Victor Davis Hanson annihilates popular geo-political relativism;
Apparently, the West and Israel are not only to give to Hamas some breathing space (“a truce”), but also to subsidize it while it gets its second wind to renew the struggle to annihilate the Jewish state.
All this lunacy is understood only in a larger surreal landscape. Tibet is swallowed by China. Much of Greek Cyprus is gobbled up by Turkish forces. Germany is 10-percent smaller today than in 1945. Yet only in the Middle East is there even a term “occupied land,” one that derived from the military defeat of an aggressive power.
Over a half-million Jews were forcibly cleansed from Baghdad, Damascus, Cairo, and other Arab cities after the 1967 war; but only on the West Bank are there still refugees who lost their homes. Over a million people were butchered in Rwanda; thousands die each month in Darfur. The world snoozes. Yet less than 60 are killed in a running battle in Jenin, and suddenly the 1.5 million lost in Stalingrad and Leningrad are evoked as the moral objects of comparison, as the globe is lectured about “Jeningrad.”
Now the Islamic world is organizing boycotts of Denmark because one of its newspapers chose to run a cartoon supposedly lampooning the prophet Mohammed. We are supposed to forget that it is de rigueur in raucous Scandinavian popular culture to attack Christianity with impunity. Much less are we to remember that Hamas terrorists occupied and desecrated the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem in a globally televised charade.
Instead, Danish officials are threatened, boycotts organized, ambassadors recalled � and, yes, Bill Clinton steps forward to offer another lip-biting apology while garnering lecture fees in the oil-rich Gulf, in the manner of his mea culpa last year to the Iranian mullacracy. There is now a pattern to Clintonian apologies � they almost always occur overseas and on someone else’s subsidy.
Read the whole thing.
Meanwhile, the Danish Embassy in Syria is burning, and the western media apologensia are moving to side with the barbarians.
The art of placating Muslim princes has a long history.
Is this latest clash the new millenium’s Archduke Ferdinand moment, as some have suggested? Muslims should ferverently hope not. But whatever the next few months and years have to bring, one thing is certain – the “secular” western left is soon going to be forced to declare just whose side they’re on. Because at the moment, the answer to that question is not entirely clear.
Update – New German Chancellor Angela Merkel is confronting it – in no uncertain terms.
| Speaking of Iran, this also marks Day 10,954 of silence from the feminist movement. |  |
Update 2 – now, the not-ready-for-primetime government of Iran is now threatening to impose sanctions – on itself.
Satirical comment is the right of free people.
Religion, politics, business, societal groups of any description have no protection and in fact deserve none.
The nature of the Islamist response tells us all we need to know about their committment to freedom.
Our free society owes these people nothing and yet they wish to impose their will on us.
I resist.
Yes, Malloy, I am a ‘Canuck’. At times, I have to admit I am not very proud of it, especially when our own government nutbars insult Pres. Bush and Americans in general over issues like Afghanistan and Iraq. That aside, hopefully Canadians and Americans will no longer be insulted by the dittsy likes of Carolyn Parrish, or Paul Martin trying to score voters by bashing one of the few leaders in this world (GW Bush) who has had the guts to stand up to the Islamofascist trash.
Yes, it will be difficult if not impossible to separate out all the shades of Islamic mindsets as you point out. But we have to try, or we are no better than the fanatics we are trying to protect ourselves from. And there are things western governments could be doing right now to send the proper message to extremists/terrorists, but they are not. For example there are several hundred known dangerous criminals, extremists, and terrorists is Canada right now, who are evading deportation orders. There are known terrorists in Canada who have been fighting deportation (on our dime) through our courts, some for over 10 years. Why has the Liberal gov’t. allowed this to go on for so long? It seems to me that a good place to start would be to clean up the mess in this area that the Liberals have left us with. Thank goodness Paul Martin is gone. His pathetic stance with respect to the Kahdrs for example (“Well, they are entitled to their own opinions”) simply uderscored his governments’ inability to deal with the threats properly.
