(I was tempted to call it “Muhammadgate,” but I suppose that’s probably a bad idea.)

InstaPundit notes that some moderate Muslims are speaking out against the violent anti-cartoon protests that are sweeping Europe: “We must condemn Islamist threats against free speech.” Indeed. Andrew Sullivan thinks European governments should require such condemnation as a condition for immigration into their countries:

[A]ll immigrants should be required to sign a declaration supporting the right of free speech, even blasphemous speech, as a condition of entering the West. Why not?

Why not, indeed. One obviously needn’t accept everything about Western culture and society in order to participate in it, but there are a few basic tenets that are really essential, and basic freedom of speech and the press are definitely on that list. If you think the government should be able to censor blasphemous speech, you really don’t belong in a liberal democracy — especially if you’re willing to resort to violence to make your point.

Sullivan, by the way, has a lot to say about Cartoongate. Just go to his homepage and scroll down.

On the other hand, the USC Daily Trojan on Friday editorialized not only that “just because a newspaper can print something does not mean it should” (a reasonable statement), but that the newspapers which published the cartoons “are to blame” for the violence (a ridiculous statement). Wow. By that logic, the American policies that upset Islamists before 9/11 “are to blame” for the attacks. Amazing.

A quick refresher for the DT’s editors: if you do something bad, you are morally responsible for it. You are “to blame” for your own actions. But if someone else does something immoral and/or violent, allegedly in (over)reaction to the bad thing that you did, you are not morally responsible for their actions. Perhaps, as a practical (not moral) matter, you should have anticipated it and should have been more careful, but you are NOT “to blame” for someone else’s sins.

UPDATE: Hugh Hewitt’s take is worth reading:

The furor over the Danish cartoons is sparking an odd reaction among some commentators in the West who see no contradiction in condemning the idiocy of Joel Stein or the repulsiveness of Tom Toles while urging solidarity with the idiot newspapermen in Denmark who thought it a good idea to not just illustrate Mohammed, but to include some illustrations designed to offend. Like Toles and Stein, they sought a cheap reaction, and getting it, are alarmed that anyone could be judgmental of their efforts.

Of course the thugs who threaten violence against the idiots are evil, and the reaction across radical Islam is every bit as chilling and outrageous as the 1989 fatwa against Rushdie.

But I think the third course between the cartoonist provocateurs and the radicals waving guns at the EU employees in Gaza is to denounce without ambiguity or excuse the latter but at the same time to delineate a very bright line between what the West stands for and the churlishness of the caroonist provocateurs. …

The cartoons were in bad taste, an unnecessary affront to many of the 1.3 billion Muslims in the world, just as Joel Stein affronted the military, the families and friends of the military, and as Toles did the same to the wounded, and their families, friends and admirers. Of course each of them had the absolute right to publish their screed, and the Danish (and now Norwegian) governments must reply to demands that these papers be punished with a steely refusal to be dictated to as to their culture of free expression and the protection of the vulgar and the stupid.

But don’t cheer the vulgar and the stupid.

There are hundreds of thousands of American troops deployed in Iraq, Afghanistan and across the globe among Muslim peoples who they are trying to befriend. The jihadists like nothing more than evidence that these troops represent a West intent on a new crusade and a new domination of Muslims. Idiot cartoonists make our troops’ jobs more difficult, and the jihadists’ mission easier.

We rightly condemn and must continue to condemn every anti-Semitic outburst from the president of Iran and every anti-Semitic cartoon published in the hate press of the Middle East. Those condemnations loose some of their force among some of the world if we rush to defend those cartoons that can objectively be seen as anti-Muslim.

The jihadists are the enemy, not the Muslim world. Refusing to recognize how idiot cartoonists can indeed offend Muslims who are not only not Islamofascists but also our allies and even our fellow citizens is to refuse Muslims the right to at least the same level of disgust that Christians display when they denounce stupid NBC series like The Book of Daniel or shows like Will & Grace. …

Cartoonists seeking to offend need to be defended against violence, but they don’t deserve praise…for their gift to the jihadists.

