The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States:  "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free excercise thereof..."

The intent of this amendment, in the words of Thomas Jefferson is "building a wall of separation between Church & State".

This "wall of separation" has two primary effects:  1) the State cannot establish or support any particular religion, and 2) the State cannot restrict the "free excercise" of individual's religious beliefs.

The attempts to block construction of a facility near the site of the World Trade Center in New York, entirely because it is a Muslim center, is a clear restriction of religious freedom.  Ask the question, if this facility, with the same amenities, was proposed to be built by ANY other religious organization, or by a non-religious body, would the same objections be raised to it?  The answer is no.

As long as the facility meets building and zoning codes, there is no constitutional basis for blocking it.

Now consider the wisdom of building there.  The purpose of the facility is to create a center that can help the Muslim community rebuild relations with the larger community, heal some of the damage done by extremists, and demonstrate that those who undertook the 9/11 attacks were NOT the mainstream of Islamic believers.  What better place could there be to undertake a mission of healing and forgiveness?

The reality is that certain (Republican) individuals are attempting to exploit fear and anger to stir up more hatred towards an "outside" group (who happen to be long term U.S. citizens) to gain political benefit.  It is difficult to overcome strong emotional reactions with logic, so I must express my anger over the push for violation of first amendment rights.  The effort is to divide and stir up emotions for political gain.  If they succeed, the losers will be ALL Americans who believe in our Constitutional Rights.

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