He would much rather ignore the US Constitution and its guaranteed protections for free exercise of religion and put the decision of whether to build a mosque near Ground Zero in the hands of the families of victims of the 9/11 terror attacks.
Does Lupica know that there are few issues on which 9/11 families would agree?
Does he realize that some families wanted to see absolutely no construction of office space in Ground Zero?
Does he realize that some families wanted the 2 million tons of debris carted off to Fresh Kills returned to Ground Zero because of the possibility of remains of their loved ones being found pulverized among the debris and that they wanted their loved ones' final resting place to be at the site?
Does he realize that some families backed a proposal to rebuild the Twin Towers as they were - but up to modern building codes and the most advanced construction techniques?
Does Lupica realize that some of those murdered by the 9/11 terrorists were themselves Muslims?
Who exactly was Lupica going to have in charge of the families? Debra Burlingame, whose opposition to the mosque near Ground Zero is on the record, despite the fact that two other mosques are in close proximity to the Park Place site?
No, the final decision for building isn't up to Mayor Bloomberg or even President Obama. It was up to the local community who not only lived through the 9/11 terror attacks, but has ended up thriving and expanding in population significantly. It is the local community who felt that the benefits of a community center with all manner of amenities outweighed other possible detriments. It is the local community who wants to see the community center built, even as outsiders demand that no such construction take place because the backers of the project are Muslim.
Some of the same people who are complaining that a Muslim community center and mosque near Ground Zero would be an affront to the memory of the 9/11 victims or somehow violative of the sanctity of Ground Zero ignore that the community around Ground Zero includes all manner of salacious businesses.
Opponents of a proposed lower Manhattan mosque and community center speak in hushed tones about the sanctity of the "shadow of Ground Zero."Heck, Park Place is home to a bar (the Dakota Roadhouse) next to where the Muslim community center and mosque would be built. Yet, there's nary a peep about that.
Tell that to the patrons of the Pussycat Lounge, a strip club where a photo of a nearly naked woman marks its location just two blocks from where the World Trade Center stood.
Or the Thunder Lingerie and peep show next door, where the marquee sports an American flag above a window display of sex toys and something called a "power pump."
Many come to the scene of the worst terrorist attack on American soil to pay tribute to pain and unspeakable tragedy. They're welcomed by solemn memorials and a visitors center amid the noise of reconstruction.
Here's a look at how the opposition to the mosque grew, and who was behind the opposition, including Pam Geller. Note too that many of the opponents purposefully conflate the location of the proposed mosque and community center with Ground Zero so as to make it appear that it is being built in Ground Zero, rather than merely near it. News reports continually make the same error even though it is all too clear that the site is nearby. It's laziness for the media, but mendacity for the opponents who are savvy enough to take advantage of that situation.
Is it any wonder that so many people oppose the proposal when they think that the construction will occur within Ground Zero and not near it? Is it any wonder that some people think that the mosque will overshadow Ground Zero and its construction, when it wont even be the tallest building on its own block?
Is it any wonder that some people are complaining bitterly about the choice of location for the community center and voicing their opposition despite the fact that two other mosques are nearby, and predate this proposal by decades?
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