Obama: The First Amendment? Never Heard of It
All of Obama’s promises come with expiration dates as Jim Geraghty would say; some of them much shorter than others:
President Barack Obama used Air Force One to conduct a policy loop-de-loop Wednesday, asserting in a CBS interview that he supports Americans’ right to criticize Islam, following almost 18 hours of determined condemnation from Team Romney and damaging news from Egypt and Libya.
“We believe in the First Amendment,” Obama told CBS’s Steve Kroft during an interview arranged days earlier.
“It is one of the hallmarks of our Constitution that I’m sworn to uphold, and so we are always going to uphold the rights for individuals to speak their mind,” he said, according to a transcript narrated by White House spokesman Jay Carney.
– The Daily Caller’s Neil Munro on Wednesday, in a piece titled “Obama caves to Romney, embraces free speech for critics of Islam.” As I wrote at the time linking to the story, could there be a more grudging and reluctant defense of the First Amendment, from a president with two books to his name?
In addition to the Joint Chiefs dialing up Koran-burning pastor Terry Jones earlier this week, we now know that Mr. Obama’s defense of the First Amendment is very reluctant indeed. Or as Munro is reporting today, “Obama submits to Brotherhood, asks for suppression of anti-Islam video:”
President Barack Obama has bowed to the Muslim Brotherhood’s demand that the federal government suppress a satirical video of Islam’s prophet, Muhammad.
Tommy Vietor, a spokesman for the National Security Council, told the Washington Post that the White House has “reached out to YouTube to call the video to their attention and ask them to review whether it violates their terms of use.”
The request complies with the Sept. 13 demand and threat by the brotherhood, which now governs the Arab’s world’s largest country, Egypt.
“Hurting the feelings of one and a half billion Muslims cannot be tolerated, and… we demand that all those involved in such crimes be urgently brought to trial,” according to an English-language statement on the brotherhood’s website.
The brotherhood’s demand included a threat of additional violence during Obama’s re-election campaign.
“The people’s anger and fury for their Faith is invariably predictable, often unstoppable,” said the website.
The submission came shortly after White House spokesman Jay Carney publicly disavowed any plans to curb free speech.
“We cannot and will not squelch freedom of expression in this country — it is a foundational principle,” he told reporters at a 11.15 a.m. press conference in the White House.
The First Amendment? For the Obama Administration, it’s merely a legal term of art, as Carney would say.
As Jonah Goldberg asks in his column today, written before news broke that the Obama administration is phoning up Google to get a video yanked, “Are we really ready to throw out the First Amendment to appease lynch mobs?”
Now, I have next to no sympathy for the makers of this film, who clearly hoped to start trouble, violent or otherwise. But where does this logic end? One of the things we’ve learned all too well is that the “Muslim street” — and often Muslim elites — have a near-limitless capacity to take offense at slights to their religion, honor, history, or feelings.
Does [MSNBC's Mike Barnicle] want Salman Rushdie, the author of The Satanic Verses, charged with being an accessory to murder, too? That book has in one way or another led to several deaths. Surely he should have known that he was stirring up trouble. Perhaps the U.S. Justice Department and the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security could work together on a joint prosecution?
Perhaps Rushdie’s offense doesn’t count because he’s a literary celebrity? Only crude attacks on Islam should be held accountable for the murderous bloodlust they elicit.
One might ask who is to decide what is crude and what is refined. But that would be fruitless, because we know the real answer: the Islamist mobs and their leaders. Their rulings would come in the form of bloody conniptions around the world.
Are we really going to hold what we can say or do in our own country hostage to the passions of foreign lynch mobs?
If your answer is some of form of “yes,” then you might want to explain why U.S. citizens aren’t justified in attacking Egyptian or Libyan embassies here in America. After all, I get pretty mad when I see goons burning the American flag, and I become downright livid when a U.S. ambassador is murdered. Maybe some of my like-minded friends and I should burn down some embassies here in Washington, D.C., or maybe a consulate in New York City?
Of course we shouldn’t do that. To argue that Americans shouldn’t resort to mayhem while suggesting it’s understandable when Muslims do is to create a double standard that either renders Muslims unaccountable savages (they can’t help themselves!) or casts Americans as somehow less passionate about what we hold dear, be it our flag, our diplomats, or our religions. (It’s hardly as if Islamists don’t defame Christianity, Judaism, moderate forms of Islam, or even atheism.)
