Auburn Hills, Mich. , Aug 25, 2010 - Help the Ram Truck Brand and Zac Brown Band reach their goal of sending 1 million letters to U.S. soldiers with just a few “clicks” as the “Letters for Lyrics” campaign takes to the Web. More than 325,000 letters have been collected to date and many more are needed to reach their goal.

In exchange for writing a letter to a U.S. soldier, participants will receive a special compilation CD titled "Breaking Southern Ground." This exclusive CD features three all-new songs from Zac Brown Band, as well as music from artists signed to Zac Brown’s label, Southern Ground Artists – Sonia Leigh, Nic Cowan and Levi Lowrey. The new online campaign gives participants the choice of either donating their complimentary CD to a U.S. soldier or receiving their CD by printing out their letter and bringing it in to a Ram Truck dealer.

Interested participants can write and submit a letter by visiting the Ram Truck Brand’s RamZone blog at http://www.ramzone.com, the Ram Truck Brand’s website at http://www.ramtrucks.com/en/letters_for_lyrics/ and all Zac Brown Band Web properties that can be found at http://www.zacbrownband.com. The websites feature a Letters for Lyrics online application that is designed to be easily shared with friends on Facebook or other social media platforms. In addition, this application can be posted and shared on a personal website. Letter writers also can choose to donate their free copy of the "Breaking Southern Ground" CD to a U.S. soldier.



"We've had the opportunity to set up a letter-writing station at just about every one of our recent shows where we asked fans to help us rally 1 million 'Letters for Lyrics,'" said Zac Brown. "The response has been overwhelming. We're so proud of the strong support from our fans and, now that the campaign is moving online, we're even more confident they'll help us reach our goal."

“The Ram Truck Brand and Zac Brown Band began this letter-writing campaign for U.S. soldiers, stationed across the world and away from family and friends, in order to show our appreciation for their commitment to this great country,” said Fred Diaz, President and CEO – Ram Truck Brand, Chrysler Group LLC. “By sending a letter of encouragement, we are bringing a piece of home to a soldier wherever they may be stationed. Writing a letter at the Ram Truck brand websites is easy and quick – in fact, it may inspire writers to send more than one.”

The Ram Truck Brand and Zac Brown Band partnered in May 2010 on "Letters for Lyrics," a national letter-writing campaign aimed at U.S. soldiers deployed around the world with a goal of sending 1 million letters of appreciation to U.S. soldiers. People also can visit any Ram Truck dealership and most Zac Brown Band concerts to write and submit letters on "Letters for Lyrics" stationery. The partnership has proved so successful in its first phase that participants from the Ram Truck Brand, Zac Brown Band and ROAR will keynote Billboard/Adweek Music & Advertising Conference in Chicago on Sept. 15.

Chrysler Group supplier partner George P. Johnson will compile and print the submitted electronic letters that will then be sent on to Soldier’s Angels for delivery.

Soldiers’ Angels, a nonprofit organization, will deliver written letters and letters submitted on the websites, to U.S. soldiers on behalf of the Ram Truck Brand and Zac Brown Band. Soldiers’ Angels is a volunteer-led organization with more than 225,000 members providing aid and comfort to the men and women of the U.S. Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard, along with veterans and their families.

“Attending the ‘Letters for Lyrics’ campaign at Zac Brown Band concerts and experiencing the heartfelt support that Americans from across the country extend to our troops has been truly inspirational,” said Jeff Bader, Co-Founder, Soldiers’ Angels. “In talking to countless soldiers through the years, I've heard them express the sentiment and appreciation for the material items they receive. However, it's the letters that mean the most to them. This letter-writing campaign will make a tremendous difference in the lives of these young men and women and greatly fortify the morale of our brave heroes.”

View the Final Installments of “For Those Who Serve”

RamTrucks.com debuts the last two video installment of “For Those Who Serve,” a documentary of Zac Brown Band’s visit to U.S. soldiers stationed in the Persian Gulf. The series of video documents captures the moving experience of the band meeting with the men and women in uniform and performing for the troops, and was directed by Darren Doane, the CMT-nominated director of Zac Brown Band's live "Pass the Jar" DVD (Southern Ground/Atlantic) and their music video for the No. 1 hit "Toes." The entire video series can be found on the Ram Truck brand’s website.

