Posted on 09/14/2012 4:15:48 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
An incendiary video about the prophet Mohammad, Innocence of Muslims, was blamed for the mob attacks on our embassies in Libya and Egypt (and, later, Yemen). In Libya, Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were murdered. The video stirred some passion here in America as well.
Over at MSNBC, a riot of consensus broke out when contributors Mike Barnicle and Donny Deutsch as well as University of Pennsylvania professor Anthea Butler all agreed that the people behind the video should be indicted as accessories to murder. “Good morning,” declared Butler, “How soon is Sam Bacile [the alleged creator of the film] going to be in jail folks? I need him to go now.”
Barnicle set his sights on Terry Jones, the pastor who wanted to burn the Koran a while back and who was allegedly involved in the video as well. “Given this supposed minister’s role in last year’s riots in Afghanistan, where people died, and given his apparent or his alleged role in this film, where . . . at least one American, perhaps the American ambassador, is dead, it might be time for the Department of Justice to start viewing his role as an accessory before or after the fact.”
Deutsch helpfully added: “I was thinking the same thing, yeah.”
It’s interesting to see such committed liberals in lockstep agreement with the Islamist government in Egypt, which implored the U.S. government to take legal action against the filmmakers. Interestingly, not even the Muslim Brotherhood–controlled Egyptian government demanded these men be tried for murder.
Now, I have next to no sympathy for the makers of this film, who clearly hoped to start trouble, violent or otherwise. But where does this logic end? One of the things we’ve learned all too well is that the “Muslim street” — and often Muslim elites — have a near-limitless capacity to take offense at slights to their religion, honor, history, or feelings.
Does Barnicle want Salman Rushdie, the author of The Satanic Verses, charged with being an accessory to murder, too? That book has in one way or another led to several deaths. Surely he should have known that he was stirring up trouble. Perhaps the U.S. Justice Department and the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security could work together on a joint prosecution?
Perhaps Rushdie’s offense doesn’t count because he’s a literary celebrity? Only crude attacks on Islam should be held accountable for the murderous bloodlust they elicit.
One might ask who is to decide what is crude and what is refined. But that would be fruitless, because we know the real answer: the Islamist mobs and their leaders. Their rulings would come in the form of bloody conniptions around the world.
Are we really going to hold what we can say or do in our own country hostage to the passions of foreign lynch mobs?
If your answer is some of form of “yes,” then you might want to explain why U.S. citizens aren’t justified in attacking Egyptian or Libyan embassies here in America. After all, I get pretty mad when I see goons burning the American flag, and I become downright livid when a U.S. ambassador is murdered. Maybe some of my like-minded friends and I should burn down some embassies here in Washington, D.C., or maybe a consulate in New York City?
Of course we shouldn’t do that. To argue that Americans shouldn’t resort to mayhem while suggesting it’s understandable when Muslims do is to create a double standard that either renders Muslims unaccountable savages (they can’t help themselves!) or casts Americans as somehow less passionate about what we hold dear, be it our flag, our diplomats, or our religions. (It’s hardly as if Islamists don’t defame Christianity, Judaism, moderate forms of Islam, or even atheism.)
But, I’m sorry to say, that may in fact be the case. After all, with barely a moment’s thought these deep thinkers on MSNBC were willing to throw out the First Amendment for a little revenge. It was a moment of voluntary surrender to terrorism.
Within 24 hours, however, it became increasingly clear that the video wasn’t even the motive for the murders; it was a convenient cover for them. In effect, the terrorists behind the Libyan attack not only successfully played the Muslim street for suckers, they played Barnicle & Co. for suckers, too.
— Jonah Goldberg is an editor-at-large of National Review Online and a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.
We have a problem. We have a Muslim President and Muslims recognize "no rights" of man....only rights of the government. Islam is NOT a Religion. It is a Political System and Obama is part of it.
I am afraid that the American public will buy into this BS
This clowns don’t understand that those who practice islam are not only prepared to kill if you insult their cult, they are prepared to wait a thousand years to convert everyone else.
