Michael Moore and Rights v. Responsibilities

This is a first. I am going to disagree with Michael Moore about something. His article "If the Mosque Isn't Built, This is No Longer America" is way over the top.

I respect Moore. I respect his films and his politics. He's a polemicist of the finest order. However, this time he went too far.

But, sometimes we on the left romanticize the hell out of our ideals. This is one of those times.
Just because you have a right to do something, that doesn't always mean you SHOULD do it. that doesn't mean you should exercise that right.

That's the point.

If Islam is about creating peace, and the purpose of this Islamic mission (if you will) is to create peace, does the building of this Islamic center and mosque near Ground Zero actually achieve this objective? Will it create peace?

That is a very simple question to answer. At this point in time, the answer is no.

As I wrote the other day, sometimes an issue comes down to civil rights v. civic responsibilities. Just because you have a civil right, you must still consider whether it is the moral, responsible thing to do. Then, you must double-check your answer, asking why this is moral and responsible.

For example, was it moral or responsible for the Catholic Church to set up its mission system in California in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, disturbing the peace of the natives living there? Was it moral or responsible for the protestant churches, in particular the Methodist church, to set up Indian schools in the late 19th century, virtually kidnapping children from the reservations, cutting their hair, and forcing white, Protestant culture on them?

Asking whether our exercise of rights is responsible is something we've learned to do over time in America. It has become part of our social contract with each other for living in peace.

We ask ourselves all sorts of questions, now. Will the exercise of my rights harm someone else? Will speaking my mind, like calling someone the "N" word, or throwing my Starbucks coffee cup out the window of my car harm someone else? What should I do to serve the greater good and keep the civil peace? How should I act? Which exercise of my rights will do more harm than good?

Those questions are harder to answer, but I think we must still answer them before acting. Wouldn't you agree?

For example, going back to Michael's classic film, Roger and Me, did GM have the right to close its plant in Flint, MI? Sure! Absolutely! No question! But, should it have? Was it the responsible thing to do for the community or, in retrospect, the stockholders? Absolutely not! It decimated a whole community, and it didn't help GM in the long-run one bit. In the long-run, GM went bankrupt. It proved immoral, irresponsible, and bad business at the same time. (Funny how that happened.)

Rights v. responsibilities. It's a fine line sometimes. We should acknowledge our duty to preserve the former, for all, including Imam Rauf and his congregation, while being mindful of the latter. And, we should never let personal, religious, or group pride stand in the way of a caring, loving, and peacemaking answer.

To quote from a good book, but not the only book, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God" Matthew 5:9. I think they got that one right.

From your obedient servant...



--- What was the original American Aurora? The Aurora was a newspaper published by Benjamin Franklin Bache , a grandson of Benjamin Franklin. The Aurora was published in Philadelphia, our nation's capitol at the time.

The Aurora was highly critical of what Bache felt was the tyrannous Federalist governments of presidents Washington and Adams.

The result? Adams imprisoned Bache for sedition, where he languished, awaiting trial, until his death from yellow fever at age 29.