Lastly, to Lynn, stepnachia and others who feel that this is a "slap in the face//callous disregard for the feelings of the friends and families of those who died at ground zero//etc."
You need to understand that New Yorkers and 9/11 families are not a monolith in their opinions on this either.
Please do not presume to speak for me.
My friends died on that day, my family members were permanently injured..and I do NOT think it's insensitive to have the community center built there. I don't think that Muslims are trying to rub salt in the wounds of the families, the victims and America. I don't think that all Muslims were behind 9/11. I do believe, from what my Muslim friends, neighbors and co-workers have told me, that being Muslim in a suspicious America continues to be a difficult and scary existence and that any community center where Islam can dialogue with others is a good thing.
As much as 9/11 was an attack on the whole country, I absolutely think people outside of New York City should stay out of this and let us New Yorkers decide what we want. We have had enough of the rest of the country disapproving of us except when they want to use 9/11 as a rallying point. As a New Yorker and an American, I refuse to let the hijackers turn my country into a confused asylum willing to surrender what once was considered valuable.
