Oh, Dear

The Arab world in apparently in something of a tizz-wuzz over a Dutch newspaper's publishing of cartoons depicting the profit Mohammed. Not that they were particularly unflattering (although one showed his with a bomb in his turban), but any depiction of his personage is, apparently, considered a 'sacrilege' to his followers.

Of course, we have to take their word for how flattering or unflattering the pictures were. The courageous American papers who've followed the story haven't actually shown the cartoons in question.

The French have: "The Egyptian publisher of France Soir, which printed the controversial caricatures Wednesday, fired the paper's managing editor, Jacques LeFranc, late Wednesday night, saying, "We present our regrets to the Muslim community and to all people who have been shocked or made indignant by this publication."

Yes, we're so sorry about that, Muslim community. We know that you are insulted, and that you would never do anything like this to anyone else.

Oh, right.

There is no more racist, hateful, or religiously offensive media on our sad little globe than the Arab media. Every day of the week they publish hate - mostly anti-Semitic, but often anti-Christian and anti-anybody who doesn't march in complete lockstep with their view of divinity.

Want proof? Go to the Middle Eastern Media Research Institute. Read what they're printing. It's pretty chilling. And, just for kicks, go to Appendix III (a little more than halfway down the page) and see what their cartoons look like. See the one with the Arab dudes crucified? It's sure not kid's stuff - but that is what they raise their kids on. And we're still surprised at Hamas' victory?

So, while I am against any insult to any religious beliefs, it's hard to work up any righteous indignation on behalf of a major religion that treats all other religious like they're target practice. Mohammed with a bomb? Maybe if the murdering terrorists didn't use Mohammed and Allah as their justification for depravity, I'd say that was out of bounds. Maybe. But 'out of bounds' and 'in bad taste' still doesn't put a dent in the right to free speech.

The WaPo reporting on this is interesting, too, because they insist that Europe is 'secular.'
In another day of confrontation between the largely secular nations of Europe and Muslim countries where religion remains a strong force in daily life, Islamic activists threatened more widespread protests and boycotts of European businesses. While some European officials sought to defuse the crisis, many journalists insisted that despite Islamic outrage, religious sensibilities should not result in censorship.

Umm, don't we believe that, too? And why are the nations "largely secular?" European people are just as religious as anybody else - they just don't run church governments any more. And they don't vote for politicians like Little George who want to establish a theocracy. Because they're better at separating church and state than we are, that makes them 'secular?'

Some are questioning the timing of the publication - we're "at war" against Islamic terror. Is it really a good time to piss them off? Well, I would think that the ones who want to blow us up are already making their bombs. Those who are more inclined to just hate the West with our abominable speech freedom will continue to simply fund the terrorists. Where's the sea change here? They want me just as dead today as they did a month ago.

I'm going to go buy a pair of wooden shoes and eat whatever it is the Dutch eat, cheese or something, and buy some exported dyke or a painting or something.