Posted on 02/13/2008 7:26:49 AM PST by jdm
Danish newspapers have demonstrated solidarity with Kurt Westergaard and Jyllands-Posten today. After the arrests of conspirators determined to assassinate the editorial cartoonist, the other newspapers in Denmark today have reprinted the cartoon that aroused the ire of Muslims in the first place. They want to make the point that no one can intimidate them into silence:
Newspapers in Denmark Wednesday reprinted the controversial cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed that sparked worldwide protests two years ago.
The move came one day after Danish authorities arrested three people who allegedly were plotting a "terror-related assassination" of Kurt Westergaard, one of the cartoonist behind the drawings.
Berlingske Tidende, one of the newspapers involved in the republication, said: "We are doing this to document what is at stake in this case, and to unambiguously back and support the freedom of speech that we as a newspaper always will defend," in comments reported by The Associated Press.
The move comes amid some serious soul-searching in Europe. The incident has clarified issues regarding Islamic aggressiveness in intimidating people into silence. CNN notes that the arrests have made it clear to Europeans that Islamists intend on suppressing speech in order to keep criticism of their actions to a minimum.
Unfortunately, American newspapers and media outlets do not appear interested in expressing the same solidarity. CNN doesn't include the image in its report, and so far, I haven't seen any newspaper cover it yet, although they may tomorrow. Only the New York Times gave any coverage to the arrests in today's editions.
In solidarity with the Danish newspapers, here's the cartoon that has assassins targeting Westergaard:
Perhaps bloggers can take up some of the slack, and provide some leadership for our media outlets here in the US. At the very least, we can do so to salute the courage of the Danes on the front lines for free speech. It's easy to defend free speech when it doesn't cost anyone anything. The Danes have manned the barricades when it counts. (via CapQ reader Paul Havenmann)
UPDATE: I will try to link any blogger who links this post and demonstrates solidarity with the Danes by publishing this cartoon. If you can't get a trackback, put the link in my comments. I'll post updates during the day with links as I see them, at least for today.
UPDATE II: Michelle and I were posting on this at about the same time, and with the same thought. She has the list of solidarity bloggers from the blogburst two years ago.
THE LIST:
Michelle Malkin (linked above)
The Trading Post
DocWeasel (warning: NSFW)
They should publish the cartoon everyday.
Yes, they should publish the cartoons every day. And didn’t I read that they sent these guys back to their countries of origin? Rather than imprison them or shoot them at dawn. So they are a plane-ride away, should they chose to change their names and finish the job.
Kind of like escorting cockroaches to the front porch, imho.
The question I suppose is... Who would show solidarity with me?
Considering where I am posting from, I might find myself in a lot of trouble.
The fear that you live under is real, the fear that the hand that feeds you will use the powers that it wields to cut of your nourishment. It is the worst kind of fear, the fear that drives you to take a knife and stab yourself in your soul in the hopes that your own self-sacrifice will be enough to stave off the clenched fist.
There have been many times that I have wanted to speak out on certain sensitive issues, many times that I want to write more on important issues and perhaps give a more in-depth story, but each time I am forced to analyze the dire implications and consequences that I will face should I happen to cross the line. I try to rationalize with myself, I try to be creative at times and perhaps just allude to certain issues in the hope that my readers will be astute enough to read between the lines. This is how self-censorship works.
Self-censorship is the worst kind of censorship because it thrives on hypocrisy, sycophancy, and mendacity. Holding back the tears, there are times when I loath myself for not having the courage as a free man to stand up. But I can rationalize that as well, I think of my family, my friends and my own security and then I say to myself that I am making this self-sacrifice not for myself but for them...
continued...
I wish they sold toilet paper like that at Wal-Mart!!!
Copied from FReeper: areafiftyone
Click the Pic
What a wonderful idea. Air drop this stuff over Saudi.
KA-BOOM!!!!!
Perfect example of islumists.
Good for the Danes. I wish the U.S. would show that kind of courage. After all, the Islamofascists killed 3,000 of our people and the NY Times can’t publish this picture? It boggles the mind.
The baby boom cartoon isn’t the least bit funny. They also use retarded and Downs Syndrome children. I hope hell has an especially hot place for these devils.
And a little update:
PET the Danish security police made five pre-dawn arrest. Two were quickly released. One, a Maroccan who has been granted Danish citizenship (Sometimes I wonder....) has also been released charged with conspiracy. Two Tunesians have been imprisoned and they are to be deported according to a law in which people who are believed to pose a threath to the Danish realm can be expelled on the spot without trial and without being told why.
PET has told the public that they naturally cannot publish details but that there were concrete plans to carry out an assassination and that these plans had been underway for at least three months.
It was decided to make the arrests now, without having sufficient material to convict the persons in court, rather than wait and risk something happening.
An unknown number have now been more or less secretly expelled from Denmark this way.
One of the men’s (Danish) wife appeared on TV today, completely covered. You could hardly see her eyes and in that way she involuntarily led creedence to the action taken by the police.
This is the fourth major plot that has been twarted by PET here in Denmark within the past two years.
Good for the Danes. I hope we have a ‘deport-without-proof’ law too. But why would you only deport these thugs? Why not hang them high? They are just one airport away from doing it again, and now they have a plan.
We Solomons are genetically Vikings, here in LA — Icelandic, Norwegian, a smattering of Irish and Scotch. We watch with amazement as the present-day Vikings treat Muslims with kid gloves. Where is the Berzerker gene? Has it totally been bred out? Is it, in Denmark, like it is here — the government makes pretty while the citizens get it??
In another life, I lived in Copenhagen for three years in the early sixties. At that time the halo effect/affect of the WW II was very positive toward the US. They loved us. On a later trip in 1980, the same people that loved us started to show their hate. Ugly Americans etc.
Dear wife and I spent Christmas 2007 with one of the same families. They love us again. This little country is very proud. I think they are showing a lot of courage with this.
On another note, their Folkeregister (People register) is a very strong system. They have the means to know where every single one of these guests reside. Piss off the system and you’re history.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