About Zac Brown Band

In 2010, Zac Brown Band were named GRAMMY's "Best New Artist" and nominated for the Academy of Country Music Awards' "Entertainer of the Year." The band's double platinum-certified, major label debut 'The Foundation' (Atlantic Records) was one of Billboard's Top 20 albums of 2009 and features the band's first five No.1 hit singles including "Chicken Fried" and "Free." The band's sophomore album 'You Get What You Give' (Atlantic/Southern Ground Artists, Inc.) is out on September 21st and features guest appearances by Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett. Zac Brown Band is represented by ROAR, a Beverly Hills-based management company. Additional information can be found at http://www.zacbrownband.com/.

About Soldiers’ Angels

Soldiers’ Angels is a full service deployed troop, military family, wounded and veterans service organization serving all those who serve all of us with over twenty very effective programs. We specialize in the unique needs uncovered by other agencies, military benefits and medical insurance. Founded in 2003 by Patti Patton-Bader, the mother of an army soldier deployed to Iraq, Soldiers’ Angels has grown from a small care package organization to major source of aid for all those who serve or have served in our Armed Forces. Last year, we provided over 25 million dollars worth of assistance. Our slogan, "May No Soldier Go Unloved," encapsulates the motivation behind Soldiers' Angels. By working together and sharing a common vision of service, the volunteers of Soldiers' Angels continue to demonstrate active care and concern for veterans, the wounded, deployed service members, and their families. From our very inception, the focus of Soldiers’ Angels has been: Helping bring home healthy soldiers. Visit www.soldiersangels.org, www.facebook.com/SoldiersAngelsOfficial and www.twitter.com/soldiersangels to find out more.

About the Ram Truck Brand

With a work-hard, play-hard attitude, the Ram Truck brand offers the boldest, most powerful and capable pickup truck lineup on the planet.

The Ram Truck brand will add to its award-winning truck lineup with the introduction of its all-new 2010 Ram 2500 and 3500 Heavy Duty trucks, Motor Trend's Truck of the Year. The new heavy-duty trucks provide customers with first-time innovations and features along with new standards of strength, utility and driveability, building on the Ram's leadership in the heavy-duty pickup segment.

Introduced in 2008, the Ram 1500 is a game changer in terms of its ability to "outsmart" and "out-tough" the competition with its bold exterior design, crafted and refined interior, engineering excellence, superb innovation and best-in-class features and amenities. The Ram 1500 also ranks at the top of Strategic Vision Inc.’s (SVI) 2009 Total Quality Index™ (TQI) in the full-size truck segment. According to the survey, the Ram 1500 leads the way with the highest Total Quality score of any truck in the 15-year history of the study. Customers specifically noted that the Ram has the best added storage capability along with the best truck interior ever rated by customers.

The Ram Truck brand will further enhance its commercial vehicle presence with the introduction of a "new crew" of commercial-grade work trucks: the new 2011 Ram 3500, 4500 and 5500 Chassis Cabs. Led by an all-new crew cab, the new 2011 Ram Chassis Cabs are built on a proven frame and chassis, and engineered for maximum uptime, optimum performance and enhanced commercial capability.

Follow Ram Truck and Chrysler Group LLC news and video on:
Chrysler Connect blog: http://blog.chryslergroupllc.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/chrysler
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/pentastarvideo
Streetfire: http://members.streetfire.net/profile/ChryslerVideo.htm
Ram Trucks: http://www.ramtrucks.com
Ram Zone blog: http://www.ramzone.com

From CJ at A Soldier's Perspective

They Have Names is a website I started to tell the stories of our fallen heroes. While I haven't written a story in a long time, I have not abandoned the project. However, the web hosting fees are due to keep They Have Names up for the next two years. The URL is purchased through 2017, but due to costs I've only been able to purchase hosting for two years at a time. I need to raise $387 to pay for the next two years, which I can't manage myself at this time since I'm moving into a new house and the costs associated with that.

If you can spare a few dollars (or $387), please donate through my Paypal donation button. The email address associated with my hosting account is dj_chcknhawk[at]yahoo[dot]com. I basically have until the end of the month since I wasn't paying attention.

Thank you for any help you can be. I will close this post once I've raised enough money so that I don't get more than needed.