Stern action where stern action is warranted, yes, Malloy. But please, do not make the mistake of joining in on lynch mob mentality, and harming innocent people in the process. That is not our way, Malloy. It IS however, the way of the extremists and terrorists.
Sigh. Eventually Western Civilization will have had enough of these barbarians. When that happens I would not want to be standing too close to any of their leaders. We know who they all are. And we know where they are.
Think about it. Could anyone be more vulnerable?
Now think about something else. Think about the politicians who want to disarm all of us “peace loving citizens”.
Now ask yourself a question. Who’s side do you think these politicians are on?
Democracy in a Cartoon
Muslim apostate writer Ibn Warraq defends the West: Democracy in a Cartoon. (Hat tip: LGF readers.)
The great British philosopher John Stuart Mill wrote in On Liberty, �Strange it is, that men should admit the validity of the arguments for free discussion, but object to their being �pushed to an extreme�; not seeing that unless the reasons are good for an extreme case, they are not good for any case.�
The cartoons in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten raise the most important question of our times: freedom of expression. Are we in the west going to cave into pressure from societies with a medieval mindset, or are we going to defend our most precious freedom � freedom of expression, a freedom for which thousands of people sacrificed their lives?
A democracy cannot survive long without freedom of expression, the freedom to argue, to dissent, even to insult and offend. It is a freedom sorely lacking in the Islamic world, and without it Islam will remain unassailed in its dogmatic, fanatical, medieval fortress; ossified, totalitarian and intolerant. Without this fundamental freedom, Islam will continue to stifle thought, human rights, individuality; originality and truth.
Unless, we show some solidarity, unashamed, noisy, public solidarity with the Danish cartoonists, then the forces that are trying to impose on the Free West a totalitarian ideology will have won; the Islamization of Europe will have begun in earnest. Do not apologize.
http://www.rapp.org/url/?ZKEDCFO
der spiegel via LGF
the Amazing Retecool (Dutch)
http://retecool.com/comments.php?id=13539_0_1_0_C
Way back, I said the press is free to do so, but not a wise time when so many muslems are just looking for a reason to flare up.
I had no idea , to be honest, of just how steamed the fundamentalists were and how mad supression has made them.
There is a large progressive population in Iran who want to continue their yuppie goals.
I wonder how long it will be before they get organized and take back their country.
The burning of several embassies and the targeting of whole countries for Jihad Muslem boycott, all due to a little comic disrespect.
Power of the press and playing with fire. TG
Any idea or bets on how the Canadian Gov’t will be “Confronting Barbarism”?
The US gov’t has come out on the side of the mullahs.
Hmmm! Well to borrow a bon mot from an earlier thread (was it maz2?),
“If your opponent is of a choleric temperament, seek to irritate him” – Sun Tzu
I figure, if we’re determined to perfect the “Killing Joke”, as per Monty Python, we could do worse than this: –
{Excuse me if this has been linked already, but here’s a very piquant bit of, if you will, ‘black humour’, on the mores of a “significant minority” of our Muslim brethren}: –
http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=19093_Its_In_The_Koran&only
It’s both commentary on and links to, a rather elegant ‘Gilbert & Sullivan’-like vid/audio, IMHO very very clever, and albeit perhaps ‘gallows-humour’, – to me its hilarious.
Actually haven’t had a such a laugh about what we’re (ALL OF US IN THE WEST!) facing since that report a few years back (AP stringer) out of Gaza about Israeli Defence Force women stripping on their tanks in front of impressionable youths, then whipping a pistol out of their G-strings to gun down the so-entranced lads. Heh.
but this vid. Wow. And verse by verse accurate well beyond the ‘wince’ factor…
You sure won’t see it on MSM, so go, enjoy! Good commentary by the filmmaker and others on the rationales and motivation for its creation, too…(available in Quicktime, WMP, etc…instant play on highspeed)
Just might be the next ‘meme’ in this shortcut we’re taking in the Great Clash of Civilizations..
