Sunday, August 15, 2010

Why Won't Bloomberg Let a Church Destroyed on 9/11 be Rebuilt?




St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church on May 20, 2000.
The members of Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, which was destroyed on 9/11 by the collapse of the Twin Towers, have spent NINE YEARS trying to get building permits. Nine. Long. Years.

From Fr. Constantine J. Simones Waterford, courageous pastor supporter of St. Nicholas Church:
Shame on Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the members of his Landmarks Preservation Commission for voting 9-0 to allow the building of a Muslim mosque at ground zero in New York City.
Too many Americans are sleepwalking when it comes to understanding Islamic policies during the last 1,400 years of what I see as its brutal history. No one talks about St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, which was crushed by the collapsing Twin Towers.
Why is the mosque put on the fast track to construction when St. Nicholas' reconstruction is being hindered by New York City bureaucracy?
Wake up, America, before it is too late. The Greek Orthodox faithful of the Balkans were enslaved by Islam for 500 years. Ask me what it means to live under the laws of Islam, under Sharia Law and the Hadith. Call me and I will provide a history lesson on what can be like to live under Islam extremists.
Fr. Constantine J. Simones Waterford [Correction 8/17/10: I am under the impression that this cleric's name and location have gotten garbled somewhere along the line during many reprints. Apologies.]

About the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church:
Since 1922, St. Nicholas Church had stood as a quiet sanctuary of prayer and reflection amidst the tumultuous and bustling crossroads of commerce. For the past nine years the Port Authority of New York/New Jersey has used bureaucratic obstacles and false promises to hinder the rebuilding of the St. Nicholas Church.

Like Nice Deb (who has published an excellent commentary about the Ground Zero mosque, don't miss it) pointed out: 
City officials, eager to deflect the criticism of a righteously outraged public, claim that nothing can be done [to stop the mosque from being built on hallowed ground]…something that anyone who has contended with zoning boards across the country knows to be untrue.

Ask the congregation of the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church of New York City.

Many thanks to patriot Chris Wysocki at Wyblog for a heads-up on the Ground Zero Church. You'll want to read his report on moderate Muslims in New York  (and watch the video)  here.

Cross-posted at Potluck.

Addendum (Tuesday, 8/17/10): For a history of the delays affecting the rebuilding of St. Nicholas Church, see this New York Times article, written before the Ground Zero victory mosque became an issue. The short story: St. Nicholas Church wanted to rebuild on the original site, and were promised that they could do so by then NY State Governor Pataki (R). However, the Port Authority wanted the Church's land and proposed a land swap, which the Church, after negotiation, agreed to. The Church then developed plans for the new site, but the Port Authority has never concluded the deal for a variety of reasons, leaving the Church in limbo when it comes to rebuilding.

Some of the delays include the discovery of more human remains on Ground Zero (human remains have been discovered as recently as June 2010), and the necessity for the Church  "to install an expensive blast-proof concrete slab beneath its building to protect it from a possible explosion on the screening center ramps."

I don't doubt that it is prudent to add a $35 million blast-proof foundation to the new St. Nicholas Church.

Similar red tape would normally apply to the Ground Zero Victory Mosque. But instead, that structure is being escorted to the finish line, amid much fanfare and chest-thumping, by the NYC mayor, the State Department, and the President of the United States.

Meanwhile the Port Authority apparently can't quite figure out where they want St. Nicholas Church to go.
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5 comments:

  1. Thanks for helping to publicize this fiasco. St. Nicholas Church has more "right" to exist than any new mosque. But in Barack Obama's America Christians are always relegated to the back of the bus.

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  2. Because his is paid for and owned by the Saudi and Muslims devils who destroyed American lives on American soil. His (Bloomberg, etal's) soul is/are already as black as the soot left by the muslim terrorists. To build and shine the light on St. Nicholas would be far too much for this soul-less leader and his coherts to understand.

    Too bad, Bloomberg was not in the towers that day.

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  3. It is almost inconceivable that New York City's mayor and Landmark's Preservation Committee have acted in a way that causes so much pain to Americans.

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  4. Republica candidate for congress and Harvard Physicist Mike Stopa says he would not want a Mosque in his Neighborhood.
    http://www.stopaforusrep.com/blog/95-comments-on-mosques
    See this same content at a great pro-Israel site
    http://llphfreedom.blogspot.com/2010/08/two-comments-on-issue-of-mosques-by.html

    Research the Mosque in Cordoba, the symbolism of the name alone should let us know what they are thinking.
    Shredder,
    Video Blogger for the Stopa Campaign

    ReplyDelete