I have sometimes found Hewitt’s analyses to be far too partisan/ideological for my tastes, but this one makes a lot of sense. And he sets himself apart from the idiot DT editorialists by saying we must “denounce without ambiguity or excuse” those who would commit violence in (over)reaction to the cartoons. Only the rioters and arsonists “are to blame” for the riots and arson. But the cartoonists are to blame for their stupid cartoons, and they are also arguably being very unwise, even though they don’t share the “blame” (again — blame is a moral concept) for the overreaction.

As the West’s showdown with Iran escalates, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is talking tough:

“Looking back to German history in the early 1930s when National Socialism (Nazism) was on the rise, there were many outside Germany who said ‘It’s only rhetoric — don’t get excited’,” she told the assembled world defense policy makers.

“There were times when people could have reacted differently and, in my view, Germany is obliged to do something at the early stages … We want to, we must prevent Iran from developing its nuclear program.” …

U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman applauded Merkel and urged the world to take the Iranians seriously.

“From the writings of Hitler during the 1930s and Mein Kampf to the polemics of bin Laden in the 1990s, there is ample evidence that sometimes when people write and say that they hate you and … they want to destroy you, in fact they mean it and will try,” he said.

Indeed.

The Washington Post is reporting (along with every other major news outlet) that the IAEA has officially referred Iran to the UN Security Council in a 27-3 vote. The only three to vote not to refer them are quickly becoming a short list of ‘usual suspects’: Syria, Cuba and Venezuela. Even Russia and China, both of which have fairly close ties to Iran (economic as well as military), joined the United States and most of Europe in the decision. Unfortunately the immediate effects are mostly diplomatic, with any further action to be postponed:

Under an agreement reached Monday between the five permanent members of the Security Council and Germany, the council will not take any action on Iran for at least a month, giving Tehran a grace period to change its tactics, stop its enrichment activities and cooperate more fully with IAEA inspectors.

[…]

U.S. and European diplomats have said that they envision a “graduated” diplomatic approach to slowly build pressure on Iran, and that sanctions currently are not being considered. Nonetheless, Iran reportedly has been withdrawing money from European banks and stockpiling critical materials that could be difficult to get if an embargo or sanctions were imposed.

Certainly it seems like there will be a certain amount of time before anything substantial is done, and that even if action is taken, it will be in the form of sanctions rather than military action. (However, given statements by the president of Iran regarding Israel and the United States, many observers would be unsurprised if unilateral action took place, making any UNSC moot.)

Posted by Brian (Briandot)

The West’s showdown with Iran seems to be intensifying with each passing day.

A giant pillar of steam observed rising from the ocean near Iwo Jima is attributed to an undersea volcanic eruption in the region of Fukutokuoka-no-ba. We report, you pronounce. :>

The Impactor has been Fired off from the Deep Impact space probe and is scheduled to Wallop the comet Tempel 1 a few hours from now. This is good Target Practice but the Payload for The Big One (IOW the Extinctor Impactor :) will need to be a bit more Robust.

The Saudis have made a deep & permanent Impact on the local al Qaeda Bigshot. Credit where credit is due: Goodshot, House of Saud.
**********************************************************************
PS: Here’s a good NYTimes Op-Ed piece in support of the Comet-Bashing project. :) For MY money, the Money Quote is:

…It has been said that the dinosaurs ultimately got snuffed because they lacked a space program. Sooner or later a killer comet will again cross Earth’s path, threatening all life. Only next time, armed with knowledge about comets and space engineering, life on Earth will have a fighting chance.

But the author makes note of the Other side, too :) ~

…A lawsuit has even been filed in a Russian court by a 45-year-old mother of two in Moscow, demanding that the mission be called off on the basis of its environmental and spiritual, well, impact.

Wonder if the Russkie Magistrates are in Emergency session even as we Blog…still a couple hours to go before the Boom of Doom… :)

I was planning to post a lunch-break update today, but then I got sidetracked when I received an email from my mom containing a letter to the editor that she wrote to the Bronx Times:

Subject: Bush’s Rally at Fort Bragg
Body: Is this lame duck president STILL campaigning? If America needed evidence of an Orwellian Animal Farm, George W. Bush gave it to us Tuesday evening in his speech to his true believers. He ONLY speaks before rallies, he DOESN’T answer tough questions about REALITIES (such as who attacked us on 9/11, and that Iraq did NOT), and he continues to pile up an abysmal legacy while playing to his far-right handlers. Is this what becomes of America after 250 years as a representative democracy? A theocracy run by evangelicals from the fever swamp? They are taking over the courts, the airwaves, Public Television, Congress and the Presidency. WAKE UP, AMERICA!

