certainly insulting to the Prophet Mohammed...
Most of these cartoons were not insulting. Most of them were merely depictions of Muhammed. Apparently, the Muslims don't want us to depict Muhammed, although, it's perfectly alright for them to do so.
What has been illuminating has been to see quotes from the President of Iran and the President of Pakistan to the effect that "Freedom of speech does not mean that one has the right to cause offense or to show disrespect for other peoples' religion."
Sorry, boys. Freedom of speech means just that, or it means nothing at all.
It seems that they would place the fault of the riots not on the rioters, but on the cartoonists. After all, people can't be expected to react non-violently towards an insult to their religion. Sorry, boys. Once again; civilized people don't kill in the name of an insult to their religion. The fault of the violence lies with those who commit it.
The President of Iran (or one of his toadies) is organizing a Holocaust cartoon contest. Fine. Let's see how many Jews kill Moslems over it.
Hmm - I had picked out that exact paragraph to emphasize.
I disagree with one point, however. It is not the same thing to condemn so-called art such as the ones mentioned which blaspheme Jesus Christ, and the cartoon with Mohammed with a bomb turban. The former is gratutious nastiness and the latter is cogent political commentary. The so-called artist who photographed the crucifix in a bottle of his own urine did the act out of hatred, ignorance, and vileness; the artist who drew the bomb/turban cartoon had a logical reason and necessary message to get across.
And all religions are not the same, nor are all adherents of all religions the same.
We can't play by two sets of rules. Their "rule" is the most offensive cartoons imaginable can be printed in Arab newspapers. "Our" rule is that we're not allowed to draw a cartoon of Mohammed. Their rule is that they will try to kill as many of us as possible - including women and children and to kill us in the most offensive way possible. "Our" rule is that we must only hit military targets and do whatever is humanly possible to avoid killing the innocent. It's why Arabs will surround a target with children. They know we don't want to kill the innocent. On the other hand, they will stock weapons in hospitals and schools. They don't even care about their own children.
That said, the "let's bomb Mecca" thing has to do with the fact that these control freak, chip on the shoulder jerks get the power for their blood lust from Mecca. This is the site in the world that celebrates the "God as nutcase control freak with bloodlust". Really. Think of the God of Abraham as the God of Control Freaks, the God of Job as a betting God, the God of Jesus as the God of Charity (Love). It's not that God changes, it's that man's understanding of God changes. The two year old sees his parents one way - the 15 year old sees them a different way. The perception of the children are not the definition of the parents. Both perceptions can be truthful - and both can be wrong. God as control freak is the perception of the two year old... And that's what Muslim's celebrate. Whoa, sorry, I've gone off on a tangent here... Anyhow, these guys fear something happening to Mecca - while they don't fear much else.
BINGO
