Infinite MonkeysLeave it to Mark Steyn to get to the crux of the matter:
The issue is not "freedom of speech" or "the responsibilities of the press" or "sensitivity to certain cultures." The issue, as it has been in all these loony tune controversies going back to the Salman Rushdie fatwa, is the point at which a free society musters the will to stand up to thugs. British Muslims march through the streets waving placards reading "BEHEAD THE ENEMIES OF ISLAM." If they mean that, bring it on. As my columnar confrere John O'Sullivan argued, we might as well fight in the first ditch as the last.
The question, then, is this: Are you with civilization, or are you with the barbarians?
Posted by H.L. Monkey at February 13, 2006 12:18 AM"If you kill enough of them, they stop fighting", so said General Curtis LeMay. He was right.
This is not a dispute that can be settled by reason or logic: In a normal, civilized disagreement all parties are required to be reasonable and have a grasp of logical debate. And this clash of cultures that we are witness to is fueled not by a need for raw materials or an expansion of borders. It is a desire to tyrannize and oppress. To deny that is to allow the enemy to overrun the position and use your weapons against you. All the while touting the desire for a "peaceful end to the hositilities", as the syncophants aligned with the enemy chant "No blood for oil", and "Get out NOW!". Cue the marching, jangling guitars, protest songs, smart-assed comments from TV hosts...
The enemy was well identified during WWII and it seems that all resources were aimed directly at his heart. The enemy today is also easily identified but now we have split between those who see the enemy as a danger and those who see the enemy as the oppressed.
We are at war. Pick a side.
Dan Patterson
Arrogant Infidel