Posted on 05/06/2015 2:45:27 PM PDT by reaganaut1
There is no question that images ridiculing religion, however offensive they may be to believers, qualify as protected free speech in the United States and most Western democracies. There is also no question that however offensive the images, they do not justify murder, and that it is incumbent on leaders of all religious faiths to make this clear to their followers.
But it is equally clear that the Muhammad Art Exhibit and Contest in Garland, Tex., was not really about free speech. It was an exercise in bigotry and hatred posing as a blow for freedom.
That distinction is critical because the conflicts that have erupted over depictions of the Prophet Muhammad, most notably the massacre of staff members at the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo in January by two Muslim brothers, have generated a furious and often confused debate about free speech versus hate speech. The current dispute at the American chapter of the PEN literary organization over its selection of Charlie Hebdo for a freedom of expression courage award is a case in point — hundreds of PEN’s members have opposed the selection for “valorizing selectively offensive material.”
Charlie Hebdo is a publication whose stock in trade has always been graphic satires of politicians and religions, whether Catholic, Jewish or Muslim. By contrast, Pamela Geller, the anti-Islam campaigner behind the Texas event, has a long history of declarations and actions motivated purely by hatred for Muslims.
Whether fighting against a planned mosque near ground zero, posting to her venomous blog Atlas Shrugs or organizing the event in Garland, Ms. Geller revels in assailing Islam in terms reminiscent of virulent racism or anti-Semitism. She achieved her provocative goal in Garland — the event was attacked by two Muslims who were shot to death by a traffic officer
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
The left is four square behind free speech. Until it bumps up against it’s sensibilities. Then it’s hate speech. And off to the reeducation camps.
The left has a latent gay thing for isbomb?
Dittos Leni.
Great post.
Yes, the New York Slimes does not believe in “free speech”, and half of its editorial staff are wackjobs haters.
At least there is free speech here at FR until Obama’s Internet Nazis go into action.
“Net Neutrality”, made in Marxism.
Anything that we agree with is free speech. Anything we disagree with is hate speech.
Look at the winning entry.
It is NOT hate speech.
It depicts exactly what is threatened upon anyone who depicts the grounds for the threat.
The hate is not of the artist, but of the subject depicted and their hate of those who depict their hate.
It respectfully portrays the recursive hatred Islam has - and the attempted attack just recurses further.
The image is not hate speech.
The killings subsequent were not in hate.
It brilliantly held a mirror to the evil of Islam’s hatred.
The same NYT had no problem defending the “Piss Christ” artist.
Sure, as they should opponents expressed themselves peacefully. No jihad, the NYT respects violent fascism, has for years.
The NYT Nazis have never believed in free speech or any other God-given freedoms. Gen. George Washington made a big mistake by not burning that den of Tory traitors to the ground and hanging any survivors.
Yeah, some of us are "bigoted against" and hate evil rape/murder cults that threaten to kill anyone that draws a picture of their child-raping, murdering leader. We're the real bastards.
I hate mass murderers, too. None of them happen to be Jewish or Christian at the moment, and a great many Muslims openly endorse mass murder. So I must hate Muslims who are for mass murder. It is my duty as an opponent of mass murder.
But it is equally clear that the Muhammad Art Exhibit and Contest in Garland, Tex., was not really about free speech. It was an exercise in bigotry and hatred posing as a blow for freedom.
Translation: free speech protects only attacks on the "host" religion, not on the sacred (to liberals) "other."
The author could have saved a lot of ink.
My friend Bev sent this out to her lists, and I know I could not have said it better!!
****************************
“The Real Story: Pamela Geller Exposes The Danger We Are In”
Following the terrorist attack in Garland, Texas, all Americans should be up in arms! We are constantly being told by this administration that they are watching those who visit Syria or Pakistan and then come back into this country. We are told that these radicals and their movements are under a watchful eye and we have nothing to worry about.
If Pam Geller has done nothing else, she has caused every American to be alerted to the danger we all are in. It is obvious that the jihadis who committed the latest terrorist attack on our soil should have been under watchful eye, BUT THEY WEREN'T AND THAT SHOULD CONCERN EVERY SINGLE AMERICAN!!!
This administration constantly claims they are “watching” those who come from this country and go to terrorists “territories”, and then are allowed to return here. It is an outrage that this administration is so cavalier and careless with regard to the safety of every one of us!!! This is the real story to come out of Garland, Texas!
http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/04/us/garland-mohammed-drawing-contest-shooting/index.html
“In 2011, Simpson was sentenced to three years of probation after his conviction on the terror-related charge, court records show.”
Pam Geller has exposed the dangerous situation all Americans are in under this reckless administration! We have now found out that they are not watching those who engage in terrorist activity because if they were, one policeman would not have been shot in the foot and there would not be two dead terrorists!!! If this administration were truly watching those who engage in terrorist activities in this country, the terrorist attack in Garland, Texas, would not have happened.
