Harry Reid: Do Not Build Ground Zero Mosque

There is a great quote from one of the cinematic masterpieces of our time that I believe encapsulates Harry Reid's asking the Cordoba House to not build at Park51. In Super Troopers Police Chief Grady tells Captain O'Hagan that "Desperation is a stinky cologne." In that case, Harry Reid simply reeks. He put out a statement today, after being pressured by Sharron Angle, his opponent for his Senate seat, on the Ground Zero Mosque. Reid's statement explained, "The First Amendment protects freedom of religion. Sen. Reid respects that but thinks that the mosque should be built some place else."

It is no secret that Reid's battle in Nevada is not going as well as he would hope. It's also no secret that Nevada is a relatively conservative state and its constituents would probably not like to see a Muslim community center in Lower Manhattan (even if it is over 2,000 miles away from the site.) It seems that Reid is going the way of John McCain in the hopes of clinging to his Senate seat, integrity be damned. What's most baffling is that it seems Reid is taking the advice of Sharron Angle's press release that had urged him to take a side in the matter. Her statement said, "As the Majority Leader, Harry Reid is usually President Obama's mouthpiece in the U.S. Senate, and yet he remains silent on this issue. Reid has a responsibility to stand up and say no to the mosque at Ground Zero or once again side with President Obama." Obviously, he chose the former.

But even beyond Reid's cowardly pandering is the inherent contradictory nature of these powerful politicians urging the Cordoba House to relocate. The First Amendment states:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Now, Congress is not making any law that would potentially disallow Cordoba House to move into Park51, but its agents are certainly discouraging the community center from building there (which the center has every right to.) At what point is governmental intrusion into this matter unconstitutional? No legislation is being created to block Cordoba House, but some of the most powerful individuals in government are taking sides, some against building the center there.

I find it unbelievable that we're still talking about this. It is private property and the owners got approval from both Scott Stringer and Community Board 1. Case closed. But this is an election year, and that means it is time to politicize things like 9/11 to get votes. Republicans are using buzzwords like "out of touch" to chastise those with the gall to stand up for property rights. Newt Gingrich even compared Cordoba House to Nazis building next to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC (Godwin's law FTW!) Desperation is a stinky cologne, indeed.

Photo - Harry Reid (Wikipedia)