispute that both kooks, Pastor Jones who wants to burn Korans, and his radical counterpart Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf who wants to build the Ground Zero mosque have the legal right to do it. The intent and purpose for either is the big question. Most American people, at least those with our feet on the ground, realize that the intent and purpose of the Cordoba mosque near Ground Zero is to carry out the historical custom of Islam to build a monument to what it considers its bloody conquest over its enemies. Jones’ plan likewise is to reciprocate by striking the symbolic blow of offending Islam.

But what is increasingly frustrating to most Americans is how Jones’ plan no matter how ugly, only further exposes the inequity of outrage from our leaders, that while it has become completely off limits to offend Muslims, it is open season and fair game for Muslims to offend everyone and anyone in the world, in this case the families of America’s victims of 9/11 with the Cordoba mosque near Ground Zero. What is incomprehensible is how the Leftist leaders of the United States and leaders from around the world have shamefully allowed themselves to play into this Muslim game.

The White House, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Attorney General Eric Holder and even the Vatican have weighed in, strongly though rightly condemning Pastor Jones for his Koran burning event because of its potential to provoke and incite Muslims. And don’t forget Speaker Nancy McCarthy Pelosi who gives the Cordoba mosque a free pass, but wants those who speak out against it investigated. Yet these heads of state who are so quick to condemn Pastor Jones, have stood virtually mute, refusing to condemn Imam Rauf and his plan to build his Cordoba mosque on the graves of the victims of 9/11. As Sen. Barry Goldwater (R) Arizona said, “The winds of appeasement blow from the left.”

Then there’s, New York City’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg who has backed the right of Imam Rauf to build his Cordoba mosque, also backs the right of Pastor Jones to hold his Koran burning. In a strange way, Mayor Bloomberg is somewhat of a political, albeit unfunny Don Rickles, encouraging everyone to offend everyone, even appearing on Letterman trying to drum up a laugh about it. Mayor Bloomberg may be a buffoon, but at least he’s consistent.

Perhaps the sanest and most heartfelt objection to the Koran burning comes from General David Petraeus, who is responsible for managing America’s military mission in Afghanistan. General Petraeus has perhaps the truest conundrum of anyone. Talk about stuck between Iraq and a hard place. As the Commander of United States Forces in Afghanistan there is no doubt that he would rather do anything than cow tow to either the “we can’t offend the Muslims” crowd or to America’s enemies. But his bigger and more understandable worry is that Pastor Jones’ Koran burning will evoke such outrage within the Muslim world that it will cost the lives of our American troops and potentially American civilians anywhere in the world at the hands of Islamic extremists.

Pastor Terry Jones’ and his Dumb World Outreach Center lunatics’ plan to hold a Koran burning event on September 11 is atrocious to be sure, but in the end it is no more insensitive to Muslims than Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf’s plan to build a mosque near our hallowed Ground Zero is insensitive to the victims of 9/11. The failure of our Leftist leaders to condemn the Cordoba mosque at least equally as loudly as they have condemned the Koran burning is the disgrace.

Stumble it!