Posted on 05/06/2015 7:22:18 PM PDT by Steelfish
Fox News’s Greta Van Susteren Scolds Pamela Geller
By Erik Wemple May 6 Before embarking on a television career, Fox News host Greta Van Susteren worked as a highly successful trial attorney. She graduated from Georgetown Law, represented clients in federal and state venues and picked up her share of accolades along the way.
And last night she ditched her legal-eagle sophistication in a monologue criticizing activist Pamela Geller for putting the lives of police officers on the line at an event Sunday in Garland, Texas. “Everyone knew this event would unglue some who might become violent,” said Van Susteren.
In a story that has resurrected a fierce debate on the First Amendment, two gunmen on Sunday were killed by police after they descended on the Geller-organized event showcasing cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. The Islamic State terror group has claimed responsibility for the attack and U.S. officials are investigating any possible link. Geller is president of the American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI), a group that bills itself as a protector of U.S. constitutional freedoms but that the Southern Poverty Law Center calls an “active anti-Muslim group.” Muslims consider depictions of the prophet offensive. In January, terrorists carried out a massacre at the Paris offices of Charlie Hebdo magazine, which had repeatedly satirized Muhammad.
So Van Susteren scolded Geller for holding the cartoon contest. “My message is simple — protect our police. Do not recklessly lure them into danger and that is what happened in Garland, Texas at the Mohammed cartoon contest,” she said. “Yes, of course, there’s a First Amendment right and it’s very important, but the exercise of that right includes using good judgment.”
In other words, watch what you say, or draw.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Laura Ingraham wore a sleeveless dress—highly offensive to Muslims—as she denounced Pamela Geller and the Draw Mohammed contest for offending Muslims.
Yes, that’s right Greta...just stick your head in the sand. Give in...submit....don’t upset the crazy people. Just give up your first amendment rights to the nutters.
“Everyone knew this event would unglue some who might become violent,” said Van Susteren.
No more watching O’Reilly, Van Ssuteren, Geraldo. All in the same boat.
Watch only Bret Baier, and Megan Kelly. Watching the rest is a waste of time.
The rights expressed in our Constitution are absolute and are explicitly understood to be given not by government, but by the Creator. At the same time, these rights are not only limited in number and quality, but also limited in expression and practice. A self-governing population is permitted, if not obligated, to defend these rights and establish the limits of their expression. We do a disservice to ourselves and those who follow us if we do not understand what “rights” truly are, and how they are best defended and practiced.
Excesses of limitation (tyranny), and excesses of permission (lawlessness), must be avoided. That is what government is for, and what the word “government” means. This is why we do not interpret the Second Amendment in such a way as to place weapons into the hands of the criminally insane, and why we do not interpret the First Amendment in such a way as to encourage yelling “Fire!” in a crowded theater. It is best if those entrusted with self-governance are acquainted with natural and revealed law, as these will inculcate and guide the most peaceful and prosperous results. It is also important, when establishing laws and enforcing them, that some allowance is made for mercy.
Beware of extremes. There is much benefit to receive and impart in avoiding extremes. Extremes lead to genocide, both inside and outside the womb. A civil being ought to be aware of, and take responsibility for, the consequences of behavior. Without such awareness a person is not really free.
We happen to live in an age where the words “I don’t think that’s a good idea” are somehow taken as an extreme insult, or a suggestion that such behaviors need to be outlawed. Perhaps this is the fruit of a litigious society. The fact is, civilization works better with clear and cordial discourse, respect, intelligence, patience, and other virtues. There most certainly is a place for force, but force is, as most grown ups know, a last resort. In view of the left’s propensity for dumbing down their clientele, force will eventually be brought to bear upon the lawless, both from below and from Above.
Means nothing to the religion of perpetual outrage.
Fox’s job is to appear to be conservative and then reel in the conservative sheep when someone slips a little outside the acceptable range set by the planners. They really hate loose canons.
This is about, specifically, the careerist, cowardly, go-along-to-get-along mores of the Upper Middle Class, the class of people whose parents were all college educated, and of course are college educated themselves; the class that dominates our thought-transmitting institutions (because non-college educated people are more of less shut out of this industry).
It is a class which is deathly afraid of social stigma, and lives in class-based fear being grouped with the wrong people, and which is more interested in Career, quite frankly, than in the actual tradecraft of that Career, which is clarity of thought and clarity of expression.
Thus, our institutions of thought propagation are dominated by the very people who can be easily cowed by the Social Justice Warriors, and who will, therefore, adjust their speech in order to not run afoul of the thoughtless -- and frequently lunatic -- thugs of the censorious left.
The very people we need to be most immune to the menaces of stigma, and the blandishments of career advancement, are, due to the absolute primacy of the Upper Middle Class imperative of advancing one's career and avoiding scandal, stigma, and controversy, the very people most sensitive to such distortions.
[...]
This is why we have no actual conservative movement worth a damn: Because our political officers and our thought leaders are all drawn from, and aspire to advance in, the same Upper Middle Class Northeast-and-California cultural consensus of "respectability."
This makes me even angrier than Van Susteren's idiocy. To the majority of people on this planet, Mohammed is a prophet of NOTHING, since the majority of people on this planet believe there is no god named Allah. Yet the media repeatedly refer to him as "Prophet".
In the name of simple fairness, they should also refer to Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ whenever they write about Christianity.
She is a woman who makes a good living depending on free speech rights, but only if the she bitch approves of the speech.
hey greta, ESAD.
Hey Greta!
Ska-rew the pedophile!
And you, and the horse you rode in on.
Ms. Geller’s organization was essentially protesting. They are protesting the Muslim agenda. Protesting is a profound right of free people.
Muslims who come here know we have free speech. If they cannot tolerate free speech, they should leave.
“I live in Arizona, Pamela Geller may have saved my life and many others by luring the KILLERS into the cops web.”
I’m not certain that everyone in that hall signed up for that duty, including the police. The good guys might not have been so lucky, because skill only goes so far.
The other side of this argument stated by O’Reilly has validity; the “free speech” aspect is a hollow demonstration of the obvious, but it does a fine job of alienating those who are actually on your side.
The cartoon contest event “lured” two would-be terrorists who got blown away by an Arlington traffic cop(s). And that’s was a good thing.
Greta,
I don’t like people desecrating the flag. The people that do so are provoking anger.
What’s the difference? You expect me to be civil when provoked but not muslims?
“Means nothing to the religion of perpetual outrage.”
Did we really need more proof that these people are crazy? The liberals will always defend them up to the point of having a blade at their OWN necks, anyway. So what’s the point of it?
Correction: And that was a good thing.
“In the name of simple fairness, they should also refer to Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ whenever they write about Christianity. “
Good point, but don’t hold your breath for that.
Well, the modicum of respect I had for Greta just evaporated. Sorry Greta but you’re not only wrong you’re a coward.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.