But, I’m sorry to say, that may in fact be the case. After all, with barely a moment’s thought these deep thinkers on MSNBC were willing to throw out the First Amendment for a little revenge. It was a moment of voluntary surrender to terrorism.
One in which the network’s number one viewer is pretty cool with himself.
As Ace writes, “If we’re going to have anti-blasphemy laws, I want them official and passed by Congress and reviewed by the courts. I don’t want this executive-only implementation of a despicable law.” And read on for a quote from the L.A. Times that describes the filmmaker’s digs in chilling detail, in case the jihadists want to drop by for tea and throat-slitting.
Speaking of which, as Kathy Shaidle quips, “Flashback: Pentagon telephones Beatles about ‘that Manson thing.’”
Related: “Either movies cause violence or they don’t. Pick one.”
Update (1:54 PM PDT): YouTube to Obama: Pound sand.
More: As collated by Twitchy, “William Saletan [of the Washington Post-owned Slate] says Romney betrayed free speech by standing up for it; Ace of Spades epically drubs.”
Let us assert our right, endowed by our creator, to speak freely by demonstrating at all US Mosques this Friday.
This would be so cool! We have enough unemployed that could just flood the place too.
This is classic appeasement behavior by the Obama Administration. Romney needs to
denounce policies and behaviors that conflict with firm action in our relations with the Islamic world.
Silencing critics of Islam is the nth step to a fascist state. We are almost there already. The One wants to take that final step so bad he can taste it. And it tastes like dog.
Your comment makes me really wish there was a “like” button on this site.
Me too!
Agreed. This comment proffered in lieu of a like button.
Obama is guilty of treason and so are the Joint Chiefs. May Justice find them and may Mercy scorn them. Under it’s current rat b-astard generals, our own military is now America’s enemy.
I will add my “like” button push also.
LIKE
What about Newsweek printing a false story about Korans being flushed down toilets? Should they be held accountable for the violence and deaths that followed?
Today I overheard a woman at the eye doctor today saying the film maker should be shot. She said “I mean, I’m all for freedom of speech, but not when it’s going to cause people to riot.” I considered rioting right there in the doctor’s office since she works there and her comments were extremely offensive to me, but I held off. Next time maybe I won’t. Now that the parameters have been set, that gives all of us a lot more freedom to share our emotions.
You should have said something! I know I have and people now go out of their way to avoid me but I don’t care! People are being conditioned to mock Judeo-Christians but shut down all criticism of islam. That has to stop!
We HAVE to start speaking out!!! We have been silent too long! The muslims don’t have a problem speaking out and just look at the attention they are getting!
I would have said something….if only to remind her that this was a business office and statements that might offend customers should probably remain unstated.
To argue that Americans shouldn’t resort to mayhem while suggesting it’s understandable when Muslims do is to create a double standard that either renders Muslims unaccountable savages (they can’t help themselves!) or casts Americans as somehow less passionate about what we hold dear, be it our flag, our diplomats, or our religions.
Wrong. Savages have historically been held to account when they clashed with civilization. It was long assumed that savages could be civilized, and their barbarism could and should be stopped. What Goldberg should have said is “unaccountable animals,” as only animals cannot help themselves.
All religions are equal, except Islam is more equal than all others. I say lets kill a lot of people the next time Hollywood makes fun of any religion except Islam.
Isn’t that the new rule here in the United States? You shut them up by killing innocent people? Is that the new rule?
Previously, when select members of the Religion of Peace rampaged over the potential burning of a Quran, Time Magazine’s Bob Ghosh told MSNBC’s Chuck Todd that such an act would be far ‘much more inflammatory’ to Muslims than burning a Bible would be to Christians, because Muslims believe the Quran was God’s words directly dictated and transcribed, whereas Christians only see the Bible as the writings of men, presumably even if ‘inspired’ by God. No explanation was given why Christians didn’t slit throats and such when the image of Jesus Christ on the Cross was dipped in urine for art’s sake, though Christians profess that Jesus is the Son of God and God. Sensitivity only goes in one direction for the would be Dhimmis. Every day in the USA there are countless things written, said, done that will offend Muslims. In Saudi Arabia, possessing a Bible is criminally offensive. Neither Obama nor Hillary understand the stakes for freedom.
Free speech is only for the Panthers, you know…
Well, they have that big stadium in Charlotte.
Funny, isn’t it, how Obama’s closest friends are all fascists, communists, and thieves.
