Archive for April, 2010

Free Speech could get you killed

Friday, April 23rd, 2010

A blog called slog has been encouraging folks to do this:

The reason. The take-on-all-comers Southpark cartoon has just lampooned Islam by skirting around an ancient Islamic taboo. Borrowed from the Jewish prohibition against worship sacred objects the Koran forbids any ANY artistic representation of anything lest it become an object of worship…….So you could manufacture a lexus but not draw it. It goes without saying that if there was anything short of God that it would be sacrilege to draw it would be the prophet Muhammed.

South Park had a cartoon devoted to this and kept Muhammad out of camera range but placing him out of sight by such sleight of hand as putting him in a bear suit. Extremists have called for the death of the cartoons creators just as they have the Danish cartoonist who some claim to have drawn Mohammed with a bomb in his turban.

Southpark is very funny for those who are young and impossible to offend. I laugh heartily when I watch it but while I my sort of cartoon humor took shape in the Rocky and Bullwinkle Era.

I am however very offended by the threat of assassination for the cause of punishing humorists and thinkers.

A quarter century ago when the newly empowered Ayatollah’s of Iran called for the assassination of Salman Rushdie for writing a book that took liberties with early Islamic stories I was outraged myself. I penned an outraged letter calling for support for Rushdie and sent it to the student senates of about 100 of America’s largest colleges. In the day before the Internet this was a considerable little project and the postage and printing was close to a hundred bucks.

It was the age of Reagan and sleepy politics on college campuses. Everyone wanted to be a Michael Keaton from Family Ties and his soft headed liberal father was a joke. No one responded and I ended up feeling naive. Too bad I didn’t have Southpark’s panache.

As long as Islam is a minority religion in America Ill be reluctant to joke at Mohammed’s expense mostly because I don’t like picking on the powerless.

Go Cartman!

Red Plan haste lays waste

Wednesday, April 21st, 2010

If they build it . . .

Wednesday, April 21st, 2010

The future of the St. Louis County schools

Wednesday, April 21st, 2010

JCI a target of Duluth’s legislative agenda

Wednesday, April 21st, 2010

One week ago to the minute

Saturday, April 17th, 2010

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery

Tuesday, April 13th, 2010

Katyn Forest

Monday, April 12th, 2010

Anne Frank and a sense of proportion

Monday, April 12th, 2010

Sinking Sand

Monday, April 12th, 2010

How firm a foundation

Monday, April 12th, 2010

Unemployment today

Monday, April 12th, 2010

Im Palin

Monday, April 12th, 2010

The GOP will kick butt in 2010?????

Wednesday, April 7th, 2010

JCI ethics award?????

Wednesday, April 7th, 2010

The Buddha says

Monday, April 5th, 2010

The District is “above the law”

Monday, April 5th, 2010

Meanwhile at JCI’s other Duluth embarrassment

Monday, April 5th, 2010

Meanwhile at JCI’s northern embarrassment

Monday, April 5th, 2010

Duluth’s “Mega Project”

Monday, April 5th, 2010