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[GaimeGuy]

Although he will be armed with a pistol, Jones said he is "coming there totally in peace."

Um...

 

[Crystalkoen]

Um...

I can totally see where he's coming from. "I'm here in peace, and I'm leaving my gun in its holster and out of sight during my peaceful protest, but if someone else becomes violent and pulls a gun on me, he's getting a bullet between the eyes." That's the feeling I'm getting from that statement, and I can't really blame him.
It really feels like he's trying to martyr himself as an illustration of his belief on radical Islam's violent tendency, though. If at any point the radicals physically attack him, it reinforces his point and garners his cause an incredible amount of support from people who might be on the fence over the whole thing, and someone else will champion it in his wake. If they blow up people in some other part of the world, and name his protests as their reason, it just gives him more fuel for the fire at his next gathering.
If the radicals just sit there, chuckle to themselves, and go about their business? His fire burns out, he looks like a mouse of a man in the eyes of those who might've supported him, and the whole thing goes away. Sure, he'll stand up and start barking all the louder, but his pathetic mewls will fall on deaf ears, and both him and his idea will fade away.

 

[OttomanScribe]

If the radicals just sit there, chuckle to themselves, and go about their business? His fire burns out, he looks like a mouse of a man in the eyes of those who might've supported him, and the whole thing goes away. Sure, he'll stand up and start barking all the louder, but his pathetic mewls will fall on deaf ears, and both him and his idea will fade away.

When (as this seems the most likely outcome) this happens, I am sure it will gain worldwide attention, everyone will flock to new stands to see the startling headlines 'Muslims don't do anything crazy', and everyone's idea of Muslims will be improved.

Alternatively, it won't get any significant coverage and people will confirmation bias it away in their minds.

Not saying they should attack him, but methinks when they don't it won't have much impact upon the broader idea that many Americans have of Muslims.

 

[Shiv47]

LOL

 

[jaxword]

LOL

God works in mysterious ways.

 

[Dead Man]

LOL

:lol You might want to listen to the not so subtle message there, mate.

 

[Walshicus]

Religious tension are escape goats in regions where there is lack of stability and often use religion as an escape goat of there problems and redirect to the minority.

Escape goats?

 

[Ivan A Nguyen]

I read the story, then I read the letter the mayor wrote. He makes some good points I don't see coming up in this thread.

A) He is asking to protest on private property.
B) The Mosque is also there with 3 other churches that will be conducting Good Friday mass. The churches expressed concern over the matter and were asking if they had to cancel their services.
C) He is turning down a chance to protest at city hall, public property.
D) The mosque has no ties to any terrorist organization.

The man's actions infringe upon the rights of 4 different centers for worship if it protests in his planed area this afternoon. The only good use he will get out of his gun is if he decided to put catchup on it and eat it.

 

[Hari Seldon]

This guy is tame compared to those WBC assholes and they never get banned.

 

[besada]

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsme...rs_gun_accidentally_goes_off_in.php?ref=fpblg

According to Southfield, Michigan police, Jones' .40-caliber handgun fired accidentally as he was leaving a television studio there on Thursday night. This is presumably the same handgun he said he intended to bring to his planned anti-sharia law protest in Dearborn, Michigan on Friday, though he's said he's come to Dearborn "totally in peace."

Someone doesn't know how to handle a gun properly.

 

[jaxword]

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsme...rs_gun_accidentally_goes_off_in.php?ref=fpblg



Someone doesn't know how to handle a gun properly.

 

[FlyingTeacup]

wow... that's messed up.

 

[Szu]

LOL

Shots fired.

 

[jaxword]

wow... that's messed up.

You ever been to Nevada? My uncle and his 4 kids live near Vegas. All of them are about 10 years or older. All of them know how to fire a gun. All of them pray to pictures of Jesus before bed. All of them worship Sarah Palin.

I love my family, but yeah...Christianity and the NRA are arm in arm.

 

[FlyingTeacup]

You ever been to Nevada? My uncle and his 4 kids live near Vegas. All of them are about 10 years or older. All of them know how to fire a gun. All of them pray to pictures of Jesus before bed. All of them worship Sarah Palin.

I love my family, but yeah...Christianity and the NRA are arm in arm.

no... but when I went to the gatlinburg tennessee last year we stopped by a near by town and bumped into a bunch what you call 'survivalists'. uniforms, trucks and guns. I have to say, it was pretty bloody scary! nothing happened.

 

[jaxword]

no... but when I went to the gatlinburg tennessee last year we stopped by a near by town and bumped into a bunch what you call 'survivalists'. uniforms, trucks and guns. I have to say, it was pretty bloody scary! nothing happened.

I can top that: In America, we literally have privately paid militias.

Let me repeat that: There's rich people/companies that have their own personal armies in America.

That should scare the HELL out of you.

