Ignorance Never Produced Peace: My 9/11 Post

Do you know how we, we as in our white American government, back in the 1860 (give or take a few decades) treated the Indians? In two words: like shit. But you know this right? Trail of Tears anyone? Did you know that is was very publicly said that “The only good Indians I ever saw were dead.” The government sent out soldiers to kill buffaloes because the buffalo was the main source of food for many Indian tribes and by killing the buffaloes, we were able to kill the Indians in many cases. Our government wanted Indians to die, just be dead. Poof. Gone. No more. Why? Because our “people” did not understand the Indians (and we wanted their land to build railroads, but that was almost a bonus that the Indians had the land we needed. I have a sneaky suspicion that we would have wanted them dead anyways because our American government doesn’t like “new stuff” nor “new kind of people” nor change well.) We did not understand their silly dances, their culture, or the way they worshiped. We understood nothing about them so it was easier to kill them than to learn from them. Our own ignorance cost us the opportunity to actually better ourselves from taking what was good about the Indian way of life and improving our own. (As you can tell, I don’t buy into the belief that the only reason we wanted them dead and “away from us” was just so that we could build railroads, feel free to disagree though.)

Ok, so since we have had our history lesson of the day, why am I talking about this now? Today?

I would love to say that we have come a long way since then. That we truly learned our lesson by our misuse of the Indians and black people of the 1860’s, plus or minus a few decades. That we truly learned that we cannot, in fact, force our way of life on upon others that we don’t understand just because if we don’t understand them, then *THEY* must be wrong.

But we haven’t come along way, have we? We, as Americans, still want to force feed our Apple American Pie way of life down the throat of anyone who we deem different because in this America, different *STILL* equals wrong.

I sit here today as a very proud Christian, but I will gladly learn from my Muslim friends, well truth be told, I only have one that I know of and I think she is pretty awesome! SHE is the one that represents to me all Muslims, not the crazy fucks that caused 9/11. And for her, I hope that I help represent Christians everywhere and she does not view Christians as “those crazy people” who want to burn her scriptures that connect her to her God. Also, I hope that she does not view Rev. Phelps as part of who I am and what I believe because those two represent no part of who I am or what I believe no matter how much a Christian bow they tie on it.

I know that the Muslims that caused 9/11 do not speak for every Muslim that walks this earth JUST LIKE that dumbass preacher in Florida nor Rev. Phelps speaks for me as a Christian.

Just FYI- Did I miss the part where every Christian in the history of Christianity has always done everything perfectly and we, as Christians, have never had anybody do anything radical in the name of Christ (David Koresh, Rev Phelps and crazy burning Quran preacher don’t count for this pop quiz)? I mean to be Christian, does that automatically make me and all my “people” perfect because if so, man am I luckier than I thought!

I, for one, not only think the so called “Ground Zero Mosque” should be right smack in the middle of Ground Zero (for one, IT’S NOT A MOSQUE; it’s an Islamic Cultural Center with lots to do instead of planning the next attack horrific attack on America, plus it’s two whole blocks from Ground Zero, so STOP CALLING IT THE GROUND ZERO MOSQUE!**), but we should welcome it with open arms! It is in our Constitution that we, as Americans, are guaranteed freedom of religion.* Our belief in the Constitution is ingrained in us just as much as Coke Cola is the greatest soda ever made, because it totally is!

I think, we as Americans, should welcome that “Mosque” with open arms as a way to say, “Fuck you 9/11 crazy fucks! YOU WILL NOT WIN! You crazy fucks that caused 9/11 DO NOT represent the entire religion of Muslims JUST LIKE everyone who is German does not automatically hate Jewish people in today’s world, nor do white men hate Indians. We have learned from our hatred of black people after the Civil War (Ok, I know that one is still up for discussion, at least where I live). We have have learned from our treatment of the Indians and we will NOT make the same mistakes again. We will take this opportunity to learn and maybe, just maybe become a better society from it. We will not take this opportunity and realize in 100+ years that we fucked it up- again. We have grown and learned from the mistakes our forefathers made. We tried to make the Indians just. like. us. and it didn’t work (Please see Americanization) so we get it, we cannot make the entire world just. like. us. Because we think we our way of life is better than everyone else's. Maybe, just maybe, we can all co-exist with understanding and tolerance.”

I don’t understand why the hatred and anger people have against Muslims building the Islamic Cultural Center near Ground Zero. It was a small handful of crazy people that caused 9/11, and it more than likely would have happened no matter what religion those crazy people were. You can take any religion and twist it in a way that justifies acting a fool, those people just happened to be Muslims (plus, I think some people are literally just born crazy). However, they could have been Christians just as easily. For my religion has not always produced perfect people either, Hello Rev. Phelps and David Koresh, you sicko’s!

Maybe I have it all wrong and feel free to disagree with me. However, I swear to goodness, if I get one more email about Obama being Muslim and some connection about him and 9/11 while holding an upside down phone, I will have a nervous breakdown.

My point to all this: a small handful of crazy people do not represent the entire whole.

Oh! And the ignorance doesn't stop at New York City city limits, nope, this is happening right outside of my town about an hour away, please click to see video.

And here is another local (to me) preacher who wants to burn the Quran.

I don't understand how people can be so against the burning of the Quran yet not accepting of the "Ground Zero Mosque?" How can you think one is wrong and not the other? They are both acts against Muslims and their beliefs, right?

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*"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."

**It will include a culinary school, gym and basketball court, swimming pool, a Sept. 11 memorial and contemplation space, and a mosque, intended to be run separately from Park51 but open to and accessible to all members, visitors and our New York community.