The Freedom Bulletin

In September of last year, Ryan Jerome, a jeweler from Indiana, traveled to New York with $15,000 of gold that he planned to sell to a refinery on Long Island. He checked a website about gun laws to make sure it was okay to bring his gun, for which he had a concealed carry permit. He interpreted the site as saying it was okay, so he took along the .45 caliber Ruger to protect himself and his gold. He and his girlfriend stayed in New York longer than they planned in order to ride out a dip in gold prices. One day they visited the Empire State Building to pass the time, where he asked a ticket seller what he should do with his gun and was directed to the security office to check the weapon. When he did that, however, security called the police, who charged him with illegal weapon possession and threw him in jail for two days before he was released on bail. He now faces 3 and 1/2 to 15 years in prison. The problem? Jerome’s Indiana concealed carry permit was not valid in New York.

To punish a person who did not hurt or even endanger anyone, who took precautions to make sure he wasn’t breaking the law, and is a Marines veteran to boot, is clearly unjust. As his lawyer said, ”Ryan Jerome is neither a criminal nor someone with an illegal gun.”

Jerome’s supporters are trying to get Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance (whom you may remember from the DSK case)  to dismiss the charges. Visit their Facebook page to learn more and support him.

President Obama said a few days ago that Muslims have the right to build a mosque near the site of the September 11th attacks. According to Obama…

“Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as anyone else in this country. That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances.”

Later, he added that he was “was not commenting and I will not comment on the wisdom” of the plan but merely the Constitutional right to do so.

I, believe it or not, agree with Obama.

Building a mosque near Ground Zero is not the greatest idea. It is a little strange and not very fitting to have a mosque right near the site of the worst act of terrorism in American history, which was committed by terrorists who happened to be Muslims. If I was in charge of building the mosque, I would choose a different location.

But it would not violate anyone’s rights to build the mosque. If you buy a plot of land, you have the right to build whatever you want there, even if most people disapprove of it. New York City could offer to buy up the land and turn it into a public memorial, but as long as the mosque developers own the land, they can build whatever they want.

Newt Gingrich compared building a mosque near Ground Zero to putting Nazi signs next to the Holocaust museum. Although I am a Newt fan, I have to object to this particular analogy. Nazism is the ideology that is responsible for the Holocaust, while Islam itself is not responsible for 9/11, just certain individuals who happened to be radical Muslims. Not all Muslims are terrorists, while all Nazis are, well, Nazis. Putting a pro-terrorism memorial or terrorist training camp at Ground Zero, now that would be the equivalent of Nazi signs at the Holocaust museum.

In conclusion, although perhaps not a wise idea, there is no Constitutional or moral reason why a mosque near Ground Zero should be forbidden. The First Amendment gives people the freedoms of, among other things, religion and speech. 9/11 was the worst act of terrorism in American history. The feelings of its victims are important, and the potential Mosque builders should take them into account. But in America, we do not and should not deny people the right to practice their religion just because this would offend people.

Happy birthday, George W. Bush! The president turned 60 today and announced at a press conference that “It’s not as old as you think.”

Also today, gay marriage was dealt a blow in two states! A court in New York decided that gay marriage is not legal under the state’s present constitution, and the top court of Georgia reaffirmed its belief in a gay marriage ban, which had been enthusiastically approved by voters in 2004. Good job, courts!

For all the details, see http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/07/06/gay.marriage.ap/index.html.