 

[nib95]

If it's a public safety hazard, and it conflicts with the rights of others, namely the Christians on that road practising Good Friday, then I say no, he should not be allowed to protest there and be forced to protest elsewhere. He can move his protest elsewhere, the Churches aren't moving any where.

 

[Chuck (Old)]

I can top that: In America, we literally have privately paid militias.

Let me repeat that: There's rich people/companies that have their own personal armies in America.

That should scare the HELL out of you.

Link? I'm not saying I don't believe you, I just find that fascinating.

 

[nyong]

Public safety? Give me a freaking break. If the jury decides against that guy's (douchebag's) right to protest because it might spark a riot (lol) it had better be overturned on constitutional grounds.

 

[RustyNails]

Escape goats?

 

[jaxword]

Link? I'm not saying I don't believe you, I just find that fascinating.

Yeah, I'll get the details, I did a paper on it last year. Give me some time.

Start with Blackwater.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackwater_Worldwide

They're an army that is hired BY the US government.

 

[nib95]

Public safety? Give me a freaking break. If the jury decides against that guy's (douchebag's) right to protest because it might spark a riot (lol) it had better be overturned on constitutional grounds.

As the mayor said, it's debatable whether his right to protest this instance IS even constitutional. And I'm sorry but it is a safety concern. Cramming that many people during an already seriously busy day in a tiny spot adjacent a hard shoulder for emergency cars.

I'll give you an example. Every Friday when dozens of Muslims go to pray Friday prayers in congregation at my old local mosque, they end up congregating outside the mosque after prayers finish. Filling up pavements etc, just talking, catching up with friends family etc. The council told us to stop doing this and disperse or congregate elsewhere.

No one said anything in revolt or disagreement. Why? Because it's fair. It would be UNFAIR of us to practise our free speech, gathering outside at the expense of general public use or getting in the way of others, when we could just go somewhere where we could do as much without impeding on others.

Like wise, on that particular Friday, with the 4 Churches practising Good Friday, and the Muslims of the mosque praying Jumma, it is wholly irresponsible to practise the protest in that location, not when it will already struggle to cater for everything else. It is not only a safety hazard, but a huge hinderance and nuisance to those who have a much more valid reason for being there. The protest should be held elsewhere.

 

[Crystalkoen]

No one said anything in revolt or disagreement. Why? Because it's fair. It would be UNFAIR of us to practise our free speech, gathering outside at the expense of general public use or getting in the way of others, when we could just go somewhere where we could do as much without impeding on others.

I'm kinda torn on this part.

If he goes "out of the way," even if it's to City Hall or some other less-visible-yet-still-public location, he could easily just be marginalized by the very people whose attention he's aiming to get, resulting in the whole thing being a wash from his standpoint.

At the same time, from the sounds of it (according to the Mayor) the area is very tight on space already, religious holiday aside. There's no excuse for him to create a situation that could end in severe safety and EMS response issues for ANYONE, the people "related" (I use the word exceptionally loosely here, don't go jumping down my throat for base generalizations) to his protest included, just to feed his ego.

I guess on that note, I have to side with the Mayor. Dude needs to find one of those "public protest" spots as close to his original target as possible.

 

[RustyNails]

700 - Jews, Christians and Muslims surround Dearborn Islamic Center to show solidarity against Pastor Jones and his band of merry hateful bigots.

Some of the interfaith clergy – Muslim, Christian, and Jew – stood hand in hand, others stood linked arm in arm, silently surrounding the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn in solidarity this afternoon.

With them stood about 700 people, members of the InterFaith Leadership Council of Metropolitan Detroit, members of the clergies’ congregations, and supporters.

Standing around the perimeter of the Islamic center, their mission was to protest Florida pastor Terry Jones’ plan to hold a rally Friday afternoon outside the Islamic Center mosque.

As the vigil, which began at 5:15 p.m. and ended five minutes later, came to a close Islamic Center Imam Sayed Hassan Al-Qazwini said the Muslim community was “indebted to our Christian friends who have showed us absolute support.”

“Terry Jones, he is not representative of the Christian community . . . Terry Jones is speaking for himself only,” Al-Qazwini said. “This is bigotry and we condemn his bigotry.”

Al-Qazwini and other Islamic Center officials also directed the Muslim community to attend a peaceful protest at 4 p.m. Friday at the Dearborn Civic Center, away from the mosque “so as to avoid any confrontation.”

Archbishop Allen Vigneron attended the event and released a statement in support of the Muslim community.

“We have an opportunity to show the nation and the world that it is possible for peoples of many different faiths to respect one another and to foster mutual understanding,” Vigneron said.

 

[saelz8]

700 - Jews, Christians and Muslims surround Dearborn Islamic Center to show solidarity against Pastor Jones and his band of merry hateful bigots.

:lol

Pastor Jones done goofed.

