Texas man races pigs and sells sausages near planned mosque site as protest

[Ian David]

KATY, Texas --A man unhappy with an Islamic association's plans to build a mosque next to his property has staged pig races as a protest during afternoon prayers.

Craig Baker, 46, sold merchandise and grilled sausages Friday for about 100 people who showed up in heavy rain. He insisted he wasn't trying to offend anyone with the pigs, which are forbidden from the Muslim diet.

"I am just defending my rights and my property," Baker said. "They totally disrespected me and my family."

Muslims don't hate pigs, they just don't eat them, said engineer Kamel Fotouh, president of the 500-member Katy Islamic Association in this Houston suburb.

"I don't care if he races, roasts or slaughters pigs," said Yousef Allam, a spokesman for the group.

The dispute began when the association asked Baker to remove his cattle from its newly bought land. The association plans to build a mosque, community center, athletic facilities and a school.

More:
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2006/12/30/texan_protests_mosque_with_pig_races/?rss_id=Boston.com+%2F+News

[Beelzebud]

1. LOL I love it. That quote is great: "Muslims don't hate pigs, we just don't eat them!". LOL

Why are Americans so fucking stupid?

[Missy M]

4. Just when I think they couldn't be any more stupid.....

someone like this guy comes along and proves me wrong.

[BlueCollar]

54. and this my friend

is why the state of Texas provided you with your current pResident...we tried to warn ya'll...

[Clark2008]

7. I know. I got a kick out of that, too.

My ex is Muslim and he used to serve pig meat at the restaurant where he cooked. Big f'ing deal. He didn't eat it and it was probably the cleaned pork any American ever ate because of the care he took with it since they think pig meat is unclean to begin with.

Hell, he even petted a live pot-bellied pig and didn't go into convulsions.

Americans can be so idiotic. :silly:

[originalpckelly]

2. So how many of his friends showed up to take part in the race?

They did say it was a "pig" race.

[TheCowsCameHome]

6. Heard his wife took first place.........

[TheCowsCameHome]

3. Craig had to wear a hat so as not to be mistaken for one of the pigs

Nice going, you moran.

[Waya]

5. What a delightful individual.....

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

8. "I'm just defending my rights and my property"??????

If he SOLD the land, he gave up any rights to have his cattle on the land, unless there is some clause in the sale agreement that says he can do it. Do you think he would have gotten just as mad if a megachurch asked him to do the same thing?

And, come to think of it, I wonder what the local Native Americans think about it, since their land was stolen from them......

[tbyg52]

9. OK, let me see if I've got this straight

People who purchased some land ask a neighbor (who, I'm assuming, had never owned said land) to remove his animals from *their* land. At which point he (figuratively) sticks his thumbs in his ears, waggles his fingers, and goes "nya, nya, nya." Sounds like one of the "what's mine is mine and what's yours is negotiable" people.

[mrcheerful]

11. A libertrain?

[mrcheerful]

10. There you go, a true shrub supporter. Then everyone wonder how they can

continue to support repiglicans. If you took every repiglican supporter and gave them a comprehension test on what they know, well first you have to teach them how to read big words like comprehension. Like it says you can't make a silk purse out of a sows ear, here is one of those that tried.

[cali]

12. What a fucking bigoted

idiot. It's their land why the hell should he get to keep his cattle on someone else's land?

[Junkdrawer]

13. And you thought Glenn Beck had no fans....

There's at least one....

[Cocoa]

14. irony alert

Earlier this month, Baker conceded that the Muslims probably aren't after his land, but he said he had 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."

[beam me up scottie]

26. I know, I read that!!!

:rofl:

[tbyg52]

15. Too late.....!

:rofl:

From a ways down in the article:

Earlier this month, Baker conceded that the Muslims probably aren't after his land, but he said he had 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."

