ESTABLISHMENT OF RELIGION: “Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says congressional lawmakers all are discussing taking some action in response to the Koran burnings of a Tennessee pastor that led to killings at the U.N. facility in Afghanistan and sparked protests across the Middle East, Politico reports. . . . Sen. Lindsey Graham said Congress might need to explore the need to limit some forms of freedom of speech, in light of Tennessee pastor Terry Jones’ Quran burning, and how such actions result in enabling U.S. enemies.”

They told me if I voted Republican we’d see an establishment of religion, complete with penalties for heretics and blasphemers. And they were right!

UPDATE: Ann Althouse: “Zero attention is paid to freedom of speech or religious freedom. Neither Schieffer nor Reid gives a damn (or dares to say he gives a damn). Pathetic.”

ANOTHER UPDATE: Steven Corcoran notes a double standard: “If only Terry Jones had submerged a Koran in a jar of urine, the entire world (or at least the Left) would have proclaimed this a great work of art. As for those who protested: bigots all.”

I don’t think it’s the urine that’s different here. And reader Cindy McNew writes:

U.S. flag burning: OK
Koran burning: Restricted.

I really despise the choice of language in saying it “enables” America’s enemies. … which, by the way, does he even realize he just called angry Muslims America’s enemies?

But it doesn’t enable them–it just gives them an excuse (what should be a laughably transparent one, instead of being taken seriously as a grievance) for what they want to do anyway.

Yes. This is a moment of clarity, on several grounds. And Lindsey Graham is unfit to hold office, too. Why don’t you and Harry resign, Lindsey? It’s the least you can do.

And reader Rob Crawford emails: “I wonder if it’s occurred to any of them that holding such hearings will cause a rash of Koran burnings. All the effort — by Democrats! — to protect the right to burn the US flag seems to have slipped from their minds. Almost as if it weren’t an issue of principle…”

MORE: Reader J.M. Hanes writes: “You know, if Harry Reid weren’t defending the Koran and attacking hookers, I’d have completely forgotten he’s the Majority Leader. You’d almost think that Mitch McConnell was already running the show, wouldn’t you?”

STILL MORE: Did they beclown themselves over nothing? Karzai’s brother: Beheadings had nothing to do with Koran burning. We’re led by cowards and fools. But at least by opening their mouths, they removed all doubt.

And reader Houston Foppiano emails: “Please correct the shoddy reporting in that Newsmax article. Terry Jones is not from Tennessee, he’s from Gainesville, Florida. For all the ‘hillybilly’ crap we’ve gotten from them over the years, make those damn Gators own this crackpot.” Heh.

MORE STILL: A reader emails:

You link to an erroneus Don Surber post about the beheadings in Afghanistan, titled “Karzai’s brother: Beheadings had nothing to do with Koran burning” (update to your 6:42 pm Sunday post).

Surber conflates the Mazar-i-Sharif beheadings with the riots in Kandahar. If you look carefully at the CNN story to which Surber links, Karzai’s brother was talking about a separate set of riots in Kandahar, where there were no beheadings (so far as I am aware).

Thus Surber’s point about the Koran-burning being merely a scapegoat for Petraeus et al. is somewhat undermined.

It’s hard to keep track of all the barbaric behavior emanating from that part of the world.