It does make me wonder about the leasing agreements at the new 911 memorial/office tower, since it seems like they tried to get as close as possible to the site. There's the rub, really; I doubt you could build a mosque anywhere in Manhattan without SOME critic bringing up 911, but the founders of this mosque clearly seek the association. Well, they've got it, but it's not an association from which any Muslim can ever profit; when people pass by the place they aren't going to think, the WTC was actually two blocks that way, not here they're going to think, this place only exists because of 911, and because some nonviolent Muslims wanted to disavow the event and try to get some positive PR out of it. All the bake sales and daycare centers in the world won't change that, because no one not already disposed toward Islam will see any of those as an attempt to salve the conscience or repair a damaged public image. It's probably inevitable that anyone passing through that area any time soon will think of 911, and of Islam--the new mosque just provides a convenient reminder for anyone who DOESN'T.

Yes, they have every right and freedom to do it, and in that sense, among others, it's a uniquely American thing: In America, everyone has the right and freedom to the stupidest thing that occurs to them as long as they harm no one else (indeed, I think the show "Jackass" was predicated on this) but that doesn't make it any less stupid, nor absolve them from the consequences of said actions. If you elect a Republican President, you'll have to tolerate him being President for four years, and if you build a mosque on Ground Zero, or "just next door" you'll have to deal with all the scorn and contempt THAT generates.