The Workday Liberal

Click here for a link to a story on MSNBC that I find simply incredible.

A plan to build a mosque in this Houston suburb [Katy Texas] has triggered a neighborhood dispute, with community members warning the place will become a terrorist hotbed and one man threatening to hold pig races on Fridays just to offend the Muslims.

This must be some sort of joke or something. There can't really be people in America who are this freaking stupid! A mosque is a terrorist threat? Like the Islamofascists who haunt Santorums nightmares are going to blow up their own building and ruin the neighborhood? They really think this? Racing pigs is going to be offensive to these Muslims? GET A CLUE! Actually let me provide a clue for you... I don't eat kittens. I'll bet Mr. Baker (the neighbor who started this whole sordid affair) doesn't either. If someone were to race kittens around my or his neighborhood we would not be the least bit offended. Well... I wouldn't anyway. It seems like there isn't much it takes to get Baker worked up so he might take some offense to kitten racing for all I know.

Mr. Baker got off on a bad footing with his new neighbors right from the get go in their troubled relationship. The story goes thusly:

The dispute began when the group asked Baker to remove his cattle from their newly bought land. Baker agreed but mistakenly thought the Muslims also wanted him off the land his family has lived on for more than 100 years. The rumor spread.

**snip**

Though he now concedes the Muslims are probably not after his land, Baker said he is obligated to go through with the pig races, probably within the next few weeks, because “I would be like a total idiot if I didn’t. I’d be the laughingstock now because I’ve gone too far.”

Seriously! I could not make this stuff up. This ... well he's a moron... is asked by the new owners of the property next door to move his cattle off the property they just purchased and he thinks they are trying to run him off his own homestead? So he goes around badmouthing his new neighbors for no apparent reason. That sort of plot line is straight out of Threes Company... And he's gone so far that he even says he can't take it back because "I've gone to far."

Here is an idea Mr. Baker... Apologize! Stop harassing your neighbor, admit your mistake and try to get along with them. It would make you look 10 times the man you look like now carrying on like a fool and making your entire neighborhood the literal laughingstock of the nation. I'll guarantee this makes the late night talk shows. Colbert is gonna rip this apart.

It just makes me wonder. How would I react if some loudmouthed, xenophobic, rightwing, pig racing, Republican know it all decided to move in next door to me? I guess I'd have no recourse but to start bad mouthing him around the neighborhood and maybe try to run some kitten races!

This story may be funny for the rest of us, but I do believe it points to a very troubling aspect of our society. The intolerance of Islamic belief and customs in America is increasing at an alarming rate. Whether it's Muslim lawmakers wanting to take the oath of office on their Holy book (not a problem for Jews Mr. Prager, nor should it be for whatever religion in question, so why the sudden outrage) or Muslims praying in airports and being taken off of airplanes for flying while Muslim... and now the Katy intolerance. We as a nation need to come to grips with this intolerance and live up to the promise that we represent. Equality, freedom of religion, and yes... the freedom to express oneself even when you go to far Mr. Baker.

Hang in there Muslims and please build that center in Katy. For what it's worth, I'm pulling for you!