Sorting through the cartoon outrage

I have 'suffered' at the hands of creative artists who insist on being offensive and reacted with anger. I have not been too happy with some art work targeted at angering Christians by mixing Christian symbols with excremental matter, etc. So when I see how Muslims are reacting angrily I paused to ensure I am viewing this properly and consistently. As I look over the cartoons in question, I see that they are satirical cartoons designed to point out the radical elements of Islam that are using Islam to justify killing and injuring lives. Basically, the cartoons are stating "It is time to join the civilized world".

In the Christian world, I would not enjoy looking at satirical cartoons about abortion clinic bombers, men of the cloth molesting children or televangelists taking people's money deceitfully. Yet these things have happened and are free game for satire. I would renounce those disgraceful elements of those claiming to be within Christianity that do these dispicable acts to point out this is not a representation of the whole. My anger would not be directed at the cartoonist, it would be at those who have brought shame on my religion.

I have spoken about the disease SOS - Selective Outrage Syndrome that afflicts most of the liberal world. The Muslim world takes this to a level that is truly something to behold. Talk show host Neil Boortz fleshes this out with a list of items Muslims have and have not expressed outrage over:

• Muslims fly commercial airliners into buildings in New York City. No Muslim outrage.
• Muslim officials block the exit where school girls are trying to escape a burning building because their faces were exposed. No Muslim outrage.
• Muslims cut off the heads of three teenaged girls on their way to school in Indonesia. A Christian school. No Muslim outrage.
• Muslims murder teachers trying to teach Muslim children in Iraq. No Muslim outrage.
• Muslims murder over 80 tourists with car bombs outside cafes and hotels in Egypt. No Muslim outrage.
• A Muslim attacks a missionary children's school in India. Kills six. No Muslim outrage.
• Muslims slaughter hundreds of children and teachers in Beslan, Russia. Muslims shoot children in the back. No Muslim outrage.
• Let's go way back. Muslims kidnap and kill athletes at the Munich Summer Olympics. No Muslim outrage.
• Muslims fire rocket-propelled grenades into schools full of children in Israel. No Muslim outrage.
• Muslims murder more than 50 commuters in attacks on London subways and busses. Over 700 are injured. No Muslim outrage.
• Muslims massacre dozens of innocents at a Passover Seder. No Muslim outrage.
• Muslims murder innocent vacationers in Bali. No Muslim outrage.
• Muslim newspapers publish anti-Semitic cartoons. No Muslim outrage
• Muslims are involved, on one side or the other, in almost every one of the 125+ shooting wars around the world. No Muslim outrage.
• Muslims beat the charred bodies of Western civilians with their shoes, then hang them from a bridge. No Muslim outrage.
• Newspapers in Denmark and Norway publish cartoons depicting Mohammed. Muslims are outraged.

As far as free speech is concerned, I am all for free speech and recognize the right of publications to print whatever offensive material they want. If it is going to universally applied, I am not one that wants to call on organizations to fire somebody for what they say. Let the free market take care of that. If a publication continues to publish extremely offensive material, then people will stop purchasing their product. Of course it is not universally applied. It is usually Christians and conservatives that get fired at the drop of a hat while liberals continue to offend with impunity.

LASunsett at Political Yen/Yang has some good commentary and an assortment of link on the subject. Take a look.

My bottom line is that these cartoons fall within the realm of free speech and judging by the outrage have a very powerful punch to them that goes beyond simply showing a likeness of their prophet. In short, the truth hurts and they would rather protest than face the truth. That truth is "you need to clean house".