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02/08/06

US papers should not print Mohammed cartoons (but not for the reasons you might think)

There is plenty of debate in recent days about whether American newspapers should print the cartoons of Mohammed which sparked the past week's riots around the world.

In what might be a surprise to those who read me frequently, I say "no".

The reason is not because I am afraid of a Muslim uprising in the US, or demonstrations (even violent ones) against US embassies and businesses elsewhere. If that were my only consideration, I would say we should print away.

Instead, there are two main reasons for saying the US should stay out of the cartoon controversy:

1) We have troops in two Muslim countries where our work is already hard enough, and a big part of improving the situation depends on gaining the trust and assistance of locals. This is a strategically terrible time to annoy them.

2) We should not divert the attention of the hateful, violent islamofascists from Europe. This is not because we couldn't handle similar attention but because it is the European focus by the radicals which is our best chance for Europe to move closer to our position on dealing with radical Islam. Europeans are so prone to appeasement that it is only a threat of the most intense nature which gets or hold their attention. We should not lessen the intensity of the heat they now feel by attracting some of it toward us, regardless of our ability to take it, lest they lose their budding resolve.

So, while I like the idea of printing the cartoons to show "solidarity" with the European papers brave enough to print them, that is not enough benefit for the US to justify the negative ramifications for our troops and for finally getting the Europeans to realize that this is indeed World War IV.

10 comments

# The Freak on 02/08/06 at 14:23

There's another reason: they serve no good purpose.

For the same reason why I'd hope US papers would not print cartoons offensive to Jews or Christians, I don't think papers should print cartoons offensive to Muslim. We don't need to sink to their level.

# DRH on 02/08/06 at 16:23

The counter point to not printing the cartoon any longer is the idea of censorship. Cartoons have long been another media type through which a viewpoint can be efficiently conveyed. In this case the cartoons themselves have become the news. How better to cover the riot story than to display an example of what was found to be offensive by Muslims. It surely tells the news more efficiently than writing words alone (akin to a picture of an extreme event that efficiently displays the facts to the reader). I do not believe that more appearances of the cartoons will change the response by those offended. After all, surely the riots are not simply a response to being offended by the cartoons; the cartoons were just a catalyst that gave impetus to a brewing movement looking for a reason to rear its head and be heard. If not the cartoons, they will always find other catalysts. When the riots stop making news, then the cartoon appearances will naturally cease.

# 1 mile from ground zero on 02/08/06 at 16:42

the process is all wrong.

From day one (and its not too late) we should be treating islam as we treated the earlier manifestation of the same cancer/disease , naziism.

WE NEED TO DE-JIHAIDIFY.

There should have been no elections for years in Iraq and Afghanistan. No one shold have gotten a job beyond cleaning toilets untill after weeks/months / years of dejihiadification.

If ther are so many "moderate" muslims as everyone seems to think, the proes would have been short and they would have assisted.

Want to teach school? Work in a newspaper? run for office? PASS THE DEJIADIFY CLASS and there you go.

Our parents kicked the snotof the japanese and the germans with this method and those countriues are now reasonable members of the planet.

There is only one alternative to giving up fanaticism and that should be death, not giving you a seat in the next afghan or iraqi congress.

This is the proces that must be used to with Iran and Syria, or this crap will never end until some sand-nazi manages to get his hands on some WMD and takes out the center of a U.S. city and then we will have to nuke Mecca and then all you crybabies can come back and complain we had bad strategy.

# Brian on 02/08/06 at 17:18

Right to the point. Our armed forces already put up with too much, they do not need any more.

# marc mccall on 02/08/06 at 17:59

I had the same reaction when i heard the state departments press release on this. At first i was like, "what?" then i thought, how clever to let the EU simmer in their own shit for a while. For example spain's reaction to terrorism and subsequent pullout from iraq - might come under second consideration when they see what it is that for so long thet've refused to look at...

# tom on 02/08/06 at 18:03

I agree. Europe needs to come to grips with the cost of appeasement - the sooner the better.

We have our hands full in Iraq and don't need another reason to inflame the locals.

Besides, somehow, someway, the MSM and NYT would find a way to simultaneously print the cartoons and then rake the administration over the coals for not responding more effectively to the subsequent riots in Iraq.

My $0.02

# Jed Marlin on 02/08/06 at 20:13

unfortunately, I think the US media is just caught flat-footed by this, and don't know what to do, other than keep kissing muslim ass

they aren't withholding publication out of any strategy other than political correctness

# Ben on 02/09/06 at 13:13

Read what Joshua has up at View from a Height, including links to Austin Bay, Amir Taheri, and Iraq the Model. It caused me to rethink the issue, when you see what the radical Danish clerics are up to.

# Tymbrimi on 02/09/06 at 14:00

You know, I kind of agree with you, but I don't like it. And if the Europeans fold because we don't offer enough support, then we would have made a mistake.

# Mark on 02/09/06 at 20:13

First it is the cartoon - show restraint & do not offend. But the cartoon of Mohammed and the turban symbolizes how Islam has been hijacked by a group of thugs who justify murder with religious text. So next it will be riotd about "offensive speech" - linking Muslims who kill and justify it with the same justification. If you give there - they move the goalposts on what is acceptable speech , effectively silencing you on any issue

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