Following the alleged burning of a copy of the Koran by half-wit, inbred, attention-seeking Florida pastor Terry Jones, riots swept through Afghanistan in which huge mobs of peace-loving Muslims killed 30 people, injured over 150 more, with the numbers expected to rise.
Hope n' Change wants to be very, very clear: Terry Jones is an idiot, a zealot and a provocateur. None of which we actually need these days to keep the world from becoming boring.
But he didn't kill anyone.
And if the media and government want to insist "he should have known better," they can only do so by simultaneously conceding that there is a greater and more volatile danger to the West from the Islamic world in general than we're being told. "Religion of Peace" and "huge, murderous mobs" are just not phrases that can logically coexist.
Of course, when insanity characterizes both sides of any issue, we can rely on our government to immediately intercede with insanity of its own. In this case, Senator Lindsey Graham (best known for his beloved starring role in the TV sitcom "NewsRadio") has come forward to suggest that this might be a good time to amend the First Amendment to make it a crime to burn a Koran (although burning American flags and urinating on images of Jesus are still okay...and in fact are eligible for generous government funding).
After which, if it will help keep the peace, we suppose it could be made a crime to utter any criticism of Islam in America. Or for women to show their hair in public. Or their faces. Or to give a child a sexually ambiguous name like "Lindsey."
In the end, it's not impossible to keep "the religion of peace" from turning violent. It's as easy as letting them (or helping them) burn our Constitution.
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29 comments:
The main stream media made the story of a backwater preacher with a handful of followers into an international news story. Who's the responsible one?
When all is said and done, I can't help but keep reminding myself: Jones burned his Koran from the safety of his Gainesville, Florida home. If he really had the deep-rooted convictions he proclaims, shouldn't he have done it in Kandahar?
Just sayin...
DanInTampa
News Flash for Generals: When you were put in charge of thousands of armed men you GAVE UP your right to make political statements and to correct and/or criticize the political statements of private citizens. I have made this statement more than one place on the web WITH MY NAME. Also, in a letter to my local paper. I choose not to share my name here, but I am sure you can find me if you like as can your armed sub-ordinates and many weak minded individuals. The Hatch Act has been to SCOTUS TWICE and lower courts many times. It covers mere employees. Your position is MUCH MORE SERIOUS. It is NOT a violation of any free speech rights you fantasize about. Although I disagree with him most of the time we have a POTUSA and many many other political leaders. YOU NEED TO SHUT UP when you decide you have the right to correct private citizens' political speech. Apparently your commander in chief finds it convenient, but I do not. The citizens, the PRIVATE citizens and their elected representatives have free speech rights. YOU GAVE YOURS UP VOLUNTARILY when you were put in charge of hundreds of thousands of armed men. Your obvious political ambitions have NO PLACE IN THE ARMED FORCES. Check "Eisenhower", "Grant" and "Sherman" for helpful guides to behaviour while in uniform -- not "MacArthur", or did your Mom also accompany you to West Point, Sir? I will NOT give my personal opinion of the actions you chose to criticize other than to point out that if the Flag of the United States, The Constitution of the United States, and the Bible may -- according to the Supreme Court and current law -- be burned and that act be considered "political speech" ALL FOUR of which I hold Sacred, then the action you criticized is political speech and OFF LIMITS to you. I will NOT share any opinion on that speech although it is MY RIGHT, lest I appear to make less serious your violation of it.
Apropos to which is this and even more so this!
Frank at IMAO gets to the heart of it in a post he made yesterday:
many on the left see Muslims not as fellow human beings, but as subhuman animals who can’t be held responsible for their violent reactions.
Idiots and those that love seeing their name in the media (Jones, Obama, Pelosi, Reid, etc.) will do anything for attention. It is like a narcotic to them.
Personally, I think burning ANY book smacks of the 40's era nut cases that came to power in Europe and Asia. Books allow choice, you read them or you don't...end of story.
Radical thought abounds on the fringe and while there appears to be more fringe in Islam, they don't outnumber those who just want to get along.
Personally, I am sick of the media giving the nut jobs more attention than they deserve. Too many real problems need attention. Jones would never have become an issue had not the crap stirring media given him more credit than he deserved...all of them.
Ricko
Oh, I almost forgot this one too. Burning a Koran is supposedly an offense that is so great it can only be answered with mass murder. So what else could cause such a violent response?
