Comments on Titanic Deck Chairs: Thoughts on the NYC Mosque Debate

I haven't decided which side of this debate I ...

2010-07-02T09:25:09.165-04:00

I haven't decided which side of this debate I support yet. To be honest, work has really precluded me from taking the time to carefully consider it and read all the relevant posts. I'm planning on using some of the extra time this holiday weekend to dig into it.

However, my first cursory review made me think of Dr. Lewis's article and book as well. The relevant

Good question! Based on the evidence I've see...

2010-07-01T12:44:16.292-04:00

Good question! Based on the evidence I've seen so far, I think a case could certainly be made to block it. And with the force of a true declaration as a motivator, my guess is that the authorities would actually do a thorough job of digging to establish the terrorist links we all presume are there.

So in this case, I think yes, it would be blocked.

Now, what if there

>We should be at war, but we aren't Ah, go...

2010-07-01T12:03:43.624-04:00

>We should be at war, but we aren't

Ah, gotcha.

What if we were to officially declare war against the true enemy? Would they then be considered sympathizers and blocked from building the mosque?

Yes, I think that is THE critical difference, and ...

2010-07-01T11:10:45.113-04:00

Yes, I think that is THE critical difference, and I think it drops the context of what the purpose of a real war declaration is, at least in a constitutional republic.

I think the most important function of such a declaration is to allow the government to prosecute the war successfully -- even including suspending some rights to do so -- and then hand back all those powers when victory

(I got a 404 error the first time I posted, so ple...

2010-07-01T10:59:14.984-04:00

(I got a 404 error the first time I posted, so please excuse if this is a dupe comment)

Don't you think the critical difference between Peikoff and others is the fact that he regards us to be in a state of war? I don't think he's weighing protection of property rights against protection of the country under normal conditions. I think he's saying we are at war, and is