Haven’t we known that from the first time he saw Chavez? From his dealings with Honduras?
If this is their opinion of the 1st amendment, you know they hate the 2nd.
Jim, find me one they do like.
Heck, find me something in our Constitution that they like.
1st — Protects the freedom of speech, (currently not in vogue); freedom of religion, (not if you are Catholic) and freedom of the press, (not if you are Fox) as well as the right to assemble and petition the government (not if you are Tea Party)
2nd–nuff said
10th—Limits the powers of the federal government to those delegated to it by the Constitution (czars and czarinas, usurpation of power)
11th–Immunity of states from suits from out-of-state citizens and foreigners not living within the state borders. Lays the foundation for sovereign immunity (sending states to UN or world courts for punishment)
14th–Defines citizenship, (unilateral exclusions created out of whole cloth) contains the Privileges or Immunities Clause, the Due Process Clause, the Equal Protection Clause, and deals with post-Civil War issues
We could go on and on. They don’t like this Constitution. They don’t respect it. They make up the rules as they go along.
That doesn’t make us a self-governing democracy. It means we are being ruled.
“general welfare”
I am a fairly educated person that reads numerous publications and articles daily. Yet, I was not aware of an anti-Islam video nor of Mr. Jones’ endorsement of it. It would seem to me that something so inflammatory that would incite thousands of people to riot and kill in coordinated attacks would have been well known to everyone.
Or this could be this administration and the media’s attempt to provide cover to the Muslim Brotherhood and their apparently well planned attack on the United States.
The worst part is that the stupid thing barely had 1,000 views when this whole fiasco started. There is no way even the smallest part of those protesters have actually seen it. If they even know anything about it, it’s only what they’ve been told by their imams who could be telling them that the film contains the prophet being beheaded by some murderous jew or something equally inflammatory and equally false. We are talking about people whose newspapers run the worst kinds of propoganda cartoons every day depicting horrific things.
The fact that they’re all chanting “Osama, Osama” makes me think they don’t even know about the film.
The existence of the film, and the number of people who may have actually seen it, are irrelevant.
The mullahs or overseers (like certain prominent Democrats, need only falsely make the claim that such a film exists, or simply claim that there are people who hate Mohammed (these people are usually never identified – but always claimed to exist in great numbers) is usually sufficient to justify their brainless follower’s in destroying property and killing others.
We are likely to see more of this here in the U.S. in the near future.
A number of you are throwing a blanket over Islam and Muslim.
Not every Muslim person thinks and acts the same, especially when it comes to the religion. It’s all relative, we have a small percentage of Christian fundamentalists in North America whom I would be particularly scared of. It’s the same thing, their fundamentalists just have a forum to create violence and oppression because their governments allow it.
Allow me to demonstrate, US bankers said, “oh you should ease the bureaucracy and allow us unfettered control.”
And the government did.
Since there were no longer the same regulations in place, banks then proceeded to take big risks and lost. Look at the consequences of loopholes. If the government says you can commit violence in the name of your religion and there will be no consequences, what do you think happens?
This guy is awesome an done fo the few who seem to know what they are talking about. Tt isn’t because there government allows it it’s because of a lack of government especially in Libya though. I needs time to develop and expand, I can almost guarantee that when the Libyan government manages to gain control of everything in Libya and stabilize violence will decrease. Sadly in North America the Christian fundamentalists are the most vocal in the Middle East Islamists are the most vocal.
1. We never hear Muslims denounce such acts of violence in support of Allah.
2. There are no Christians waging jihad against the American infidels.
3. You compared banks to religions. Seriously, dude?
Does the president of Libya count?
Dude, the Small Minority Gambit is over, it has finally been totally destroyed with free elections all across the Arab Spring, who unanimously voted for Islamist governments. It never was a good argument, but now it’s complete and utter burnt toast swirling the toilet bowl of foolishness, wishful thinking, naivete, disinformation, and apologia.
The truth of the matter is that liberal Muslims are a tiny minority. The sizeable majority of Muslims support Islamists, the heart of the Bell Curve of Muslims is pro Islamist.
You do know that Libya elected a Liberal party right?
Andrew- Name one Christian Fundamentalist that you are afraid of. I always hear this from the left, but never see any bloodshed from those crazy Christian groups. Next- “Not every Muslim person thins alike”- in other words most Muslims are “moderate”. Okay, show me ONE who has come out openly and condemned this murderous rioting. Awful quiet from the CAIR folks.