Singing in praise of Allah gets you murdered by Islamist militants
Burn a Koran, - riots
Print a cartoon - riots
Christians in your neighborhood? - Riot
Clearly, it's the religion of riots...
I'm just waiting to see what shenanigans Mr Jones gets up to at the Mosque, this w/e...
Of course the guy is an idiot. That being said, would it have been ok with muslims if he grabbed a muslim off the street and cut off his head? That's what they do to innocents. Face the facts, muslims don't need a reason to riot, they're just looking for an excuse.
It's past time we tell them we'll pay them 5 bucks for a barrel of oil and we'll start drilling everywhere here in America. Off our shores etc. until we no longer need their damn oil. Persanally, I've grown weary of that demented sand box.
I realize that will never happen though..
But I can dream can't I? Hell, that's the only thing left they haven't taxed.
I knew they would use that Koran burning as an excuse for violence and then America would pander even more to the Muslims. Its sickening.
While I do not think the pastor should have burned the Koran...and it makes me angry that there are idiotic pastors out there making the rest of Christianity look bad....I'm getting sick of Muslims being protected while Christians are constantly being mocked and degraded everywhere....in tv shows, in the news, and in practical everyday life. We no longer have Christmas (especially no manger scenes), many Christians have a hard time getting Sundays off at their jobs, and Jesus is either ignored completely and prohibited at schools to an extreme degree....and occasionally completely desecrated in the name of art (as mentioned in today's comic.). But oh my, heaven forbid anyone use the free speech of burning a Koran, or saying something hateful about a Muslim, or preventing them from building a shrine over a place they murdered thousands of people! Can you see the Baptists being allowed to build a chapel in NYC with government help????? The thing is, like it or not, this country began with Christian roots, which is why, originally, prayer and the ten commandments were in public schools...because thats how public schools BEGAN. Its not like the Christians came and took over and pushed it on everyone...look at the mentions of God and the Bible in our newly birthed government 200 years ago!!!! So why is it such a big deal now? Oh well.
Basically nobody should be burning Korans if they don't want Bibles burned...on the other hand...idiotic free speech is absolutely NO excuse for mass murder, and we should be ignoring the idiots and strongly condemning the murderers.
This is a horrific lesson in the evils of demagoguery. Webster's defines a demagogue as a "leader who makes use of popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power." The pastor who burned the Koran is a useful idiot. He did (after all is said and done) prove his point. The greater evil was done by Karzai himself who whipped up the outrage in Afghanistan. Let us be alert to the demagoguery from our own media and various leaders be they political, cultural or religious. You know, words like, "vast right wing conspiracy" and "they cling to their guns and religion." This is a teaching moment.
@Suzy, don't you get it? The reason that Christians get no respect compared to Muslims is because masses of Christians do not go on murderous rampages every time they are told that they should be offended. So they get no respect from the liberal elite, who feel quite comfortable and safe maligning them at every opportunity.
On the other hand, the liberal elite actually respects Muslims for a purely practical reason: They know that Christians will not storm the headquarters of the New York Times wearing suicide belts, whereas radicalized Muslims will should the Times say something that might displease them. (This has certainly been the hard lesson still being learned in Europe)
Liberals are cowards.
Stilton, I humbly disagree.
It IS possible to stop the so called "religion of peace" from doing hourly violence around the globe.
I had actually thought our governemnt would have learned by now that the only way to fight fire ... is with fire. The libtard method of talking nice and 'holding back' our Armed Services from actually doing thier job has failed so many times, I truly believed they would have learned.
All that is needed is to take the gloves off! Muslim radical problem ... solved. Illegal immigration ... solved (deported permanently - not housed in our prisons for life).
Return in kind what each group brings to the table of bounty in the United States. Kill off a few thousand of the radical Muslims - up close and personal, they will get the message. If not kill more, until they DO get the message!
Sooner or later they WILL either get the message ... or cease to exist (as a problem or a religion).
Take the gloves off completely ... speak to them in the only language they understand! They do something violent ... return the favor ten-fold. Sooner or later they WILL get tired of having a mud-hole stomped in thier butts every time they raise a hand against another human.
'Warm and Fuzzy' just does not work with these kinds of people. Period.