Don’t feel like being muslim or a muslims slave? No problem.
It will only cost you your head.
More people better wake the hell up.
A common response from the unaware...
“But...but....but...I meet nice muslim people all the time!”
They aren’t under any pressure to subjugate you...yet. They don’t have the clout in the US...yet. But they will one day. Wait till they start the purges in England, then people will truly see...
This is why MSNBC is at the top of the garbage heap when it comes to ratings. The ONLY reason they are still in business is because its owners are left wing ideologues.
(Cont’d from above) Well, not in a violent way but by letting people know our beliefs should be “respected”.
The media are democrats not reporters. The media are the enemy of America, the enemy of Republicans, the enemy of truth, the enemy of freedom. For one thing the media take the side of a foreign evil cult, the cult of Islam over the American people and freedom. The media hate freedom as they are democrats/communists. When are we going to boycott the media? Even on this forum people really believed for 6 months that the BP oil spill was a disaster as the media reported it. It wasn’t a disaster , it wasn’t crap, where is it now?
Obama , hitlery, and all democrats call Islam a great religion and attack our freedom of speech. That film maker has freedom of speech to make that film. People bash Bush so much here :Yeah compare these democrats response to Bush’s 9/11 response. where are you Bush basher’s? compare Romney’s response to these democrats’ response. Islam is an evil cult with the goal of world domination not a great religion as dems say.
The media and democrats hate America, they hate freedom, they hate capitalism , all that is good. democrats and the media are the enemy of America and they need to be stopped.
if I post video saying, for instance, that the Mayors sugary drink ban is stupid and that he should be beaten with 10-lb sacks of sugar, and then a bunch of fanatics run out and do just that, then I may be liable.
But if I post a video supporting the mayor's fight on obesity and a bunch of fatties run out and it on the man in retaliation for my video, I am not the instigator of that crime. "He had it coming" or "This is for that" are NOT valid defenses. Except to liberal college professors and 'journalists'.
My wife and i had this exact conversation. She was arguing that we send their "diplomats" home and then torch their embassies.
While, I don't advocate that course of action, mainly because we have rule of law and we also have a corrupt media, I certainly understand the sentiment.
Think of it - if Americans took this action, how do you think it would be reported in the Enemedia, and what questions do you think would be coordinated before Mitt Romney's press conference?
This country won’t be right until the whole upper west side media cabal no longer exists. Wiped out. Mary maped. A smoking ruin would be fine to me. They have been and they are ruining this country.
Agree completely. Don’t trust any of it.
Not even Fox.
Fox is nothing what it was years ago. Just look who they donate money to. It isn’t Romney and certainly wouldn’t be a conservative. These media fools want much of the population as unwashed masses. They can filter news easier that way. Also, make no mistake that they want a greater majority worse off economically. Why? So less undesireables are able to step foot in their upper west side enclaves, cafes, taverns, and hang out places. When undesirables are coming in they get scared.
After Obama and and assorted goons have finished with us - taking away our first amendment rights - they'll go after the press. Our heads won't be the last ones on the chopping block.
Pastor Martin Niemöller said it best... first they came for those clinging to their guns and religion...and I did not speak out because I wasn't a Christian... then they came for....
...Today in Morroco, she slams the YouTube clip or little movie or whatever it is, condemning it as “disgusting.” This, of course, suggests the outrage over a video clip is legitimate. She then says the US government had nothing to do with it, also suggesting if it did, then it would also be legitimate to attack us. The sickest message of all is the included inference that the person who made the film should be the object of attack.
Why the US Secretary of State is praising Islam is beyond me. And on September 13th during continued attacks on our embassies and consulates around the world. Truly, it is another appeasing statement which confirms to savages everywhere that it’s time to attack.
These folks don’t seem to realize that they’d be the first to be fed to the crocodiles if the 1st amendment goes by the wayside.
They'll love it and so will their families - especially their wives and daughters.
Our way is better. For us. Probably for them too, but that's their call. I'm stunned and saddened that Obama and Hillary would apologize for our First Amendment rights...
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