For donation buttons, etc, follow this link.

Thanks,

--Chuck

Three guys die and go to heaven.

St. Peter says "Listen - we're having a really busy century, so we need to manage admissions tightly. Right now we can only admit people who have died in horrible fashions, and those who have died in a more mundane way will have to wait in limbo, and it could take a decade or two to work you in."

So St. Peter takes aside the first man, and asks him how he died.

"Well, I'd been suspicious of my wife having an affair for some time now, so today I came home from work early. I just knew the guy was in my apartment, but I couldn't find him. I looked everywhere and was just about to give up, when I went out on the balcony of my 23rd story apartment and there he was hanging over the edge! He was just barely hanging on, there was no way he could climb back onto the balcony. It was a really stupid place to try to hide. I was livid, so I started punching him and clawing at his fingers, but he held on. Finally I went to get a hammer and started pounding on his fingers, and he fell down. But what really angered me was that he landed in some bushes and fell to the ground dazed, but basically OK! I was so mad I grabbed the refrigerator, threw it off the balcony and it landed on him. Unfortunately I was so riled up by the incident I had a heart attack and died."

St. Peter was taken aback, and said "While you did die in a dramatic fashion, I think we need to look at that whole second degree murder before we let you in - off to limbo with you." He then approached the second man and asked him how he had died.

"I was riding my exercise bike on the balcony of my 24th story apartment, when the thing broke and threw me over the railing! I grabbed furiously at the railing and slipped, but managed to catch on the balcony below mine. I tried to climb up but it just wasn't possible. I thought I was going to fall but then someone came out on the balcony. I thought he would help me, until he started hitting me! I held on as best I could, but when he got a hammer and started hitting me I finally couldn't hold on anymore and fell. Somehow, though, I fell in some bushes and fell to the ground dazed, but basically OK! Just as I'm coming around, I look up and BAM this refrigerator lands on me. So here I am."

St. Peter immediately admitted this second man to heaven, and pulled aside the third man and asked him for his story.

"Picture this: I'm hiding naked in a refrigerator..."    author unknown

First off, my ticker is fine.  I exercise it frequently throughout the day by depriving it of a percentage of the oxygen it is used to.  These 5-7 minutes of Aerobic exercise make sure it is kept fit and trim, and pumping wildly (however regularly) with glee.

I'll give a rundown of yesterday, just to let you know how much fun it was:

Background:  I have a pinched nerve in my thoracic vertebrae, part of the degenerative disk disease I apparently have (something to do with extreme trauma to the spine, like from landing on your head wearing 70 lbs of gear after sailing through the air.)  The nerve cluster in T4,5, and 6 is affected.  This nerve cluster sends pain signals that start at the spine just below the shoulder blades and radiate around the chest (the right side in my case) and terminate with a stabbing, sharp pain sensation in the chest cavity.  This has been going on for almost a year, and I was being treated for it when I left Fort Leavenworth.  Lately, it has been acting up, giving me mild to moderate pain; however when you know the source of the pain it makes it easier to ignore/deal with it.  The biggest effect it was having on me was inability to sleep, other than from 12 AM-3AM, plus adding to my usual irritability.

Here's how my Tuesday want:
0350:  Wake up--feel like there is a hot knife in my heart.  I try stretching, ice, heat, and massage to no effect. 
0415:  Wake up Carren, tell her I am going to the ER (she doesn't even have to ask why.)  She can't take me, because someone has to be home with the kids, so I self-recover to the Wahiawa ER.  (This hospital is pretty run down, like an underfunded county general hospital.  (Side note, at 0400, you can do 90 MPH on post and no one  notices.)
0420:  Arrive at ER.  Stumble in, mention chest pain (I didn't go into further detail, because the "Chest Pain" complaint will keep you out of the waiting room 99% of the time.)
0425:  Nurse tells me he thinks it may be kidney stones.  I roll my eyes, thank him for the diagnosis, and tell him to fetch a doctor and stand by the pain meds locker.  He has me pee in a cup. 
0428:  Doctor comes over, I explain the problem as best I understand.  I tell him I need a nerve block in my T4,5,6.  He gives me 2mg of dilaudid (hydromorphone, concentrated morphine) and asks if it helps.  Dilaudid makes me itch.  It takes the edge off, I still feel the pain, but am more relaxed about it.  They send me for a chest x-ray and CAT scan.  Then I get an EKG.  (At this point, times are irrelevant, as I lose concept of time (Thanks, dilaudid!)