Edited to say:
Oops--we both got to the punch line at the very same minute..... ;)

[Ian David]

59. That's like, "3,000 of our troops have already died there. If we pull the rest out NOW..." n/t

[calzone]

16. I don't think I recall a Muslim ever...

...holding Sunday "cross" races and grilling white doves because of a church going up next to him.
Of course, if he did, he certainly wouldn't be trying to offend anybody.

[Name removed]

21. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[seabeyond]

17. "They totally disrespected me and my family." because asked to remove cattle

from their lands? lol. well. so very childish of this baker dude. but then so is much of this behavior on blind hate and the new republican way. all so adolescent

[tbyg52]

18. Makes me proud to be a Texan!

:sarcasm:
Resident Susan Canavespe said the pig racing wasn't mean-spirited -- "It's just Texas-spirited."

[Solo_in_MD]

19. Been following this for a while, and there is more to it than that...

Muslims group bought the land next to a guy (Baker) whose family has been in that area since the 1800s. He had a lease there to graze cattle, but left immediatley at their request.

After that it became a case of he said/he said...
Baker holds that the leader of the Muslim group told him he would need to move his business from there since they wanted his land too for their school/mosque etc. They claim no such thing was said. Baker is on record stating he will pay for the polygraphs to prove he is telling the truth

Since then:
- At a public meeting Baker was called a liar by the Muslims
- Neighbors have reacted negatively to a mosque being built there
- Offers to buy the land at a much higher price have been refused by the Muslims
- Baker has installed pigpens adjacent to the common property line. Not sure if the pig races have started yet.
- Land sharks have been called in.

Baker is casting it as a property rights issue, not a religeous one.

Some of the quotes attiuted to Baker by this article are found nowhere else including the comment it started over a request move the cattle. The rest of the published articles are along what I stated above.

[tbyg52]

20. Thanks for the info

Sounds like there's blame to go around, but I still say the pig races were a pretty stupid idea.

[Solo_in_MD]

23. Agree with that part of it...

Seen them at county fairs and such, and they qualify as mildly amusing on a semi annual basis, not weekly.

[calzone]

24. I dug a little deeper....

It's hard to get anything from the source, I found the Katy-times but while a story by them is referenced in the search engine, you can't pull up anything at the site. I always like to go as close to the city as possible. The Houston Chronicle forces you to register. But the LA Times had a good, detailed article. While it does appear to be a case of he said/they said, it sure looks like what it originally appeared to be, a case of Bush propaganda-inspired fear and religious intolerance. Mr. Baker moved his cattle, and then returned a thank you gift sent to him. Why? because he says the Muslim rep suggested he move so as to separate Baker's business from the vicinity of worship. This is possible, and the Muslim rep denies he said that, but it isn't central to the issue and personally, given the atmosphere that appears to surround the conflict, I think Baker is lying. Here's some extracts from the article, decide for yourselves.....
--------______________________________________________________________________--------

"Baker has since put up a website, AmericanPigRace.com. "I will use my property as I see fit," Baker wrote on the opening page.

He continued: "My only objective here is to protect my property rights and the American values and traditions that the Baker family has enjoyed on Baker Road since the early 1800s.

"It is high time that we as Americans 'Take A Stand.'

"MAY GOD BLESS AMERICA."

Another resident's website, anonymously registered, features an odometer-like counter that keeps track of attacks that "Islamic terrorists have carried out" since Sept. 11; a link to the FBI; and a link to a recording of the Muslim call to prayer. "Get used to it," reads the tagline. "You will be hearing it 5 times a day 365 days a year."

"Do I want something with a big gold dome behind my house? No. Do I want to keep hearing the call-to-prayer thing? No," said Laura Hughes, a member of the newly formed Preserve the Lifestyle and Neighborhoods of Katy.

Hughes' husband, Michael, bristles at the idea that residents' objections are related to religious intolerance. "I don't care if it's a Catholic church or a mosque," he said. "This home is my retirement, and I'm going to protect its value."