 

[Ivan A Nguyen]

700 - Jews, Christians and Muslims surround Dearborn Islamic Center to show solidarity against Pastor Jones and his band of merry hateful bigots.

Best protest I've seen against a radical religious nut this year.

 

[Dead Man]

700 - Jews, Christians and Muslims surround Dearborn Islamic Center to show solidarity against Pastor Jones and his band of merry hateful bigots.


Imagesofawesome.jpg

And that, ladies and Gentleman, is how it is done. Awesome.

 

[Machine]

He got more publicity than he deserved as a result of the trial. If he didn't get so much attention, maybe he would go away.

 

[DarkWish]

Damn, now this just made my night. I love seeing people come together like this, and big props to the mayor of Dearborn. Awesome stuff.

 

[ToxicAdam]

As someone who grew up around Dearborn, it's no surprise at their response. A great community. Deserves more national attention.

 

[Kinitari]

:lol

Pastor Jones done goofed.

Seriously goddamn, people probably starting liking Muslims more just to spite him.

 

[Escape Goat]

"He thinks hes a man of God!"

 

[EYEL1NER]

700 - Jews, Christians and Muslims surround Dearborn Islamic Center to show solidarity against Pastor Jones and his band of merry hateful bigots.

Those pics are great. Good to see stuff like this.

 

[Foxy Fox 39]

I can top that: In America, we literally have privately paid militias.

Let me repeat that: There's rich people/companies that have their own personal armies in America.

That should scare the HELL out of you.

Fearmongers! The lot of you!

 

[victreeb3l]

700 - Jews, Christians and Muslims surround Dearborn Islamic Center to show solidarity against Pastor Jones and his band of merry hateful bigots.

this made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside great stuff.

 

[OttomanScribe]

AlhamduliLlah

Makes a nice change. Did it get much coverage?

 

[BobTheFork]

He got more publicity than he deserved as a result of the trial. If he didn't get so much attention, maybe he would go away.

Maybe, but that attention is also what brought all those people together in that picture. Seriously that is the best thing I've seen all year.

 

[OttomanScribe]

Btw, What a lovely Masjid

 

[RustyNails]

Pastor Jones and his buddy were briefly jailed in defying the court order?

This week, Terry Jones, 59, went back to court -- a real court this time, in Michigan's 19th District. He'd come to Dearborn, a city with a large Muslim population, to demonstrate what he described as "the rise of Sharia law." The plan: Stage a rally outside the Islamic Center of America, the largest mosque in the United States.

On Thursday, Judge Mark Somers summoned Jones and a supporter named Wayne Sapp to the courthouse in response to a Wayne County prosecutor, whose office warned a protest in front of the mosque could "incite a riot." A jury determined the following day that the demonstration would likely "breach the peace," and Judge Somers ordered the men to stay away from the mosque for three years and pay a nominal $1 bond. Jones and Sapp initially refused to pay the bond and were briefly jailed.

Although the protest Jones organized figured to be sparsely attended -- at one point he said he expected only five participants -- the news of his plan triggered a huge reaction from locals opposed to him and sympathetic to the mosque.

Hundreds gathered at the Islamic Center on Thursday night for what was described as an interfaith rally against the Jones protest. An Episcopal bishop led a prayer, and about a dozen religious leaders from nearly as many faiths and sects led the crowd out of the mosque in silence. Participants stood outside for about ten minutes with their hands joined, no one talking. The religious leaders posed for photos with their arms interlocked.

It turned into a debate about free speech zones in Michigan:

Much of the court discussion did center on the First Amendment, and specifically, a Dearborn ordinance requiring demonstrators to obtain permits for protests outside of four specific areas known as "free speech zones." At the trial, Robert Moran, an assistant prosecutor for Wayne County, noted that the police department had invited Jones to hold the demonstration in one of those designated areas.

"They said 'No,'" Moran said. "They said, 'We're going to come demonstrate where we want, when we want, regardless of the law.'"

Jones, for his part, dismissed the concept of free speech zones as "ridiculous."

"All we want to do is exercise our First Amendment rights," Jones said. " Freedom of speech does not have speech zones."

The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan filed a friend of the court brief. "If the First Amendment means anything, it means that the government cannot interfere in a person's free speech simply because it doesn't agree with the message or because someone else may not agree with the message," spokesperson Rana Elmir penned in the statement. "As reprehensible as his beliefs may be," Elmir added, "we believe this is an unconstitutional attempt to limit his unpopular speech."

In response to the final verdict, Elmir said, ""The prosecutor's office and the Dearborn court turned the First Amendment on its head."

At the Detroit Metro Airport on Saturday, Jones told reporters that his constitutional rights had been violated and vowed he and his supporters would return to town next week. According to Wayne Sapp, however, the men now intend to demonstrate not in front of the mosque but at City Hall.

"Right now, our direct confrontation is with the city of Dearborn," he said.