You know...on careful reflection, this whole thing started with some european newspaper probably to deliberately provoke a controversy between free speech advocates and muslim religious sensibilities...someone should check their circulation numbers, probably got a big boost out of it :) Damn, we've all been had!

D

Posted by: David Lockwood at February 3, 2006 08:41 PM

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I wonder how long before the islamofascists use the oil card as a weapon, and if they do, how long the west can either pay up, hold up, or even take it to the next level, militarily. or if the west will just dhimmify themselves. what is the west prepared to give up, (standard of living and lifestyle) to not bow to this attack on freedom.

mike

Posted by: mike at February 3, 2006 09:01 PM

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Mike,

I think they are already using oil as a weapon. Reagan's spending sunk the USSR. Our spending may well sink us. I think its time to open up ANWR and start investing in Alberta.

Posted by: AnotherDave at February 3, 2006 09:04 PM

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There were probably many motivations, including potentially to provoke the reaction. Parts of Europe are pushing back hard on this.

Remeber the indigenous people of Denmark are the Danes....European countries are historically ethnic based states. The US and Canada are largely political states (it isnt pur but we will leave it at that for the sake of argument), defined by their constituions and freedoms not their language and culture.

The tension is that europe is trying to be like the US (a political state) but when you get to individual states you have problems having the "natives" mix with newcomers....who dont share culture and language as well as political ideas.

Anyway, it is going to get uglier as the "natives get restless". As important as free speech is, dont be fooled it is being used by elements within Europe to draw a distinction. Mind you the response has been ridiculous, it is almost too easy to get this reaction...I object to you calling me a bloodthirsty barbarian and for that I will disembowel you....

Posted by: Stephen at February 3, 2006 09:07 PM

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horrendous murdering muslum maniacs..I believe in karma what goes around comes right back atchya.

Posted by: kelly at February 3, 2006 10:16 PM

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Of course the cartoons are offensive. And there is more to this than the western values regarding free speech. If it were only about free speech and political satire, images of Osama bin Laden and Mullah Omar, (or perhaps that strange little monkey, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad) would have served very well. No, this is about (finally) European blowback. European ethnic based states, as Stephen describes them, are finally starting to say: "enough is enough; this is my homeland and we are not going to adapt to you; we are going to challenge your refusal to adapt to the culture of the land into which you immigrated." Good for them; this is one of the most encouraging signs in many years that Europeans are willing to defend their values and culture.

If we were dealing with people who had any serious respect for our traditions and our culture in our lands, I would be concerned about the lack of respect shown in these cartoons. This time, however, I'm going to pick up a six pack of Tuborg and a pound of Danish Brie and I encourage all of you to do the same.

Posted by: at February 3, 2006 10:33 PM

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last post was mine, sorry to miss the log-in.

Posted by: felix at February 3, 2006 10:34 PM

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The only way to deal with extremists who are willing to die for their religious bullshit is to kill them before they kill you ,, kill or be killed. Bush is not in Iraq for oil he is in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East to squash terrorism which currently seems to be mostly a muslim threat, Power be to Bush!!!!!

Posted by: Randolpho at February 3, 2006 10:54 PM

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I'm kinda surprised you haven't had more raving visitors, Steve... or have you been vetting them?

Posted by: Mac at February 3, 2006 11:35 PM

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Not vetting anyone. I suspect they are on their own message boards, indulging in fantasies about blowing stuff up.

Posted by: Steve Janke at February 3, 2006 11:48 PM

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When is the West going to start showing some B*LLS with these people?!

Basically: "Hey, you came to live in this country, where we have Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Expression and Freedom of Religion. This isn't just Freedom for that which you agree. If you can't deal with that, leave. Go back to wherever you came from."

Posted by: Dave at February 4, 2006 12:10 AM

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I have my own Muslim story...

When I was in college in Toronto back in 1981/82, our recreation league softball team decided to name ourselves after our favorite professor, a British immigrant named Sayid Islam.

Some wit came up with the name "Islam's Idiots" and we had tshirts made up with this name on them.

A couple of my classmates were attacked on the subway by raving Muslims who literally tore the tshirts off of them.

A group of Muslims arrived at the college and demanded the college president have the tshirts seized and those of us who wore them expelled.

After hearing our side of the story, the president asked us to turn over our tshirts and apologized to the Muslims but refused to expell us.

More fun than anyone should have!!

Posted by: Mac at February 4, 2006 12:28 AM

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Savages! Freaking savages!! Under the guise of religious fervour, these freaking savages rampage on. Just to read about their infantile approach to the world, "butcher them, behead them, ad nosium" is enough to give a fella an attitude.

Good on the Euros!! Wouldn't have thought that they had it in them.

Pat

Posted by: Pat at February 4, 2006 01:24 AM

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As I said in a previous post as regards another subject:

If your particular religious beliefs are so weak as to be subject to this kind of ridiculous scrutiny, please explain to me what exactly is its use.

I agree with previous comments and have always said: "You came to MY country and I welcome you, but DO NOT expect me to change for you!

Cheers

Gerry

Posted by: gerryinmontreal at February 4, 2006 01:29 AM

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This reminds me of a previous sad state of affairs between the "Free " west and the Muslim world: "SATANIC VERSES".

The offending cartoons were originally published in Denmark months ago. The same happened with the ruling Ayatollah in Iran before he issued his Fatwa against the author of the above mentioned book (sorry, I know his name but cannot remember the spelling).

It took more than a year to decide that this was offensive to Islam. Are they that slow that it takes so long to understand the printed word?

I don't think so. They are choosing the time of their battle and that is the scary thing.

Cheers

Gerry

Posted by: gerryinmontreal at February 4, 2006 01:50 AM

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interesting website!

HINTERLAND, if you're out there reading this, we miss you at babble!!!!!!

Posted by: Sven at February 4, 2006 01:54 AM

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I got a kick out of this, via Jihad Watch:

"Demonstrators also [...] torched boxes of Danish cheese."

Too. Damn. Funny.

I suppose they then showed the cheese the greatest insult known to Muslims. They dipped fried flatbread cut into small triangles into the cheese and ate it along with crushed tomatoes and other finely diced veggies. Oh, the horror. "Hey Muhommad, what say we buy some of this here Danish cheese and burn it to display our anger over those infidels' infidoodles?" "That's a great idea, Muhommad!" "I thought so too, Muhommad."

Whatta buncha tools.

Posted by: Johnny Pockets at February 4, 2006 02:35 AM

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Everything I've found on The War of the 12 Cartoons ( links, blogs, quips, quotes, and inflammatory pictures ) is here:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1052520/posts?page=481#481Scroll backwards to find all of it.

Posted by: backhoe at February 4, 2006 04:23 AM

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Gerry,

You raise an interesting hypothesis. Which IF (islamofascist) organization raised the issue first...was it sunni or shiite....if shiite did it have a connection to Iran?

Sorry if it offended, would be different if this was in some government publication, but guess individuals are allowed to express opinions...Kate at SDA has a number of good examples from the Muslim world of "cartoons" that are equally offensive...and they would have been published in GOVERNMENT run newspapers.

We may be headed for something....lets hope this sibsides. I have said in other places that within a decade there will be mass expulsions from continental Europe, a dangerous case of deja vu.

Not from north america though, although there will be calls for it, totally different reasoning and circumstances.

Finally, if it is economically worthwhile, yup cut to ethanol etc so we or Europe have no need to send that part of the world any money. Let the Chinese and Indians deal with them. I think Muslim world would not like the change in attitude that comes with the change in customers....

Posted by: Stephen at February 4, 2006 10:06 AM

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