This week the title is plural. The Fools of the Week are the American print media. All the newspapers in the land, with a few exceptions.
It's about the cartoons portraying Muhammad in a less than glowing light in the Danish newspaper. You know the ones I am talking about. You may have even seen them on the internet. Good luck seeing them in print. Three exceptions of note: The Austin American-Statesman, the Philadelphia Inquirer and the New York Sun. These newspapers are your models of free speech on this subject.
The print media in this country has lost its spine. No guts. No glory. Where was the self-censorship with the photos of art exhibits of the Christian cross in urine? Where was the self-censorship over the cartoons of Ariel Sharon drawn as Hitler? Why is a different standard given to Muslims? Why is Islam singled out for special treatment in this country founded on the basic principle of freedom of speech, freedom of the press?
The reason is simple. It is fear. Fear is a reasonable reaction to terror but if you don't stand up to it, the terror mongers win. That is the lesson we should have learned after the attacks in this country on 9/ll/01. Some editors have been completely upfront about the fear, the fear for their employees, their buildings.
Understandable, but wrong.
By not publishing the cartoons, a message is sent that the violent, fanatic Islamists can dictate what is in print and what is not. Their mission is to takeover free societies and this plays right into it.
The print media in this country had no problem publishing treasonous leaks about the terrorist surveillance program or the classified information of the detention centers for captured terrorists and suspects. Both of these stories are harmful to our allies.
By not publishing the cartoons it condones the violent acts of our enemy such as the bombing of embassies, beheading journalists, taking hostages, rioting in the streets, and setting buildings ablaze because they are upset. It is sending the message that this is normal, expected behavior. Did Christians run wild in the streets after offensive art exhibits were made public? No. As a matter of fact, some of it has been government funded. Did the Jews run amuck over the offensive depictions of Israelis in cartoons? No. Life goes on.
Free societies. That's what we are fighting for.
2 comments:
Here there is a free press. They can pretty much do what they want without consequence. Therefore they intrude in private lives, are obnoxious to people they interview and spread lies without getting their facts straight, just to scoop the competition. I'm afraid true journalism is long gone in favor of sensationalism.
Perhaps instead of censoring the press we should strengthen and perhaps broaden the libel and slander laws regarding the press so that it is easier to hit them where it hurts, in the pocketbook.
I am also angry and saddened at these so-called Christians who are protesting outside military funerals because the "US military accepts homosexuals"? They are so wrong in doing this.
I am a Christian and I do believe as the Bible states in black and white, that homosexuality is a sin. But, Christ didn't spend his ministry on earth talking and speaking with the religious leaders of his day. He spent his time ministering to the tax collectors, prostitutes, thieves and murderers. He spent time healing those with leprosy; at that time the illness was as incurable as AIDS is today and those with it were shunned by society. His message that every Christian should adopt was "hate" the sin but "love" the sinner. These types of protests should be banned, they hurt the already grieving and are not responsible or helpful.
OK, soap box for the day.
Exactly my feelings on the matter. I have some old newspaper clippings from World War II era. You should see how the enemy Japanese were portrayed...
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