IMHO ...
Doc - agreed, no warm and fuzzy.
The attitude is "convert, submit, or die"
Our response is, and must be a firm, resounding, NO.
Period.
Readers- Wow, quite a firestorm of comments here this morning! And it's not surprising, considering the volatility of the subject matter.
As Earl (and others) point out, the book burning should have (and would have) been a non-event if it wasn't then amplified in political speeches by Karzai - who in this case did much more than the media to inflame the masses, and is largely responsible for the deaths which followed. And this is a "teachable moment" that demagoguery is dangerous...and that blood is too casually used as a political lubricant.
I've got to say that I like Dan In Tampa's suggestion (Anonymous #2 at the top of these comments) that if Pastor Jones really wants to make his point, he should go to Afghanistan to burn a Koran and let the world see what happens to him. Doing anything less, while knowing that his actions will get innocent people killed, is hypocrisy and cowardice of the worst kind. And claiming to do it in the name of Christianity is an obscenity.
Frankly, I question why this pastor with one book. I believe that he should have torched a dump truck load of Korans and then dumped another load on top of that to make sure that those were on fire.
Why am I going to worry about offending savages??? I'm tired of watching these head choppers kill. I'm tired of the wake of innocent people strewn around.
The American people are fed up with screaming at our radios and televisions when the subject is Islam!!!!
Doug
Newark, Ohio
1 Corinthians 10:23 "All things are acceptable, but not all things are profitable; all things are acceptable, but not all things edify."
If Pastor Jones were truly a Christian, he would know this verse like the back of his hand. It is (in my humble opinion) one of the most important teachings in the Bible. Yes, Jesus took our sins upon himself, so we can do whatever we want without fear of punishment, BUT!!!
Pastor Jones: God and the constituion of this country gave you the right to burn that book, but how profitable was it? You have led many astray for your own glory; who was edified? I hope you are enjoying your time in the spotlight at the expense of so many innocent lives.
@Colby_Muenster- Excellent.
I am edified. I have learned that things done in our society that are perfectly legal and tolerated will be used by other cultures as a justification for riots and murder.
I believe that pastor Jones proved that this is not about him at all. Doc-Northern sees it, although his response is probably premature.
Colby_Muenster,
First, the Constitution did not grant anything. It was the people who had spines and were willing to drawn a line in the sand that gave those precious words to have teeth.
How many innocent lives were lost on 9-11??? Who started this party?? How many times in the Bible did God order Israel into battle??? How many people were killed at the direction of God?? Notice that I said "killed" and not "murdered"?? Remember, Jesus said that if you do not have a sword then sell your cloak and buy one. Do you think that He meant to use the sword to chop down weeds??
Ministers had a direct role in the birth of this nation. The men were not afraid to pick up a rifle and fight. Jesus never called on any man to be a worm!!!
Doug
Newark, Ohio
I think all of us are pretty much on the same page with this one. Stilton, your cartoon is spot on, right down to the blood on the scimitar. The radicalized islamists will use any excuse however nonsensical to kill infidels. What have we gained by not being able to call this war what it truely is - a War on Terror - and fight it the way Doc and Pete suggest? Would Danny Pearl still have his head if Obama had been president a decade ago? I think not. Nor would the tens of thousands who have died at the hands of these uncivilized animals. Political correctness and pacifism will not change the minds of people willing to blow up innocent people (including their own) to make a point or to retain power.
Just because you have the right to do something does not mean that it is the right thing to do. Anyway I recall that when "Piss Christ" was presented, Christians throughout the USA and Europe rampaged through the streets raping, pillaging, and killing hundreds of...um, well a few...eh ok I don't actually remember this at all. So remind me, which religion's followers are the mature ones? I know that I'm preaching to the choir here but why cannot the MSM just once make the same comparison?
So if you want to express an opinion in this country you should only do so if the Taliban approve? Isn't that what SJ's and Dan's "if you want to burn a Koran then go do it Afghanistan amounts to in the final analysis? If you can't say it there don't say it here?
