Ground Zero Mosque Debate Fuels Health Bill

August 27, 2010 RSS Feed Print
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BY Michael Mcauliff
DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU

The furor over the mosque near Ground Zero may be good for one thing: It's fueling New York legislators' push to pass the 9/11 health bill.

Lawmakers and sources told the Daily News they are starting a push to get balky Republicans on board.

A lobbying campaign will play off the GOP's recent embrace of 9/11 victims in the mosque fight. The measure also will be tweaked to satisfy GOP complaints on how it's paid for.

"The mosque is going to guarantee we pass this bill," a Democratic aide predicted.

Mayor Bloomberg and Rep. Pete King (R-L.I.) have already set up a meeting with House Minority Leader John Boehner and other GOP leaders to discuss the $7.4 billion measure known as the Zadroga bill. [See who donates the most money to King.]

If GOPers want to block it, they could add a poison pill to the bill. Just 12 Republicans backed the measure to care and compensate for 9/11 victims when it failed earlier this month under a procedure meant to outmaneuver GOP opponents.

But the mosque fight changes the equation, creating a bind for Republicans who lambaste the Park Place Islamic center plan as an insult to 9/11 families - but who have fought legislation to help ailing heroes.

"This whole controversy over the mosque and community center ... certainly ratchets up the pressure on the Republicans," said Rep. Jerry Nadler. "It is going to be harder for them ... to vote against actually helping the survivors as opposed to just talking about the survivors' feelings." [See who donates the most money to Nadler.]

"That's the argument that Mike Bloomberg and I will be making," said King. "You're going to find more Republicans likely to vote for the bill because of the controversy over the mosque."

President Obama already had such a conversion. The White House had favored a more limited health program, having doubled funding for sick responders to $150million. But that's far less than the bill.

After responders lashed out at Obama for speaking up for the rights of the Islamic center's developers while keeping silent on the Zadroga bill, the White House said he looked forward to signing the 9/11 bill.

Democrats think Republicans will feel a similar pinch, and if Dems offer a way to pay for the legislation the GOP can live with, it would win enough backing.

King and Democratic sources said legislators think they are close to that goal.

Tags:
Pete King,
New York Daily News,
9/11,
Islam,
Congress,
Republican Party,
John Boehner,
healthcare,
Barack Obama,
Michael Bloomberg

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I left out the word Christian in the description of who was required to be killed in the arabic Qu'Ran. The same passage that commands killing also states that a muslim is not a true muslim if he is not involved in violence to promote and spread sharia law. Killing is also commanded if anyone insults Islam in any way. Remember the teacher in Morocco that "allowed" one of her students to name a toy teddy bear Mohammed? She was expelled as opposed to beheading. Remember the hostages in arabic countries? They were beheaded. Anyone living, in order to stay alive, must submit to sharia law in any Islamic state. Muslims are not our enemy. The teachings and enforcement of sharia law is everyone's enemy.

Cliff of CA 1:54AM October 15, 2010

I doubt if there is any rational response to the Manhattan mosque question. I agree with both sides and it's more than a little difficult to justify either response. I have begun to believe this is how Islam spreads. One side joins your legal approach as the other creates an environment for public outcry and distrust of it's own government. I am convinced that the Qu'Ran used to persuade western leaders to accept Islam as a peaceful religion is not the arabic version that demands death to anyone not adhering to the fullest extent of sharia law. At the same time americans stand solid on freedom of speech and religion as the main cornerstones of the american foundation. Imam Faud (sic) stated in an interview that "muslims are at peace with the laws of the land as long as they were the minority". To a muslim peace"is" sharia law. Muslims have to be fully devoted to "all" that the arabic version teaches. The later teachings of the Qu'Ran supercede the earlier acts relating to "peace" and command death to infidels. So you say there is a moderate muslim. Mullahs and Imams teach that a muslim not in compliance to sharia is just not yet enlightened. My Iranian barber (female) told me her mother fled Iranian sharia because Islamists would aproach to "fix" their beautiful but smeared lipstick. They would then slice the woman's lip with a razor blade. Amerocans look only at the minor requirement thay are forced to wear a head covering. Muslims don't do that to americans and hide that they do it to muslims in America. There are indeed moderate un-enlightened muslims in America, but not for long. You either follow arabic sharia law or you die. There are not two versions of Islam. Sharia is a total tyrannical culture control. Read the Son of Hamas, Three Cups of Tea and Infidel. I have heard Yousef Mosad's, a palistinian terrorist, own personal testimony. A founder of Hamas. He described his and his father's personal role in advancing sharia law and the anihilation of Israel, the United States,infidels and establishing a worldwide utopian sosiety which is only possible under Islamic sharia Law. Take any legal issue concerning freedom of muslims right to practise "peaceful" religion to court in the US and they win, hands down. Build a multimillion dollar mosque in NY with falling stars of David all over it and you incite even the most moderate american and Israeli Jew to the maximum. Islam is not a religion. We have a right to free practise of religion under the constitution every american will die for. The same americans will also die to preserve her most fundamental principles that made those freedoms possible. The very fact that a "poison" bill may be added to a ost critical issue for political purposes is one of the primary reasons americans are (not angry) in an uproar against their government. You are allowing left wing Marxist socialism and Islamic sharia tyranical culture to threaten your very own existance. Are we uninformed radicals? I don't think so.

Cliff of CA 1:38AM October 15, 2010

I am truly perplexed that so many of my friends are against a mosque being built near Ground Zero.

I think it should be the goal of every American to be tolerant. The mosque should be allowed, in an effort to promote tolerance.

That is why I also propose, that two nightclubs be opened next door to the mosque thereby promoting tolerance within the mosque. We could call one of the clubs (which would be gay) "The Turban Cowboy" and the other being a topless bar "You Mecca Me Hot".

Next door should be a butcher shop that specializes in pork and adjacent to that have an open barbeque pork rib restaurant, called something like “Iraq o’ Ribs”? Across the street there could be a very daring lingerie store called Victoria Keeps Nothing Secret with sexy mannequins in the window modeling the goods.

Next door to the lingerie shop, there would be room for an Adult Toy Shop (Koranal Knowledge), its name in flashing neon lights, and on the other side a liquor store, maybe call it "Morehammered"?

Then the Muslims could be allowed to show their tolerance. Problem solved.

Chuck of GA 10:13PM October 04, 2010

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