Ground Zero still a hole in the ground nine years later

American Thinker "Americans also want two new towers built - even taller than the originals. This is important to us because it symbolizes that America cannot be brought down. If you can't agree on a new design, then construct two towers of the original design utilizing modern materials.
"Prove America is still the place where great efforts are not only dreamed, but realized. Prove New Yorkers are the proud and resilient people we know you to be.
"Act as leaders, not as politicians. Get over your power trips, edifice complexes, and political agendas - build a 9/11 memorial and rebuild the towers."
I loved the way the Pentagon was restored with no signs of damage. What a great way to give the finger to the terrorists: "The building is just as it was; your acts meant nothing." Unfortunately the new memorial outside that traces the flight path to the building looks more like a tribute to the hijackers, one they can point to with pride and say, "Look what we did!"

Nearly Half of United States Considering Arizona-Style Immigration Legislation

CNS News "Twenty-two states are now in the process of drafting or seeking to pass legislation similar to Arizona’s law against illegal immigration. This is occurring despite the fact that the Obama administration has filed a lawsuit against the Arizona law and a federal judge has ruled against portions of that law – a ruling that is now being appealed."

Obama's Point of No Return (Is this the moment he jumped the shark?)

American Thinker "There comes a moment in a failing presidency where the incumbent, through some single gesture, action, or statement, crosses a certain line from beyond which there is no return. Through his own will and behavior, he so underlines his failings, so frames his negative image, that no further action can ever erase it. Fate, accident, and circumstance have nothing to do with it. It is the president himself who puts the period at the end of his own sentence."....
"With Obama, we have an abundance of riches: the multiple vacations, the legal harassment of the state of Arizona on behalf of illegals, the clownish response to the Gulf oil blowout. But when historians come to select the moment when Obama went over the edge of the world, I think they'll find the great Iftar mosque speech of August 13, 2010 hard to beat."

Wikipedia: "Jump the Shark"

http://townhall.com/cartoons/cartoonist/ChipBok

Teens have a variety of questions for President Obama

MVTimes In related news, Democrats in Congress propose lowering the voting age to 13. On the brighter side, there is some wisdom in the comments section below.

Employees Will Pay More in 2011 for Healthcare

MedPagetoday "Employees may have to pay more for their healthcare expenses as large businesses make changes to their employee healthcare plans in order to comply with the healthcare reform law, according to a new report." Change we can believe in.

The Judiciary's Culturally Sanctioned Allergy to Christianity Flourishes

David Limbaugh "Does anyone find it ironic that the very people who protest so loudly over supposed affronts to Islamic religious expression are often so hostile to the slightest Christian religious expressions -- even incidental expressions?".... "The egregious constitutional infraction here is not that the government put up the signs, which it didn't, but that the memorials were placed along public roads. Thus, "reasonable" passing motorists -- as opposed, I guess, to those afflicted with anti-Christian road rage -- might well assume that the government is endorsing the Christian religion. Horror of horrors. My gosh, what would the largely Christian Founders think?"....
"You see, the ultimate purpose of the establishment clause, just as it was with the free exercise clause, was to promote religious liberty. The Framers knew that if there were a national church, there would be substantially less religious liberty. But under the ludicrously expansive interpretations of this clause, the courts are diminishing religious liberty in the name of protecting it." Emphasis added.

Thomas Sowell: Dismantling America: Part IV

Townhall" In other words, a Constitutional government does not depend on the Constitution but on us. To the extent that we allow clever people to circumvent the Constitution, while dazzling us with rhetoric, the Constitution will become just a meaningless piece of paper, as our freedoms are stolen from us, much as a pick-pocket would steal our wallet while we are distracted by other things."
"Someone once said that a democratic society cannot survive for long after 51 percent of the people decide that they want to live off the other 49 percent. Yet that is the direction in which we are being pushed by those who are promoting envy under its more high-toned alias of "social justice." "

Iraq: This Is How History Works

James Jay Carafano "...The fact that the “combat” troops are gone does not mean that the mission is done or that U.S. troops won’t see some kinds of combat. While troops don’t and should not remain permanently in Iraq, they will obviously need to stay longer than one or two more years. Withdrawing U.S. forces too fast would jeopardize progress. Freedom may lose its momentum. Everything is contingent on events on the ground. There cannot even be serious discussions about the long-term U.S. presence until after an Iraqi government is formed." James Jay Carafano is director of the Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for Foreign Policy Studies at the Heritage Foundation.

Taking Your State’s Lawsuit Temperature

Institute for Legal Reform "It may not seem obvious, but a state with a fair and reasonable legal system has a leg up on its neighbors when it comes to encouraging businesses to locate their operations or grow jobs within its borders. Conversely, those states with sickly lawsuit systems can shackle their economic opportunities. "....
"Some states, like Texas – which has moved up 10 spots since the survey began to #36 this year – have enacted comprehensive tort reforms and have seen their Lawsuit Climate rankings gradually improve. These states are on the road to recovery, but just like the long-term health of a patient, constant vigilance is required to prevent reforms from being undercut by those who wish to turn local businesses into cash machines."

We Can’t Spend Our Way to Recovery

Heritage "Even leftist economists are now admitting that this administration’s borrow and spend economic plan has been a complete failure. But instead of cutting their losses, the left wants to double down … with your tax dollars. Last month, Vice President Joe Biden told ABC News that the only problem with the Obama administration’s economic policies was that they failed to spend more and drive us into debt faster. This is insanity. It must stop. To get our country back on the right track The Heritage Foundation’s Solutions for America chapter on Reining in Runaway Spending and Deficits recommends:"

AP Bans "Ground Zero Mosque" Phrase

Atlas Shrugs "WE WILL CHANGE OUR SLUG ON THIS STORY LATER TODAY from “BC-Ground Zero Mosque” to “BC-NYC Mosque.”

In short headlines, some ways to refer to the project include:
_ mosque 2 blocks from WTC site
_ Muslim (or Islamic) center near WTC site
_ mosque near ground zero
_ mosque near WTC site
We can refer to the project as a mosque, or as a proposed Islamic center that includes a mosque.
It may be useful in some stories to note that Muslim prayer services have been held since 2009 in the building that the new project will replace. The proposal is to create a new, larger Islamic community center that would include a mosque, a swimming pool, gym, auditorium and other facilities."

Quoting guidelines from an AP deputy managing editor.

http://townhall.com/cartoons/cartoonist/KenCatalino

"Ground zero mosque is the SECOND mosque being built on a 9/11 site"

Atlas Shrugs "Few people know that this giant crescent actually points to Mecca, or understand the religious significance of this orientation. A crescent that points the direction to Mecca is a very familiar construct in the Islamic world. Because Muslims face Mecca for prayer, every mosque is built around a Mecca direction indicator called a mihrab. The classic mihrab is crescent shaped. Here are the two most famous mihrabs in the world:"

Questions about the Design From the NPS brochure:
Is there Islamic religious symbolism incorporated into the design of the Flight 93 National Memorial?
No. This memorial solely honors the heroic actions of the 40 passengers and crew, who defeated the terrorists.

How do you know?
The intent of the architect was to honor the passengers and crew. When questions were raised about the design, they were taken very seriously. The National Park Service and the Flight 93 partner organizations investigated the issues and consulted with the Board of Directors of the Families of Flight 93, university and religious scholars, all of whom concluded that the memorial design does not imply or depict religious iconography.