Recent polls show that residents here aren't alone in their fears. About a quarter of respondents in a Gallup Poll in the summer said they would not want to live next door to a Muslim. A third thought that Muslims in the United States sympathized with Al Qaeda.

CAIR spokeswoman Rabiah Ahmed said it was not uncommon for people to say that a mosque would bring down their property values. "In order to stay away from being labeled racist, they try to come up with a more sophisticated response to support their opposition," she said.

County Commissioner Steve Radack said that he had received fewer than 10 complaints and that residents were getting worked up about issues that could be solved. Traffic at the mosque can be controlled by off-duty sheriff's deputies. Flooding and draining issues will have to be resolved before new construction can begin.

Fotouh said that daily calls to prayer would be made inside the building. "Someone will not be yelling on top of the roof," he said."

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-pigraces26dec26,0,5110963.story?coll=la-home-nation

[Solo_in_MD]

25. From what I have read the tipping point was the neighborhood meeting

where he was called a liar publically...which has been verified independently. Up until then it was more of a private matter. Now both sides have land sharks and public postions that make retreat hard. I did read on his pig racing site that unpermitted work was started on the site but was stopped when local authorities were called.

All in all its a mess with no face saving way out for either side.

[beam me up scottie]

28. Oh, yes, he was definitely provoked.

Are you fucking serious?

You don't place ANY blame on your boy in Texas, do you?

It was those eeeeeeeeeeeeeevil muslims trying to take over God's Great Land.

[Solo_in_MD]

34. As I said, its he said/he said

And until people got called out publiclly (on both sides) it might have been resolvable, now neither side will budge...not a good thing. I have not said whether I believe him or not...I dont know and really dont care. However, Boston.com took a lot of short cuts on this one...

[beam me up scottie]

37. The fact that you don't care is obvious.

Unfortunately, the bigot's Texan neighbors do.

Or haven't you been to the website to see the hate for yourself?

[havocmom]

41. Reminds me of cracker shit from all over America when neighborhoods integrated

by families of color moving into areas formerly restricted to whites only. Same ignorance, intolerance, and VERY SAME bullshit rationalizations.

A-mazing. It's like seeing a re-run of the foolishly-afraid America of my childhood. I take heart in remembering that the ignorant bigots of those days were overcome by those marching for justice and equality. The spirit and pormis of America moved forward back then. Hope this, too, signals the turning of the tides to more tolerance and friendship.

America, Love it or leave it practice the principles and stop hating!

[LynnTheDem]

48. However did so many Americans become so damned stupid?

Ignorant, stupid, idiots.

The world has been calling us such for years now. Now I understand why.

How bloody embarrassing.

[Ian David]

60. Living near a mosque doesn't lower property values, especially if...

when you're ready to sell your property, you advertise in Muslim newspapers.

Geesh!

It's just a matter of finding the right targeted audience to get the best price.

"For Sale: Ranch with pig racettrack, walking distance to mosque. Beautiful view of gold dome."

[Ian David]

61. I want to open a gay bar and/or abortion clinic on the other side of Baker's property.

We can hold weekly fetus-tossing contests and/or gay kissing marathons.

[Ms. Clio]

27. Thanks for the additonal info.

He's just a lying asshole bigot who deserves no defense from anyone here.

[beam me up scottie]

29. And yet,

here, he gets one.

This place is doing wonders for my diet the last few days, I'll say that.

[Ms. Clio]

30. He and his pigs are warriors in the Clash of Civilizations

His stupid hate will make us strong.

[TheCowsCameHome]

31. My money is on the pigs in his case

[Lars39]

33. OT,

but what does your sig line mean? :hi:

[TheCowsCameHome]

43. Try doing it and see what happens when they wave back

[Lars39]

47. I was going to ask if you'd been involved in a near-fatal wheelbarrow

accident, but it sounds so hokey. :D
Seriously, though,my husband had a bruised kidney from a handle that was knocked out of his hands due to rough terrain.
We both have a new respect for the "lowly" wheelbarrow now. :)

[beam me up scottie]

39. ROFLMAO!!!

:rofl:

[beam me up scottie]

32. I had no idea.

Honestly, I'm gob smacked.