• They give me another 1 mg of dilaudid.  The nurse mentions that I shouldn't need this much dilaudud.  I mention that unless the Nurse has a medical degree, he can keep his opinions to himself, push the meds, and get me a bedpan.
• Doctor thinks it may be gall bladder infection/gall stones.  Apparently I have some decent sized stones.  The fact that I have been treated for this exact pain, in this exact location, prior to today, with a diagnosis of pinched nerves in T4,5, and 6 has no bearing on his "diagnosis."
• Doc pushes another 1mg of dilaudid.  Says I should be unconscious right now.  I tell him unless he gives me Fentanyl with a dilaudid back, in a drip, he'll likely never see my eyes close.  I itch.
• Doc wants to wait for the radiologist to come in to work to read the x-rays/CAT scan to see if his guess about gall stones is correct.  He tells the nurse to push dilaudid every 30 minutes.
• Radiologist finally arrives, shift changes in ER.  Radiologist reads films, says it's not likely gall bladder.  (No shit, Sherlock.)  New ER doc explains that this hospital can't keep me, because all they can to for me is push meds.  They don't have a neurologist or pain specialist there. 
• DOC INFORMS ME THAT HE CAN'T TRANSFER ME TO TRIPLER ARMY MEDICAL CENTER, BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE ANY OPEN BEDS IN ER., AND ARE REFUSING TRANSFER.
• Chuck is discharged from Wahiawa ER, Carren drives me to Tripler AMC with films, EKG, and record in hand.  (Pain is a 7 of 10)
• Arrive Tripler ER.  Go to desk, hunched over from pain.  Give them ID and tell them I am having chest pains.  They take me into triage, take history and vitals, then HAVE ME GO SIT IN THE WAITING ROOM. 
• Taken to bed, Medic (SPC Figeroa--Awesome guy) takes vitals, history  (2nd time I've given my history at the Tripler ER) and EKG.  Looks over Wahiawa records.  Tells us doctor is coming, will be able to give me something for Pain after DR sees me.
• No doctor, pain increases.(Pain is a 8 of 10)
• No doctor, Pain Increases.  SPC Figeroa is apologizing for the two doctors (one major, one colonel) not being there yet. (Pain is a 9 of 10)
• Nurse (Kevin--another awesome guy) comes in ad takes my vitals and history. (3rd time I've given my history at the Tripler ER)
• I am told  the doctor is going to give me a lumbar puncture and will be in to see me soon.
• Am told the doctor is giving another patient a lumbar puncture, and will be in to see me after.
• Med student comes in, takes history. (4th time I've given my history at the Tripler ER)
• No doctor, pain still increasing.  Docs want x-rays (supposedly, they can't read the x-rays taken that morning for some reason)
• Laying in hallway on gurney, completely overcome by pain (9 of 10) and feeling completely failed and  ignored by doctors.  All I want is some relief.  Start crying and cannot stop.  Am tremendously  embarrassed.  I don't weep gently, am uncontrollably sobbing.  The more I cry, the more embarrassed I become.
• Go in to x-ray.  Cannot stop sobbing during x-rays.
• Back to room.  Still crying.
• Doctor finally arrives. (Carren tells me later it's been roughly 2 hours since I arrived in ER)
• Doc starts asking questions about history, want's to know what the problem is.  (Because the other 4 times I gave my history were just for fun, he hasn't read or been told any of them.)  I lose my military bearing completely.  I sit up, put my face about two inches from his and scream through clenched teeth  "I am fucking in pain, that's my problem."
• Doc finally gives order for dilaudid.  Kevin is standing by with it.
• Much calmer, (Pain is a 8 of 10) and doc now starts making excuses:  "I am just an ER Doc.  I have to rule things out to get proper treatment.  We are really busy. blah blah blah."
• They continue to push meds.  Much, much calmer now. (Pain is a 6 of 10)
• about 2 PM, they get me an appointment with pain management for 2:10, and discharge me from ER.  Kevin gives me a shot "for the road" and SPC Figeroa takes me to pain clinic. 
  
