The Tricky Waters Of Defending Charlie Hebdo

Townhall.com ^ | January 9, 2015 | Mark Davis

[Mr. Jeeves]

“The right to offend is far more important than any right not to be offended.” - Rowan Antkinson

[Mr. Jeeves]

Oops, that’s “Atkinson”...coffee hasn’t kicked in yet.

[Common Sense 101]

Yet another reason I’m glad Davis is no longer on WBAP...

[Common Sense 101]

Yet another reason I’m glad Davis is no longer on WBAP...

[ALPAPilot]

This is, of course, a matter of taste. You may appreciate a cartoon of Pope Francis holding a condom over his head as if it were a communion host, saying “This is my body.” I’m guessing millions of Catholics do not. You may appreciate their twitter profile image: a cartoon of “Petit Jesus” popping bug-eyed out of the spread legs of a buck-toothed Virgin Mary. I do not.

I couldn't care less.

It is not Jesus that needs me to defend him, it is I that needs Jesus.

[BCW]

I am walking away from reading this article where the author is stating that those who offend bring certain elements into their life...vis-a via, the radical elements of Islam responded by killing 12....maybe 13 so far...

However, this arguement appears only when Islam responds with murder...but I never see the same argument when Christians or Jews are made fun of or offended...when others express their universal freedoms of art, music’s, drawings, or what ever....but when Islam is involved I see this and other articles published...

At the end, I walk away assured that Islam is defunked and should never be tolerated...because they do not tolerate anyone else...and most important...not even other Moslems from different moslem tribes...they are violent people...and care nothing about freedoms..

[Leaning Right]

What a weird, twisted article. But I gotta give Mr. Davis credit for one thing. That was the most cleverly camouflaged blame-the-victim argument I've ever read.

[GOPJ]

In some Muslim Countries it’s against the law to have a Bible...

Radical muslims must be told - in no uncertain terms - that we have freedom of speech in the West and if they don’t like it they need to go back home. They are NOT allowed to kill people because they read or print something offensive to Muslims.

Period.

[yldstrk]

What a doofus article, the dude has the mindset of the high school principal.

Ridicule Islam, it is a ridiculous philosophy with no redeeming value. It reflects that might makes right.

[freedumb2003]

No one should be killed for publishing controversial content. Any religious urge to do so is cut from the worst human cloth. It is not just an American, or even a Western human value to defend satirists against death threats, it is a requirement of basic human decency.

That said, may I take a step beyond the appropriate expressions of support for those who died at the hands of vicious terrorists?

As I pointed out in a similar hate-filled, cowardly, anti-free-speech screed, use of a term like "That said" NEGATES everything that preceded it. IOW, this guy has no problem with killing people whose speech is found by anyone (including him) to be offensive.

[SunkenCiv]

• Ron Paul On Paris Attack: Bad Foreign Policy "Invites Retaliation"
• Ron Paul on Paris terror attack: B****es had it coming

• Ron Paul: If MH17 Missile Was Russian, So What? ISIS Has U.S. Weapons
• Cuba's Fidel Castro Condemns 'Primitive' Accusations of Russia's Role in Boeing Crash

• Rand Paul Visits Ferguson Ahead of Fresh Protests
• Rand Paul dives back into Ferguson debate
• Rand stands with Obama and Kerry on Iran
• Rand Paul Explains His Surprise Vote For Chuck Hagel (1 of only 4 Republicans to vote for)
• Paul: Trade With Cuba 'Probably a Good Idea'
• Rand Paul backs Obama on Cuba
• Rand Paul Breaks With Rubio and Bush Over Cuba

[BeadCounter]

He looks a tiny bit like Snowden.

[trebb]

Sounds like the guy wants to claim more understanding for those who kill than those who exercise free speech - even if said speech can be termed offensive to some.

I guess if we all 'grow up" and they still find reason to kill, he might find even more indications of some "undesirable inner juvenile secret thoughts" that need to be quelled because their auras leak out and offend the animals.

[grania]

The thing is, we're all victimized by political correctness and things like not using the "n" word or whatever. We're considered extremist if we call the invaders of the US invaders. Criticizing thug culture is deemed racist. I'm a racist and a bigot to many when I say having populations that want to change the country instead of adapt to it should be sent back to their homelands.

I hope this is the wakeup call civilized countries need. The problem if it is, is that in Europe and the US, we can't seem to vote the manipulators who engineered the mess out of office. Historically, the French have emptied out the trash before, perhaps they can do it again. Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss"....

[workerbee]

I think all he’s saying you don’t have to love or “approve of” a publication like CH to be disgusted at the Muslim terrorists killing the people who work there.

[from occupied ga]

satirists against death threats, it is a requirement of basic human decency. That said, may I take a step beyond the appropriate expressions of support for those who died at the hands of vicious terrorists? That support is based on another no-brainer: Freedom of expression is a moral absolute. No one should self-edit to appease murderous hordes.

The moron who wrote this should have stopped there. But, then he goes onto say

But I cannot deny a certain queasiness as another day passes filled with lofty accolades for this publication as if it were not an obnoxious cauldron of hateful sewage devoted to the low exercise of offending as many people as possible.

SO WHAT? There is no right "not to be offended." Who left him as the arbiter of what's offensive and what's not? What's offensive to him may not be offensive to me etc. Mark Davis has shown himself to be a pompous self-important fool.

[i_robot73]

Ah, another traipse by the GOPe ‘betters’ on exactly what IS and isn’t Free speech; but ONLY when it comes to Islam. Funny, I can remember the uproar during ‘elephant poo Mary’ and ‘Piss Christ’, but there was NEVER any backlash from the media/etc. except for ‘it’s Free speech’ (except, IIRC, it was taxpayer funded)

Sorry, folks, there is NO ‘radical’ Islam. It is simply Islam that is radical. There has been nothing but lip-service to tempering Islam, while the preachers whisper ‘kill’ to the assembled...behind closed doors.

[skeeter]

But does our lament at their death carry a requisite admiration for their craft?

No. Who said it does?

The article should've ended there.

I always found Davis a bit of a bore.

[Mercat]

Bill Donahue of Catholic League says that they were pornographers. I don’t want to see that stuff.