Free Republic

Via Reason’s Michael Moynihan, who notes the media buzz over this today and wonders, “Why does a limited defense of free speech by the leader of a Western democracy provoke such astonishment from the press corps?” It’s a rhetorical question, of course. Anything rare is astonishing. Presenting him with a press freedom award, Mrs Merkel said Mr Westergaard was entitled to draw his caricatures.“Europe is a place where a cartoonist is allowed to draw something like this,” she said… “We are talking here about the freedom of opinion and the freedom of the press,” Ms Merkel said at the ceremony...

SBS TV has "deferred" an episode of the cartoon series South Park that caused outrage in church circles in the US and New Zealand. Dubbed "Bloody Mary", the episode features a statue of the Virgin Mary that bleeds "out her ass". It was screened in the US before Christmas, and its scheduling in New Zealand has caused heated controversy in New Zealand. The Australian reports that the statue sprays blood over everyone who walks behind it, including Stan's father Randy, who declares it a miracle as it stops him drinking. Pope Benedict XVI turns up to investigate and is also...

When future historians do their postmortem on the West, what will they cite as the cause of death? Caesarism? Suicide? Nuclear incineration? It may be nothing so dramatic, but just a general failure to thrive. You can sense it in the latest retreat from principle. Note the West's response, or lack of it, to the violent scenes in the Arab world and beyond as ambassadors are called home, boycotts declared, embassies burned, flags stomped et (usual) cetera -- all in response to some less-than-respectful depictions in a Danish newspaper of the Prophet, the blessings of Allah be upon him and...

Black Conservatives. Blogger extraordinaire, LaShawn Barber, has a thing or two to say about the NAACP, black leadership and the term "African American." LaShawn tells us the story of why this life-long liberal now calls herself a "right wing conservative!" Muslim Cartoon Controversy. Edina Lekovic, of the Muslim Public Affairs Council. Child Security. What you need to know about protecting your children from predators both online and at home! Listen to Mike Salcido of Child Security Network. MP3 audio links to all the interviews are here -http://www.justawoman.org/blog/2006/2/13/what-youve-been-waiting-for-highlights-of-just-a-woman-radio.html

Piss Christ vs. Cartoon Jihad By Rocco DiPippo FrontPageMagazine.com | February 6, 2006 Back in 1988, Andres Serrano submerged a crucifix in a vat of his urine, photographed the result and called it “art.” Naturally, many of the world's two billion Christians were bothered by his antics. Members of the U.S. Congress called for a hard look at the National Endowment for the Arts, which had helped fund Serrano. Public outcry against Serrano was vocal and widespread. As the uproar grew, numerous editorials in defense of Piss Christ, Serrano's controversial creation, were printed in U.S. and European newspapers and the...

American Muslim leaders say there is plenty of blame to go around in the uproar over the cartoons of the prophet Muhammad. Muslims have told European officials in Washington that the Danish government could have done a better job balancing free speech and respect for religious beliefs. Ahmed Younis, national director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), said his group organized a meeting Monday with the Danish ambassador to the United States "to advise on the tone of the response of the Danish government and to offer opportunities for solutions."

Yesterday (Thursday) Mullah Krekar, the alleged leader of the Islamist group Ansar al-Islam who has been living in Norway as a refugee since 1991, said that the publication of the Muhammad cartoons was a declaration of war. “The war has begun,” he told Norwegian journalists. Mr Krekar said Muslims in Norway are preparing to fight. “It does not matter if the governments of Norway and Denmark apologize, the war is on.” Islamist organizations all over the world are issuing threats towards Europeans. The Islamist terrorist group Hizbollah announced that it is preparing suicide attacks in Denmark and Norway. A senior...

The French newspaper France-Soir have published the Danish cartoon images of Mohammed, the same ones that have caused such a furore in Denmark. They have put them under the motto 'there is no place for religious dogma in a secular society'