There was nothing "offensive" about it, Dan. Acknowledging that islam is the enemy is the fist step toward eradicating that evil death cult from the planet. There's nothing "offensive" when the enemy is clearly identified and illustrated:
Posted on 05/04/2015 1:00:11 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Texas' elected officials treaded carefully Monday as they reacted to a shooting on Sunday in Garland that left two gunmen dead outside a contest featuring cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.
Some called it an attack on free speech, while others simply thanked law enforcement and said they were monitoring the situation.
Speaking with reporters Monday morning, Gov. Greg Abbott called the shooting a "heinous crime" that struck at the heart of the First Amendment. He added he would not feel differently if the shooting had happened in connection with an event mocking Christianity.
"What Christians believe is we need to protect our religious liberties, but that doesn't mean engaging in gun battle to do so," Abbott told reporters following the annual National Day of Prayer breakfast in North Austin. In a statement late Sunday, Abbott said Texas officials were investigating the shooting.
On Monday morning, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick agreed with Abbott that the events like the one held Sunday provide "no excuse for violence."
"If Americans are threatened to be killed for their words & actions, no matter how offensive, then freedom itself is lost and with it America is lost," Patrick wrote on Facebook.
As the event in the Dallas suburb was winding down Sunday evening, the gunmen drove to the front of the venue and opened fire on a security guard using assault rifles, according to police officials. A Garland police officer returned fire, shooting and killing the men. The security guard's injuries were not life-threatening.
A bomb squad stayed on the scene late into the night, though no bombs were ultimately found inside the vehicle driven by the gunmen, Garland police spokesman Joe Harn said Monday morning.
At a news conference in Garland that was live-streamed on the WFAA website, Harn said authorities were not ruling out the possibility the shooting was a terrorist attack.
"We're certainly looking into that," he told reporters. "We have not knocked that out."
(VIDEO-AT-LINK)
There was not much official information about the gunmen available Monday morning. ABC News identified one of the gunmen as an Arizona man who had previously been investigated for terrorism. But Harn said authorities would not be releasing any names.
Inside the event, about 200 people had gathered to vie for a $10,000 award for the best drawing of Muhammad. Depictions of the prophet are offensive to many Muslims.
Organizers had defended the contest as an expression of free speech, and some elected officials said Monday morning the shooting was an affront to that principle.
"Quite simply, an attack on free speech is an attack on all Americans," U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said in a statement.
"Freedom of expression has again been attacked by fanatics," U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, said in a statement that drew a comparison between the "capitals of Europe" — the sites of recent attacks fueled by radical Islam — and the "streets of Garland."
Other politicians said they were waiting to see all the facts come out. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, the Texas Republican running for president, said on social media he was grateful for authorities who responded to the attack and will "continue to monitor the situation closely."
State Sen. Don Huffines, the Dallas Republican whose district includes the site of the shooting, said in a statement he was "saddened at the senseless attack." "The use of violence on a community is never the right path," he added.
Harn said Monday morning a number of agencies are helping Garland police, including the FBI, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Abbott's office said Monday afternoon he had called and offered his support earlier in the day to Garland Mayor Douglas Athas and Bruce Joiner, the Garland ISD security officer who was shot by the gunmen. Abbott also got a briefing from DPS Director Steve McCraw on the investigation into the shooting.
Asked if the Texas Department of Public Safety was offering assistance or investigating the incident, Director Steve McCraw late Sunday told The Texas Tribune, "Yes and that is all we can say."
On Twitter, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick wrote that his office was in touch with the department. “Facts still unfolding,” he added.
Prominent conservative activist Katrina Pierson was among the attendees at the contest. Pierson recalled a relative calm as authorities worked to move attendees to a safe location.
"Everyone just sang and prayed and there was no chaos," she recalled. "It was praying for the officer that was shot and praying for our country and praying for free speech."
What’s there to tread carefully about?
>>He added he would not feel differently if the shooting had happened in connection with an event mocking Christianity.
Christians would feel different. We would be condemning the shooters’ actions in a very loud and public way.
The response from the mythical “moderate” Muslims over this?
.....crickets chirping.
There was nothing "offensive" about it, Dan. Acknowledging that islam is the enemy is the fist step toward eradicating that evil death cult from the planet. There's nothing "offensive" when the enemy is clearly identified and illustrated:
When the only available responses to violent threats to liberty are either compliant behavior indistinguishable from submission, or exercise of that liberty indistinguishable from goading the would-be oppressor into either fighting or losing face, the result is pretty ugly either way. Given no better option, the American propensity toward fierce defense of liberty will lean toward the latter.
‘tis a variant of the Streisand Effect (attempted suppression often elicits prolific defiant flaunting).
Amendment I. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
Will someone please explain how Muslims assaulting cartoonists is a violation of the above?
Meanwhile, Bill Donohue has apparently soiled himself over the fact that someone had the audacity to insult the prophet.
Oh no...I’ve visited some leftist websites, and most of them said we shouldn’t provoke Muzzies. They, the Muzzies, get to threaten people as much as they want, and we shouldn’t be able to do anything about it. How’s that for leftist support for the first amendment? (smirk)
It’s pretty clear what most leftists believe...you should submit to violent Islam and not annoy them. Feel free to slam any other religion on the planet, but please don’t criticize Islam say the lefties.
Don’t want to step on the Muslim’s delicate sensibilities. /puke
“Will someone please explain how Muslims assaulting cartoonists is a violation of the above?”
There is no law abridging free speech, and no individual has the right to create it by fiat as they cannot be a government onto themselves to restrict rights of other Americans.
“and no individual has the right to create it by fiat as they cannot be a government onto themselves to restrict rights of other Americans.”
The first amendment is not about private citizens. It specifically puts limits on ONLY Congress ... if read literally.
The truth of this incident will not be told by the media. It started in January when Muslims came down to TX, rented the Curtis Culwell Center for a “meeting”. The speaker was a radical terrorist type fellow from NY who has called for an end to America and Israel.
Now this center belongs to the Garland Ind School District and many people in DFW were upset that a building, paid for by the people here, would be rented to people who advocate against our country. Many came out to protest peacefully.
The story we got then was we had to let them in there because of FREE SPEECH. They would not let anyone from the media or otherwise in to the meeting so no one knows what they preached.
Now this American woman also has free speech rights. So that is where this really started.
“Will someone please explain how Muslims assaulting cartoonists is a violation of the above?”
He said struck at the heart of the first amendment. Although the amendment puts a limit only on congress, I think that the founding fathers heart would have been, as the other amendments are worded, as a right of the people.
Expecting Muslims to speak out about Islamic terrorism is r, because it implies that Islamic terrorism has something to do with Islam, or something like that.
Corrected: Expecting Muslims to speak out about Islamic terrorism is bigotry, because it implies that Islamic terrorism has something to do with Islam, or something like that.
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Do you not believe that a bunch of 7.62×39mm rounds fired at you would amount to"abridging [your] freedom of speech or of the press"?
Read the amendment. There is your answer. It protects us from Congress placing restrictions on our speech. All you need to ask is: Is Congress trying to restrict your speech?. If the answer is “no” then it is not a First Amendment issue.
No their heart was not there. As you parent, pastor, teacher, employer I can restrict your speech.
Our Constitution limits our government. If Muslims are trying to restrict our speech they will have to do so outside our laws. Which means they will have to use coercive means which are restricted by other Constutional abiding laws.
What’s there to tread carefully about?
As in carefully not naming the gunmen or describing what actually happened so the devotees of the ROP would not be offended.
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