Posted on 02/07/2006 5:35:21 PM PST by forty_years
Some of my leftist friends have one thing in common with the Muslims now sacking foreign embassies: a fundamental lack of understanding as to how democracy works, and how precious it is. The leftists have grown up knowing nothing but freedom and opulence, and take things like the Bill of Rights, Federalist Papers, and Constitution for granted (if they have even read these hallowed documents). The Muslim radicals (Islamists) are throwing lit jugs full of gasoline at Danish embassies because they have known nothing except Big Brother (One Newspaper, One Nation, One Religion, One World), and do not even know what the letter of the term, "freedom of expression," means, let alone the spirit.
The Islamists, whom we can surely label as "right-wing," cannot tell the difference between the Danish state, a parliamentary democracy, and an independent Danish newspaper, Jyllands-Posten.
Radical Muslims are burning "Danish flags and effigies of the prime minister." Hello! Danes are allowed free speech, no matter what the government thinks, or whether it is offensive or not. It is called "freedom." But the Islamist reaction to free will is a petrol bomb.
In countries like Iran, there is no figuring things out through consensus. There is the (Orwellian) Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He has ultimate control over all decisions. His thugs banned Western music in December (no more "George Michael's 'Careless Whisper,' Eric Clapton's 'Rush' and the Eagles' 'Hotel California...'" and "...tunes by saxophonist Kenny G."). Iran's theocracy hung two boys for being gay last July. Last month, the mullahs banned access to the BBC's website. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad urged that Israel be "wiped off the map," has denied that the Holocaust ever occurred, called for Israel's Jews to be moved to Europe (ethnically cleansed), and has planned to host a conference to "prove" that Hitler's extermination of Jews (and gypsies and gays) was a "myth."
Are these not all issues that should inflame the "liberals?" Instead, the leftists rant about "cultural sensitivities", vast "blood-for-oil" conspiracies, and how they feel "solidarity" with El Jefe Fidel Castro. No sympathy for Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh, who's throat was slit by Islamists because he dared make a film about the mistreatment of women in Muslim societies. What about Hollywood producer Moustafa Akkad, blown to bits in Amman, Jordan by al-Qaeda last November? Now, according to The Brussels Journal:
Islam is no laughing matter. The Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten is being protected by security guards and several cartoonists have gone into hiding after the newspaper published a series of twelve cartoons (see them all here, halfway the article) about the prophet Muhammad. According to the Islam it is blasphemous to make images of the prophet. Muslim fundamentalists have threatened to bomb the paper's offices and kill the cartoonists.The newspaper published the cartoons when a Danish author complained that he could find no-one to illustrate his book about Muhammad. Jyllands-Posten wondered whether there were more cases of self-censorship regarding Islam in Denmark and asked twelve illustrators to draw the prophet for them. Carsten Juste, the paper's editor, said the cartoons were a test of whether the threat of Islamic terrorism had limited the freedom of expression in Denmark.
What happened to Mel Brooks' adage, "Without Jews, fags, and gypsies, there is no theater?" Where is the leftist outrage to these, their supposedly boilerplate issues? No concern for Arab/Muslim youth having to grow up in Orwell's 1984, never tasting freedom of expression? No grass-root protests against Muslim-produced images like this (from the ADL):
This is not about "cultural sensitivities." This is about a bunch of Muslim thugs who want to force the rest of the world to do what they preach, not what they practice.
The Danish cartoon frenzy should be a reminder to those who have already put 9/11 behind them. This war is now -- a war between the civilized and uncivilized worlds. The civilized world is up against this type of thinking: A Muslim cartoon protestor in Afghanistan yesterday betrayed the "sensibility" of not having a clue about freedom of expression, or civilization, for that matter:
"They want to test our feelings," protester Mawli Abdul Qahar Abu Israra told the BBC."They want to know whether Muslims are extremists or not. Death to them and to their newspapers," he said.
Huh? Thanks for proving your own point... sort of... Mr. Mawli Abdul Qahar Abu Israra. To people like this, the basest emotions prevail (One Newspaper, One Nation, One Religion [Islam], One World). Such a culture of violence -- in word and in deed.
And this great divide between the free world and the teeming, angry masses will not be bridged so easily. Right now, five Turkish journalists are on trial for "insulting Turkishness." Cuba's Castro today:
...unveiled a large new monument outside the US mission in Havana.The monument blocks the view of scrolling illuminated messages - some of them about human rights - displayed on the building by American diplomats.
The questions Westerners have to ask themselves are: How do I want to live? Under tyranny or freedom? Or do I and my children sacrifice our freedoms all in the interest of "cultural sensitivities?"
http://netwmd.com/blog/2006/02/07/367
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You can't make this stuff up.
but the DU'ers claim we do....
BTTT
When the left talks about freedom of press/speech - they don't mean for the masses! They're only talking about it for people like them.
As soon as they get the one ring, though, it's all over.
VIGGO MORTENSEN, WHERE ARE YOU NOW WHEN WE NEED YOU?
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