My pick for Texas jerk of the month
Texas man protests mosque by racing pigs
KATY, Texas - A suburban Houston man, unhappy with an Islamic association’s plans to build a mosque and community center on property adjacent to his, staged pig races as a protest during afternoon prayer services Friday.
Can you even begin to imagine the kind of uproar we would be hearing if someone decided to stage a blasphemous protest during a Christian church service? Maybe I should run down the street to Christian World (Yes, that is the mega-church down the streets name, how crazy is that) and oh, I don’t know hang upside down crosses or something. I can’t imagine the result would be little puff pieces like this one. The only good thing about this whole thing is that the only people that look bad are the ones that are taking part in the his side-show. Muslim’s don’t eat pork but they aren’t particularly offended by pigs in general nor do they much care if others eat pork, it is simply not their problem.
Craig Baker, 46, lined a track for 25 pigs to race on, sold merchandise and grilled sausages for about 100 people who showed up in heavy rain. People have sent donations ranging from $100 to $1,000 to sponsor the event, said Baker, who plans to continue the Friday pig races until interest dwindles.
Has it occurred to him yet that the people who are sending in donations are racist pigs themselves. Now wasn’t Karen Olson from the Windsor Park Neighborhood Association saying the reason they were concerned about the Mosque because it might create a lot of traffic. What creates more traffic, a religious service with no more than 30 worshippers at a time or the carnival that Craig Baker is creating?
He said he is not trying to offend anyone but wants to show that the Katy Islamic Association can’t force him to move or relocate his marble fabricating shop.
They haven’t asked him to. We have already established that he was mistaken about what they asked him to do and he has admitted his mistake.
“I am just defending my rights and my property,” Baker said. “They totally disrespected me and my family.”
They totally did no such thing, he is just a big crybaby. They asked him to remove his cattle from their land and he obviously didn’t want to. The only disrespect that has happened is from him. While I am sure there are plenty of Texans that are just like him, I am glad that the rest of us won’t be buying anything from him ever, ever again.
The dispute began when the group asked Baker to remove his cattle from their newly bought land. The Islamic association plans to build a mosque, community center, athletic facilities and a school for about 500 Muslim families who live in Katy.
Baker agreed to move his cattle but mistakenly thought the Muslims also wanted him off the land his family has lived on for more than 100 years. Earlier this month, Baker conceded to The Associated Press that the Muslims are probably not after his land, but that he was obligated to go through with the pig races because “I would be like a total idiot if I didn’t. I’d be the laughingstock now because I’ve gone too far.”
He is so wrong, he wouldn’t have been a total idiot if he had called it off when he realized he was the one in the wrong he is a total idiot for continuing his contemptuous side-show. It is their land, they have every right not to have his cattle on it and asking for them to be removed is not disrespect.
Yousef Allam, a spokesman for the Katy Muslims, said the association never meant to leave Baker with the impression that it wanted him to vacate his land.
“If we somehow communicated that to him, then we apologize,” Allam said.
Muslims do not hate pigs, they just don’t eat them, said engineer Kamel Fotouh, president of the 500-member group.
“I don’t care if he races, roasts or slaughters pigs,” Allam said.
So, who looks better Craig Baker or the Katy Muslims? I am putting my money on the Katy Muslims.
Yes, I know it is late and I am little angry. I probably shouldn’t blog angry and there is a very good chance I will regret this in the morning but tonight I have had a little wine and he ticked me off so he is my Texas jerk of the month.
Technorati Tags: Craig Baker, Katy, Texas, Pig races, Muslim, bigotry, KIA, Katy Islamic Association
Filed under: KIA, Katy Islamic Association, craig baker, katy, texas
Aw, if you’re angry, it’s with some justification and thanks for linking to the story…I had missed it and am glad to be able to pass it on to friends.
Wow, 500 Muslim families and only 30 people go to church???
Hi Jerome,
Thanks for stopping by. What do you think causes more traffic, a church or Craig Baker’s little dog and pony show? Hmmmm, people don’t usually slow down to gawk at churches. Ask yourself and them, if it was Baptists that were planning on building a church on the land, would this be a problem? Would you be offended if instead of a pig race, which is meant to be offensive to Muslims but missed it mark, it was people racing carrying crucifixes upside down, or some other anti-Christian display?
I am in the UK just seen this on John Stewarts show.
I agree this makes Mr Baker and his crew look like idiots. I now realise where the term ‘red neck’ comes from.