The housing market crash was directly due to the Fed gov’t (Democrats) demanding that banks provide home loans to anybody interested in buying house (“All American have the Right to Own a Home), and when the banks did that, they got stuck with a ton of unpaid loans. In other words, it wasn’t de-regulations that caused the problem, it was the Gov’t forcing the banks to commit suicide.
If you prefer your lefty talking points, answer this one basic question- Why would a bank give a $250,000 home loan to someone making $20 K a year? Answer, they wouldn’t, unless the gov’t was forcing them to.
Nice demonstration… Too bad it begins with a fantasy. You portray the banking industry as unregulated? Really?
You are so full of garbage! Name one fundie that has caused any of the trashing, pillaging, or murder this is the halmark of both islam and the freakin leftists planetwide!
Wow, Andrew, look at all those strawmen.
Andrew, I don’t get the thrust of your post. Are you saying that any population will carry any issue to the extreme if so permitted by their government? If so, I disagree. Muslims are enjoined by their “holy Koran” to kill infidels if they refuse to convert. And that is the literal word of Allah.
Considering the long trail of fundamental lawlessness the Obama administration has established (GM bondholders looted, Corzine walks after stealing $1.6B customers funds in MFGlobal, Fast and Furious, Using drones to execute americans overseas) how is this news?
The Obama administration is a third world government in word and deed.
The United States of Zimbabwe via Endless QE – “Fundamental transformation” indeed.
The Obama people are not very smart.
Andrew Pinsent, so what? When was the last time you saw muslims take on the radicals on principal? Never.
Banks took big risks encouraged by the government. All the “big-bankers” were demorats.
Go peddle your nonsense place someplace else.
This funny video must stay on YouTube so long as the Eucharistic desecration videos stay up.
This is complete BS. This has absolutely nothing to do with the video. This is simply part of the Islamic ritual by which they offer up the blood of their victims to appease their god. Islam demands human sacrifice. It is that simple.
Whether it is the believer with the bomb vest, or the clueless or trusting infidel, (but never the iman handing out the vests) Allah will get the blood he needs to… do whatever it is god’s do with human blood.
The Aztec had their rituals, the Thuggie as well. We’ve seen this time and time again in human history. Once we recognize that this is simply a more free form version of the same kind of ritual, a lot of this muddle will be cleared up.
PJTV: Zonation (the angry black dude)
Islamists Killed Americas in Libya, but Right-Wing Christians Are to Blame?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSPifswNk4s&feature=g-all-u
I LOVE that dude!
Racist!
– armes, Citoyens!
MarchonS!
Iranians are incredibly open to the gospel message of Jesus’ love and forgiveness. Many are disillusioned with the oppression of Islam and are desperate for the truth.
Every day, more Iranians are hearing the hopeful message of The Way, The Truth and The Life through satellite TV broadcasts. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HtsAlW1v1k&feature=player_embedded
He did say he’d side with his Muslim brothers if the attitude towards Muslims turned sour… Well…
@ Andrew: Look, I’ll accept your point IF and only IF you can show me ONE significant Muslim leader to say something to the effect of: “No movie, cartoon or book – no matter how distasteful or insulting I find it personally – merits the taking of a human life. These people do NOT represent Islam.” Show me just one. The pet pendants on the news media (who really lead nothing and who say one thing in English and one thing in Arabic) do not count. Show me one single Islamic leader to condemn the killings without implying that the producers, authors or artists got what was coming to them. Show me somewhere where the “Arab Street” is uprising against killings in the name of Islam. Give me anything. I hope you can, because I have been unable to.
And while you are at it…
Show me one major Christian leader (anyone from the Pope to Joel Osteen) who preaches that murdered abortion doctors got was coming to them. Just one.
They aren’t the same my friend. Not at all.
Obama has asked YouTube to consider deleting the anti-Islamic video from its site. In response YouTube has deleted all videos of Obama bragging about killing Bin Laden since they are equally inciteful to the America Haters.
– You Tube for standing up to this son of a whore!
Hilarious to see the sanctimonious liberals, so tough when they are making fun of people who won’t fight back, so tough when making fun of nice little old ladies and the sort of people who volunteer at homeless shelters, reduced to cowering before the will to violence of the Muslims. They are in a panic right now and are willing to throw their supposed ideals out the window in raw fear. They’ve been exposed as bullies.