• Dr. McLean meets me at pain clinic.  Explains he's read through both my chart and through my medical records from Kansas city.  (Imagine that!  A pity the ER doc in the same hospital has no access to my records.)  He tells me that we are waiting on the treatment room to open up but he WILL take care of me.  Asks if there is any specific treatment I want.  I explain I've had success with radial nerve ablation in my lumbar spine, also would like a nerve block in my thoracic, if possible. 
  
• He tells me that he will be able to do both, and definitely recommends both.  Doesn't understand why I wasn't sent to him hours ago. I tell him I don't understand why either, but am sure the ER doc can provide him all the excuses he may want.
• Doc tells me about an implant device (upwards of $25K) that has been approved for use.  Will help dramatically with pain in extremities, gives me a DVD to watch about it for when I get home.  Thinking about this right now.
• Doc takes me in to treatment room, puts needles in my T4, T5, and T6, sends current through them to make sure they are in the right place.  Then sends anesthetic to the nerves, then heats the needle, burning the nerves and limiting their ability to send pain signals for the next 6-12 months.  Then he injects steroids and more, a longer lasting anesthetic, so that the nerves won't hurt from the burn.
• All the fluid buildup in the nerve cluster puts pressure on the nerves, making me feel like I've been kicked right between the shoulder blades by Jeff Reed of the Pittsburgh Steelers.  Comparatively, this is much better than the pain I have been in all day.  The stabbing chest pains are still there, but greatly reduced
• By late afternoon, I am home.  Curl up on couch with icepack on my back, and go to sleep.  Wake up late in the evening, pain is lessened, but still there.  Change ice pack.  Wake up at 3 AM, take pain meds, back to sleep.  Wake up at 8 AM, chest is pain-free, back is still a little sore.

So that was my Tuesday.  I have a follow-up with Dr. McLean on the 2nd, where I will get more info on the implant and inform him that his new ranger name is Dr. McDreamy.  Spending 10 solid, miserable hours in abject pain, only to get relief in an hour at the end of the day.  Of all the hours spent in two ERs, NOTHING that the doctors tested for was the problem.  The problem was exactly what I told them it was at the outset.  I am going to find out what the best, most expensive hospital on the island is, and from now on will go there (and just tell them it was the closest one to where I was when I started hurting.)

Free healthcare.  The trick is finding a health professional who actually cares.  The ER doc at Tripler (another Major) certainly didn't expect his patient to come up out of bed screaming at him, or to proclaim his displeasure with him loudly enough so that everyone on the ward could hear.  I will be following up with a formal complaint through military channels--including the two-star just a few doors down from my office--in a few days.

--Chuck

Earlier today, Chuck let some friends know that he was heading to the ER with bad chest pains.  He's on his way home now, but only after a really bad day.  You know it's bad if Chuck calls it bad after all he's been through.  I think it's fair to say that the Ziegenfuss family could use a little less excitement for a while...

A federal law making it a crime to lie about receiving the Medal of Honor or other military decorations violates freedom of speech, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday.

Although a Southern California water board member convicted of violating the Stolen Valor Act made “deliberate and despicable” claims that he had received the Medal of Honor, the Constitution prohibits the government from prosecuting someone for merely lying, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco said in a 2-1 ruling.

“The right to speak and write whatever one chooses - including, to some degree, worthless, offensive and demonstrable untruths - without cowering in fear of a powerful government is, in our view, an essential component of the protection afforded by the First Amendment,” Judge Milan Smith said in the majority opinion.
(Emphasis added)

Now apply the same thing when speaking to the police--it's called obstruction.  Or try lying to a Judge--that's called perjury, or at the very least, contempt.

I think the Stolen  Valor Act dodo go to far.  I agree with the judges that speech, in and of itself, should not be prohibited.  However, making false claims about service, awards, and sacrifice for any gain, material, monetary, or otherwise, is fraud.  If someone running for office makes claims of valor, then that person has lied to the public before even being elected, and should be banned from ever holding any job in the public trust.  If a person makes claims of valor for any reason whereby the person receives ANY benefit, that person should be prosecuted for frad, with the maximum possible punishment. 