I responded:

(more…)

I hate it when he “addresses the nation” in front of an audience. That’s trashy. You address the nation from the Oval Office; you make political speeches in front of an audience.

At least they’re not cheering and applauding so far.

There’s some audio feedback. “Did you do a sound check? Assholes.” –Becky

BREAKING NEWS! Terrorists hate freedom.

He’s talking about the war on terror. 9/11, etc. And “Iraq is the latest battlefield in this war.” Of course, this will cause opponents of the Iraq war to say he’s conflating two unrelated things again. The thing is, they’re not objectively unrelated. War opponents think they’re unrelated; war supporters think they’re related. The pro-war side is not obviously wrong. It’s not dishonest to talk about Iraq and 9/11 in the same sentence. It’s an honest difference of opinion. You might disagree with what he’s saying, but it doesn’t make him a liar. He’s not saying, or implying, that “Saddam caused 9/11.” He’s saying that he believes dealing with people like Saddam, and spreading freedom in the Middle East, is necessary for preventing future 9/11s. And he’s saying that a terrorist is a terrorist is a terrorist, and they all need to be dealt with. That’s a valid, honest philosophy, whether you agree with it or not.

Ooh, he’s talking about the flypaper strategy! We’ve captured hundreds of foreign fighters, etc. Sweet!

HE JUST QUOTED OSAMA BIN LADEN!!! He actually said Osama’s name!!! He hasn’t forgotten about him!!!

Where is Osama bin Laden, by the way?

Terrorists setting off bombs, “…including one outside of a mosque.” That’s right! Damn straight! Remind people who the real enemy of Islam is: the terrorists!

The terrorists have failed to accomplish their strategic goals. That’s right! Terrorists suck!

“The terrorists can kill the innocent – but they cannot stop the advance of freedom. The only way our enemies can succeed is if we forget the lessons of September 11, if we abandon the Iraqi people to men like Zarqawi, and if we yield the future of the Middle East to men like Bin Laden. For the sake of our Nation’s security, this will not happen on my watch.” WOOHOO!

(more…)

President Bush will address the nation in ten minutes about the progress of the war. He is expected to elaborate on how often he thinks about Iraq. :)

The lovely Ms. Jackson points out that the there-were-no-WMDs-in-Iraq mantra is untrue. While her post is compelling, it’s not nearly as entertaining as the comment wars that follow.

Ok, so for all those who claim that there is some sort of massive liberal media bias I have a question for you.

Why did Monica Lewinski’s blue dress recieve more press coverage than the Downing Street memos?

Honestly. Here is significant evidence that the Bush administration was more worried about finding a reason to invade Iraq than finding bin Ladin. That they knew the evidence was sketchy at best. And where are the cries of outrage?

I’m not saying this proves anything, but don’t you think we should be looking into it?

Andrew once asked me if i thought Bush was a worse than Nixon. To answer you yes. Nixon may have broken the law but atleast no one had to die for it. Bush may very well have misled our nation into a war we weren’t prepared for and wasn’t even justified for the reasons given.

Its about time we started getting answers, and demanding them. Of course the most telling part about all this is that the Blair administration, who have been strong supporters of Bush have yet to offer any denials of the factuality of these memos.

So where is the liberal bias now?

Which is a bigger surprise: the anti-Syrian candidates’ victory in the Lebanese election, or the New York Times’s statement (in the third paragraph of the day’s top story, no less) that the result is “perhaps an example of a greater yearning for democracy in the Arab world”?

In the wake of news that two hard-liners beat out the leading moderate candidate to qualify for a runoff in Iran’s presidential election, the moderate is claiming the vote was rigged.

New evidence has emerged suggesting that Kofi Annan knew more than he has let on about the oil-for-food scandal.

I’m shocked, I tell you, shocked.

