“Ground Zero mosque” on The Daily Caller

NEW YORK (AP) — The developer of an Islamic cultural center near the World Trade Center site and the owner of the building are in a dispute over rent. (more)

The first part of Park51, the controversial Lower Manhattan Islamic community centre, is opening on Wednesday with an art exhibition featuring photographs of children. (more)

Bob Turner, the Republican candidate in the surprisingly competitive special election to replace disgraced former congressman Anthony Weiner, launched his first television ad of the race this week, attacking his opponent David Weprin for supporting the construction of a New York City mosque near the Ground Zero site. (more)

The old joke goes something like this: A Native American, a rodeo cowboy, and an exchange student from Yemen find themselves stranded in the airport lounge in Bozeman, Montana after learning their flight has been delayed. After a few awkward attempts at pleasantries, the two Americans discover the young Arab gentleman is a radical Muslim who has come to this country to study engineering. The conversation grinds to a halt, and the rodeo rider pulls his Stetson down over his face to grab a little shut-eye. After a long silence, the Native American says sadly to no one in particular, “Once my people were many. Now they are few. Do you know why that is?” To which the Muslim student replies, “Once my people were few. Now they are many. Do you know why that is?” Another silence and then from under the Stetson comes a response: “It’s because we ain’t played a game of cowboys and Muslims yet, but I reckon it’s a-comin.’” (more)

About 100 protesters gathered outside the White House Thursday to call on President Barack Obama to denounce any and all attempts to implement Sharia law in the United States. The protesters had previously intended to counter a demonstration radical British Muslim cleric Anjem Choudary had scheduled, but since he canceled at the last minute, they shifted their attention to resisting pro-Sharia forces nationwide. (more)

Critics say radical British cleric Anjem Choudary is more of a “publicity whore” than a devout Muslim. (more)

Construction worker and lifelong New Yorker Andy Sullivan has taken opposition to the Park51 mosque — slated to be built next to Ground Zero — into his own hands. Sullivan has led the call to get his fellow construction workers to lay down their tools and boycott construction of the mosque. (more)

The 2010 campaign provided enough memorable moments to fill out a list all by itself. Christine O’Donnell, Joe Manchin shooting the cap and trade bill, Aqua Buddha: It was that kind of year. (more)

With the tax compromise, and the open revolt of the president’s base, the White House is again unsecretly pleased with a conflict of its own making. Triangulation. (more)

’Tis the season to celebrate the annual festive tradition of refusing to call Christmas “Christmas.” (more)

Former President George W. Bush refused to comment on the controversial proposal to build a mosque and community center near Ground Zero in New York City — saying he doesn’t want his answer to be compared to that of President Obama or other predecessors. (more)

According to Wikipedia, fantasy is a genre that uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme and/or setting. I bring this up because we’ve been hearing quite a bit about a “Democratic surge” lately, and this is a quintessential example of political fantasy. While there has been some tightening in several races — a result of core Democratic voters returning to the fold that is typical as an Election Day approaches — the “surge” is a complete fabrication, fed and encouraged by a mainstream media searching for an interesting plotline for this election. (more)

Conservatives in Congress need to move quickly to staunch the flow of blood, literally, in our military. The Fort Hood shootings proved convincingly that political correctness is lethal. Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey ran to the Sunday talk shows to say it would be a “tragedy” if our diversity were a casualty of this incident. No, General, it was your misguided approach to diversity that led scores of officers to look the other way as Nidal Hasan breathed mutiny and sedition daily — for years. (more)

Editors Note: Have a question for Matt Labash? Submit it here. (more)

I am curious to see what happens when President Obama invites Molly Norris to the White House for a beer.  Oh, Wait…Molly Norris can’t go to the White House for beer because Molly Norris no longer exists; any trace of her has been wiped clean. (more)

Since our nation’s inception, faith and politics have been intertwined. Debate has often centered on which side of the aisle is right or wrong in the eyes of God. In 2004, Christians turned out to vote as issues such as homosexual marriage, partial-birth abortion, stem-cell research and gun rights took center stage. However, the last two election cycles have shown that a lack of attention towards certain issues can stifle the Christian turnout. (more)

NEW YORK CITY — Lower Manhattan was quiet Saturday morning, resonating only with the solemn sounds of the Sept. 11 anniversary ceremony. But by the afternoon, the streets near Ground Zero had turned into a highly policed battleground, with multiple groups dueling it out through opposing demonstrations. (more)

The name “Ground Zero” does not imply that there is zero room in Manhattan for different religions. When the WTC towers fell on 9/11, free lives were lost amongst the ashes and clouds. Now, nearly a decade later today, it appears that a new cloud may be crushing the American spirit of freedom. The recent protests over the Ground Zero mosque, as well as the questioning of President Obama’s religious beliefs, may be putting the peace that we have spent nine years rebuilding on standby. (more)

Nine years ago, on September 11, 2001, radical Islamic terrorists hijacked four airplanes and murdered nearly 3,000 innocent people, marking the worst terrorist attack on US soil in our nation’s history. The Twin Towers of the World Trade Center rapidly transformed into an inferno, with trapped fathers and mothers calling their children in tears to say their last goodbyes — others leaping to their deaths in desperation. The towers would collapse later that morning, leaving behind an aftermath of blinding smoke and scattered debris. The charred and broken bodies of many murdered civilians were never identified, and America awoke to the horrific destruction caused by the enemies of freedom. (more)