The punishment for fraud should also be increased to a mandatory minimum of three years, and in the case of violating the public trust, ten years in a federal supermax prison, where they can spin their lies to the walls and cockroaches.  In the case of people who make claims of valor and then defraud the government (i.e. the people) and receive benefits from the VA, the mandatory minimum should be life imprisonment.  These people are literally stealing from those who have sacrificed everything for their nation and the people, taking resources, time, and money from Veterans in an already overburdened and underfunded system.

--Chuck

The last combat troops have left Iraq!  The war is over!

Except, of course for the fact that many, many (like 50,000) remain, and more are on the way to replace them as they continue to withdrawal, which will take until the very, very end of 2012.

But... but... he said....

No, Virginia, there are no more combat troops in Iraq.

Technically, what remains in Iraq are Advise and Assist Brigades.  If you look very closely at the force structure of these brigades, and their associated equipment, you'll see they are pretty damn close to Brigade Combat Teams.  They are comprised of Soldiers, all of whom are Lawful Combatants--but somehow not "Combat Troops."

Guess what?  All Soldiers are "combat troops."  No Solider is a "combat troop."  You are either a cobatant or you aren't.  The soldiers in Iraq are still going to be under fire, getting blown up by IEDs, shot at by snipers and mortared.  The difference now is that they will "advise" and "assist" (for varying degrees of advise and assist) the Iraqi Army and Police into capturing the bad guys. 

Does this sound familiar?  You're damn right it does.  It sounds Exactly like what I was doing as a Company Commander way back in 2005.  I had a counterpart Iraqi company commander, three police chiefs, a mayor, and a council of Sheiks, all of whom I advised and assisted to varying degrees.

The difference?  We were then fighting evil Booooosh'es war, but we had the manpower, budget, and support at home (and in the White House) to do our jobs.  Now, our safety and security outside the wire is wholly in the hands of The Iraqis we trained, we still carry weapons, but are only supposed to use them in extreme-self defense, and have to get a warrant to enter a "suspects" home.  We don't even detain prisoners.  If someone shoots at us, and then we catch them, we have to hold them for the Iraqi police, who may (or may not) hold them for trial.

Yep, doesn't sound like combat to me, either. 

Sounds an awful lot like trying to "end" a war, instead of win a war.  I realize there must be a drawdown, that we can't (or shouldn't) be there forever. But I also realize that the exit is best made under OUR terms.  Like leaving and saying "Okay, we've given you democracy, freedom, suffrage, rule of law and the right to self-determine free of intimidation from thugocracy.  If we have to come back in the next 50 years, we'll kill every last one of you."  And saying "What we think you should do is "X", an we'll help with "Y," but we are leaving by "Z."  So please take our advise so we can get all our stuff and people home safely, then we'll leave you alone.

I'm just having a hard time truly believing in this mission.  And as far as 90% of America knows (or cares), we don't have any more troops in Iraq.

--Chuck

The University of Arizona in Tucson, AZ, through a Congressional Grant and involvement from the VA, will be hosting a very competitive Disabled Veterans Sports Camp in March of 2011 for male/female, extremely athletic, service-connected OEF/OIF amputees (upper or lower extremity).

This camp will focus on assembling an all amputee softball team to play softball games to promote amputation, rehabilitation, sports activity, the VA, Prosthetic and Sensory Aid Service, and the commitment the University of Arizona has to Adaptive Athletics and Disabled Athletes. This is a fully funded "Spring Training" camp for 20 qualified amputees. Airfare, hotel and meals will be provided and fully funded.

Since we are still in the preliminary stages of planning this camp there will be more information to come.  But right now we are seeking out the amputee athletes.  If you are interested in participating and fit the criteria above and would like to be a part of this groundbreaking team concept, please contact David Van Sleet at David.VanSleet@va.gov with your name, address, DOB, phone number, email and amputation(s).

--Chuck

So, today I saw an interesting post at http://daryllang.com/blog/4421.

This blogger took photos of things in NYC the same distance from Ground Zero, and has come to the conclusion that it is "not hallowed ground."

I'd post what that blogger wrote, but I can't because I am using a poxy microsoft internet browser (ver 7.0), which won't allow me to cut from one web page and paste into another so I will sum up the photos and the gist:

Street vendors, nudie bar, dunkin donuts, irish pub, BBQ place, McDonalds, Off Track Betting.