Thanks Muslims. I am not going to say its worth the laugh because of course it isn’t, but that you for exposing the actual character of these pathetic bullies. Too bad you so many of you are a bunch of brutal killers.
Their supposed commitment to free speech is a smokescreen. They’re not interested in free speech, but in shutting down speech that they don’t want to hear, hence their earnest desire to see “hate speech” laws passed and enforced. Expecting them to stand up for the right of people to say things that others don’t want to hear is ludicrous.
Yep. The Western Left used to be somewhat interested in promoting Free Speech, but only when they were on the outside attacking the Establishment. As soon as they were in control of an insitution – Universities – they immediately implemented “speech codes,” the precursor to the hate speech laws that they implemented when they took over the centrist Left-Liberal parties and governance.
Who they arent interested in protecting with Hate Speech laws and codes is Whtie Europeans, Christians, and Males….Western Civilization, the Catholic Church, Chick-Fil-A, and so on and so forth. Whose every criticism of “Others” is be denounced as hatefilled bigotry, racism, sexism, supremacism, Euro-Centrism, Orientalism.
Figure it out already!
Hey! And while we’re at it, how about the guys that made the most recent Batman movie that got all those people in Colorado killed?
Looks like it’s time for “Everyone Film Mohammed Day”
EXACTLY!!!
Mohammed was a rapist, a murderer, and a child molester, not to mention a megalomaniac cult leader who made Charlie Manson look tame by comparison.
The best way to deal with people who kill in the name of Islam is to make sure they die in the name of Islam. There is no peace to be made, no accommodation to be reached with people whose goal in life is to destroy you because you are not like them. The only thing you can do with such people is kill them and keep killing them until they are either all dead or their love of life proves to be greater than their hatred of you. I don’t much care which.
There are way too many fools playing into the hands of our enemies by even mentioning this movie, by even taking the time to deny the notion that this movie would CAUSE a pre-planned and coordinated attack by Al Quaeda in two different countries on the anniversary of their most damaging attack upon us. Enough about this stupid movie. People need to stop talking about it and start talking about what to do about the people who have used it as a post-hoc rationalization for premeditated murder.
If our domestic enemies (aka the left) make the claim that this movie somehow “caused” medieval death cultists to act like medieval death cultists, then obviously we need to push back twice as hard. But the original claim from the Jihadis should be responded to with either silence, or wholesale bloodshed and destruction. How many rounds of carpet bombings would it take to turn Benghazi into dust? Why are we still pussy footing around with these people 11 years on, in Afghanistan and elsewhere? The most powerful military force on earth is meaningless when it is not used to actually kill the enemy.
To me it appeared as though Obama was offended by the video if you get what I’m saying.
Just as one is either pregnant or not pregnant, one is either a friend of Free Speech or an enemy of Free Speech. There is no in between. There never has been and there never can be. Anyone who says differently, knows nothing about free speech (or is an enemy of Free Speech).
Does that mean that I will defend until death your right to yell “fire!” in a crowded theater…or not? Freedom of speech has never been absolute. If this were Jane Fonda, spouting things which would “cost American lives,” then we could all take different positions on the board. Carry on.
Turns out the attack in Libya was carried out by Al Queda, in response to our killing an Al Queda operative.
So, the presidents attempt to squelch legitimate criticism of a religion was not only a betrayal of American values, it was a waste of time.
“In addition to the Joint Chiefs dialing up Koran-burning pastor Terry Jones earlier this week’
George Washington would have had them hung.
Just as one is either pregnant or not pregnant, one is either a friend of Free Speech or an enemy of Free Speech. There is no in between. There never has been and there never can be. And anyone who does not understand that knows nothing about free speech … … … and is an enemy of free speech.
Everyone remember the P*ss Jesus “art” that was displayed in New York. I think we need a similar display with Mohammed, for balance. Except I’d use solid rather than liquid waste.
Dog Dung Mohammad? Menstral Blood Koran?
Can we fund it with money from the National Endowment of the Arts as well?
Maybe the president would like to hand over Bill Maher to the Muslim Brotherhood. His movie Religulous mocks Islam for about 20 minutes. Come to think of it, didn’t Maher contribute a million dollars to a pro Obama Super Pac?
It looks like the White House is going to use this as a reason to revoke parole of the film-maker.
First amendment— you are talking about old failed policies of the past. It doesn’t work. It never worked.