Gosh. Fancy me being on the same side as the White House and Westminster on this:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=376117&in_page_id=1770
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyID=2006-02-03T202815Z_01_N03197247_RTRUKOC_0_US-RELIGION-CARTOONS-USA.xml&archived=False
Walk into a biker bar, go up to the guy with the tattoos and tell him you just (had sex with) his mother. After he stomps you senseless, maybe with some of his buddies piling on, ask yourself this:
“Who’s the asshole?”
The ME is that bar. (I note that the protests in Europe are of a different order entirely.) If you’re going to create a provocation, don’t be surprised if someone gets provoked.
Uh, Europe is the “bar”, here, no? Europe is where the cartoons were published.
so where is the outrage from the “normal” and peace loving islamists?
In the collection of Mohammed offensive drawings,
I think the “Dali” of Mohammed is kinda cool.
and of course the selection showing Mohammed’s left ball hanging out of his swim trunks…. ufff.
I am getting this idea, that the rule of no depictions of Mohammed is not from the Koran, it is just the dogma, like Catholics had regarding not eating meat on friday, oh yeah, “fish isn’t meat”
I had no idea the Danes made such excellent cheeze,
but I always liked B+O stereos and teak furniture.
There are a number of Danish speaker manufacturers who make superb speakers. Dynaudio’s bookshelf speakers, for example, once they’ve been broken in for a few hundred hours, are a really, really great speaker, with a really honest midrange.
Yeah, sure, EBD, except that Europe isn’t where the violence is going on. Just protests, boycotts, all the sorts of things that I thought were allowable dissent in a liberal democracy. No?
The ME, on the other hand, is a violent place. Being smart-ass there can get you killed.
UPDATE: But as usual, The Onion was ahead of the curve. This is from 1997:
Crazed Palestinian Gunman Angered by Stereotypes
HEBRON, WEST BANK�In an emotionally charged press conference Monday, crazed Palestinian gunman Faisal al Hamad expressed frustration over the stereotyping of his people.
Enlarge ImageCrazed Palestinian Gunman Angered By Stereotypes
Faisal al Hamad, seen here shrieking anti-U.S. slogans, says that “not every crazed Palestinian gunman is exactly alike.”
“As a crazed Palestinian gunman, I feel hurt by the negative portrayal of my people in the media,” said al Hamad, 31, a Hebron-area terrorist maniac. “None of us should have to live with stereotyping and ignorance.”
He then began screaming and firing into a busload of Israeli schoolchildren.
“It hurts that in this supposedly enlightened day and age, people still make assumptions about other people,” al Hamad said. “We should not rely on simple generalizations. Each crazed Palestinian gunman is an individual.”
Al Hamad said that he himself has often been unfairly stereotyped. “Any time I enter a crowded temple with fully loaded AK-47s in both hands, people just assume I’m going to open fire,” he said. “That really hurts.”
“Yes, I sometimes do gun people down in the name of the One True God,” he noted. “But there is so much more to me.”
Life imitating art imitating life. (Thanks to reader Brian Sament for the link). > Here:
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/39190
via instapundit
Goading >>>>> does stupid things>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
For goading, go here:
the Amazing Retecool (Dutch)
http://retecool.com/comments.php?id=13539_0_1_0_C
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Red River said…
Wretchard,
The Dutch are brilliant at goading others into doing dumb things.
William of Orange incited the pamphleteers into demonizing Charles and incited a near-rebellion that brought William to power.
William later goaded France and Louis XIV into pulling the trigger early on France’s many plans to take over Spain and England’s empire.
Denmark, Switzerland, Norway, Finland, and England are where European democracy and capitalism were born while France and Spain groaned under the yoke of despotism.
Freedom runs very deep in Northern Europe!! >>
http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=12136206&postID=113904825134206942
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/04/15/wqueen15.xml
“Queen Margrethe II of Denmark has called on the country “to show our opposition to Islam”, regardless of the opprobium such a stance provokes abroad.”
