Charles,

I take issue with your statement that: “Support for violating the US Constitution and depriving American citizens of their rights is especially strong among New York Republicans.” The pole you cite only shows that a majority of NY Republicans “oppose” the construction of Cordoba House or Park 51 or whatever it is called. But saying that you oppose construction of the community center is not the same as saying that those who plan to build the center have no right from doing so. Indeed, those people who are announcing their opposition to the mosque are exercising their rights to free speech and freedom of religion just as the group seeking to build the mosque is exercising its rights.

By way of example, I strongly oppose anarchy, but I recognize that anarchists have a right to peacefully state their beliefs (what they don’t have a right to do is to destroy the private property of others during G20 meetings). In much the same way, I oppose Park 51 because I have concerns about the commitment of its backers to creating a true inter-faith dialog and about the sources of their funding for building the center. But regardless of my concerns, I still recognize that those behind the project have a right to proceed. Not everyone who has concerns about the project or its backers is of the same mindset as Pamela Geller, and when you lump all of those people in with her, you engage in the same type of bigotry about which you complain.