Please pick up your phones and call the White House, demand this administration take care of their number one responsibility, and that is to safeguard and protect the lives of all Americans! Let them know you are sick and tired of this administration's concern and preoccupation for the terrorists in GITMO and you expect their focus be on the safety of all Americans!!! It's clear this administration needs to be reminded of their duty to protect and safeguard all Americans!
White House:
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
Thank You!
Beverly Perlson
The Band of Mothers
I have a fond memory of you, Bev, and I giving Pam big supportive hugs when she spoke at a church in my area.
We prayed for her, and will continue to do so!
drawing a cartoon is not free speech... but stomping on the American flag is??
thanks !
Look. I am sure you have heard about what happened in Garland, Texas. Two jihadists wanted to replicate and ramp up what happened in Paris, by murdering scores of patriotic Americans who were standing in defense of free speech. They were met with an utterly authentic response. The media has been waging jihad against the defenders of freedom, primarily me, but that's only a device they are using to destroy anyone who speaks against the sharia and jihad. In the wake of our Muhammad Art Exhibit and Cartoon Contest, ISIS issued a death threat against me. They called me khanzaar — pig — which is the word Muhammad used of his victims before he slaughtered Jews. They threatened to murder also anyone associated with me, anyone who defends me, and anyone who supports our work.
In other words, they've declared war against America.
The media, on the other hand, is aligned with the jihad force. They're cheering and agitating for my demise — some news outlets have even asked me for my posthumous remarks. They have been viciously attacking me and Robert Spencer, blaming us for the attack on us.
They are not going to win. We are not going to let them win. If we had a responsible media, it would report on the positive developments in light of this terrorist attack: the jihadists were killed. By drawing them out, we exposed their network, without getting anyone killed. The FBI is now going after sources. They are gleaning intel from their computers as we speak. We smoked out a terror structure. The FBI has put more American terror suspects under constant surveillance following the deadly attack. Every city across the U.S. has “subjects of concern” under heightened scrutiny, and the military is taking the threat seriously enough to raise the threat level to Bravo — the highest level since 9/11. The terror network that hit us has now expanded to include roots in Minneapolis.
People say we “provoked” the jihadis. But it has since come out that they were already looking for targets to hit. If they hadn't hit us, they would have hit a much less protected target, as did the jihadist Amedy Coulibaly in the Hyper Cacher kosher supermarket in Paris, and the jihadist Man Haron Monis in the Lindt Chocolat Cafe in Sydney, Australia. The jihadis in Garland weren't provoked by us — they are already provoked. Our event just smoked them out. If we had not had such extensive security, many more people would have died — either at our event or somewhere else. Instead, the only dead were two jihadis, and a jihad network is exposed.
All that from one little art exhibit.
With just one small, relatively obscure presentation, America has been made aware that the threat is here. America has been made aware of the virulence of the war on free speech. Obama cannot ignore and excuse terrorism that is committed in the name of Islam, and we exposed the quislings and apologists for jihad terror among the political, cultural and media elites.
This has come with an enormous cost.
We are now marked. Marked for life. And we need to take extraordinary measures to protect ourselves, and above all, our work for freedom. This involves costs that are so far beyond astronomical, they take our breath away.
Yet this is not negotiable. The NYPD and our own security team have told us in no uncertain terms that specific measures must be taken.
We cannot rely on the Obama administration. The FBI has not even bothered to contact us. Clearly, if we held positions the administration favored, we would be under guard sent by the government right now. But we do not.
That means that it's on us. And that means you, because we cannot do it without you. If you support our work, if you support the stand we have taken, we need your help now more than we ever did before. This is going to require a small army. And not just for the next month, but for the foreseeable future.
This is not just about protecting some people from being attacked and killed. This is about taking a stand and showing the world that violence, murder and threats will not win.
We need your help now more than ever. Now is the time. This is a gamechanger. This is a new era. Few have realized just how different everything is after Garland: now Americans will have to watch their back every time they do anything that Muslim fanatics think “offends Islam.”
Strike a blow against that. Strike a blow for freedom. Every dime will be used for security — nothing else. Send your tax-deductible donation via Paypal to americanfreedomdefense@aol.com Or send to:
AFDI
1040 1st Ave. #121
New York, NY 10022
Pamela also remains in my prayers for safety. She, like our Military and Law Enforcement officers is putting her life on the line to keep us safe, but Pamela is doing it in a different way. She is and has been trying to educate us and our fellow Americans about the danger we face with Islamic Terrorism.
My question is, When are we all are going to realize that our National Security is the most important issue we face?
I for one will be supporting the Republican candidate in the Primary who puts our National Security and support of our Military and Law Enforcement FIRST!!
Yes. I agree with you.
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