She continues:
“We are being challenged by Islam these years – globally as well as locally. It is a challenge we have to take seriously. We have let this issue float about for too long because we are tolerant and lazy.
“We have to show our opposition to Islam and we have to, at times, run the risk of having unflattering labels placed on us because there are some things for which we should display no tolerance.”
“And when we are tolerant, we must know whether it is because of convenience or conviction.” ”
“If you’re going to create a provocation, don’t be surprised if someone gets provoked”.
So what would your solution be when someone considers, say, the consumption of pork to be a provocation? Or considers your wife’s exposed face as a provocation? Who would be causing the problem in those scenarios? And what reasonable person would say in response, “hey, if you’re going to create a provocation, don’t be surprised if someone gets provoked”.
Dr. Dawg, about “liberal democracy”…
“The whole history of the world is summed up in the fact that, when nations are strong, they are not always just, and when they wish to be just, they are no longer strong.” Winston Churchill. Sometimes, you simply HAVE GOT to kick ass if you want your society to continue forward.
I keep hearing that Islam is a religion of peace. Well… either that or it’s not.
I personally think Islam CHOCK-FULL of misogynistic, paternalist, good-for nuthin’ sons ‘a bitches, all of whom are just itching to start rioting and set a few more tens-of-thousands of cars on fire, and that’s just in Europe.
So what’s going to happen in the liberal democracies of western Europe? Either the Muslim unrest continues to escalate (most probable), or the authorities show considerable courage and come down on the S.O.B.s BIGTIME (less probable; see Churchill quotation above). Or… do ya s’pose the common, traditional, NON-Muslim people of western Europe would take up the challenge, as it were, that these annoying Muslim jerks have laid down? Naw, that would take some guts to… you know… answer them in a fashion they would understand.
Suggest anybody out there who hasn’t read Mark Steyn’s article “It’s the Demography, Stupid” looks it up posthaste; great read.
I guess these western European democracies could wait until they turn into Chechnya, with Copenhagen filling the role of Beslan, the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe doing W.T.C. duty, etc,… hmmm… no Todd Beamers to be found “over there”, I fear.
Actually, Joe, the editors and, yes, cartoonists who are graciously hanging onto the diamond that is free speech seem mostly to be found “over there” at the moment.
Our stereotypes of Europe are being challenged by recent events. I have doubts that the line would be drawn so courageously “over here“, even though we’re dealing with a milder and, by and large, a more assimilated bunch of people.
Anyway you slice it, Islamists are going to have to understand this: In the west, murder is not a reasonable response to being insulted by a cartoon. Ever.
I agree with most of Joe Canuck’s comment to Malloy, but what I want to know is how we try to separate out all the shades of Islamic mindsets. We must try, or we are no better than the fanatics we are trying to protect ourselves from. Come on – let’s get real here. We let them in, we give them lodging, food, allowances until they are settled. They are able to keep their culture, start their schools, build their mosques and then spit in our faces. Their brethern back in the old country are carrying on like a bunch of medeaval barbarians, and you don’t hear the Imans or the ordinary people breathing a word about this. Ever wonder why. You see they agree with them, how else but to change our Western Society are they going to be able to take over the infidels. Your comments are just another version of this sick politically correct – bleeding heart society. You might have it watered down a bit but you are adhering to the nonsense that they spout on MSM. Enough already, these Muslims in our country had better get their act together shortly or we will forget we are a polite people. It’s long past time to deport that Kadhr family, get these so called refugees through the courts and on the next boat out of here. It’s quite apparent to me that you certainly were’nt around during the second world war. Well we didn’t know our enemies then either, so the next best thing was to round them up and keep them in a safe place. Not so much for their safety than for ours. Believe it or not those immigrants at that time understood the reasoning for it. It’s just the modern era citizens that seem not to understand. So – what must we do to appease their offspring – pay them or apologize. Well my friend, this is going to happen again. Just wait until we are attacked, and then we will see how all that correct jibberish you have been spouting will change.
