Using religions (plural, yes) to further your own hateful agenda- is that what happened in Garland Texas?
People purposely set out to insult and anger other people, should they be disappointed and upset that it worked? Or are they, really, upset the resulting violence wasn't even more spectacular.
Follow me below the fold to read my thoughts on it. Pamela Geller and the American Freedom Defense Initiative. And why I'm not buying it.
So, that happened, yes it did. It seems some people thought it would swell their egos and tell the world that "Ain't NOBODY gonna shut us up in our own country!" if they hosted an event that paid money for the best caricature of Mohammed.
In their own country, filled with their own righteous indignation, their own need to prove, to themselves if no one else, that they are all spiritual successors to John Wayne, they would by GOD do as they pleased. The first amendment guarantees them the right to free speech.
I read the interview done with the woman, Pamela Geller, who sponsored the "Draw Mohammed" event, I even watched some of it until her lame excuses got on my nerves. I came away with some questions of my own after that.
As it says up top, this is a view from the other America.
It really seems to me that she is very disappointed there wasn't more violence. Why, oh why didn't they set off a nice big bomb or perhaps, take hostages and behead someone?
Damn, she went to all that trouble and all she got was a guy shot in the leg, why, we can see that on the evening news every day. Just watch the police blotter.
That won't bring in the donations, though, not like a nice big inferno. God must be turning his face from her and her supporters, why, no one IMPORTANT even died.
Important being white, conservative, opinionated, thick headed, falsely patriotic and staunch haters of Islam and everything non- yeah, whatever they are.
Is this snark, yes, I think so, but it's also a question.
Can you complain about what happened when you purposely orchestrated it?
Maybe I'm becoming jaundiced and jaded, I don't know, but we've seen so much of this from our esteemed- errrm- colleagues? on the right that I don't think I can help it. It all seems so very self serving. Create a problem then beat your breast and vocally blast the problem you created.
I mean, how DO you keep the hate going when no one has been beheaded in months? How do you keep this core issue on Fox News when there hasn't been a Muslim uprising in America, even after the best and most vociferous of doom sayers have repeatedly said "Get your guns, they'll be coming here next!" Why, oh WHY won't the American Muslim community play along?
I guess you do whatever you can to give the extremists who exist in any grouping a reason to be extreme.
It worked, I guess, but the disappointment on Pamela Geller's face and in her words was palpable- it wasn't as explosive as they'd hoped.
It's a pretty effective gauge of just how lacking in intelligence a person is when they start frothing at the mouth about the first amendment. Like it or not, whether it serves their message or not, the first amendment exists to protect the average citizen's ability to speak on whatever topic he or she desires without fear of government censorship or tactics of silence.
And even that has been found by the courts to be fair game if the circumstances are right. You cannot, by law, yell fire in a crowded theater unless there IS a fire. It's as much the right of those people in there with you to not be trampled to death because you felt a desire to cause a panic as it is your right to speak- more so, the courts ruled, they made your speech illegal in that very narrow, very well defined area. And the courts decided that since your argument was false, and used to cause malicious mischief that could harm other citizens, guess what, the first amendment was curtailed in that instance.
I wonder, though, was Pamela Geller yelling "Fire" when she should not have been? And is she very disappointed the ensuing panic wasn't larger, more spectacular?
it seems like it from my point of view in this other America.
Am I arguing that her exercise in free but incredibly stupid speech should be curtailed? Not at all, I'm arguing that we need to look at these people and see them for what they are. I won't be attending one, not because I am worried about violence, rather, it's because I don't want to ever be associated with such disrespectful, discourteous behavior.
And before anyone says, "But, but, look what they did" Sorry, what other people do doesn't form my morals or my ideas of honorable behavior. I do, only me and what I've experienced in my life. Taking that kindergarten excuse as a reason for your behavior just proves to everyone how immature you are.
Rabble rousers of the worst sort who all have their own agenda and do what they do for very bad reasons. Reasons they will NEVER admit. But, really, do they have to? Those of us who think it through can see what they are doing. See it, recognize it and not tolerate it for a single moment.
And that's the view from my other America.