Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim in CT
However, I would now tell the employees of that magazine, that they should not have printed those cartoons. It wasn't worth it. The cartoons had no real purpose, they weren't going to change anybody's mind about any issue that mattered.
The issue mattered to them, but, of course, they were too insignificant in the sphere of "real purpose" to care about. Get with the big picture or shut up, otherwise you'll cause trouble. You may stir up those who want to kill the rest of us, not just you, so please be sensible, be quiet.
Here's the flaw. By provoking the jihadists, the cartoonists aren't just putting themselves at risk, because this particular enemy could care less about collateral damage. Therefore, the cartoonists are putting everyone at risk. Some freedoms are worth that risk. Not every imaginable freedom is worth that risk.
Let's see . . . provoking the jihadists puts everyone else at risk. What, exactly, does provoke these types of jihadists. Practicing or expressing Christianity, Judaism, any religion other than Islam. So-called "Western values." So-called freedom of expression or the "right to free speech." Equal rights for women, or for any but Islamists. Oh . . . just about anything that threatens or goes counter to their version of God and State. Let us not provoke them by practicing any of these items of provocation.
The freedoms that we have here in this country are worth fighting and dying for. The freedom to publish provocative cartoons? Yes, we have the right to do that. Having the legal right, doesn't mean it's a good idea.
Let us take the practice of a legal, even an inalienable right, to the higher court of "good idea" to determine whether it should be done. After all, we have the judges there who can determine what are good ideas. Of course, there is the danger that the majority of those judges may not agree with you, Jim, then we will be cast into the hell of provoking Jihadists.
Displaying common sense, isn't always the same thing as giving in to terrorism. I think we should hunt these pepole down and kill every last one of them. That will involve the loss of innocent life, but in the end, it's a price we have to pay. But there's no reason why we can't use our judgment on a case-by-case basis. Some fights, not all fights, are worth fighting. Sometimes, in certain cases, it's better to avoid a confrontation. Not always, but sometimes.
A good debate, though.
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Common sense would tell us that cessation of printing cartoons would not lead to any peace between us and the "Jihadists." As you can see, if what is going on in the rest of the world which hasn't printed cartoons isn't enough, by the further attacks in France on others who didn't print cartoons. The terrorists don't need cartoons to give them motivation to kill. But they certainly can pretend that they justify their killing. They can use them as an excuse to do what they are going to do.
They have told us, and demonstrated over and over, that they do not wish to live in co-existence with us, but to kill those with whom they are in contact, or convert them, or make them submissive. If we belittle the cartoonists as an unimportant fringe which should be quiet or they will put us all in danger, we give the terrorists another niche into our souls. A place to inhabit in the way we live. A room from which to oppress us in our own house of freedom. You probably think that the quote attributed to Voltaire "I disapprove of what you say, but I will fight to the death your right to say it," is extreme. Some things are just too silly to die for.
Perhaps. Or, some things are precursors to what will come. If we suppress the "silly" in order for a the larger, more
"serious" freedom, we will have chipped away a part of who we are, and more chips will surely fall.