General Discussion
Showing Original Post only (View all)Sorry, you don't coddle religious fanatics of any stripe. [View all]
Yesterday four people were killed in Libya. They weren't killed because they had done something heinous, they weren't killed because we were war, they were killed because some religious fanatics took offense at a film.
That is not the act of a civilized people, that is the act of backwards, ignorant religious fanatics. Some folks seem to want to give them some slack because they are Islamic fanatics, or because they are in the Middle East, or for whatever reason, but I'm sorry, they are religious fanatics who broke the law and need to be arrested and brought to justice for their crimes.
We have religious fanatics in this country who have done terrible things, and they have been brought to justice. The same should apply abroad. If the countries in question, Libya and Egypt, won't do so, then I say we should pull out our embassies and discontinue all aid. We simply cannot allow religious fanatics to dictate to us what we can and cannot say. This is a country of free speech, part of a world where civilized nations also have free speech. If we allow religious fanatics to dictate what we can say in this country, then what else are we going to allow them to dictate to us, how we dress, how women are treated, the list is endless.
Do I condone the film, the Israeli-American producer or Terry Jones? No, I think they put this little film of theirs out there to get a reaction, and they got one. But I defend their right to say what they want. The frank truth of the matter is this is like a school playground squabble. One kid says something nasty to get a rise out of another kid, who in turn hits the first kid and goes to the office. If you want people to stop saying and doing things that piss you off, realize that those people are doing so just to get a rise out of you and if you ignore what they are doing, if you don't rise to the bait, then soon they will stop.