Having worked in the ME in the mid seventies I am of the mind the infidels are several decades late in unleashing the nuclear dogs.
Jypsy ontario, there are quite a few steps we can take before we have to “round up the whole lot of them” as you imply.
Deport the hundreds currently under deportation orders NOW.
Stop allowing known terrorists from abusing our hospitality, our wallets, and our courts for years on end, and once and for all deport this trash.
Under the liberals, terrorists have had a much easier time with Canadian Immigration and our judicial system, than have perfectly harmless people who simply happened to overstay their visitors visas. This sort of BS should have been stopped years ago, but the Liberals were too stupid and too corrupt to make the necessary corrections.
Reverse the current policy of allowing virtually anyone of ME or Islamic origins into our country. Screening has to be much more stringent, but even the most rigorous screening won’t catch all the bad apples at the gates. Once allowed in to Canada, newcomers should be asked to study, understand, and respect our laws and customs and should be on a probationary period. Make it known to them that we will not tolerate those who support, sympathise with, or join extremist groups, cults, or religions. Deport those who don’t fit the bill.
Christians don’t make fun of other people’s religion. It’s that “do unto others…” thing. And if someone does need correcting due to offensive behaviour a Christian sure doesn’t do it with childish cartoons.
But then it’s obvious these scribes aren’t Christian. So, the loony tunes can be forgiven for being ignorant.
Looks like the Phoney War in Europe is over.
Time for the main event.
“So what would your solution be when someone considers, say, the consumption of pork to be a provocation? Or considers your wife’s exposed face as a provocation? Who would be causing the problem in those scenarios? And what reasonable person would say in response, ‘hey, if you’re going to create a provocation, don’t be surprised if someone gets provoked’.”
It seems that common sense departs when there are fresh, juicy Muslims to bait. Of course, this is a matter of degree, EBD, as you well know. There’s a difference between making jokes, say, about the Catholic confessional and depicting Christ sodomizing a child in a series of cartoons anent the pedophile priest scandal. The one would no doubt offend some people. The other would elicit demonstrations, boycotts and no doubt recourse to Canada’s hate speech laws.
Depicting Mohammed is by itself an act of sacrilege to believing Muslims, terrorists or not. As you should know, it’s considered idolatrous. Going further and mocking him is the icing on the cake.
As I think I have noted, most Muslims are just ordinary folks trying to get by like anyone else. This slap in the face has prompted demonstrations and boycotts in Europe. If you like freedom of speech, why shouldn’t European Muslims have some of it too? Is the right to dissent only for newspaper editors?
The ME is a powderkeg, on the other hand. Anyway, I’ve shot my bolt on this mess over at my place.
Joe, I can point to passages in the Bible that are homophobic, misogynist, paternalist, vengeful and so on. Some Christians, judging from the same-sex marriage debate, are right behind them. The point is that we should look at the average, not the extreme, in both religions.
Depicting Mohammed is by itself an act of sacrilege to believing Muslims, terrorists or not. As you should know, it’s considered idolatrous. Going further and mocking him is the icing on the cake.
So what. It’s a damn picture not worth killing people over. They need to get over it. In the west we run across offensive images – Piss Christ, for example – from time to time. Jews are systematically vilified in Arab newspapers and textbooks daily. No hypocisy there!
The irony is that Mohammed with a bomb in his turban is so damn apt. Why should a non-Muslim self-censor himself if that image is his perception of Islam. The Muslim nutballs have certainly reinforced the image.
If you like freedom of speech, why shouldn’t European Muslims have some of it too?
Thay have. Perhaps you missed the irony of British police guarding the protestors with their vile murderous threatening posters on the streets of London. They are free to write lettors to the editor. They are free to appear on radio and tv. They are free to write books. They are free to have a protest march. They did.
Muslims are very adept in utilizing our freedoms in the west while employing murder and mayham too. I could give a damn about their sensitivies. 3000+ of my countrymen died hideous deaths because they were infidels worthy of destruction.
Those Mohammed cartoons should have been more offensive.