And our Leaders failed us

Submitted by Peter J. Herz (United States), Apr 8, 2011 at 14:58

I do not condone Terry Jones' burning of the Qur'an, even if I, as a Christian, do not reverence the book. But why couldn't our national leaders (I am an American) have stood up to explain the First Amendment to the world, even as they expressed their dislike for Jones' action? Muslim imams condemn the Jews as relatives of apes and pigs and charge Christians with polytheism. That's protected by the First Amendment. CAIR yells that Islam is in America to become dominant, and screams "Islamophobe!" every time some non-Muslim calls them on it. Arrogant and cowardly as I find such behavior, I recognize it as CAIR's right under the First Amendment. Roger Baldwin yearned for the day when the last Senator was strangled with the guts of the last preacher (which is why I don't particularly care for the ACLU), but that was his right under the First Amendment, too.

I agree with several posters who say that Jones' should not have burned the Qur'an. But I am most disheartened that so many in government and media--the former, especially, since they have all sworn to uphold the Constitution of the USA--wish to blame an obscure Florida preacher for the riots of people who, I regret to say, seem to have a hair-trigger rioting reflex.

Maybe this happens because the American left--whether in government or media--knows that America's Christian population is patient, understanding, and long-suffering; whereas a real or perceived insult to Islam touches off an explosion. Hence, they take the safe way out rather than remind us that we all make our own choices about how we respond to actions of which we disapprove.

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