Kudos to Terry Jones

[jordan179]

Terry Jones finally did burn a Koran, and I am glad of it. In doing so, he confirmed our freedom of speech, as American citizens. And I am pleased to see that others have been following in his footsteps

Comments

[zornhau]

I used to have this girlfriend, back when I was sixteen.

We'd be walking through the street and some crazy homeless drunk guy would have his tackle out to piss against the wall (Edinburgh at the time was inundated with such people).

As we'd pass, she'd invairably exclaim, "THAT'S DISGUSTING!"

I'd hurry her on, knowing that she had every right to say it, but that her bravery was second hand - it would be me who got the beating if he turned on us.

In the same way, I think that a decent person would do their best before picking fights on behalf of soldiers deployed in the middle of complex operations in Muslim countries.

Even so, I applaud that it is still legal to burn Korans in the US.

[jordan179]

If you allow yourself to be restrained by the threat of force from doing them, then you are not really "free" to do them. Part of the long-term Muslim strategy, as exercised in Western countries around the world, is to make us kaffirim accord Islam special respect, above all other faiths for fear of "provoking" violence from Muslims. It is an Incredibly BAD Idea for us to go along with this strategy: if we wish to obtain responsible behavior from the Muslims, they need to be taught (and have the lesson rubbed into their face by force when necessary) that they cannot expect and will not receive any special respect for their attempts at intimidation, but will in fact receive less respect for it.

A freedom not defended by force at need ceases to be enjoyed by a society.

[jordan179]

In the same way, I think that a decent person would do their best before picking fights on behalf of soldiers deployed in the middle of complex operations in Muslim countries.

"Picking fights" implies that Terry Jones is offering a provocation. I fail to see how a man destroying his own property in another country is offering a provocation to Muslims in, say, Afghanistan or Pakistan. It should be the business of our government to rebuke foreigners who have the temerity to tell us that we should arrest Terry Jones, not enable them by rebuking Terry Jones.

Even so, I applaud that it is still legal to burn Korans in the US.

It won't be for long if we keep treating Terry Jones as if he's doing something wrong.

There is a morale factor here also. If we demand that our own citizens also submit to Islam, then we encourage the Terrorists: they scent victory. If we defy them, we discourage the Terrorists: they see that we are not cowed, despite all their efforts

[marmoe]

Hmm, would you cheer people on to copy the Westboro Baptist Church in order to assert the freedom of speech, as well? I think there is a blurry line between free speech and needless provokation of people for the intent of provoking people. And no, the Koran burning does not justify violence, much less lynching and murder, whether of innocent people as happened in Afghanistan or people burning a book.

[blue_sky_day]

The WBC doesn't really need much defending. Virtually is really trying to shut down their speech. Terry Jones, on the other hand, had a lot of pressure put on him, including from the Army and FBI, to not go through with his demonstration.

[blue_sky_day]

Correction: virtually nobody

[jordan179]

Terry Jones, on the other hand, had a lot of pressure put on him, including from the Army and FBI, to not go through with his demonstration.

And note: this is the Army and FBI which should be defending his freedom of speech, by (respectively) intimidating (and if necessary engaging and destroying) the foreigners making the threats, and arresting anyone who comes to America to carry them out.

[belvarius]

If you like what T.J. did then you may love this brave woman for what is doing: http://hillbuzz.org/2011/04/06/ann-barnhardt-rakes-lindsey-graham-over-the-coals-love-it/

If you read through the comments on that page someone also posted a video of her where she's going through some selected parts of the koran, calling said parts evil, and then tearing out the page and burning it. She is also using bacon for bookmarks in her copy of the koran.

[jordan179]

She is also using bacon for bookmarks in her copy of the koran.

Heh, now that was funny! :D

[dexeron]

OMG. She's certainly... bombastic.

I actually doubled over laughing when she kept calling Graham a "jackass".

But what she says really is logically sound, Constitutionally. Graham's completely offbase, and jordan's right: ultimately it comes down to the reasonable man standard, and submitting to unreasonable demands is basically saying that our rights don't actually exist after all.

[juliet_winters]

Apparently it's only okay to insult truly peaceful religions where there's no great fear of repercussions, which renders freedom of speech meaningless as we let the thugs win.

I -might- like to do something quite awful to the "artist" who stuck the cross in urine and others who use Christ and his mother in pornographic images, but the Head of my religion insists I turn the other cheek.

[gothelittle]

IF it wasn't for the Muslims threatening violence whenever anyone burns a Koran, THEN I would say that we may have the right to do it, but we shouldn't out of simple respect. I would not favor burning a Book of Mormon, or the Gospel of Thomas, or any of a number of religious books, and I would see tearing out pages you don't agree with or bookmarking it with bacon to be just unnecessary and silly

[madwriter]

>>EXCEPT for their insistence that we'd better not or they'll punish us.<<

Yeah, this is the sort of thing that makes me stubborn.

But then again, I may not be one to talk. A couple of decades ago I cause a bit of a ruckus after running across some fundamentalist Christians who were burning books "in the name of the Bible", by standing across the street from them and burning some Bibles "in the name of books".