Dove World or Bird Brains?

Just who does this guy think he is? More importantly, just who does the US media think this guy is? He's drawing the attention of a sensation-loving swarm intent on scooping a story that really isn't anything like a story.

What this is, is a tiny group of fundamentalist Christians (led by Mr. Jones) who are pissed about an equally tiny group of fundamentalist Muslims (led by Osama bin Laden) and who want to castigate and blame and smear the whole of the Islamic faith that doesn't align itself with terrorists in any way and just wants to practice its faith.

To make its case, Dove World wants to burn Qurans, which is like someone who's pissed about a tiny Christian militia group wanting to burn Christian bibles as protest for the militia group's bad behavior, cruelty, and stupidity.

What makes this even more stupid is the clumsy, ham-handed conflation of what Dove World is doing to the proposed construction of a Muslim community center on Manhattan Island.

RrrRRR?

The First Amendment offers some protections for the practice of religion, but I'm fairly certain book burning isn't what Mr. Jefferson and his pals had in mind.

These two things have as much to do with one other as Newt Gingrich has to do with marriage counseling or as Sarah Palin has to do with literacy or as Sean Hannity has to do with fair or balanced.

To conflate the Muslim community center to the burning of someone's holiest book, is the slimiest, purest, foulest form of campaign-season pandering to one's base. The disconnect is just too obvious, the venality just too perfect.

Dove World Outreach obviously doesn't get that all it's doing here is publicly slamming an entire religion (Islam) simply because a few of Islam's radical members are behaving like complete assholes, and in so doing, Dove World is practicing religious intolerance by demonstrating that freedom of religion works only when it's not their own religion being ignited.

Wow. What good Christians the Dove World folks are. So tolerant. So loving. So kind.

Look, the Dove World Christians have the same right to practice their faith as Muslims have, as Catholics have, as Baptists have, as Mormons have, as Hindus have, as Buddhists have, and every other religion has. But should we view all of Christianity through Dove World's nearly oblique prism? Should we see all Christians as a bunch of book-burning wing-nuts because of Dove World's breathtakingly goofy pettiness and narrow-mindedness?

If your response is anything but "No, of course we shouldn't," then I'll pay for your travel to Gainesville via stock trailer so you can join Mr. Jones' flock, because you're clearly as much of a sheep as the fools flocking to this even bigger fool.

Ba-a-a-ah!

P.S. As of early this morning, Mr. Jones says he will suspend his plans... for now. But I contend he should just forget his plans, recant his original position, and go back to worshiping with his followers in the privacy of their Gainesville, FL church.

P.P.S. As of early this morning (9/11/2010), Mr. Jones says he will never burn Qurans. OK. Bravo! Good for him! (But I do think Mr. Jones needs to seek professional help.)

P.P.P.S. As of 9/14/2010, Mr. ones says God has told him not to burn the Qurans. See what Jon Stewart had to say about this revelation at the Daily Show Website; look under "Islamophobiapalooza." It's hysterical.