'Victory Mosque' at Ground Zero?

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'Victory Mosque' at Ground Zero?

N.Y. court clears last legal hurdle for Park 51

This is a rush transcript from "The Five," July 14, 2011. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

ERIC BOLLING, CO-HOST: Hello, everyone. It's 5 o'clock on the East Coast. And this is "The Five."

I'm Eric Bolling, alongside Andrea Tantaros, Bob Beckel, Dana Perino and Greg Gutfeld.

"The Five" starts right now.

(MUSIC)

BOLLING: A New York court has the paved the way for the Ground Zero mosque to be built at the World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan. We all know this project has seen major pushback from families of 9/1 victims because they feel the mosque lies on sacred ground. And who can blame them? There are bone fragments from 3,000 innocent people there.

And there's really no question that the Ground Zero mosque is, in fact, a victory mosque -- a victory by Al Qaeda over the American innocence. We woke up that September 12th realizing there are forces of evil willing to go further than we could ever have imagined to kill us. And somehow one of the biggest lessons to come out of the tragedy is how tolerant we have to be of those who hate us.

So, now ground-breaking is set to begin. But listen to whey found out from a group of construction workers when I asked them if they would work on the mosque.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOLLING: I agree with the Constitution. They have a right to build it whenever they want. They can build it here across the street. But should they?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I no problem with it.

BOLLING: Should they?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No mosque.

BOLLING: Don't build it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No mosque.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think they should build it.

BOLLING: Would you work on it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

BOLLING: So, you would turn away the job not to work on the mosque?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLLING: And this just in, moments ago, we got word from a senior U.S. official that bin Laden was working on an attack against America to mark the 10th anniversary of 9/11. This is based on information obtained from the raid on his compound.

Dana, there has been a lot of questions about bin Laden, weapons of mass destruction. But now we know he was going to do it again. They were after us again.

DANA PERINO, CO-HOST: I think we have to assume they're going to try to do it every day, which is why one of the reasons -- one thing we talk about this whole week. The security and how we have to protect ourselves, we have to be right every time. They have to be right just once.

President Bush, who I worked for when I was at the White House the two terms that he was president, he was the first to call for tolerance after 9/11, especially religious tolerance. It was one of the first things he did was go to a mosque.

I think a lot of people are going to be surprised that the mosque is back on the table. I think people thought it had gone away as an issue. They will be surprised, shocked, outraged.

And I just think that for the tolerance that they are seeking, that they say they are seeking -- the mosque builders -- that they would be better off building it somewhere else.

BOLLING: Before we dig deep in the mosque, Bob, go ahead, take a victory lap because I'm sure I'm going to hear it from you right now. You got bin Laden. Your guy got bin Laden. Yes, he did. Go ahead.

BOB BECKEL, CO-HOST: Yes, he did. Yes. Yes. Did you just hear that?

(LAUGHTER)

Look, the whole reason for 9/11 is to go after the foundation of the nation and among the most important is religious freedom. And the Muslims, the radical Muslims couldn't stand that. The idea that somehow that we don't allow, we don't want them to have them build a mosque somewhere near Ground Zero, I agree it would be better from a public relations standpoint, to be some place else, but they have every right in the world to build there. And they should build there if that is the only place they can build. I don't get it.

ANDREA TANTAROS, CO-HOST: This is bigger than public relations, Bob. They have a right to build there, of course. We don't want to tell them where they can build their places of worship.

My issue here is, though, the Cordoba House says they are doing it, as you said, Dana, to build a bridge. It seems like a one-way bridge. They don't care about the feelings. They know they're exacerbating them.

And another thing, Eric, I want to know if this new attorney general, Schneiderman in New York, is going to investigate. He said he will only investigate if there's ties to terror.

They go after other charities in New York. They went after breast cancer charities and the fake nuns in Brooklyn --

BOLLING: You mean go after their money? Find out where they're funded from?

TANTAROS: Just find out where it's coming from. Wouldn't it better if they did go to the Cordoba House, which is broke, by the way, where they're getting the money and say, you know what? We cleared it. It's actually OK. Everyone relax. It's not funded by terror sources.

GREG GUTFELD, CO-HOST: I had some experience with the Cordoba House. And I have to say, they came off as a bunch of jerks. They really are. I mean, it's kind of like the idea that -- of course, it's OK to do something. Yes, it's your right. But there is a taste question. Like, I can sing show tunes in a crowded elevator but I don't. I want to, but I don't.

But I actually tweeted them and I told them I was opening up a gay bar next door to their mosque and I was saying I was happy that they would be there and I would be right next to them. They scolded me for being -- for not respecting their, you know, their --

(CROSSTALK)

TANTAROS: They don't like that?

(CROSSTALK)

BECKEL: Look, you know, if you're going to investigate everybody who builds something in this city for whether they properly take care of their taxes or not, or whether -- you're suggesting they are funded by terrorists, is that right? Is that the suggestion here?

TANTAROS: Well, let's see. They're broke and this is going to cost $100 million.

BECKEL: Well?

TANTAROS: So, why not look into it? It's the attorney general's job to regulate charity.

BOLLING: Do me a favor, guys. Do you have that full screen of top of that building? That's Park 51 from the top. And there's an important part of the picture on the top. Forget that it looks like a flag upside down which is a distress signal.

