CML you have got it so wrong!

Submitted by John Giannasca (Australia), Feb 8, 2006 at 18:00

Charley, when you say "The first thing that stands out is when someone writes that Muslims are hypocrites. Right away anyone of the Islamic faith is branded a radical." it doesnt make sense. Calling someone a hypocrite does not brand them a radical, just as calling someone a radical does not brand them a hypocrite.

In reply to your comment "As for freedom of speech, is it freedom to ridicule?" the answer is yes. Ask any politician or public figure or just read a newspaper. "I remember the unkind depictions of Black Americans in the newspaper cartoons of the twenties, thirties and forties" I think equating the satical representation of Mohamed with a bomb on his head to the racial vilification of Black Americans is insulting to everyone.

"Then there were the portrayals of Native Americans in the papers of the western frontier in the eighteen hundreds. These men and women were depicted as alcohol guzzling, hair scalping savages. Actually French bounty hunters started the scalping thing." Now you are getting way way way off the point. The question here is about freedom of expression and the resutant cartoons. You are drawing and offencive long bow here mate! Nobody condones what happened to the indians, nobody. Your style of argument says alot about you I think.

Actually, I could go on but I wont. I have just read your response again and come to the conclusion that you wont take any of this on board. You seemed to have an answer prepared before a question was even asked.

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