Well, don't worry. As you all line up to loudly agree with General Petraus he is getting ready to take over Obama's CIA. Anybody doubt that if he can tell a Tampa Preacher what he can and cannot say long distance from Afghanistan then he would NEVER ever use the CIA to decide what we may say here in the USA. What's next, bat weilding unionist rioting because a two worker family has to struggle along on a quarter million and free health care for life and can't retire until they have put in twenty years? Sorry, Been there, did that, bought a President. Keep censoring my posts SJ, but I have screen prints. Someday I can send your grandkids pictures from prison if my local Muslim Congressman hasn't had be gunned down in the street yet. He already had compaign workers go by and ask my mother in law why is she still flying that damned American flag if she knows that is a mosque down on Plano Road there in Richardson.
If she wouldn't fly it in Kandihar she shouldn't fly it in Richardson, right? She's 82 and not doing well, but you guys will protect her, right? quietly. in the dark. when no one is looking. right? Brave bunch you are.... anon. right? I think for some the war on terror is a battle against being afraid. terror? Is there a "Saw VI" out Already? well, that's one, censured, two censured.... here goes the lifetime "ban", but I don't have to switch to an electric razor. I can still look in the mirror without vomiting from disgust. bye bye.
@Moronpolitics- Hopefully you'll see this; your earlier comments were NOT censored, banned, or edited by ME in any way. Let me explain...
Blogger/Blogspot has recently initiated a SPAM filter which grabs some comments and puts them in a SPAM folder until I can review them. This isn't a feature that I wanted, nor is it anything I can turn off. Neither can I tell it what to filter. All I can do is check the folder from time to time and check a "not spam" button so the filter will learn what's okay on my blog and what isn't.
After reading your post, Moronpolitics, I checked that folder and found that it had grabbed a post you made at 3:45 am (no wonder I didn't catch it at the time!). I told the filter that it's "not spam," and your comment is now in the #3 slot for the day.
To ALL people who comment here, please know that unless your remarks advocate violence or are in some other way unacceptable, I'm not going to mess with them. It doesn't matter if you agree with my opinions or not. If you've made a comment and it's not showing, please just make a followup comment bringing it to my attention so I'll know to check that blankety-blank spam folder.
I apologize for any inconvenience this causes (trust me, it's a pain in the butt for me too). Fortunately, the filter doesn't seem to grab much...but I'm sorry for the occasional confusion.
You know, sometimes these comics make me lean back and really appreciate your process, Stilton. Usually it's just Obama or another politician saying something funny, but stuff like this one - where a scimitar-wielding extremist appears to be menacing an upset ballet dancer - just make me laugh out loud at how silly it looks (the same goes for yesterdays, where a man is so upset at the prospect of Trump as a candidate that he, erm, turns into a sculpture.) Your writing is better, generally, in the ones where the politicians are the characters, but you really use your limited format to it's full effect in absurd ones like this.
The liberals are right to call out all forms of religious extremism, but they miss the point. Christianity has been defanged - Islam has not. There are moderate muslims out there, probably even the majority of them feel that way deep down, but as long as there is a nerve center of extreme fundementalism in power, this is a religion that should be viewed with some trepidation.
James wins the "Understatement of the Day" award with the line "...a religion that should be viewed with some trepidation."
@James- Thanks for genuinely thinking about the content of the cartoons (and the process). Believe it or not, it takes some time and effort on my part to try to make the cartoons work on both an artistic and cognitive level (yes, even when using clipart).
When I use politicians as "talking heads," it allows me to concentrate more directly on wordplay...but I also love doing cartoons that are more purely visual. Especially since the 3-panel format gives me very little room for text. They say that brevity is the soul of wit, but it's an absolute necessity when doing cartoons.
Maybe that's why my daily commentary has gotten longer over time; originally, there would only be a sentence or two added to the cartoon. But these days, there's either more that needs to be said... or perhaps I feel a greater need to say it. Probably both.
ISLAM DELENDA EST.
MORONPOLITICS IS STUPIDLIBERAL'S ALTER-EGO!
Evidence:
1. Both have a tenuous grasp of the english language (SL can't understand it, MP can't speak it).
2."Wha? My post isn't showing up. WHO DARES CONSPIRE AGAINST ME!!!" - thet both think like this.
3. They both have massive egos, believeing that what they say is scaring SJ into censoring them because it's so profound.
4. They both dislike SJ despite reading this blog regularly.
5. They're both conspiracy nuts (you just KNOW SL was a truther).
6. Neither of them understand the mechanics of blogspot.
DISCUSS
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