But in the corner, there's black spot in the corner. That is where the landing gear from one of the airplanes that went into the World Trade Center, it landed on the top of the building that is going to be the World Trade Center mosque.

BECKEL: What is your point?

BOLLING: My point is it's a burial ground. Here we go. See the black spot in upper right corner right here? That's where landing gear fell to the top.

BECKEL: It looks like an air conditioning unit.

BOLLING: No, Bob, it's not. It happens to be landing gear.

My point is there are families of 3,000 people who found bone fragments on that roof as well who say you can't build a mosque there. These are -- this may be some of the people who are involved in killing their families.

BOLLING: Would you say the same thing if one of these financial building that were hurt or ruined during 9/11 that they should not be able to rebuild because it happens to be a bone fragment in their area? Would you say that to Merrill Lynch or somebody else who was down there, who happen to have their building knocked over?

BOLLING: If the families don't say build it, yes, I'd say same thing.

TANTAROS: The difference is Merrill Lynch would move.

BECKEL: Merrill Lynch would move, my butt.

TANTAROS: If it was trying to as Cordoba House or whatever it's called is trying to actually build this bridge and improve Muslim relations and make this a sign of peace, they would not be literally ripping open the hearts of 9/11 families.

BECKEL: Merrill Lynch would move.

GUTFELD: I think the thing that bugs me, if they want to build it, that's fine. And I think we all kind of agree with that. I mean, they have the right to build it. It's that if you question the taste, you are now guilty of the new kind of bigotry that came out within the last year, Islamophobia. If you say -- I say it's a jerky thing to do. That's how I feel. But you got to let them do it. That's America.

BOLLING: But why do they want to, Greg? There are offers from other buildings to move.

(CROSSTALK)

GUTFELD: I think they're clueless. I think the developers there had no idea what they were getting into when they got into when they did this.

(CROSSTALK)

GUTFELD: I think they were shocked by the amount of anger. And when they saw that anger, they should have backed off.

BECKEL: Do they own the building? Let me ask a question. Do they own it?

BOLLING: Cordoba House got together with a developer, a guy who apparently years ago was a waiter somehow came up with $5 million to buy the Park 51 location. So, now, Cordoba House gets together with this guy. There is funding for up to $200 million, not $100 million, but $200 million for this project that no one knows where it's coming from.

PERINO: The other thing I think that is worth mentioning is the poll that was out today that said that America is even less popular now in the Arab world than before 9/11, before President Obama came. I think that President Obama and President Bush, all of them, Secretary Clinton, we've tried all of this outreach. And at some point, I think Americans look at one another and say, why don't we stick up for each other for once?

TANTAROS: Exactly.

GREG: There's a weird thing about that poll, though. The weird thing about is they're saying the reason why the rating is so low is because United States killed bin Laden. So, why are we trying to appease people who are angry at us for killing homicidal maniac? That makes no sense to me.

(CROSSTALK)

PERINO: I agree with the call to bill bin Laden and so --

(CROSSTALK)

BECKEL: Is it normal procedure for to us investigate where people get their financing to build things?

BOLLING: Absolutely.

BECKEL: If Merrill Lynch --

(CROSSTALK)

BOLLING: -- especially because as Dana points out --

TANTAROS: Awful P.R. for Merrill Lynch, Bob, and they would move.

BOLLING: Merrill Lynch pays taxes. This place won't.

(CROSSTALK)

TANTAROS: And why are we sending an imam to Middle East to raise money? That's another great question.

BECKEL: What is wrong with us? Muslims have a religion, one of the three biggest religions of the world.

TANTAROS: But it doesn't make it right, Bob.

BECKEL: Is it -- it would be better if it was 20, 30 blocks away? Sure it would. But why do we continue to have picked at this scab? If it's going to get built, it's going to get built. Leave it alone.

BOLLING: It would be better than five blocks away where bone fragments weren't found and the families will say, OK, go ahead.

(CROSSTALK)

PERINO: I can't believe it they're actually talking about why are we picking a scab, especially --

BECKEL: No, no, I mean, this issue went away, I thought. And now, all of a sudden, it's back again.

PERINO: What you do -- this is how you make a living, picking a scab, things that have been healed over.

BECKEL: Are you accusing me of trying to start a fight? I don't start a fight.

GUTFELD: If it gets built, it gets built. But we could still talk about how screwed up it is.

BECKEL: I can pick at a scab, right?

GUTFELD: Yes, you can.

(CROSSTALK)

BOLLING: Guys, and again, we're not questioning the right to build it, but is it right?

All right, yesterday, I misspoke when saying there were no U.S. terror attacks during the Bush years. Obviously, I meant in the aftermath of 9/11. But that's when the radical liberal left pounced on us and me. Media Matters posted my error saying I forgot about 9/11.

No, I haven't forgotten. You see, I happened to be standing there watching in true terror as radical Islamists slammed planes in the towers that morning. I remember the towers collapsing, killing 3,000, including 16 of my close friends, and I really remember trying to comfort the kids of my friends at their memorial services.

I'll never forget 9/11. But thank you, liberals, for reminding me how petty you can be.

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