I get accused of persecuting christians all the time on DU because I am a militant "secularist" with little use for religion.

But at least I'm an equal opportunity secularist.

He's a bigot.

[Rex]

22. Whoopse, he done opened up a can of whipass

on agnorance! Denial, denial, oh why can't you be a river in Egypt!

[Rosemary2205]

35. This whole thread cracks me up.

I'll admit I don't remember who on DU was all upset about but I remember quite a few threads on DU saying a Christian guard at Gitmo touching the Koran with his left hand was equal to torture of the muslim prisoners there.

I'm just sitting here thinking this RW dude is not the only one to take offense at the drop of a hat. Perhaps there is a need for acceptance and understanding on both sides..........

[jody]

36. Agree, IMO tolerance would prevent many conflicts. n/t

[beam me up scottie]

49. Oh JOY! A sermon from you on tolerance would just make my day!

Do go on.

[Solon]

40. Yeah, having folks locked up with no charges...

is definitely comparable to some oversensitive neighbor, yeah I see that. :sarcasm:

[Rosemary2205]

42. IMHO

there are many reasons why Gitmo is all wrong and IMHO the US is guilty of torture in more ways that even we know about. I'm just not sure touching a Koran left handed rises to the level of torture.

[Solon]

45. Its not like Muslims have a monopoly on oversensitivity....

Remember the Uproar over the "Jesus in a piss bottle" thing? I remember that being featured on the news for MONTHS and MONTHS.

I'll give another example, the "Cartoon protests/riots" that occurred over the political cartoons that portrayed Mohammad as a terrorist. Some folks were talking about those Muslims that were protesting as being oversensitive, and that Christians wouldn't act that way. I objected to the idea that Christians would behave any better, however, their hasn't really been any comparison in real life. But, and this is conjecture, but I feel its grounded in reality, that if the New York Times published a political cartoon of Jesus molesting a 5 year old in a confessional, I don't really think the protests in this country, and around the world, would be so peaceful. In fact, I would imagine that the Times building would be a pile of rubble before the end of the day, but like I said, that's just conjecture.

[Rosemary2205]

46. I totally agree

there are a good many people who could benefit by a little mutual understanding - and not just when it comes to religion either. IMHO most of us could benefit by a just a little live and let live philosophy.

[Solon]

50. To be honest, the only thing I remember creating an uproar was the...

"general" disrespect of the Koran that was displayed by the guards, including, but not limited to, throwing them on the floor, kicking them, flushing pages down the toilet, etc. I would imagine that those are much more offensive to religious Muslims than picking up the book with the "wrong" hand. Besides, I don't even rightly know if Muslims view the left hand as "unclean" in the same way that Jews and Christians do.

ON EDIT: I'm a Southpaw myself, so this could be considered "personal" to me.

[TerdlowSmedley]

38. I'll bet this man has a brilliant future in Texas politics.

Do I smell a Governorship?

[TheCowsCameHome]

44. He claimed he brought home the bacon, but the budget was full of pork

[madeline_con]

51. "They totally disrespected me and my family."

How does he figure?

[beam me up scottie]

52. Well, they ARE muslim and they ARE in Texas.

At least, that's all I could get out of it. :crazy:

[madeline_con]

55. And they made him mooove his cattle... n/t

[beam me up scottie]

58. You guys are missing out on the thread of the year in GD!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x3008916

[karlrschneider]

53. I don't eat fundies, I just hate them.

:eyes:

[Solon]

56. You know, I wonder what a freeper's brain tastes like...

You know, the muscles an animal uses least tastes best, think turkey breast, and since they don't use that particular organ, I wonder...

:)

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

57. It tastes just like a chicken's brain ...

... only smaller.