Freedom of Religion...PERIOD

When the Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, they placed "freedom of religion" in the first amendment because of its importance.

In history class we read that the pilgrims escaped Europe to seek religious refuge.

The first amendment of the Bill of Rights is literally one sentence and this is the very first part of that sentence:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…

That law does not say "Congress shall not prohibit the free exercise of religion, unless right-wing politicians don't like it."

Does that mean that Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, and Rush Limbaugh are wrong when they denounce the so-called "Ground Zero Mosque"?

In short, yes.

What we are really talking about is a Muslim community center, and if Sarah or Newt actually cared to read once and a while, they'd find that the tenants and practitioners of Islam are actually quite peaceful.

Even George W. Bush said that "The face of terror is not the true faith of Islam. That's not what Islam is all about. Islam is peace."

President Bush said that on September 18, 2001. Yeah, a week after 9/11. You'd think that almost nine years later Palin and Newt would have already learned what Bush knew and accepted only a week after that tragic day.

You know things are getting out of hand when Mr. Bush actually sounds like an educated, thoughtful centrist.

Even some of Bush's aides are backing President Obama's defense of the Muslim center in New York near Ground Zero.

"An enormously complex and emotional issue -- but ultimately the right thing to do," [Pres. Bush's chief speechwriter Michael] Gerson said. "A president is president for every citizen, including every Muslim citizen. Obama is correct that the way to marginalize radicalism is to respect the best traditions of Islam and protect the religious liberty of Muslim Americans. It is radicals who imagine an American war on Islam. But our conflict is with the radicals alone."

But even with some Republicans making level headed remarks about this Muslim community center, Gingrich and company are off trying to spread fear and hate.

Gingrich recently compared Muslims putting this community center in New York to Nazis putting "up a sign next to the Holocaust museum in Washington."

He didn't just say what I think he did, did he?

Yes, Newt actually compared peaceful Muslims who want to take part in the community center, which will have a swimming pool, culinary school, and gymnasium, to Nazis.

Apparently, Muslims learning the backstroke and how to improve their jump shot give Gingrich the creeps.

Newt seems to have caught Glenn Beck's "Nazi Tourettes," and in doing so is trying to persuade people that a religion practiced by more than 1.2 billion people worldwide, including many, many Americans, is comparable to Hitler.

(Seems awful strange to me that he is prosecuting Muslims whilst saying that Muslims are like those who prosecuted people based on their religion…just saying)

When you are trying to breed hate and fear like Gingrich, the best way to spread your racism is to compare whatever it is you want people to fear and hate to Nazis without any basis.

But I digress, Muslim Americans no doubt died during the 9/11 attacks and are among those whose families we grieve for. We can't allow racism and the fear tactics of the far, far right-wing distort true American values.

Freedom of Religion is one of the founding principles this country was based upon. We cannot allow over 200 years of progression in acceptance be reversed all the way back to the core of the Bill of Rights because Ms. Palin and Mr. Gingrich have decided that they do not like Muslims.

In order to ensure our freedom long into the future we need to ensure that the freedom of religion is maintained and held high. The best way to ensure that right now is to acknowledge that a Muslim worship center and community center in lower Manhattan, one that has cleared all zoning requirements and even has the backing of that city’s mayor and neighborhood, is perfectly legal and should not be controversial in the least.

If America truly is a melting pot then we must accept all cultures that make up the American nation, no matter if that culture is Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Jewish, agnostic, or atheist.

The America I live in is an accepting America, let's keep it that way.

Here is Keith Olbermann in what is probably the best defense of freedom of religion I have ever heard on television: