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
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If Jones had actually meant any of what he says, he'd have burnt one when he first threatened. You have to understand though, this is a guy who just wants media attention for his little redneck church, who saw that his 15 minutes of fame was almost up unless he actually did something newsworthy.
I'll support his right to do it, but what he did was not admirable. If you know that blowing a certain whistle will make a certain dog go batshit nuts, you don't go blowing that whistle when there's people near that dog without expecting to be called out as an asshole over it.
If you know that blowing a certain whistle will make a certain dog go batshit nuts, you don't go blowing that whistle when there's people near that dog without expecting to be called out as an asshole over it.
There are so many things wrong with this statement.
I'll start off by pointing out that you've just published a statement which, to any sincere Muslim, would be doubly offensive. You've just compared Muslims to "dogs" (an unclean animal in their faith) and used this comparison to imply that their reasoning powers are subhuman (they lack moral agency and cannot be held to human standards of moral conduct). By your own standards, you should be "called out as an asshole" for posting this comment.
(by my own standards, of course, comparing Muslim terrorists to dogs merely insults the dogs -- dogs are in general morally superior to Muslim terrorists
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I wasn't making a comparison, I was using allegory. If any Muslims were offended I'm sure they'll show enough self-restraint to not try and murder me, even if the choice of animal wasn't entirely unintentional.
I just think this Jones guy should not be held up as the shining paragon of free speech that he is when his only intent is to draw attention to himself. Just because a bad person does something that turns out right, it doesn't make that person any better.
I agree that we can't and shouldn't be cowed into 'not provoking' the extremists; if we don't deliberately give them an excuse to murder people foreigners and infidels, they'll find one on their own just as well. this Jones character though is so clearly in it just for the publicity that it is sickening. Regardless of other factors, innocent people are being murdered as a result of this man's choice, and he pretty much knew that would be the result when he made it.
I wasn't making a comparison, I was using allegory. If any Muslims were offended I'm sure they'll show enough self-restraint to not try and murder me, even if the choice of animal wasn't entirely unintentional.
Salman Rushdie was also attempting poetic literary devices, and that did not stop the Iranian government from putting a price on his head. What might have stopped the Iranian government from doing that was tangible measures taken against Iran for this act of war against Britain, but nobody was willing to take such measures at the time.
You are trying to put yourself, psychologically, in a category of "decent and reasonable people" at whom "of course" the Muslims would not take violent offense, while keeping Jones in the category of obnoxious fools who invite physical attack. You don't get it -- the Muslims regard the authority of shari'a as universally paramount, and in Islam there is "no sense of humor," as the Ayatollah Khomeini famously declared
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One of their own imans compared them to feral cats who can't be blamed if they eat meat lying out there. Many Muslims, and many apologists for Muslims (like the one here), implicitly argue that they lack moral agency and cannot be held to human standards of moral conduct -- whereas Westerners, who can act freely since they "cause" the Muslims' acts, have it and can be.
Of course, if we took them at their word, we would take the first set down to the pound to have them spayed, and all of them in general, we would treat as is only proper to treat people who stand in relation to us as children to adults or the mentally incompetent to the sane -- namely, colonization in its most paternalist form.
It isn't the first time that Muslim males have compared themselves to wild animals. They just can't control themselves when an evil woman bares her head in public! It's not their fault!
But colonization is EVIL AND BAD AND... yeaaaaaah you know the drill as much as I do. ^ ~
Of course, if we took them at their word, we would take the first set down to the pound to have them spayed,
The sterilization would begin at the proverbial puppyhood, like how you have kittens spayed before they hit maturity to ensure they never breed. But on the other hand, with Muslims breeding the way they do, with multiple wives.... I don't know if that would work.
Tangented thought: if the Muslims are uncontrollable animals who ravage and rage and it's considered natural... and what is generally done with similar animals that attacked humans is to put them down... shame we can't take their own metaphor as a collective warning for their own behavior and pre-emptively do what we'd normally do with violent animals...
The sterilization would begin at the proverbial puppyhood, like how you have kittens spayed before they hit maturity to ensure they never breed. But on the other hand, with Muslims breeding the way they do, with multiple wives.... I don't know if that would work.
Well, for one thing, we could regard jihadism as "child abuse" and routinely take children out of families in which Terrorists were being held up as role models. Hey, we've created a tyrannical and unaccountable agency in Child Protective Services, why not use it against actual evil for a change?
Except that so many are saying "no, he can't go apeshit, he's such a fwuffywoobiecuddlebuuuutt". There are times when you *have* to blow that whistle, and then videotape the rampage for the people to get it. Because The dog goes on periodic rampages whether the whistle is blown or not, and no one ever seems to get it on film. Or when they DO, the apologists (liberals) just say "No, that can't be my widdle fwuffyislamobuttertush". The only cure for denial is repeated beatings with a clue-by-four.
I am kinda sick of nutjobs like Jones getting just what they want, too. Why does his little book-burning party have to be front page news? Is there nothing else of interest going on in the world? I'd rather hear about Sheen's latest meltdown, and THAT'S a pointless waste of time too.