The whole time Jaime, my brother, a Corporal in the Marine Corps and a Combat Engineer, was deployed (spring and summer of 2003, spring of 2004 and summer of 2004 through spring of 2005), I felt we focused too much on the negative news coming from Iraq, and seldom heard of the Iraqi men training to defend their country from the terrorists and of our troops rebuiling stuff and helping the locals (not to say of all the atrocities the terrorists commit on innocent Iraqis). Jaime’s stories where scary, but I also knew good things were happening. I knew this because I made it a point to tell Jaime of good things happening in Iraq, things we do not hear of in the seven o’clock news, to remind him of what he was fighting for. After three tours, one injury, dead fellow Marines and many close calls, I am amazed at how well Jaime looks and feels these days. I think I owe it to him, after everything he has done and been through, to at least try to make all of you aware of the other side of all this negative news. Everyone here claims to support the troops, but I wonder how many of us actually think they are doing a good job, and how many have taken the time to read about the good things happening in Iraq. We spend hours and days arguing over Koran flushings and Bush (all valid things to talk about) but maybe some good news from the front lines could do us all some good (by the way, Jaime and I had many conversations about the war before he was deployed the first time and have argued over all aspects of the war, from whether the US should be involved to why Jaime has to be a warrior, and those conversations are never easy).

Some blogs where entires like these are found, from the frontlines (these are excerpts from some entries).

Cpl. Tom Sloan
AR RAMADI, Iraq (June 4, 2005) — While a majority of 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment’s frontline forces patrol the urban battlefield hunting for insurgents, a platoon of Marines with Company B have a different role in the securing of this city and the restoration of its infrastructure – training Iraqi Security Forces.

“They come to us knowing basic military knowledge,” said 2nd Lt. Michael L. Burke, the platoon’s commander. “We sharpen their skills and get them to the point of being able to conduct missions in the city.

…Marines teach them the fundamentals of patrolling, marksmanship and how to conduct hasty vehicle control points while on patrol. The soldiers are also taught detainee handling procedures and how to set up security positions.

Strowmatt, who’s in Iraq for the third time supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom, said he is honored to be a part of training Iraq’s future security forces.

“I believe in the mission the Marines and I are doing,” he said. “Working with them on a day-to-day basis and seeing them improve is gratifying. It’s a window into seeing the whole country getting better. The ISF will, with our help, eventually be able to take care of securing their own country so that I might not have to come back here a fourth time. We’re making our mark on Iraq by training these guys, which is something we can look back on later and say, ‘yeah, we were a part of that.’”

Since assuming the training role two months ago, Burke and his platoon of Marines have trained 600 ISF. He’s confident in the force they’ve stood up.

“They are very capable and professional,” he said. “They take charge and the general principles of mission accomplishment and troop welfare is important to them. Their performance is a testament to the Marines’ hard work.”

HADITHA, Iraq(June 2, 2005) — Since the middle of March, Team 4, Detachment 4, 5th Civil Affairs Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force (FWD), has played a vital role in Haditha. The city is known as one of the hottest spots in western Iraq.

During Operation New Market, which began on the night of May 23, the main objective of the CAG team, led by Maj. Matthew D. Chisholm, Team 4 leader, was to assess recent damages done to Haditha Hospital. The hospital was damaged earlier in the month when insurgents occupied the building. The team also wanted to talk to the staff to see how the hospital was functioning and ask locals their opinions about personal care.

“It is very unfortunate that the hospital was involved in the situation,” said Chisholm, a San Diego native. “After an attack such as this one, the CAG team has to stop and look at the overall situation. We immediately begin to get things running, like communications and laboratory capabilities. The next closest hospital is Hit, so people need this hospital to get care.”

“The insurgents came in and took over [the hospital],” said a doctor working there. “We didn’t want them here but they came anyway.”

“We could all see how much the insurgency is hurting their own people by destroying the hospital which usually could serve up to 500 patients a day,” said Cmdr. David C. Lu, 5th CAG medical officer and civil affairs liaison.

Considering the outraged reaction in the Muslim world to Newsweek’s allegation that American soldiers had flushed the Koran down the toilet, I can only imagine the fury that will undoubtedly ensue in response to today’s Al Qaeda suicide bombing at mosque in Afghanistan, which killed more than two dozen Muslim worshippers during funeral prayers.

Oddly enough, though, there haven’t been any riots yet.