Love this Bloomberg speech in reference to the NYC Mosque at Ground Zero. Incredible job. Bravo: http://bit.ly/byzmUT

Honestly, it’s a good speech that Bloomberg gave. I don’t disagree with the sentiment that we are called to live amongst our neighbors in mutual respect and tolerance. I try to do that, to the degree that I can without compromising what I believe to be truth.

Those who support the mosque point to this debate being a freedom of religion issue, and that to deny the building of a mosque at Ground Zero in New York City would be to undermine the First Amendment of the Constitution.

Freedom of religion is crucial. I don’t want to see it undermined. I don’t want it undermined for Jews and Muslims just as much as I don’t want it undermined for me as a Christian.

But I don’t think the core issue here is freedom of religion. To me this is an issue of respect. Extremist Muslims bent on jihad destroyed the World Trade Center and killed 3,000 people on September 11, 2001.

To turn around and build a 13-story Islamic mosque right next door feels like a slap in the face. It feels like a monument to “success”. It feels like rubbing salt in the wound.

I haven’t heard anyone who is opposed to the building of this mosque say that Muslims should not build a mosque anywhere in New York City. Why does it have to be mere feet from Ground Zero? So close in fact that the existing building actually sustained damage from the Trade Center’s collapse! Build it 10 blocks away, or a mile away… but really, next door?

There are millions of “peace loving Muslims” in the world. I would think their first order of business ought to be to take a bold stance against their Muslim brothers who do not stand for peace and kindness and decry the acts of violence against humanity that continue in the world today as a result of their extremist religious views.

But as it stands, the first notable public act of “peace loving Muslims” in the last 10 years is to build a monument at Ground Zero to the religion for which the date of 9/11 will always be attributed to.

And that feels wrong to me.

[And yes Jon, we do respect each other. Absolutely.]

2 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, 2 stories. 1200 square feet, including a nice kitchen with upgraded appliances, generous open floor plan with lots of light. And the best part? It’s an end unit, high on a hill, with the most private location in our subdivision.

Find us at: 5845 Nolensville Pike, Nashville, TN 37211 [map it]

For more pics and info: Listing Information

MLS# 1189424  ||  List Price: $138,800

Full real estate listing here.

But then there are bands that come along and I’ll do whatever it takes to see them perform live because the music is just that good. Along comes Mumford & Sons with their debut album “Sigh No More” early this year. This album blew me away within the first 20 seconds of listening to it, and it’s pretty much been on my playlist nonstop this year.

They are rightly categorized under the “British Folk” genre, but that might leave you with the impression of a sleepy singer-songwriter style full of dragging slow songs. Hardly. This band has energy and passion that doesn’t stop with the first few tracks, full of fiery imperfection that gives you an honest glimpse into who these guys really are.  They draw a lot of comparisons to The Avett Brothers, except with British accents. The Avett Brothers with British accents would basically be The Swell Season (and I love The Swell Season). Give The Swell Season banjos and we might be getting closer.

Anyways, we were kindly invited to tag along with our friends Dave & Meg to see Mumford & Sons in Bloomington, Indiana earlier this week. We immediately said yes.

So on Monday morning we left unwordly-hot Nashville for an equally unwordly-hot Bloomington. It’s possible that we were pulled over for reckless driving on the way to the gig. It’s also possible that tornado sirens were going off as we stood in line for the concert.  I was responsible for neither of these things. The band played at the Bluebird, which was a fantastic club minus the fact that it was 100 degrees outside and 200 degrees inside. That paired with the wood floors and soaking wet people (post-tornadoes) essentially turned the place into a giant sauna. But after suffering through two opening acts we were finally given the chance to hear what we came for.

I’m terrible at describing concerts, but suffice to say, it was one of the most fantastic shows I’ve ever seen. These guys are incredibly proficient musicians, multi-instrumentalists, and extremely talented at what they do. They were able to recreate every ounce of passion on stage that you hear on the album, and probably more. I’m incredibly excited to hear what’s next from this young band in the years to come.

For just a glimpse of what we got to experience, check out this live video of “The Cave“.

That said, with the series finale of LOST approaching Sunday night on May 23rd, I’m willing to offer an ultimatum for all my LOST-loving friends out there.  I will immediately go to Amazon and order every season DVD and watch them all in one consecutive brain-numbing couch-flying LOST-loving session if any of the following happen during the LOST finale:

A young Anakin Skywalker makes an appearance.

A New York City utility worker climbs out of the “hatch” and says, “Welp, all finished down there.”

Any Muppet from Sesame Street is given speaking lines.

Ty Pennington from Extreme Home Makeover builds a magnificent beachfront house for all the castaways using wreckage from the plane. “Bus-driver, move that bus!”

Conan O’Brien rides a polar bear (with or without a saddle).

A volcano on the island erupts halting  world air traffic for a week.

The “smoke monster” is revealed to be Larry King’s lingering sneeze.

The show’s grand conclusion is that the entire series was a missing chapter from Sarah Palin’s autobiography.

I’m anxious to hear what happens!

Click here if you can’t see the video.

Also, photo gallery of flood images here.

Dave: Hey, Frank from Alabama, welcome to the Dave Ramsey show!

Frank: Hey Dave, thanks for taking my call. I’m 65 years old and my wife and I have been in dire financial trouble for years. I’ve got a job, but it’s just not bringing in enough money.

Dave: Alright.

Frank: I’m legally blind, and I’m also disabled. I’m self employed and run my own business.

Dave: What is it that you do?

Frank: I’m a security guard.

3 Minutes: Fumbling around in the dark because I flipped the wrong breaker.

10 Minutes: Digging through the closet looking for an extension cord to run a light to the kitchen so I can see what I’m working on.

5 Minutes: Emptying out the contents of the light fixture box onto the living room floor.

20 Minutes: Pulling down the old light fixture.

3 Minutes: Yelling at the old light fixture because it won’t come down.

2 Minutes: Yelling at myself because I cut the source wires too close to the junction box, thereby complicating the rest of my evening.

12 Minutes: Staring at the instructions trying to comprehend Figure B(1)-ii

1 Minute: Deciding I can do this without the instructions.

43 Minutes: Trying to wrestle the new fixture into place.

2 Minutes: Realizing I probably should have read the instructions.

5 Minutes: Stripping wires with a razor blade.

15 Minutes: Waiting for my finger to stop bleeding.

2 Minutes: “Oh, I have to drill a hole in the ceiling?”

7 Minutes: Waiting for my cordless drill to charge.

12 Minutes: “Steph? Can you help me for a minute?”

18 Minutes: Arms over head. More wrestling.

3 Minutes: Letting the blood rush back into my arms.

2 Minutes: Steph letting the blood rush back into her arms.

4 Minutes: “Were light-bulbs included in the box?”

Jury is still out on whether or not this was simply a St. Patty’s Day prank, or if someone is trying to make a statement against unclothed bronze people.

Picture thanks to Morgan Levy / Nashvillest. More available here.

TRUE FACT #2: The ‘Rigatoni D’ at Maggiano’s Little Italy restaurant is the best pasta dish ever.

That said, I set out this weekend with one goal in mind: to recreate Maggiano’s Rigatoni D to exacting standards and relish in wonderful Italian food. Actually I just Googled for a Maggiano’s Rigatoni D recipe, found one, and threw all of the ingredients in the same pot.

I was incredibly pleased with the result. It tasted amazing! News flash for any of you other Rigatoni D fans though… not the healthiest dish on the planet. There’s a half stick of butter and a 1/2 quart of heavy cream in there. Edible heart-attack. Tastes good though.

Click here if you can’t watch the video.