The main idea of this author is that anyone who opposes the mosque on the grounds that it is "hallowed ground" is a fool, and anyone who opposes it because it's a muslim ediface are bigoted, cowardly, and utterly indefensible.

big·ot [ bíggət ] (plural big·ots) noun
Definition:  intolerant person: somebody with strong opinions, especially on politics, religion, or ethnicity, who refuses to accept different views

So, (I think I understand this correctly) if I don't want a cordoba mosque going up in the neighborhood where a bunch of moslem fanatics killed 2993 Americans, I am a bigot (because I oppse the idea.)  You, who have strong views about me, religion, ethnicity and refuses to accept MY views, are...

what's the word I am looking for?

(reads definition above)

There is the argument (with some validity) that the people going to worship at the mosque have nothing to do with the hijacking, any more than the pope has to do with priests playing "kiss the bishop" with altar boys.  I totally get that.  I get that they want a place to meet, congregate, pray to their god, observe holidays and ceremonies during whichever lunar cycle they are under (assuming they aren't lycanthropes) and otherwise live in domestic harmony while debating the merits of their peaceful loving religion. 

It begs the question though, of these devout, humble and merciful people... where do they go to pray now?
How about the many mosques within easy walking distance already in Manhattan?  I believe they even have a pretty thorough public transit system in case you'd like to go elsewhere.

This mosque isn't a monument to the good of islam, it is a further monument to the intolerance of moslems and their utter lack of respect and understanding of the culture they are immersed in.  If moslems REALLY wanted to show how they understand and respect the feelings of others, they would be protesting against the construction of this mosque, not because they don't believe they have a right to build at that location, but because they know that it would seem callous and uncaring to others.

I would rather my neighbors understood the right thing to do, instead of the "strictly legal" thing to do.  I have a right to practice my religion.  They have a right to practice theirs.  However, if I go to a friends' Catholic wedding, I don't take communion because I am not Catholic.  If a Buddhist comes to my house (not bloody likely) I will not make any special efforts to appease their diet--they can eat what I eat, or starve.  If I went to their house, I would not expect them to be serving steaks, and wouldn't complain if I didn't like whatever they were serving.  Hundreds of thousands of Japanese tourists visit the USS Arizona/Pearl Harbor memorial every year (far more than our own countrymen.)  They don't come singing and dancing and yelling "Banzai!"  They are overwhelmingly respectful and reverent (and we parked the USS Missouri nearby in case they get any ideas.) 

We unquestionably conquered Iraq, a moslem nation.  We've built roads, schools, government buildings, bridges, dams, hospitals, clinics, fire stations, polling places and police stations.  Yet we have never built a church, even on our own FOBs.  We erect no crosses nor steeples.  We do not have easter parades or play Chrismas Carols.  We celebrate Hannukah, passover, and Diwali.  We observe our holidays in our tents and non-descrepit buildings, far from the moslem eye, so we don't offend anyone.  And I think that is what this is all about.  Maybe it isn't hallowed ground.  Maybe it is absolutely allowed by law.  But a community isn't just a group of people held together by laws; it is a group of people who contribute for the common good.  It is a group of people who pay school taxes though they have no children, who participate in Youth sports programs well after their children have grown and moved away.  A Community is a group of people who will care for each other after a disaster, lend a helping hand to a neighbor, make room at the table even though there isn't really enough for those already present.  In a community, people have vastly different belief systems and social norms, but they still all participate in the community for the same reason: because the alternative is living somewhere that you don't know your neighbors, you can't trust anyone, and are never secure in your own home.  When one group in a community stops caring about the opinions, feelings, and needs of the others, and places their needs above the needs of the community, the system fails, and fails miserably.  The idea of "I've got mine" and screw the rest of you pervades these communities, and soon, all you have left is... Detroit.


--Chuck

According to the Center for Nonproliferation Studies, "Moslem and Muslim are basically two different spellings for the same word." But the seemingly arbitrary choice of spellings is a sensitive subject for many followers of Islam. Whereas for most English speakers, the two words are synonymous in meaning, the Arabic roots of the two words are very different. A Muslim in Arabic means "one who gives himself to God," and is by definition, someone who adheres to Islam. By contrast, a Moslem in Arabic means "one who is evil and unjust" when the word is pronounced, as it is in English, Mozlem with a z.