City Lawyer To Anti-Mosquers: Y'All Are Conspiracy Theorists

The endless war over the controversial Park 51 Islamic community center and mosque planned for Lower Manhattan spilled into court yesterday, as Pat Robertson's American Center for Law and Justice—using former firefighter Timothy Brown as a prop—accused the Landmarks Preservation Commission of being Mayor Bloomberg's puppet. The plaintiffs say the LPC did the bidding of City Hall when it ruled that the 150-year-old building on Park Place didn't merit landmark status, but a lawyer for the city said that's just a bunch of tinfoil hat ALL CAPS 9/11 GRASSY KNOLL STUFF.

During arguments yesterday, the Times reports that attorney Virginia Waters insisted that the notion that the mayor had influenced the panel was "a conspiracy theory made up of whole cloth." She WOULD say that, wouldn't she? Waters also asserted that Brown, who does not reside in NYC, lacked any special standing to question the decision. Brown's lawyer argued that because he was a first-responder at ground zero on 9/11, he has a say in what becomes of the building, on which landing gear from one of the planes fell.

But "the judge suggested that by that logic, every police officer and firefighter who worked that day would have the right to intercede in every development project near ground zero," according to the Times. And Thomas argued that 56 other buildings were hit by plane parts, but nobody wants those structures to get landmark status. "Planes were not aimed at the Burlington Coat Factory," she said, the Post reports. "Century 21 is not a monument to 9/11. Nor is 45-47 Park Place."

A lawyer for the property manager also stressed that the building "is not at Ground Zero. You can't see it from Ground Zero. You can't throw a football and hit it from Ground Zero." The proceedings focused on legal issues like standing, but outside the courtroom the elephant in the room was turned loose. Brown called the developers “un-American" and one of the anti-mosque lawyers told reporters, "This building, which is a monument to 9/11, should not be torn down and replaced" by a mosque. To which a lawyer for the mosque developer replied, "Anyone has the right to pray where they want."

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By John Del Signore in News on March 16, 2011 10:34 AM

Comments [rss]

Tom Hughes

The anti-mosque team that says "this building is a monument to 9/11" disrespect the actual monument now being built. Although they are obviously wrong on the legal front, that's a relative technicality; they are far more wrong on the moral front. They claim to be "honoring 9/11" but their real effect is to do just what Bin Laden wants to do: weaken our country's defense of freedom of religion, of thought and of expression.

robingee

"This building, which is a monument to 9/11, should not be torn down and replaced"

Did someone explain to him/her everything that was wrong with this statement?

Bernie_Geotz_Squirrel_Luv

I'd say the Landmarks commission is sort of a quasi city agency. That's why stuff get's done there. Never had any problems with them

soxinthecity

I never realized that there was an Amish market so close to Ground Zero. While everyone was worried about the Mooslims second wave attack, aka the Ground Zero Mega Mosque, the Amish swooped right in under our noses. Man, are they slick.

robingee

Damn no-button barn-builders!!

Guest

I love the fact that if someone doesn't agree with your theory on something, you can just shout "Conspiracy Theory" to try and disprove theirs, instead of trying to prove yours. Burden of proof just doesn't exist anymore.

I'm sick of this whole argument and wish they would just build a 100 story McDonald's there, pissing off liberals and conservatives.

Politburo

You cannot prove a negative, so what is LPC supposed to do here to prove their 'theory'? The term "conspiracy theory" was used because the anti-Park 51s have literally no proof of what they allege. You can't argue with crazy.

Guest

Actually, you can prove a negative. Check your math. The anti-Park 51s could probably prove some of their allegations, but they are not allowed to investigate those things, same as with 9/11. Anyone that believes everything they are publicly told about these two subjects is an idiot. Always question authority, no matter who it is.

You can always argue with crazy, since crazy is relative.

RabbiLaFunque

I see you've met my relatives.

Guest

Yes I have. They're a lot like mine.

JarekAF

"She WOULD say that, wouldn't she?"

And JDS, you WOULD say that too, wouldn't you.

I'm sorry JDS, but, I thought you were a REPORTER. So, why aren't you REPORTING?

I'm sorry, but, the buildings were destroyed by controlled explosions and the rest of y'alls are just fools if you accept the corporate and government bought EXPLANATIONS. The physics simply do not allow for those buildings to IMPLODE in the manner that they did.

The TRUTH will come out but you guys are too busy being played.

robingee

Let me try... ALIENS built the PYRAMIDS as a shrine to CHARLIE SHEEN and nattyb OWES me A MILLION dollars.

Hey it works!

Guest

It looks like you know nothing about building construction. Try reading some Henry Petrowski.

RabbiLaFunque

I'm gonna take a wild guess and put myself out on a limb and guess that your physics background is like,,,,zero.

JarekAF

Wrong.

All I need to do is capitalize certain WORDS for no particular reason and say TRUTH over and over again TRUTH, and then I have duly demonstrated that Osama Bin Laden and George W. Bush CONSPIRED to knock down the TOWERS.

And, for good measure: ZIONISTS