This is Not a Protest, This is an Act of Hate

The pastor of a Florida church planning to burn Qurans told CNN Tuesday while the congregation plans to go through with the action to protest the September 11, 2001 attack on the United States by al Qaeda, the church is "weighing" its intentions. (CNN)

When I heard about this, I almost spilled my coffee. And then, this quote:

Terry Jones, pastor of Dove World Outreach Church in Gainesville, Florida, who was interviewed on CNN's "American Morning, said the congregation is taking seriously the warning from the U.S. military that the act could cause problems for American troops.

The congregation is taking warnings from the U.S. military seriously? Might just as well toss the Constitution on the fire while you are at it.

Now, before you get up and say that they have a First Amendment right to burn the Quran, remember that under that same argument I have the same right to burn a Bible. Or the U.S. flag. That does not mean that it is right or proper. If this was an Iman in Riyadh, planning a national Bible burning day in protest of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, do you think for one moment that every government in the Western World would not be condemning the action? Or ordering sanctions? Or similar saber rattling? So what gives Mr. Jones, or is short sighted, double-speaked named congregation the right?

This smacks of a hate crime, and the United States Government needs to condemn it as strongly as they would condemn any other act of hate speech.