Why does his little book-burning party have to be front page news?
Why? Because it's not about burning one book. It's about the bigger picture.
It's about the fact that people in America are now fully willing to surrender one of their greatest freedoms, the freedom of speech. And surrender it to whom and for what purpose?
To the followers of an ideology whose stated purpose is to bring the world under submission to that ideology - an ideology that states the choices for unbelievers are 1) forced conversion, 2) submission under Islamic (sharia) law or 3) death.
THAT'S what this is about. But in your view, this is on the level of celebrity gossip. How horrifying.
I see comments like yours and wonder if we aren't already beyond hope.
In this New Enlightened Age we don't seem to be be able to do that, though. It would certainly simplify things. It's the same reason Gadaffhi is still breathing to this day despite it being a matter of history that he signed and was directly responsible the order that destroyed Pan Am flt 103 and killed 270 people, mostly American and British citizens 23 years ago. I can't think of anything that would more embolden the Jihadist mindset.
I'll support his right to do it, but what he did was not admirable. If you know that blowing a certain whistle will make a certain dog go batshit nuts, you don't go blowing that whistle when there's people near that dog without expecting to be called out as an asshole over it.
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There are so many things wrong with this statement.
I'll start off by pointing out that you've just published a statement which, to any sincere Muslim, would be doubly offensive. You've just compared Muslims to "dogs" (an unclean animal in their faith) and used this comparison to imply that their reasoning powers are subhuman (they lack moral agency and cannot be held to human standards of moral conduct). By your own standards, you should be "called out as an asshole" for posting this comment.
(by my own standards, of course, comparing Muslim terrorists to dogs merely insults the dogs -- dogs are in general morally superior to Muslim terrorists ( ... )
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I just think this Jones guy should not be held up as the shining paragon of free speech that he is when his only intent is to draw attention to himself. Just because a bad person does something that turns out right, it doesn't make that person any better.
I agree that we can't and shouldn't be cowed into 'not provoking' the extremists; if we don't deliberately give them an excuse to murder people foreigners and infidels, they'll find one on their own just as well. this Jones character though is so clearly in it just for the publicity that it is sickening. Regardless of other factors, innocent people are being murdered as a result of this man's choice, and he pretty much knew that would be the result when he made it.
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Salman Rushdie was also attempting poetic literary devices, and that did not stop the Iranian government from putting a price on his head. What might have stopped the Iranian government from doing that was tangible measures taken against Iran for this act of war against Britain, but nobody was willing to take such measures at the time.
You are trying to put yourself, psychologically, in a category of "decent and reasonable people" at whom "of course" the Muslims would not take violent offense, while keeping Jones in the category of obnoxious fools who invite physical attack. You don't get it -- the Muslims regard the authority of shari'a as universally paramount, and in Islam there is "no sense of humor," as the Ayatollah Khomeini famously declared ( ... )
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Of course, if we took them at their word, we would take the first set down to the pound to have them spayed, and all of them in general, we would treat as is only proper to treat people who stand in relation to us as children to adults or the mentally incompetent to the sane -- namely, colonization in its most paternalist form.
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It isn't the first time that Muslim males have compared themselves to wild animals. They just can't control themselves when an evil woman bares her head in public! It's not their fault!
It's disgusting is what it is.
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But colonization is EVIL AND BAD AND... yeaaaaaah you know the drill as much as I do. ^ ~
Of course, if we took them at their word, we would take the first set down to the pound to have them spayed,
The sterilization would begin at the proverbial puppyhood, like how you have kittens spayed before they hit maturity to ensure they never breed. But on the other hand, with Muslims breeding the way they do, with multiple wives.... I don't know if that would work.
Tangented thought: if the Muslims are uncontrollable animals who ravage and rage and it's considered natural... and what is generally done with similar animals that attacked humans is to put them down... shame we can't take their own metaphor as a collective warning for their own behavior and pre-emptively do what we'd normally do with violent animals...
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Well, for one thing, we could regard jihadism as "child abuse" and routinely take children out of families in which Terrorists were being held up as role models. Hey, we've created a tyrannical and unaccountable agency in Child Protective Services, why not use it against actual evil for a change?
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Why? Because it's not about burning one book. It's about the bigger picture.
It's about the fact that people in America are now fully willing to surrender one of their greatest freedoms, the freedom of speech. And surrender it to whom and for what purpose?
To the followers of an ideology whose stated purpose is to bring the world under submission to that ideology - an ideology that states the choices for unbelievers are 1) forced conversion, 2) submission under Islamic (sharia) law or 3) death.
THAT'S what this is about. But in your view, this is on the level of celebrity gossip. How horrifying.
I see comments like yours and wonder if we aren't already beyond hope.
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It's the same reason Gadaffhi is still breathing to this day despite it being a matter of history that he signed and was directly responsible the order that destroyed Pan Am flt 103 and killed 270 people, mostly American and British citizens 23 years ago. I can't think of anything that would more embolden the Jihadist mindset.
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