Ground Zero Muslim Center is a near lock...for security from another AQ attack

Update #1 (September 10, 2010) related to the story of more anti - Muslim attitudes, a religious man, it seems for now, has backed down on his plans to burn the holy book Koran / Qur'an tomorrow, 9/11. There is much (healthy) debate - however, a consideration that appears to have gotten zero press thus far is this...what is the threshold of a person's First Amendment rights to freedom of expression versus IRS code (since 1954) prohibition against political acts, statements by tax exempt, non profit section 501 (c) (3) organizations and employees of whom the pastor seems one? See guidelines published by the Pew Forum on Religious and Public Life here http://www.gcfa.org/PDFs/politicspulpit.pdf.

The litmus test questions:

1. Is the book buring a permissable act for anyone to do? Answer - of course. And practically speaking, as long as it is safe to do i.e. not close to flammable materials like nearby a gas station.
2. Is book burning by a person employed by and representative of a 501 (c) (3) tax exempt organization permissable under applicable IRS code? Answer - perhaps not.

Original post August 19, 2010:
New Yorkers are known for many things - one is a profound, stop-you-dead-in-your-tracks-practicality; expressed sometimes as "tell me something I don't already know" So I'm amazed NO ONE has pointed out the OBVIOUS benefit of a proposed Muslim center nearby GROUND ZERO.

The benefit - among many others - is that due to the presence of a mosque - Al Quaeda - will NOT attack a mosque; hence that area from a national security standpoint will likely be one of the safest places to be. I'm not a Muslim scholar - but it seems obvious enough to me; it's not as two dimensional an issue as the media tends to want to frame yet another incessant news cycle.

NYC Mayor Bloomberg weighed in with support citing the values America stands for http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100825/ap_on_re_us/us_nyc_mosque.

And last - we have - EYES on the front of our heads to do what? LOOK FORWARD to the future; not fear, dwell or wallow in the PAST.

More recent and better coverage appears here http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100820/ap_on_re_us/us_nyc_mosque_families

with a range of reactions from 9/11 victims' families from tolerance to intolerance. Two are noted here - "It's a place where a terrible tragedy took place, but I don't see what makes it sacred," said the Brooklyn resident. "Nine years later, that now belongs to the public. And my brother and his death are private and belong to me." And as another said "It's like putting a Japanese cultural center at Pearl harbor".

News Alert: New Yorkers react to Muslim center debate
09:23 PM EDT Thursday, August 19, 2010
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The national debate over the center near Ground Zero bears little resemblance to the reality on the ground in New York, where the local political establishment, from opponent Rep. Peter King (R) to supporter Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D), all agree that it would be better if the national, non-New York critics knew what was happening, both politically and spatially.