Reply #24: Great.

[FedUp_Queer]

Any moron gets that it's not just a book. However, the reaction seems awfully disproportionate. I remember here in New York a museum putting on display the chocolate Jesus around Easter time. Last I checked, no violence. I remember the Piss Christ. Protests, probably (though I don't remember). Burning of buildings? Riots? Calls for Mr. Serrano's death? That I don't recall. I remember the Dutch artist with the pictures he drew of Mohammed. Distasteful? Yes. Insensitive? Yes. Stupid? Yes. However, calling for his death? Come on. All throughout the Arab world the intolerance that Muslims show for any non-Muslims is astounding. In many countries, it's ok to convert from Islam to anything else. The other way around? Punished as a crime. I'm sorry but there seems to be something in the Middle Eastern and Asian Muslim community that responds with violence with something that happens in another country. The notion of not punishing distasteful, insulting and provocative speech seems such an alien concept to them. Finally, as offensive as I, as a Christian find Westboro, or the fact that many Muslim countries do not allow Churches or their people may insult Jesus in the same or worse ways as this tool did, I don't see the widespread calls for their death, riots, burning public buildings, etc.

Finally, as far as prohibiting "provocative" speech, I'm sorry, but the problem, in this case, is not the nutbag burning the Koran. It's the crazies who can't just ignore it and chalk it up to a "crazy burning the Koran."