Free the Ground Zero Mosque!

First, from the Libertarian Party platform: “Property rights are entitled to the same protection as all other human rights. The owners of property have the full right to control, use, dispose of, or in any manner enjoy, their property without interference, until and unless the exercise of their control infringes the valid rights of others.”

That means that I get to do whatever I want with my property. It means that I should be able to let my weeds grow 6 feet high if I want. It means the city shouldn’t come to my house and tell me I have to mow my lawn—or they’ll do it for me and charge me $250 for their services. The city shouldn’t come to my house and tell me I can’t have a privacy fence higher than 6 feet. The city shouldn’t come to my house and make sure my privacy fence is 6 feet back from the sidewalk. The city shouldn’t come to my house and measure how deep the postholes are for my privacy fence. The city shouldn’t force me to go to city hall and get a permit for the fence. And they sure shouldn’t charge me 40 stinkin’ dollars for the privilege of building a privacy fence on my property.

Seriously?

And since I hope you’re all nodding your heads and saying, “you’re right—that’s ridiculous,” let me also say that no one should tell me whether I can build a church on my property. Or a mosque. On my property. Or next to Ground Zero.

Ah—grasshopper. . . .

If it’s not right that the government climb all over and around and up into my business for a stupid privacy fence, then it certainly isn’t the government’s right to climb all over the folks who want to build the Ground Zero Mosque (I hate that name). And since I wouldn’t want some Muslim shouting that I can’t put up a church on my property, I better not shout about a Muslim putting up a mosque—no matter where it is. How can I tell someone what to do with their property if I don't want anyone telling me what to do with mine?

Now: is it “insensitive” to build that mosque (whatever that word means)? Yep. Is it stupid? Yep. Do I dislike it? Yep. Do I want them to build it? Nope. But whatever I want doesn’t matter. Because if what I want can stop that mosque, then someone who doesn’t like my church and doesn’t want me to build it could stop me from putting it up.

Get it?

It’s about liberty and your right to do whatever you want with your property, as long as you’re not depriving someone else of his liberty through the use of your property.

Let’s go back to the Libertarian Party platform: “individuals should be free to make choices for themselves and to accept responsibility for the consequences of the choices they make.”

There you have it: the folks who own that land next to Ground Zero “should be free to make choices for themselves.”

As long as we all get that, and as long as everyone gets the same freedom regarding their property, it’s all good!